Moving to Reno
- Related page: Visiting Reno
Archived Q&A and Reviews
My Parents Moving to Reno
May 2010
My parents have just moved to Reno, NV. They are currently renting while looking for a home to buy. Can anyone provide recommendations as to neighborhoods to look in, things to do in Reno, etc.? They are both retired but active in volunteering and the community and enjoy hiking and nature. They have no interest in gambling. Thanks in advance for any advice. Heather
My sister moved from Berkeley to Reno a couple of years ago. We visit every couple of months, and there are lots of outdoorsy activities at regional parks, the nearby Sierras, the Truckee River, etc. My sister works at U. Nevada and there are all kinds of cultural and community events and volunteer opportunities on campus.
Good luck!
Another vote for Reno. Much more of a car culture so that takes getting used to. But there's a lot to love about it. The hiking is beautiful and you are close to Tahoe and Truckee for even more outdoor adventures. There are some good schools, and the public libraries and playgrounds are great. Weather is more extreme than the bay (hotter summers and colder winters) but the sun shines nearly all the time so that makes winter feel okay. Reno is getting a lot cooler and techier but still feels extremely affordable and unpretentious.
My sister moved to Reno ten years ago after being priced out of the Bay Area and she loves it. We visit several times a year. Reno is a 3.5 hour drive from the Bay Area with no traffic, all I-80 freeway, and there's a direct flight from Oakland on Southwest that takes 45 minutes, so if you miss the Bay Area you can still visit without much trouble. You can also take the Amtrak from Emeryville direct to Reno; it's a long but beautiful trip through the Sierra Nevadas.
Reno is a small town with something of a cowboy culture, but the university is there - it's big - and they have a Tesla and an Amazon and are actively recruiting more tech companies. There's a steady stream of Bay Area transplants - so much so that the politics, food, and culture in Reno are rapidly changing, not to mention housing prices going up, but still half what you'd pay in the Bay Area. We were just there a couple of weeks ago. There are so many new restaurants. We had dinner one night at a charming red brick former train station called the Depot that now is a small-batch distillery, and then we ate a foodie-friendly breakfast the next morning at a hotel downtown, Whitney Peak, that does not have a smoke-filled casino but does have a climbing wall and water bottle fill stations on every floor! We often go to the jazz brunch on Sundays at the Reno Museum of Art. This is a small but lively museum with imaginative exhibits and a rooftop sculpture garden with a 360 degree view of the skyline. Sundance Books just down the block is a big white Victorian packed to the gills with books and records, sort of like a cooler version of the old Cody's bookstore in Berkeley.
Reno is pretty, surrounded by a ring of mountains, snowy in the winter. The Truckee River runs through the middle of town and there is kayaking and river walks. Reno is less than an hour away from Tahoe, and it is on the way to BurningMan too, if that's an interest. In fact there are a few businesses in Reno that cater specifically to burners, like Junkee, our favorite place to pass an hour in Reno. The weather is snowy in the winter and hot in the summer, but because it is semi-desert and the air is so dry, you don't feel the heat or the cold as much. It is about 5000' elevation though, if that bothers you (it bothers me.)
My nephew had a good experience in public middle school and high school in Reno, and U. Nevada Reno is tuition free for residents who have a high enough GPA in high school.
You might want to visit one weekend - just don't go on a 3-day weekend right now because you will get stuck in the Tahoe ski traffic on I-80 and it will take 7 hours instead of 3.5!