If you’re a Reno person, please read!

I have been seriously thinking about moving out of San Diego to Reno for the last 2 months. I moved back to San Diego about a year ago from Seattle, Wa. Seattle was pretty cool, but it rained way to much. San Diego is nice and everything but I can’t afford to live here and I make $66,500 a year! I own a new car, I pay $1050 in rent but I live and work in most boring place on the face of the planet (Rancho Bernardo). It’s weird, I make good money, keep my costs low, but I can’t save any money. I look at what I take in and what I spend, but I just can’t believe how expensive it is here. I really don’t see a point in my future where I will get my head above water. Where I can really save money, invest and live well. I just scramble to save money, but I just can’t do it (And I mean, I really do try to save money)

So here this is where the Reno, NV people come in. I am seriously looking at moving to Reno. I like Nevada (Low taxes, lots of guns, plenty of outdoors stuff, very affordable) but I don’t want to move to Las Vegas, just plain ol’ too hot and depressing. I don’t want to move to Texas, just too hot and too many rednecks (Sorry guys, I just can’t stand hicks). Arizona is the same as Las Vegas; just too hot.
I checked out the Reno weather and it looks like sometime I could live in. Does not get too hot in the summer and the winters are not that chilly and it does not rain much there. I also checked out housing and it looks like it is half the cost of living in San Diego and another good thing is that it is just a stone’s throw from skiing at Lake Tahoe.
Reno also happens to be a high tech city (I am a System Administrator by trade) with a lot of companies fleeing California.

Now all you Reno need to give me the 411. Is Reno a nice city and is it worth it to relocate to Reno?

[b] I don’t want to move to Texas, just too hot and too many rednecks (Sorry guys, I just can’t stand hicks).[/b]


Don't insult the Texans. There's a guy at preban who says he got banned for talking about the Texans here. [;)]

Reno hmmm I saw a documentary about their police force on TV, them seem like quite the clowns!! [rofl]

I betcha RB wasn't boring during the fires.  (Or was that a little too much excitement?)

That guy from Pre-Ban must be a prevaricator, since as long as you aren't polysyllabic and confuse the Texicans they don't pray piteously for one's ejection from participation.

Keep in mind that you won't be making $66,500- in Reno. You will have a better standard of living though.

Nevada is the shooters MECA. If you like to shoot, Nevada is the ONLY place to live.

Realistically,

There are few Sys Admin positions in Reno, and with the new tax laws, there are not too many more that will be created.

Rent in a nice area will be about $1K+ a month for a 3 bedroom.

Don't fool yourself about the taxes though, you will pay plenty, although compared to Cali, they are lower.

Reno is a casino town, not a hi tech meca.

My wife was born and raised there till 99' When we left, and we recently looked to relocate back there this July, it was not that good.

Of course this is all my point of view, and yours would be different coming from San Dog.

If you go, be sure to take all the furniture you can with you, don't buy it there, expensive.

Shop at WinCo and Wal-Mart, Sam's and Costco for your food.

Your car insurance will be the same or more, Nevada is a 24/7 state, you can always find a drink.

LV by far has more job ops than Reno.

good luck.


forgot, the gunshops in Reno, basically suck. Make trips to the gunshows....

I kind of like Rancho Bernardo. I heard it's moving towards being a retirement community, but there are still some good companies close by. Certainly can't beat the weather.

Anyway, do a little research on the web before you decide. And certainly spend a few weeks up there if you can. Some areas of Reno have higher property taxes than others and the lifestyle is quite a bit different than San Diego. Some areas are familiar to us Californians -- like the crowded tract homes they are building down by the Marriot Residence Inn (S. Meadows and 395) or those nice homes on the hills west of S. McCarran a couple miles south of 80. The biggest problem is finding jobs, but I think sys admins can usually find jobs everywhere. Also, as mentioned, you won't make a California income in Reno, but overall, it's likely you can live better in Reno than San Diego, even after taking a 20% pay hit. California is about the worst state in the union in terms of quality of living unit per dollar.

BTW, I did a lot of research on Reno back in 1999 and 2000. I drove up there 6-7 times, spent 3 days to a week each time, and finally came to the conclusion that the job market was too limited for me to move up there. I write code for a living, and there was simply not enough jobs up there to move. Sys admins have more options, of course, but I'm sure the competition is nasty.

