What People Wish They Knew Before Moving to Reno, Nevada

If I could sit down with every single person before they move to Reno, Nevada, I would tell them the same thing we tell our relocation clients every week, the internet can get you started, but it cannot tell you how a place actually feels. And in Northern Nevada, that matters, a lot.

After helping hundreds of people relocate over the last 25 plus years, I can tell you the surprises tend to repeat themselves. People show up excited, they have a short list of homes they favor from Zillow, and then within about 48 hours of driving neighborhoods, their priorities start shifting. Sometimes it is a pleasant surprise, sometimes it completely changes which side of town they want, or whether they should even be in Reno at all.

This is the inside scoop, the stuff people say after they already moved here, and what we try to help you understand early, so you do not pick a neighborhood based on a map pin and a few listing photos.

Reno and Sparks Are Bigger, More Spread Out, and More Varied Than People Expect

One of the biggest misunderstandings is size. Northern Nevada is geographically large. You can drive close to an hour in many directions and still be in what locals consider the Reno Sparks orbit. That surprises people, especially folks coming from denser cities who assume everything is 10 minutes away, or people coming from small towns who assume Reno is still a compact casino corridor.

Reno is not just one vibe. Sparks is not just one vibe either. You have micro neighborhoods inside larger areas, and those micro differences can impact your commute, your wind exposure, your snow totals, your school options, and even how often you feel like leaving the house to do something fun.

Big takeaway: You are not just choosing a house, you are choosing a daily pattern. Where you grocery shop, how quickly you can get to the freeway, how often you go to Tahoe, whether you like walking your neighborhood, all of it changes depending on where you land.

Online Home Shopping Only Shows You Price and Photos, Not Feel

Here is the trap, people start looking online and assume two homes that look similar will feel similar. In Reno, Nevada that is not always true. You can find the same style house, similar square footage, and similar price in two totally different parts of town, and the lifestyle can be dramatically different.

This is why we spend so much time in the beginning asking questions that have nothing to do with bedrooms and bathrooms. Things like, do you care about being close to hiking trails, are you commuting to USA Parkway, do you want a more established neighborhood feel, or do you want newer master planned communities with newer schools and amenities.

South Reno: South Meadows, Double Diamond, and Damonte Ranch Are Not All the Same

South Reno is one of the first areas people ask about, and it is also one of the easiest places to misunderstand. Even inside South Meadows, there are pockets that feel very different.

Double Diamond: The Established Side With a Long Track Record

Double Diamond is the older part of that South Meadows world, with development that goes back to the early 1990s. There is a funny bit of local history here, because back then some people were convinced those homes were going to sink into a hole and fall apart. Thirty years later, for the most part, they are still here, still solid, still a major part of the South Reno housing landscape.

In established pockets like that, you often get a more mature feel, landscaping that has had time to fill in, and a community that does not feel brand new. For some buyers, that matters just as much as the floor plan.

Damonte Ranch: Newer, Master Planned, and a Little More Cookie Cutter

On the other side you have areas like Damonte Ranch, where a lot of building ramped up post recession, roughly 2010 to 2012 and onward. The homes tend to look newer, and neighborhoods often have that master planned look, stucco exteriors, tile roofs, similar elevations, and a consistent streetscape.

I sometimes call it the Vegas style neighborhood, not as a negative, just as a description, tract homes, clean lines, newer schools, and everything feels newer because it is. If you like newer construction, newer parks, and a more predictable neighborhood layout, this is a great match.

Budget reality: South Meadows still has options that feel more affordable than some of the premium pockets elsewhere in Reno, Nevada, but pricing can shift quickly depending on exact location and how far west you go.

West Side and Old Southwest Reno: Charm, Older Homes, and Different Expectations

As you work your way west in South Reno, you start getting into higher price points. Million dollar plus homes become more common as you move toward the more premium areas and eventually into the Old Southwest side of Reno.

If you are moving here specifically because you want an older home with character, brick, mature trees, that classic neighborhood vibe, you will generally be looking closer to Midtown, downtown, and Old Southwest Reno. There is a catch though, which is that the homes tend to be smaller than many out of state buyers expect, simply because building standards and lot usage were different decades ago.

