I live in the Bay Area and visit the Tahoe and Reno area often. Reno is NOT an area people love, retirees maybe because of the cost of living. Reno is basically a ghost town of old casinos from its glory days, half are now boarded up. I know very few people that would enjoy living there. I'd much rather live in Truckee or Tahoe and commute into Reno. Many people do.

Do yourself a favor and visit before moving there.

my parents live there. they moved from the bay area almost a decade ago, and they have found a community there and are happy. not sure of your politics, but they worried that it would all be republicans as far as the eye can see, but they are very active with their local democrats and have found a lot of like-minded people. my mom often remarks that it has a very small town feel. she is always running into someone she knows. they love the art museum and the symphony. i can't comment on the schools, obviously, but my uncle and his family live in Incline Village (Tahoe) and he commutes to Reno and they are very happy with the schools there (my little cousins are ridiculously bright). it IS incredibly windy in Reno. not always, but when it's windy, it's WINDY. otherwise, the weather is pretty mild. it snows, but not a ton, but you can easily get to Tahoe for snow sports. the climate is very dry as it's a desert climate. i'm constantly putting on lotion when i visit.

would move there to work for the largest 'hedge fund' in the world.

otherwise no.

Anonymous wrote:So- this is antidotal and from years ago, but I have a very negative impression of Reno. High school boyfriend was from there and drugs were super prevalent in high school (or younger). A friend from there, who since moved, said people were just crazy. Lots of swingers and just strange people. I would definitely check it out (and Great Schools even though they have their flaws) just to make sure it's the kind of place you want to live and raise a family.

Antidotal. Lol. What disease/sickness are you trying to cure?

I visited once and absolutely LOVED it and think it's such an underrated city. Would I move there? I'm happy where I am but for the next move I would definitely consider it. I also think the true test of whether you want to move somewhere is to spend like a week there, driving around, going out to dinner and to the grocery store, etc. That way you can get a feel for traffic, people, amenities, etc.

But yes, I love Reno.

Anonymous wrote:Low expectations about lifestyle, definitely put your dd in a private school out there. I have spent a ton of time in the SW and it blends together, not much interesting cullture, lots of racist older people. The natural beauty is great. But most teens biggest dream is getting into a party school like ASU.

Reno is not the "southwest." Mountain West, more accurately.

So many of these comments are just sweeping generalizations from people who haven't actually lived
there.

Low expectations about lifestyle, definitely put your dd in a private school out there. I have spent a ton of time in the SW and it blends together, not much interesting cullture, lots of racist older people. The natural beauty is great. But most teens biggest dream is getting into a party school like ASU.

OP here. The schools seem pretty meh... That is a problem. Is it boring? Are the people generally nice? I'm from DC, born and raised but in Cincinnati now and find Cinci to pretty much be insular people who've never been anywhere else. From that perspective, would Reno area be any better?

Anonymous wrote:So- this is antidotal and from years ago, but I have a very negative impression of Reno. High school boyfriend was from there and drugs were super prevalent in high school (or younger). A friend from there, who since moved, said people were just crazy. Lots of swingers and just strange people. I would definitely check it out (and Great Schools even though they have their flaws) just to make sure it's the kind of place you want to live and raise a family.

You didn't go to a great high school, did you?

So- this is antidotal and from years ago, but I have a very negative impression of Reno. High school boyfriend was from there and drugs were super prevalent in high school (or younger). A friend from there, who since moved, said people were just crazy. Lots of swingers and just strange people. I would definitely check it out (and Great Schools even though they have their flaws) just to make sure it's the kind of place you want to live and raise a family.

I visited a few times while I lived in Vegas, but had a few superficial observations:

The area outside of the city is beautiful. Mountains, pine trees, etc. Not a bad drive to Lake Tahoe. People I know who live there are very outdoorsy, and nice.

There is a huge and beautiful Whole Foods in the suburbs (south of town, iirc). Lots of drive through coffee shop huts. Reminded me a little of the Pacific NW in that way. There are suburbs but it gets rural, fast once you get past them.

The University of Nevada, Reno is just north of the city. It's a pretty campus.

From the little I know about the place I would move there with my family for the right job. But, I am one who is not so happy in DC (too high-stress, too much traffic and too many people for me).

You should check out school districts on school digger.com I don't believe its known for its great schools, but I could be wrong.

I think you should go visit before pursuing it. It's not an expensive weekend trip.

If you are outdoorsy, you may enjoy it. There is an up-and-coming microbrew/foodie scene, but it is a lot more low key than the east coast, or Vegas/Phoenix/Denver.

I have been twice for work. Both times I stayed in a casino hotel (because of the conference facilities). I was miserable in the hotel/casinos, but we found some good restaurants, and we went up to Tahoe one day, and that was really nice.

Potential job with employer in Reno. Any thoughts on lifestyle - climate, schools, people, restaurants, events. Also, employment opportunities for spouse who works in IT leadership.
I have one daughter who will be entering 9th grade in the fall. She's slated to attend an all girls school but I don't see any same sex schools in the area. Any thoughts on the schools would be especially welcome.
I've heard mixed about the weather, some say its nice, others say its terrible with constant wind.

I need to get some sense of the place before I actually visit, recruiter is a good friend (but professional level, not personal) and I don't want to go too far down the path with him if it's not going to work.