Reno, with a population of more than 233 thousand people, is the largest city in northern Nevada. The city is located on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in an area known as Truckee Meadows. Reno's popular nickname is "The Biggest Little City in the World."
Reno has become widely known as a major gambling center. Within a one-hour drive from Reno there are 18 ski resorts, the delightful Lake Tahoe, the state capital of Carson City, and over 50 golf clubs. And all this in the most picturesque territory of Nevada.
Distances from Reno to (by car):
- Sacramento - 210 km;
- San Francisco - 350 km;
- Las Vegas - 730 km;
- Carson City - 50 km;
- Lake Tahoe - 60 km;
- Yosemite National Park - 410 km;
A little history
In 1859, Charles Fuller built a log bridge over the Truckee River and began charging tolls to those heading to Virginia City, where gold had been discovered a short time earlier. A couple of years later, Myron Lake bought the bridge from Fuller, bought more land and set up a small farm with a mill and stables.
When the Central Pacific Railroad reached Nevada in 1868, Lake sold some of his land in exchange for a promise to build a road nearby. On May 9, 1868, a settlement arose that received its name in honor of Civil War General Jesse Lee Reno. All of Lake's land was divided up and sold at auction to anyone interested.
The famous "The Biggest Little City In The World" sign
Nevada's early economy was heavily dependent on mining. We had to look for other ways of economic support during periods of decline. After the legalization of gambling in 1931 and the passage of liberal laws, the city experienced a boom in growth. Reno deservedly received the title “City of Sin” with many brothels, a developed gambling business and a fast divorce procedure.
Photo of Reno from above
For many decades, Reno competed with Las Vegas for the right to be called the gambling capital of the United States. Due to its location, Reno attracts more tourists and gamblers from Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area, while Las Vegas historically caters to tourists from Los Angeles, Southern California and Phoenix. The casino industry in Reno has been experiencing some decline lately. However, in 2013, the tax levied on hotel room rental revenue alone topped $234 million.
Reno sports arenas - Aces Ballpark and Mackay Stadium
Racial composition of the population for 2013:
- white - 60.2%
- Hispanic (any race) - 26.7%
- Asians - 6.5%
- mixed race - 3.1%
- African Americans - 2.1%
- Pacific origin - 0.8%
- Indians - 0.6%
Socio-economic indicators for 2013:
- average income per person - $27,027
- average home price - $200,400
- The average cost of renting a home is $815
- population living below the poverty line - 18.8%
- unemployment in the region (as of June 2014) - 7.5%
- cost of living index - 94.5 (slightly below the US average).
University of Nevada, Reno buildings
Today, Reno's economy is primarily based in retail and service industries, employing 65% of the city's total workforce. The gaming and entertainment industry, which is part of the service sector, remains critical to the economy.
"Little Las Vegas", or "The Biggest Little City in the World", Reno (Reno, 42 km north of Carson City) is positioned as an alternative to Las Vegas, but the real attraction of the city is its provincial charm and several quite interesting monuments.
Reno Attractions
Reno attractions include: Myron Lake Bridge With water sports park There are many casinos nearby Virginia Street, Nevada Museum of History with an excellent exhibition on the history of the state, National Automobile Museum on the south bank of the river, Wilbur May Center(museum, forest nursery and amusement park), University of Nevada And Mustang Ranch- the largest legal brothel in the United States.
Around Reno
35 km southwest of Reno, the state's largest resort area begins - Lake Tahoe. Situated at an altitude of 1,800 meters above sea level, among the beautiful alpine landscapes of Nevada and California, the lake is the center of popular beach and top-class ski resorts and is famous for its vibrant nightlife, festivals and natural beauty. The lake state park covers almost the entire eastern (Nevada) shore of Tahoe and has dozens of hiking trails (about 100 km), tiny beaches, Spooner trout lake, Pine Ranch theme park, and on the northeastern shore of the lake you can find beautiful tracts of weathered sandstone Valley of Fire Park, the beautiful shallow waters of Sand Harbor, Divers Cove - a popular scuba diving spot, the fashionable Village area with its multi-million dollar villas and private clubs, as well as several first-class golf courses.