A lot of the homes in Midtown and Old Southwest might land around 1, 500 square feet. Great for people who want charm and location, not always ideal for someone who wants a big open layout, tall ceilings, and a three car garage.

• What you gain: character, location, walkability to restaurants and shops in certain pockets
• What you give up: bigger square footage, newer systems in some cases, modern layouts
• What surprises people: smaller room sizes and lower ceiling heights compared to newer builds

Northwest Reno and Somerset: Similar Homes, Totally Different Energy

When you jump across the city and start looking in Northwest Reno, you run into communities like Somerset. Somerset can feel, in some ways, similar to South Meadows, even though it is on the opposite end of town. You can find everything from condos and more accessible price points into the luxury range, including homes that go into the multi million dollar category.

One major differentiator is the golf course presence. Somerset has a golf course, and that shapes the community feel. South Meadows does not have that same golf centric setup.

Another practical point, if you need faster access back to California, Northwest Reno can be appealing because it can be easier to hop on the freeway and head west.

Big takeaway: Two homes can look similar on your screen, but the vibe, the wind, the elevation, and your day to day convenience can be very different.

Sparks, Nevada: A Quarter of the Metro, and Often Misunderstood

Sparks, Nevada is a huge part of this region. In casual terms, it can feel like a quarter of the whole Reno Sparks area. What surprises many newcomers is that the line between Reno and Sparks is not always obvious. If we drove you around and did not tell you which city you were in, you might not know.

Sparks includes a wide range of neighborhoods, from areas with golf course communities and newer development, to older neighborhoods that feel more classic and lived in. You can head out toward Red Hawk for golf course vibes that remind people of places like Somerset, or you can land in neighborhoods with bigger lots where people are outside, tinkering in the garage, doing their own yards, and actually knowing their neighbors.

And then you can push farther out, Spanish Springs, Palomino Valley, and other outer areas where the land opens up and the feel changes again. That is where people sometimes get the space they want, but it comes with tradeoffs in drive times.

• If you want community feel: consider established Sparks neighborhoods with bigger lots and more neighbor interaction
• If you want newer builds: look toward newer Sparks growth areas
• If you want space: understand the commute and services as you go farther out

Microclimates: Elevation, Wind, Snow, and Why It Matters

Northern Nevada is full of microclimates. A few miles can change your weather experience. Elevation is a big deal here. The Reno Tahoe International Airport area sits around 4, 300 to 4, 400 feet, kind of in a lower spot. As you move west toward the mountains, or climb above 5, 000 feet, you can see meaningful differences in snow, temperature swings, and wind exposure.

Wind is one that catches people off guard. If you are on a view lot in places like Somerset, you may feel it more. Wind generally moves west to east, so your exposure changes based on where you live and whether your neighborhood is up on a ridge or tucked into a more sheltered pocket.

Then there are questions people ask us all the time about air quality and fire season. There are places that carry higher risk than others, and you want to understand that before you commit to a specific area.

Big takeaway: It is not enough to know Reno weather in general, you want to understand your neighborhood weather.

Shoulder Season Is Real: Prepare for Four Seasons in a Week

Spring and fall in Reno, Nevada are what I call shoulder season, and it is both awesome and a little chaotic. March, April, May, and then September and October can give you a day where it feels like summer, followed by a day where you are wondering if you should have grabbed your ski jacket.

It is not unusual to start the morning in the 50s with the heater on, and end the afternoon in a t shirt. If you are coming from a place with more stable seasons, this can take some adjustment. The upside is that when it is good, it is really good, those crisp mornings and warm afternoons are one of the best parts of living here.

Traffic and Construction: Better Than Big Cities, Still Not Like 1995

Traffic is a funny conversation because locals love to complain about it, and newcomers from Los Angeles or the Bay Area often laugh and say, this is not traffic. Both things can be true.

Reno has grown, and commuting has gotten more challenging compared to decades ago. At the same time, a lot of infrastructure has been updated or is actively being improved, the Spaghetti Bowl rebuild, Interstate 80 work to the west, improvements heading toward the North Valleys, Pyramid Highway work, and ongoing efforts across Sparks.

