Wow, a thread about living in Reno, and I'm the first person who actually lives here who will give a response.

I've lived here most of my life (I just turned 30), so I've seen what Reno was and what Reno is now. And to be 100% honest - there are parts I like, and parts that I despise. I guess I'll go through all of my observations (especially those in this thread):

From a taxation standpoint, Nevada is one of the most favorable states to live in - though this is beginning to change as the state must look for alternative sources of revenue other than gaming.

Nonetheless, it is one of the major reasons why Californians are leaving in droves and coming here. That has its drawbacks - the real estate market here, for example, is becoming just as ridiculous as in northern CA - which is why outlying communities - Fernley, Carson City, and so on - are becoming more and more popular.

1) Reno doesn't want to be Las Vegas. While that negatively impacts the tourism possibilities here, it makes it (IMO) a better place to live.

2) If nothing here has changed in "years and years," I've got a feeling that you haven't been here enough. Reno's growth is in the top ten in the nation year after year, and it is reflective in the city as a whole. Perhaps this is a statement about the casino industry, but Reno's casinos have nowhere to go from here other than down.

As for my opinion? Well, I liked Reno more ten or fifteen years ago. It was a lot less crowded than it is now, and largely more affordable. The population of Reno/Sparks has nearly doubled in that time - but a lot of the infrastructure hasn't grown with it. I left for several years, and was aghast to hear traffic reports on the radio every day when I came back. Ten years ago, that would have been only something you heard on your day trip to Sacramento or San Francisco.

As the market grows less and less dependent upon casinos, more and more industries are moving their jobs here. It's still a relatively depressed market, though - but that's not unique to Reno.

Reno's proximity to Tahoe and northern California is a plus. It's distanced enough from it, but not too far to be a huge journey or ordeal to get to.

The weather is also a plus - not too much snow in the winter, not too hot in the summer (at least, considerably cooler than Las Vegas or Phoenix). And it's a dry heat - something that you can say when it's only 90 degrees, and it really matters.

For kids, the schools are (by and large here) pretty good. The university here is also one of the lowest-cost in the nation, and it is where I (by the time I'm done) will have at least three degrees from. In terms of activities for them, though, it's fairly limited - much of the entertainment is geared towards adults. And the lack of a well-developed transit system here makes it hard to get around (the bus system has pretty poor coverage in some areas of town, and no coverage in other spots).

I don't begrudge anyone who wants to live here - compared to a lot of other mid-major cities in the nation, I find it to be better (sorry, Toledo). But if Reno were the place that it was before California discovered it and moved en masse, I might feel differently.

My future in Reno is probably over in the next five years or so, to be honest. Based upon my career paths, I'm going to be better off in a lot of places than here. And while I'm not that person who couldn't wait to get out (after all, I did leave and I did come back) - I just don't see myself here the rest of my life.

Mike