I moved here in January and it has been decent for me. It's cold and raining right now, and will snow later tonight. Temps in summer can hover in the nineties, with occasional 100+.

Property values are in a steady climb and affordable houses are hard to find. A decent apartment should be do-able, although I don't stay on top of that market.

The area is cool but for some the desert is an aquired taste. Lots to do if you are into the outdoors. Downtown Reno recently finished a new river park for kayakers, and there is lots more like that around here.

Car insurance is fourth highest rated in the country according to an agent I spoke with.

Jobs-a double edged sword. Positive-one of the few places projected to have steady job growth through the next decade. A number of .com refugees have started cottage businesses in Incline Village and growth is expected to spill them over into Reno/Sparks. Tech businesses are expected to grow here.

Negative-either you are a professional or you are going to have a hard time making more than $10-12 an hour. You ought to investigate carefully before you jump. I still work in California.

IM me, I'll be happy to help you out.

Axel is good people, send him an IM


Axel, sorry we never got to go shooting while I was out there.


dave

Amen!

Jesus, who unlocked your cage and let you out of the Nevada section?!

Also, Mr_Mullen you might want to try posting this question in the Nevada forum. Take [b]Gundilbert[/b] back there if you go. [:D]

[url]http://www.ar15.com/forums/forum.html?b=8&f=22[/url]

You aren't one of those psychos who lives in Reno and commutes to Sacramento, are you? [:D]

Reno is a shithole. To move their from San Diego is insane. Their are other places in the country that are much nicer and cheaper to live in then Reno. How about somewhere in Colorado? Lots of people in the eastern U.S. are moving to North Carolina, everybody I have talked to is very happy their. But Reno, have you ever been there? Unless your in the casino business I can't see living there.

... Yup [b]Mr_Mullen[/b], Arizona is a shithole [rolleyes]. Please stay away!

I never said it was a shithole, I said it was too hot. Come'on 110 for 3 months is hot!

Don't listen to some of these guys... Reno is a great place to live.

First of all it is one of the most pro-gun places in the country (ccw, C3, no BS bans or reg laws).  The gun shows at the Hilton are unbelievable.  Head out into the desert and you have all the open shooting space you could ever want.  Its in a high desert valley at the base of the Sierra and Tahoe is only a 40 min drive.  Hunting, fishing, hiking, skiing, any outdoors activity you can think of are all here.

There are lots of places to work including IGT( which employs several thousand people), Sierra Nevada Corp, and the Desert Research Institute among the biggies for engineers and CS types.  There are also some places just over the hill in Kali to work.  Real estate valuations are definitely on the move... word is its Kalifornicators escaping the mess and moving to NV.  There are some great spots to live... in the foothills SW of town, the Virginia Highlands east of town (with million dollar views of the Sierras that don't cost $1M), Sierra foothill locations off the Mt Rose highway.  This place is really good.

Oh BTW, no state income tax as has been mentioned.

Reno, The Biggest Little City In The World. Believe it. Gaming runs the city as it does the state. Cops are assholes. Real cold winters, real hot summers. Reno is a shithole. Lots of bums. Windy too. If you don't care about buying spirits at 3 in the morning, find a better place.

On the other hand, casinos offer great dinners at reasonable prices. Hot, scantilly clad women in the summertime.

Head on over to Fallon, NV and look for jobs there.
There are a few good jobs at the Navy base.

IF you have a job lined up, then by all means go ahead and do it.

Otherwise, just chill and stay there.  

It is currently 29 degrees in my little corner of the state and rarely hits 100 more than 3-4 times a year. [):)]

lived 1 hour south , do it you wont regret it

[slap]

If you want to stay west, look at Colorado too as was mentioned. It's a nice state, has plenty of recreation, and doesn't have the stigma associated with gaming as NV does.

I was born and raised in Winnemucca and then moved to Reno while in high school. It was a great place to live...



..in the 60's.

Dave thanks for the kind words. I guess I'll have to come out your way then. Mattja, my commute is less than 40 minutes, only got sideways once so far this winter.

About wood furniture, the climate here will shrink it, it will become loose or split. Don't bring wood items you care about.

Overall, I like the area but it isn't cheap enough to be a good enough reason by itself. And certain area do have a dumpy aspect. Reno has been working on the bums but I'm not downtown enough to care.