One area that tends to remain tough for a while is heading east toward Fernley. Winter accidents can also change your commute quickly, especially when conditions are slick.

Planning tip: When you are choosing where to live, do not just map commute times in perfect conditions. Ask what it feels like during winter storms, and what construction projects are scheduled in the corridor you would use most.

Reno Tahoe International Airport: Convenient, With a Tradeoff for Direct Flights

Our airport is one of the underrated conveniences of living here. It is easy to get in and out of, it has been updated, and it tends to feel manageable compared to major metro airports. The most common complaint is direct flight availability, especially if you are heading far east. Depending on where you are going, you may need a connection.

That said, you can get to plenty of hubs, and with one connection you can get almost anywhere. The key is checking whether routes are seasonal or only run certain days of the week.

The Lifestyle Shift: Getting Outside Year Round

This is the part I wish people would fully embrace before they arrive. Reno, Nevada is a lifestyle city if you let it be. The access to the outdoors is not a marketing line, it is real daily life.

Here is a quick local snapshot that came up in our conversation and it is pretty normal for people who live here. One weekend, Sydney had a plan to drive about 15 minutes to a six mile hike to a waterfall. Meanwhile I am playing golf, and then trying to get up to Sand Harbor at Lake Tahoe. That is not a fantasy itinerary, that is a normal weekend when you decide to actually use what Northern Nevada offers.

Depending on the time of year, you can do combinations that surprise people, skiing in the morning and golfing later, or hiking one day and paddleboarding the next. When people realize this, it hits them, they did not just change addresses, they changed their lifestyle.

• If you are outdoorsy: you will feel like you got time back in your life
• If you are not outdoorsy yet: you might become outdoorsy here, because it is simply easier to do
• If you hate seasonal change: talk through that honestly before you pick a neighborhood at higher elevation

Growth Is Part of Northern Nevada, and It Impacts Neighborhood Decisions

Growth is changing everything, including housing prices, road projects, and what is being built near the neighborhood you are considering. Some people love that energy, and some people want a place that will not change. If you are in the second category, you need to know that Nevada has been about growth for a long time.

The important part is not judging growth as good or bad, it is understanding what it means for you. There will be growing pains. Some projects, like major resort expansions and large scale developments, are planned in phases that stretch years into the future. That means an area that feels quiet today might feel very different in five or ten years.

Practical advice: Before you buy, look at planned development near your target neighborhood. It is not just about the home, it is about the next chapter of the area.

How to Use This Info When You Are Narrowing Down Where to Live

When clients ask us where they should live, we do not start with a map. We start with lifestyle. Then we match that to locations and neighborhoods.

Here are a few questions I would ask you if we were talking one on one:

• What is your tolerance for wind and weather variation?
• Do you prefer older charm or newer construction and amenities?
• What does a perfect Saturday look like for you?
• Where will you commute, and what time of day?
• Do you need quick access to California, the airport, or Tahoe?

If you want to browse the areas we work in and start getting familiar with names and boundaries, take a look at our neighborhood hub here: check out the channel, we cover specific neighborhoods, relocation strategy, and the realities people do not always hear upfront.

Conclusion: The Best Move Is the One That Matches Your Lifestyle

Reno, Nevada and Sparks, Nevada are full of great options, but the right option depends on how you actually want to live. South Reno can give you newer schools and that master planned feel. Old Southwest Reno can give you charm and character, with smaller homes and more classic neighborhoods. Northwest Reno and Somerset can bring golf course living and quick access toward California. Sparks can offer everything from established community vibes to newer developments, and plenty of room to spread out as you head farther north and east.

The common theme: The biggest surprises are almost never about the house itself, they are about what it feels like to live in that location every day.

If you want help sorting through the tradeoffs before you book flights and start touring, you can always reach out to us. We are happy to set up a simple conversation and help you narrow the search based on lifestyle and logistics, not just listing photos.