No less interesting local attractions are Pyramid Lake north of Reno - a beautiful blue expanse in the red desert, a popular place for sport fishing and bird watching (an American white pelican sanctuary is located on the southern end of the lake on Anaho Island); old ranch Scottys Castle; popular resort town Lachlin and excellent mountain resorts in Spring Mountain And Mount Charleston, as well as the town Elko with its Western Folklife Center.
Reno, "the world's largest of the smallest cities," is located in beautiful northwestern Nevada, right at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. There's something for everyone here. Reno is the state's second most popular tourist destination with excellent resorts, gaming and family entertainment, opportunities for outdoor adventures, many festivals and museums, fantastic cuisine, annual shows, exhibitions and other events. And all this against the backdrop of a rich and complex history. This is where the historic Johnson-Jeffreys flight took place. This is where Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable created The Misfits in 1961. This is Reno - the “gateway to the Old West.”
Black Rock City is an ephemeral city that exists for only one week a year, during the radical art festival Burning Man. On days of maximum occupancy, about 60 thousand people “live” in the city, including, of course, firefighters and ambulance workers.
How to get to Reno
Reno-Tahoe International Airport handles many domestic flights, including flights from Alaska, Chicago, Denver, Portland, Vegas, Oakland, San Jose, San Diego and Salt Lake City. The city is also home to the California Zephyr, a train that runs from Emeryville to Chicago, and the Amtrak train from Sacramento. But still, the most interesting thing is driving to Reno on the highway. Long-distance buses travel here primarily along I-80, the old emigrant road along Humboldt Creek, which provides access to the city from the west. The alternative is the more direct US-50, "the loneliest highway in America," but it crosses several mountain ranges with steep grades and hairpin turns. You can also get to Reno from Vegas via US-95 (about 8 hours of driving through a rather boring desert landscape). Finally, from the north, from Sacramento, Interstate 80 leads directly to Reno, but on Friday evenings, especially during ski season, it can be packed to capacity.
Search flights to Reno
Weather in Reno
Entertainment and attractions in Reno
Victorian Square is the center of the Old Town, where there are casinos, restaurants, cinemas and several modern (partly still under construction) complexes. The annual summer show Best in the West also takes place here.
Holidays in Reno
The Nevada Museum of Art opened in its current beautiful building in 2003. It houses national and international exhibitions in addition to smaller regional exhibitions. The museum is located in the financial district of Liberty Street, in the southern part of the city center.
The city's central library was designed with the idea of being built in a park. It turned out that there was not enough land for both the park and the library, so the park was placed inside the building. This library is a stunning example of an inspired school of architecture from the 60s that has stood the test of time.
Wingfield Park is located along the Truckee River, just a few blocks from the main casino site. There is an amphitheater with regular productions in the summer, a kayaking park open year-round, and many wonderful places to sit and relax. This park hosts the annual Reno River festival in May and Arttown in July. Another attractive city park is Idlewild. It's an easy walk from Riverside Drive and features a city rose garden, skate park and plenty of walking paths. The park is located on the south bank of the Truckee River.
3 things to do in Reno:
- Grab a bite to eat on California Avenue. This is an area of small shops and restaurants that is a short walk from the casino area and offers a very pleasant dining experience.
- Walk around the University of Nevada campus, modeled after Jefferson University in Virginia. It is very beautiful here, there is a planetarium, and you can sign up for a guided tour.
- Whether it's skiing in the winter or mountain biking in the summer, there are plenty of great places to do it around Reno.
The Nevada Museum of Art is located on West Liberty Street and is the state's only art museum accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The main emphasis here is on the growing interest in environmental protection. Among the permanent exhibitions is the photo exhibition “Alternative Landscape”, demonstrating the human influence on the environment.
The National Motor Museum is located south of the river and has a small but very interesting collection of models dating back to the late 19th century. There are more than 200 cars in four different galleries, including Elvis's 1973 Cadillac Eldorado, Frank Sinatra's Gia L6.4 (1961), and John F. Kennedy's Lincoln Continental (1962). .) and John Wayne's Chevrolet Corvette (1953). Also on display are a 24-karat gold-plated DeLorean (one of only three models built for American Express) and a Ferrari V-12-powered Jeep Wagoneer. The museum was included in the top ten best automobile museums according to the Car Collector magazine.
A few blocks north of the university is Rancho San Rafael. This 570-acre country park is home to an arboretum, the Wilbur D. May Museum, and a summer children's water attraction. The annual hot air balloon race at the end of summer also takes place here.
