Reno, NV (Tell me all about it)

[ThomasRZ]

It seems that there could be an off-chance an opportunity may take me to Reno, NV.

Seems great for the cycling, hiking, and skiing thing. I have zero interest in gambling, so there's that. The reasonable distance to the Bay Area is a huge plus. Does anyone else have the skinny on what life is like there? Best walkable neighborhoods? Best restaurants/bars/bookstores/bikeshops? Anything cool about the place or is it a dump? I trust y'alls opinion.

Thanks in advance.

[maunahaole]

Ping taylorj - Pretty sure that she lives there and can give you an accurate portrait. Downtown Reno is pretty dismal, though. Right outside is very nice is you want to do outdoorsy stuff - close to tahoe skiing, which in the springtime is incomparable, good riding, hiking, kayaking, et. al.

The distance to the bay area can be tricky - best to think of that as a function of road conditions and traffic than one of miles. It is not unheard of for the trip to take upwards of 12 hours when the conditions align in the right way.

[taylorj]

Everything mentioned here is true. the 3 hour drive is in the summer-time with no snow but the road construction can be a pain and cause delays...course you have the gold country (Auburn/Folsom) which is closer and very doable in less than 2 hours).

Tahoe is amazing year around for everything. And they do most of the shoveling. In Reno almost everyday you can ride by the afternoon.

And no state taxes, and nice affordable housing. You can ride your bike right to the airport...Markleeville is a bit more than an hour away with some of the best riding anywhere...

Ping taylorj - Pretty sure that she lives there and can give you an accurate portrait. Downtown Reno is pretty dismal, though. Right outside is very nice is you want to do outdoorsy stuff - close to tahoe skiing, which in the springtime is incomparable, good riding, hiking, kayaking, et. al.

The distance to the bay area can be tricky - best to think of that as a function of road conditions and traffic than one of miles. It is not unheard of for the trip to take upwards of 12 hours when the conditions align in the right way.

[ThomasRZ]

This is awesome. Look for a more detailed e-mail from me today.

Thanks, everyone!

[xjoex]

I never lived there, but a spent a long time there for a conference (SuperComputer 2007). I really liked it.

Trails were everywhere, a short drive to Truckee and Lake Tahoe.


Good luck!
-Joe

[maunahaole]

...........

[taylorj]

Ping me for sure! I have been here for 4.5 years, and haven't been a casino once! The riding, while not as diverse as the options around the SFBay area (where I am from) is fantastic and you can pretty much ride year around. Geiger Grade is open all year. Mt. Rose is another nice climb. 350 days of sunshine (no gray skies), although I opt for running most of the winter and can run outside 365 days a year! There are tons of trails and they are all legal for Mt. Biking. Additionally they just opened the tallest indoor climbing wall in the world downtown. I love it here---and can be in the Bay area in about 3 hours. Send me any questions you might have at jonim@well.com.

[Gradient]

I have not lived there but been quite often because a close friend moved there. The bad - gambling boom/bust culture. Many areas suffer from western cheap land sprawl, leaving downtown half dead, but the last boom cleaned up large areas of downtown. The bust is not as bad as Vegas, but Nevada is hurtin big time. With the gambling culture you get a lot of trouble mostly in the downtown area. There is a regional professional crowd with medical centers and UNR and a lot of sports-minded AWD types interspersed with the 4x4 truck crowd.

Recreation starts in town with the Truckee river running through it, flyfish and kayak before blackjack. There are bike paths and canal roads to get you out of town. Within a half hour is the Sierras and Mr. Rose, a medium-sized ski area that would get more press if is wasn't overshadowed by Heavenly, Northstar, Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows. Let's not forget Rolland della Santa...

My friend lives in what is called the Old Southwest portion of down which has home mostly built between '30s-'70s, with many of the older Mansions found in town and many renovated homes, beautiful neighborhood. There are some great restaurants and bars but you have to cast far and wide between them.

Apologies if this frequent flyer description is overly generalized or harsh. I like it enough to have been there a half dozen times in the last few years.

[Gradient]

Could not use the edit button, but wanted to add that many people don't realize that Reno is almost at a mile-high elevation. Makes for cooler nights and colder winters and in the rainshadow of the Sierras so a lot like high-desert.

[taylorj]

I live at 5300' in Northwest Reno! I am closer to the California Stateline than I am to downtown. Very much the high-desert. My gas/electric bill averages $50-60 a month because no matter how hot or cold it gets, there is 15% humidity so always cools down at night and the lack of clouds cover in the winter means the radiant sunshine comes through the windows warming things up. (in the fall and spring, my gas/electric can be next to nothing.)

The "news on how bad Nevada is doing" is 90% from Las Vegas but the gambling boom dying is actually true here---but like I said, I don't do the casino thing. For an outdoors person, Reno is pretty darn nice. Lots of Northern Californians are here in Reno, so I feel right at home! You will feel the elevation for about a month and then you feel like Superman when riding/racing and for sure running at Sea-level!

Could not use the edit button, but wanted to add that many people don't realize that Reno is almost at a mile-high elevation. Makes for cooler nights and colder winters and in the rainshadow of the Sierras so a lot like high-desert.

[MarkC]

I'd move there just to eat breakfast at the Squeeze-In each morning. But I'm easy.