And if you want more practical, local guidance like this, explore other posts anytime, we keep everything organized so you can keep learning as your relocation plans get more serious. You can also always start at our main blog page here: > When we moved there, there wasn't even 100 houses yet. >> Exactly. 30 years later, for the most part, they are all still here. And then on the other side is the Demani Ranch side, which the homes are a little bit newer. Those are probably started being built in kind of 2010, 2012 and onward after the recession. >> Yeah, >> there's cookie cutter houses. Um, the neighborhood is a little bit more master planned looking, so it's not going to be as unique as some of the other areas that we have. Stuckco homes, tile roofs, >> but all the amenities are there. Everything is new. Everything is is new schools, new everything. So, people that are looking for more, I call it the Vegas style neighborhood where it's track, stucco, tile. >> They're a little younger looking just because the the landscaping, for example, is, you know, it's just >> you can still find affordable stuff. So, if people want to live in the South Meadows on that southeast side of town, you can still find that as far as that goes. And as you start to work your way west to the west side, then it talks about a million-dollar plus homes, which as you start to go north then leads us into the old southwest. So when people start talking about older properties and things on those lines where if they're looking for that, we don't have a lot of it. So the prices in those areas become a little more expensive. But as you kind of work your way through, when people say Reno, these are all Reno areas where you're talking about northwest Reno, Old Southwest, all the way wrapping around. So when they're looking for older, what can they expect? The homes a lot of time are pretty much going to be smaller. They're also going to be concentrated pretty heavily to one particular area in the kind of Midtown downtown old southwest Reno area. So if you're looking for that kind of brick or just older style house with the older style neighborhood, the houses are going to be a little bit smaller obviously because the building specs at the time were very different than they are now. You and I often say that you know >> they're not Lesser style homes. >> No, cuz we, you know, we'll we'll hit our heads and things like that. Um the houses also are not usually going to be very big either. The homes in Midtown and Old Southwest Reno are going to be kind of 1500ish. >> Yeah. So people that are looking for older, you're going to be kind of near that McCarron loop just inside outside cuz you can go to Colin Ranch just on the west side of Old Southwest Reno. And then as you jump Highway 8 and you go more to Northwest, you end up in Somerset. Somerset is very similar feeling to when you're in the South Meadows. So you're on complete opposite ends of town, opposite ends of Reno, but Somerset has a golf course. Southwest or South Meadows does not. And then same thing, you can find homes, condos, cheaper stuff in the fours and fives all the way up to spending a couple of million dollars. So that's why we try to mention to people when you're looking online and you find homes, you can find the same homes in two different areas, a little bit different vibe, a little different feel. And if you're in Somerset, people like to be up there because if they have to get quick access back to California, >> absolutely >> easy for them. So you live in Sparks. I do. It's basically like one quarter of the whole Reno Sparks area. And again, you can go all the way out in Sparks out into the Red Hawk area and be on golf courses. cuz it'll feel similar to Somerset or it can be a little bit older neighborhood like you're in. >> My neighborhood I feel like is a little bit more similar to some of the areas you get closer like in Reno to you and our the houses are a little bit smaller. The the neighborhood more feels to me like 2000s USA for some reason. Like every every movie ever is like kind of what my neighborhood feels like. My neighbors all tinker too. Like we we have a little bit bigger lot sizes in in the portion of Sparks that I live in. So everybody's outside. They do their own yards. Everybody's garages are open. Like I know my neighbors for the most part and then I mean in Sparks you can push all the way out another hour into into certain parts of Palamino Valley, Spanish Springs >> way out there. And so what people have to understand is this. Most of the time if they're new to the area and we drove you around Reno Sparks and we didn't tell you which city you were in, you wouldn't even know you're in Sparks. I'm in Reno. We live 15 minutes from each other. And what we want people to understand with before they get here, this is kind of the whole point of the video today is it's much bigger and larger and more spread out and more populated than people think. So what would you tell them? Like are they surprised by that or what do you think? Yes and no. I think it also depends on where people come from and what their expectation of Reno was previously because I think we still for whatever reason get that little bit that we're a dirty old cowboy town and we haven't been a dirty old cowboy town in who even knows how long at this point. >> And I think we've we've grown and diversified a lot now. Are we perfect? Absolutely not. But we have grown so much in the last