Reno, here I come.-am I crazy?

[Ottermom]

I am looking to move to Reno in March. Please, Please tell me about the wonderful choice I am making.

why am I moving there? because of work. and a good friend. But everyday I have doubts that this is the right choice. The only thing I equate Reno with is gambling and Tahoe. Tell me more, please tell me more.

[Viola]

Hey, you're making a great choice! I live in Reno! Actually, it is kind of cool here. I moved to Reno in March of last year. I attend the Northern Nevada Attachment Parenting Group, and I just became a member of the Mountain Peoples co-op. I'm a member of LLL and I've gotten to know moms from LLL and the playgroup well enough that we can call each other up and do things. I lived in Orange county, CA before then, and it is a change of pace from that in that there aren't as many places to go and things to do, but it is amazing how things are in close proximity and I actually am more likely to do more things here. I can look for some links to send to you if you like.

[madison]

Reno is OK. :) My whole family lives there - I live in LA, and visit three or four times a year. My family likes living there.

Keeping in mind that *I* am a very liberal, single lesbian mom-to-be who is Green party, semi-vegetarian, eco-everything etc etc, I find Reno to cramp my style :) If you're more "middle of the road" you'll fit in just fine. If you're more conservative, you'll love it.

No one gambles unless you're a visitor. No one goes to the casinos unless you work there. It's like living in L.A. and never going to Hollywood Blvd. (if you know anything about that)! Occassionally, you might go out to eat at the casinos - the Nugget has amazing steaks, cheap and yummy. And the Rib Cookoff in the summer is sponsored by various casinos but amazingly delicious and addictive. The only time I gamble in Reno is at the airport - dropping my loose change into the slots waiting for my plane, LOL!

Reno and Sparks themselves are nice little towns. They are growing at an amazing rate, though!!! Luckily, there is both a N-S fwy and an E-W! But even those slow down. It takes about 45 minutes to get from the very north valleys to the south part of Reno.... I think the town is tiny and my Mom complains at how big it is, lol!

Elementary and middle schools are OK. Most of them are new, because of the growth. There is great high school rivalries, which can be fun. Teachers are straight out of UNR, young, inexperienced but willing to learn and experiment. Speaking of UNR, there's your sporting events - lotsa fun, and the Wolf Pack rules the town, and UNLV is the main rival, of course. My folks have attended football, basketball & volleyball games for YEARS, long after my sisters and I graduated from UNR.

The city is fairly conservative, which some people find surprising considering the casinos. I have a hard time there because I'm so very liberal :) I'm now one of the official "California nuts" who are "ruining Nevada" with their liberal ways, hahaha.

There is some gang violence (but where isn't there?), and lots of homophobia, and crime in the lower economic areas. The area is also very fundie Christian and a fundamentalist will have lots of churches to choose from, while a Wiccan will have a much more difficult time.

Lake Tahoe is a saving grace - it's truly gorgeous!!! I couldn't have survived without the trees and forests and water of Tahoe - the desert DOES take some getting used to. After a while, though, it grows on you with it's own brand of beauty. Just respect the land - in the summer there is always some idiot who dies out in the desert because she didn't take water and her car broke down and in the winter there is always some idiot who didn't think winter was dangerous and either freezes to death or dies snowboarding in out of bounds areas.

Speaking of sports - Reno is a sporters paradise. You have Tahoe and creepy Pyramid Lake to boat & waterski on, the Reserviours to walk around/canoe in, many beautiful rivers to fish, a dozen world-class ski resorts, hundreds of miles of national forest to hike in.

Lots of nice restaurants, all the chain restaurants (Sizzler, Chili's, etc). Malls and great outlet store shopping - Nevada encourages storage facilities, outlet stores and huge warehouses, so the outlet shopping is great and cheap. You can find more outlets in South Lake Tahoe and at the north end of the lake in Truckee (a GREAT little town, but in winter it's frequently the coldest spot in the nation).

Location: you're 3 hours north of Yosemite, 3 hours from Sacramento, 5 from San Francisco, 8 from Vegas, 1 from Virginia City (definately visit, it's fantastic - a step back in time, and there are several shops that make the best fudge I've ever eaten!!!!).