Popular hotels in Reno
Casino Reno
Although the glory of Las Vegas cannot be eclipsed by Reno, gambling is still an important component here, and many casinos attract tourists from all over the country and beyond. One of the newest casinos is the Silver Legacy, built in 1995 and connected to the pink neon Eldorado by suspended bridges. The latter, by the way, has one of the best buffets in Reno and many restaurant options (steakhouse, brasserie, seafood restaurant and cafe). Another casino connected to Silver Legacy is Circus Circus, where it is not recommended to eat, but it is recommended to leave children: there are a lot of interesting things for them.
The Rhino Nugget is a tiny casino with a luxurious bar where you can try the famous Awful-awful burger.
The Harrah's chain casinos appeared in Reno, and a good Asian noodle restaurant was opened here. Classic casino in “Rino-style” - “Club Kal-Neva”; Atlantis has a tropical theme, and the large Peppermill rivals the casino of the same name in Vegas.
In addition, the casino resorts of Reno are notable: the Grand Sierra Resort is the largest hotel/casino in the city, which is located near the airport, with a swimming pool, nightclub, a number of restaurants, a shopping mall, cinema, video games, bowling and God knows what else. Another great hotel-casino is John Ascuaga's Nugget, which is located in Victorian Square: it has the wonderful Rosie's Coffee House and the Basque restaurant Orozco, as well as a Polynesian restaurant, an oyster bar, a French buffet, a pub, a Starbucks and live concerts once a week.
Reno Events
Tourism is one of the city's main sources of income, and therefore many events are held here, especially in the summer. The National Aviation Championship is held in the city in mid-September, and it attracts aviation enthusiasts from all over the world, as well as 200 thousand spectators annually. The championship takes place on the territory of the small regional airport Reno-Stead, which is 16 km from the city. The program includes competitions in six different classes, a large exhibition of aircraft and several military and civilian air shows.
Another large-scale event is Artown, a month-long festival including many exhibitions and concerts. The idea of the festival originated in 1996, and since then it has become one of the most significant in the country, bringing together about 350 events at 100 venues in the city. About 350 thousand people visit the festival every year, and world-famous stars are invited to participate in it: Mikhail Baryshnikov, Marcel Marceau, the American Ballet Theater and the Harlem Gospel Choir.
In addition, Reno hosts the Hot August Nights vintage car rally, Street Vibes, rodeo and state fair.
Additionally, Reno is the closest major city to Black Rock City. Black Rock City is an ephemeral city that exists for only one week a year, during the radical art festival Burning Man. On days of maximum occupancy, about 60 thousand people “live” in the city, including, of course, firefighters and ambulance workers. During this week, a post office, police station, roads, houses, bars, clubs, restaurants and hundreds of art installations appear in the city. After a week, all this disappears (mostly is burned), leaving behind a bare white desert. The festival moved here in 1990 from San Francisco, where it had been held since 1986. Its main principles are self-service, no “spectators” (all “citizens” take part in the performances in one way or another), no litter after oneself and radical self-expression in within the limits permitted by law, including nudism.
The history of the city dates back to the early 1850s: it was then that several dozen pioneers settled in this area, seduced by the proximity of Pyramid Lake and good soil resources. Knowing that many people traveled along the California Trail, the settlers hoped to sell food to travelers before they trekked through the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
Just a few years later, rich deposits of gold and silver were discovered near the settlement, which at that time did not yet have an official name. As soon as the news reached the east coast, hundreds of seekers of easy money rushed to the hitherto unpopular Nevada. It was soon announced that this territory was one of the richest in the country in terms of silver reserves. In a short time, bridges were built across numerous rivers and lakes, a railroad was laid, and the final station was, as you might guess, in the very settlement that officially received city status on May 9, 1868, and was named Reno.
Over the years, the city developed, the number of residents increased. In 1929, the city was jokingly dubbed "The Biggest Little City in the World."
A few years later, the city allowed to process divorces and open casinos. This event further accelerated the pace of development of the city and the natural influx of population. According to one of the city residents, at that time most of the young people went there in order to divorce their annoying spouse and get rich in one of the dozens of casinos.