even 15 years. >> So people have to understand there's a lot of micro climates, micro neighborhoods within all these big neighborhoods. And that's where people, we want them to really figure out where, what works for them lifestyle-wise, all those things. That's why we've done a lot of videos lately, more on that than the specific neighborhoods. So, if you're someone who's thinking about moving to Northern Nevada, do me a favor. Click the link in the description below. We'll get you a copy of our free buyer guide. We'll get you a lot of great information to start your journey. Some of the things that will affect some of these people's decisions, and we always talk about elevation and weather, are those kind of things. So, what can we tell them? I mean, we always say where the airport is is 4, 400, 4, 300 ft of elevation. It's kind of in that low spot, but people have to understand if you're more west versus out in Sparks, typically there are some differences in some of the elevation weather. What would you tell them? >> If you're concerned about wind, I wouldn't necessarily put you on a view lot in Somerset because obviously that's going to be a little bit more windy. I think it's just kind of figuring out what your tolerance is and what your preference is. And I think physically going around the city and looking at different houses in different areas is the easiest and best way to figure that out for yourselves because for me I'm not worried about the wind. I I am born and raised here. It has never bothered me one bit. So my tolerance to it might be different than what yours is. So physically driving around as much as you can and kind of just spending time in areas you think you would like to really see if you do or don't. >> So the more you are to the west, the more you are towards the mountains, our wind typically blows west to east. But again, we're talking about temperatures, amount of snowfall. Like if you you buy a house above 5, 000 ft, you're typically have more snow than if you're below 5, 000 ft. People ask us questions about air quality and fires and all these things. And we want them to realize where there's more high risk versus low risk and those kind of things. And all of that, figuring out what areas and locations we want to talk about is when when we're saying, "Hey, what do you want to know before you get here?" Leads right into the whole traffic conversation, which we laugh about because again, since I lived here since 1989, traffic has definitely gotten more challenging. But at the same time, since I've lived here, the entire spaghetti bowl has been redone. And at the time of shooting this video, we're talking about 80 to the west being redone. Highways out to the north valley is being redone. Pyramid Highway being done. You live in Sparks, you were talking about Sparks Boulevard the other day. And so all these areas are getting redone. The one area that's still going to be a problem for a while is >> it'll be east going out to Trick into Fernley. >> So those are areas where it's going to be a problem for a while. There's not much we can say about that. You hear people comment in the video sometimes about how heavy the traffic can be, especially when we get more winter and more accidents and those kind of things, but they're working on all these things. It can't happen overnight. It's like nobody wants to pay a nickel for taxes on anything, but they want all this stuff to happen. And the infrastructure is getting there. So, I think some of these areas for sure are going to get better. But again, this goes into the things you want to know before you move here so that as we're working on a relocation, we can figure those kind of things out. Now, the airport, we don't need to talk a lot about the airport, but go ahead and mention some about our lovely little airport. >> Yes. So, I love our airport. Um, it's recently been undergoing some additional projects um, after it just had its facelift. Our airport is lovely. I mean, it it's about as convenient as you could ever want it to be. The biggest complaint that people have with our airport is if you're trying to get east, depending on how far east you are trying to get, you will have to have a connecting flight. We're as good as we can be for the minute and we're trying to get better and get more and more flights as we go. But like we have a JetBlue redeye that goes all the way to New York. We have plenty of Delta flights that go to Atlanta. You can get pretty far, but it just kind of depends on where you >> I looked this morning. We have 21 flights. The furthest you're going to get, like you said, there's the one flight to Atlanta. There's now a Nashville, an Austin, a Dallas, a Chicago. They're not always all the time. They're sometimes seasonal, sometimes days a week. You got to pay attention to that stuff. But one connection you're going to pretty much be everywhere. The biggest thing, and we've talked about this in lots of other videos, that we want people to understand, part of what you need to know before you come here is getting your butt outside >> year freaking round. What can you tell them? >> I am an outdoorsy person. I grew up in an outdoorsy family for the most part. You >> sitting on a horse? >> Yes. I always spent time in the woods. I love being outside. I actually prefer to be outside versus inside. And for those of you that want it, like this weekend, I'm already I already have a plan of what hike I'm going to do. I'm