I give it a 7 or 10 (based on my own perceptions). It definately has some good things going for it, if you take advantage of it. In my opinion, it needs some more diversity, tolerance, theater, music and color, but all in all, it's a good place to live.

Good luck!!!! If I can help you out in any other way, let me know.

:hippie

[Viola]

Hey, and there is even a Trader Joe's and Wild Oats here, and some vegan/vegetarian places. :)

To me it seems like a mix of conservatives and liberals, but then I moved from south Orange county where there were a lot of conservatives. My neighborhood here is definitely conservative, but so was my other one.

It is a small town as you say, Madison, kind of what they mean when they say the biggest little city in the world, I guess. I feel sometimes like I'm on an island, because I haven't been out of town since last summer, just not wanting to drive over the mountain passes in winter. Living in So CA or NoVA, where the towns and cities just go on and on, it's definitely a smaller, wilder feeling. But then Sacramento is only 2 hours away and San Francisco 4 hours (the way I drive, at least, although I've heard some people claim they can make it to SF in 3 hours).

[madison]

SF in THREE hours???!!! WOW!! :D

Ottermom & Amywillow, we should meet up some time! I'll be visiting for 2 or 3 weeks at the end of August/beginning of September so my family can meet my new baby (due in late June/early July) and spoil us :)

I may need some nice sane AP mama's once I've been there for more than a week, lol. None of my family is the least bit AP-ish, unfortunately. And they are gonna laugh at me for using cloth diapers etc. etc.... We are definately on different wavelengths, though we love each other.

Email me at madison - at symbol - hotmail.com when it gets closer and we can coordinate :D

:hippie

[Viola]

Originally posted by madison
SF in THREE hours???!!! WOW!! :D

Ottermom & Amywillow, we should meet up some time! I'll be visiting for 2 or 3 weeks at the end of August/beginning of September so my family can meet my new baby (due in late June/early July) and spoil us :)

Yeah, 3 hours, I was rather incredulous. I think they obviously exceed the speed limit. I'll be driving to SF in July, so I guess I'll see for myself. Of course, if there is traffic, all bets are off. We drove to a place in Santa Rosa and it took us over 4 hours to get there, but driving back we hit traffic and it took us over 6 to get home.

I'd love to meet up with you if you come. I'll be pretty far along in my pregnancy by then. :)

[Viola]

Oh, just something funny--I always associated Reno with quickie divorces and gambling. I didn't know until about two years ago that this place was even close to Tahoe, but then I grew up on the east coast and my western geography was pretty bad.

[mom2jake&shane]

I'm from Reno, and I love it here. I grew up from 4th grade thru 12th grade in Virginia City (someone was talking about it). This is the fist board I've belonged to where there is anyone else from my area!!!

The summers are great here. We have the Rib Cook-off (as someone mentioned), Hot August Nights (old cars), Street Vibrations (Harley Davidsons), and the Reno Air Races..... all pretty neat.

Lake Tahoe is absolutely gorgeous!

[Viola]

Welcome, Heather! I'm glad to see some other Renoites here!!!

[Viola]

Oh, and don't forget Artown: http://www.artown.org/

[Viola]

Originally posted by madison
I'm now one of the official "California nuts" who are "ruining Nevada" with their liberal ways, hahaha.

I love us, for the most part. Although I wish the Californians had kept the doggone Marriage Protection Act to themselves. I voted against that while in CA and then moved here and the same stupid issue came up again!

But at least we were able to keep them from fluoridating our water. :D

[mom2jake&shane]

Amywillo - Thanks for the warm welcome!!

[madison]

Oh, and don't forget the Hot Air Balloon Races, has anyone mentioned them yet? I LOVE going to the balloon races! Getting up at the freakin crack of dawn and sitting with thousands of other early birds watching the balloons fire up and inflate in the blackness of pre-dawn, drinking coffee out of thermoses and eating a picnic breakfast while huddled under blankets :) I used to live right by UNR and we had a balloon land right in our street in front of our house (he was in trouble, lol) luckily he didn't land on our roof! Great fun!!!

:hippie

[Ottermom]

Thank you all for the replies, I have not moved. But will keep these thoughts in my archives for when I visit the next and incase my situation changes!:hippie