Soon, however, a new law was passed prohibiting divorces from guests of the city. This did not reduce the popularity of the city, but on the contrary: the so-called bubble in the real estate market began, as a result of which housing prices increased greatly, and a square meter of real estate in Reno became perhaps the most expensive in the country.
The climate of the region is more than favorable - hot summers, when temperatures reach 40 degrees, and warm winters with above-zero temperatures and only 4-5 snowy days per season.
Since the city is located on a tectonic fault, where the Pacific and North American plates collide, earthquakes and other geological disasters are often recorded there; for example, in 1857, a powerful natural gas explosion occurred underground, which resulted in the destruction of five buildings and injured several dozen people.
At the moment, about 220 thousand residents live in the city, most of whom have their own houses, and some visitors stay in casino hotels or rent a separate apartment in the city center. Light-skinned residents predominate in Reno, followed closely by Hispanic and dark-skinned residents, according to census data. A small percentage are from Europe, Asia and Oceania.
The main source of income, of course, is the gambling business. Since the law allowing the opening of casinos was passed in 1931, Reno has become the "Gaming Capital of the United States", but this title was later transferred to Las Vegas. It was in Reno that the famous gambling company "Harrah's Entertainment" was founded, which is one of the largest at the moment.
It is also known that in addition to the casino, Reno is famous for its universities and colleges: the most famous of them, the University of Nevada, Reno, offers students a huge choice of different professions and specialties, and it is also one of the oldest universities in the whole state.
Residents of the city are quite interested in sports, and therefore the city has its own basketball team - the Reno Bighorns, which has repeatedly made attempts to break into the National Basketball Association. In addition, the city is home to a Little League baseball team, the Reno Aces, and a fairly successful college hockey team, the Reno Raiders, which will soon train and play in a new, not yet completed, arena.
Every year the city hosts the United States Bowling Congress.
Is there a largest small city in the world, and where is it located? It turns out that this is the name of the city of Reno, located in the northwest of Nevada, near the border with California. One day, during our trip to the Yellowstone supervolcano () , we had the opportunity to spend one day of our lives in this town, which was once even more famous for its casinos than Las Vegas. Welcome to Reno!
1. So, the city of Reno lay on our route between the relict Lake Tahoe and Salt Lake City - the site of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. We woke up in a tent on the shore of Tahoe and immediately began to get ready. The three of us traveled with our Japanese friend Yuki, who took this photo as a souvenir. 
2. The surroundings were like this: sky, pine cones and pine trees... The Tahoe area has some pretty peaceful wildlife. 
3. We were standing in a place called Emerald Bay. Again, lake, pine trees and mountains. 
4. But after just an hour and a half we were already entering Reno, the city is quite unusual and contrasting. On the one hand, this is a complete periphery: even in the desert state of Nevada, the town is only the fourth most populous. About 220 thousand people live here. On the other hand, this place is famous for its casinos, and if not throughout the world, then throughout America for sure.
5. In addition, the city is located on the border between a huge desert and mountains covered with ancient pine forest. Judging by the heat, the desert won on this June day. Perhaps it was for this reason that the streets were also mostly deserted.
6. Most of the residents came running to relax in a rather nice green park located on an island in the middle of the river called Truckee River. On this day, the Reno River Fest was held here, where water sports, poker players, local artists and cowboys mixed. The rhythm of the event was set by successive jazzmen. 
7. A day by the river. American workers listen to jazz. Full relax. 
8. In general, there were quite a lot of colorful local residents in the park, like this elderly woman remembering the entire 20th century. 
9. One of the most unusual eventsthere was a championship at the festivaldiving Wednesdaydi... dogs - SPLASH DOGS. 
10. The rules of the competition are quite simple: dogs compete with their owners, who throw special toys in the form of a tasty bone or duck into the water. Along the pool there are markings in feet. 
11. The dog that jumps into the water for the maximum length wins.
12. These three won (if you consider the duck a member of the team). 
13. Doggie Ba dy flew an incredible 26 feet. It's about 8 meters. For comparison, let's say that the current world record for long jump among people is 8 meters and 95 cm. It was set back in 1991 by the American Michael Powell. 
14. You can get to the island park by crossing these bridges. Dogs and people who did not jump into the pool rested by the river. 
15.