going to drive all of 15 minutes from my house to a hike that's going to be 6 miles and it's going to be to a waterfall. >> And while you're doing that, I know on Saturday I'm playing golf again. Yep. And on Sunday I'll be up at Sand Harbor. We've been trying to get up to San Humber for a while. There couple weekends I had planned out. The weather has not been very cooperative. But regardless of that being said, there are things to do >> 12 months a year depending on what you like. The other thing I know we talked briefly about the the elevation, but with the weather, you have to understand things about Reno is this shoulder season. You know, season March, April, May, >> September, October, you have to be prepared because one day you could be wearing shorts and a tank top, the next day you could be prepared like you're going skiing. >> Well, and also like this morning for example, it was in the ' 50s. I started my car. Have to turn the heater on. By this afternoon, I'll be in a t-shirt and it'll be it'll be warm. >> This is that time of year. Like I said, you don't need the air or the heat. I love it because lows typically in the 50s, highs in the high7s, low 80s. It's gorgeous. We we just at the time of shooting this, we just didn't want to go that way as far as that goes. But you don't have to live specifically in Reno to enjoy all these surrounding areas. We always talk about these videos about being northern Nevada and not just Reno. People always think Reno, Lake Tahoe, that's what they know. But there's so many areas you can live affordabilitywise in the surrounding areas that'll still get you access to all of these things. And I honestly think a lot of the people they originally call about Reno, half of them don't even end up in Reno. >> I think sometimes when people first come here, like I said, I think it all depends on what their kind of first viewpoint was. Most of the time people are very pleasantly surprised and then often if people are not moving here, the alternative worked out better for them and their lifestyle. Yes, our housing piece is not as affordable as it used to be, but >> the growth here is changing everything. Some people love it, some people don't. But what they need to understand is you need to make sure before you ever come here, what's happening here, what's growing here. We've done infrastructure project videos talking about this area is growing. So if you want to live in a community that you don't want to have more people come to or more, it's no, it's Nevada's been this way since I've lived in Nevada. I moved to Nevada 1979. It is all about growth and trying to keep things moving along. And if that's not something for you, then this might not be your area, but when we talk about growth is changing things, what have you seen just in your time frame here? >> I think back on like my childhood and things like that and where I was riding horses, what we were doing activity-wise. And yes, the city was significantly less busy when I was growing up. I mean, there the the population was definitely different, but I don't feel like the growth has been out of control, and I don't feel like it's been something that wasn't thought out. The city has done a really good job with the things that we want and the things that we need and the things that people have been asking for. So, don't think that the city's just all of a sudden willy-nilly coming out with all these weird projects. It's like this is the things that people have been asking for and lobbying for and planning for years. You think that the GSR project is all of a sudden became a thing today? No, >> it's been in the works for a long time. >> I ran into a video about it the other day. And this project, there's like phases of it. It's going to go well into the mid 2030s. And so, these are things that people have to understand is that it's going to keep growing and there are going to be some growing pains. and you might live in an area you need to pay attention to what is going to be growing in the neighborhood that you're looking at >> cuz right now I mean my biggest struggle is getting over the highways and I'm just going to have to deal with it for a while. It's part of living in a growing city but I feel like if you're not growing you're dying. >> So city thanks as always for coming on the channel. This is how convenient our area is, how convenient our airport is, how much time you get back for yourselves. And they never thought that maybe in the same weekend like I've done you're skiing in the morning, golfing in the evening. And these are those moments when people realize they didn't just move to a new city. they may have adapted a completely different lifestyle that they are loving even more than they ever thought they were. Every relocation is different and that's why we spend so much time trying to help people figure out where they should live and not just whether they should move to Reno or not. If you're thinking about making move, give us a call, reach out to us. We have all the links down below. We'd love to set up a Zoom meeting with you so that when you do come here on that initial visit, we can help answer all your questions and get you pointed all the right directions of all the things you need to know before you ever set foot in Reno, Nevada. So, if you're someone who's thinking about actually moving to Northern Nevada, check out this video we did right here about people's expectations versus their reality.