16. Many still jumped into the river. 
17. By the way, there is a current in the river Truckee quite strong. People were having fun floating on air mattresses.
18. We rafted on inflatable rings. 
19. We rafted on paddleboards and kayaks.
20. We even rafted on surfboards, using the river rapids instead of a wave and clinging to a tree with a rope. Some kind of eternal thrill! 
21. Leaving the island, we moved on to walk around the city. Up the river we discovered a pond where many different birds live. 
22. A rather cool urban development has begun behind the pond. Lots of beautiful graffiti. 
23. Considering that this is not New York or San Francisco, the ideas and quality of the work were impressive. 
24. Some pretty cool architecture has begun. 
25. Almost a piece of Chicago in Nevada. 
26. Deserted streets, old brick walls, huge fire escapes. 
27. It was time for lunch and we began to look for a place to have a snack. 
28. I found this nice courtyard with nice cafes. 
29. It was desert hot and we decided to drink cold beer at the same time. 
30. In general, this area was very stylish. And ancient. Real America of the 20th century. 
31. Although sometimes the unity of style is cut through by ultra-modern objects and forms. This white thing on the roof was spinning in the wind. Not sure, but maybe it generates electricity. 
32. But this character, in some strange way, always found himself in our way. At the same time, most often he was the only person on the street. 
33. After lunch, we decided to leave the “Chicago” area and went to downtown Reno - the central part, where various casinos are located. 
34. Farewell photo. 
35. The main attraction of Reno is this luminous arch with the name of the city, built in the 80s and located on Virginia street. In addition to the city's name, the arch bears the city's iconic motto: "The Biggest Little City in the World." In general, this is already the third generation of the arch, and the very first version was built back in 1926 on the occasion of a major exhibition held here. At the same time, a competition was announced to create a motto, and the winner received a fairly large prize: $100.
36. The main attraction of the city is its numerous old casinos. The fact is that until the 60s of the 20th century, the city of Reno was considered the gaming capital of America. Huge casinos formed the backbone of the city's economy, and famous gamblers from all over the world came here to play. But the rapid growth of the Las Vegas gaming industry and permission to open casinos on numerous Indian reservations consigned Reno's glory to its lovable past. 
37. Many famous casinos have been demolished or converted into residential buildings. We managed to take these telling photographs while walking around downtown. 
38. Today, Reno's remaining gaming industry still makes up a significant portion of the city's economy. And even new large casinos are appearing. It seemed to us that, unlike Las Vegas, where it is impossible to get through the crowd of tourists from all over the world on the street, mostly Americans come to Reno to play, and Americans with conservative views. For example, in one of the casinos we saw about 200 cowboys in blue jeans and huge hats. This is probably why you come across shops with display windows like this on the streets. 25% discount on all saddles. Tempting.
39. It was getting dark, and walking between the casinos we returned to the famous arch, which lit its alluring lights. Interestingly, 2079 light bulbs were used in the arch and a few years ago they were all replaced with super energy-efficient diode lamps consuming only 2 watts each.
40. Speaking of light bulbs, there are a lot of them in Reno. The further we walked through the streets of Reno, the more lights flashed around us. The huge casinos, still operating, turned on their lights, as if inviting us on a journey into the past of this unusual city. First, the lights came on on the giant Silver Legacy (in the background), built in 1995. Then Eldorado, which opened in 1973. 
41. Opposite them, Club Cal Neva, which opened here back in 1962, broke out. 
42. The neon lights of the 60s took over and we couldn’t resist - we went to a local bar to try a few cocktails. 
43. As we say: Cheers! 
44. When we left the bar, it was already completely dark and we decided to go to our motel. Along the way we picked up our Japanese friend Yuki, who spent the afternoon exploring Reno on his own.
45. The carriage flew into the fog Our car flew between the neon flashes of the past. Sometimes we just stopped and stood in silence for a few minutes. 
46. Opposite our motel, the giant CIRCUS casino clown, whose life began in 1957, was laughing. 
47. Yes, in fact, our random motel itself has already been half erased from the present. All that remains of its former chic is the name. 
48. By the way, all casinos are open around the clock and there are quite a lot of people there even in the middle of the night. 
49. Well, we went to bed. The next day we had to cross almost the entire state of Nevada, which is hundreds of kilometers of desert. Goodbye to the lights of the biggest little city in the world! 
P.S.: Read our articles about other days from this unusual journey.