Reno, Nevada

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Reno, Nevada

City Logo

City nickname: "The Biggest Little City in the World"

Founded

Area
- Total
- Land
- Water

179.6 km² (69.3 mi²)
179.0 km² (69.1 mi²)
0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) 0.32%

Population (2006)
- City
- Metro
-Density

214,371
409,085
1,008.3/km² (2,611.4/mi²)

Time zone

Pacific

Location

39°31′38″N, 119°49′19″W

Elevation

4498 feet (1371 m)

http://www.cityofreno.com

Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 180,480, making it the second largest city in Nevada, after Las Vegas. Current estimates place the population of the city proper at 214,371, which would make Reno the third most populous city, after Henderson.[1] Reno lies 26 miles (42 km) north of the Nevada state capital, Carson City, and 22 miles (35 km) northeast of Lake Tahoe in the high desert. The area of western Nevada and the California Sierras anchored by Reno has a population of approximately 650,000. Reno shares its eastern border with the city of Sparks. Reno, known as The Biggest Little City in the World, is famous for its casinos, and is the birthplace of the gaming corporation Harrah's Entertainment.

[edit] History

As early as the 1850s a few pioneers settled in the Truckee Meadows, a relatively fertile valley through which the Truckee River made its way from Lake Tahoe to Pyramid Lake. In addition to subsistence farming, these early residents could pick up a bit of business from travellers along the California Trail, which followed the Truckee westward, before branching off towards Donner Lake, where the formidable obstacle of the Sierras began.

Gold had been discovered in the vicinity of Virginia City in 1850 and a modest mining community developed, but the discovery of silver in 1859 led to one of the greatest mining bonanzas of all time as the Comstock Lode spewed forth treasure. The Comstock's closest connection to the outside world lay in the Truckee Meadows.

To provide the necessary connection between Virginia City and the California Trail, Charles Fuller built a log toll bridge across the Truckee River in 1859. A small community to service travellers soon grew up near the bridge. After two years, Fuller sold the bridge to Myron Lake, who continued to develop the community with the addition of a grist mill, kiln, and livery stable to the hotel and eating house. The tiny community acquired the name River's Crossing or more commonly Lakes Crossing.

In 1868, the Central Pacific Railroad, building tracks across the west to connect with the Union Pacific, built from the east to form the first transcontinental railroad. Myron Lake, realizing what a rail connection would mean for business, deeded land to the Central Pacific in exchange for its promise to build a depot at Lake's Crossing. Once the railroad station was established, the town of Reno officially came into being on May 13, 1868. The new town was named in honor of Major General Jesse L. Reno, a Union officer killed in the American Civil War.

The extension of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad to Reno in 1872 provided another big boost to the new city's economy. In the following decades, Reno continued to grow and prosper as a business and agricultural center and became the principal settlement on the transcontinental railroad between Sacramento and Salt Lake City.

Reno as it appeared in the late 1980s and early 1990s

However, political power in Nevada remained with the mining communities, first Virginia City and later Tonopah and Goldfield.

As the mining boom waned early in the twentieth century, Nevada's centers of political and business activity shifted to the non-mining communities, especially Reno and Las Vegas, and today the former mining metropolises stand as little more than ghost towns. Despite this, Nevada still accounts for over 11% of world gold production.

It was in Reno in 1871 that Jacob Davis, a tailor, started reinforcing his canvas pants with copper rivets. Davis later patented his idea with Levi Strauss, his canvas supplier to create the product now known as Levi's.

Nevada's legalization of casino gambling in 1931 and the passage of liberal divorce laws created another boom for Reno. The divorce business eventually died as the other states fell in line by passing their own laws easing the requirements for divorce, but gambling continued as a major Reno industry.

In more recent years, Reno has experienced rapid growth as a strong economy and a cost of living less than most of California has resulted in a housing boom. New construction is widespread emanating from all sides of the city and into the surrounding valleys. A direct result of such rapid growth has been a dramatic increase in housing prices in the area, with Reno-Sparks being named one of the most overvalued housing markets in the nation in 2006. On March 15, 2006, a new upscale shopping center, The Summit Sierra, opened in the southern suburbs of Reno.

See also: List of Registered Historic Places in Washoe County, Nevada

[edit] Climate

Reno is situated in a high desert valley of approximately 4,400 feet (1300 m) above sea level. There are four distinct seasons, all of moderate intensity. Winters see some snowfall; however typically it is light. Most precipitation occurs in winter and spring, with summer and fall being extremely dry. Mid-summer highs are typically in the low to mid 90s (degrees Fahrenheit, 30s in degrees Celsius), but temperatures of 100°F (38°C) and above do occur regularly. The low humidity and high elevation generally make even the hottest and coldest days quite bearable. July high and low temperatures average 92°F (33°C) and 51°F (11°C), respectively; in January they are 46°F (7°C) and 22°F (-6°C).

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures
Rec High °F	71	75	83	89	97	103	108	105	101	91	77	70
Norm High °F	45.5	51.7	57.2	64.1	72.6	82.8	91.2	89.9	81.7	69.9	55.3	46.4
Norm Low °F	21.8	25.4	29.3	33.2	40.2	46.5	51.4	49.9	43.1	34	26.4	20.7
Rec Low °F	-16	-16	-2	13	18	21	33	24	20	8	1	-16
Precip (in)	1.06	1.06	0.86	0.35	0.62	0.47	0.24	0.27	0.45	0.42	0.8	0.88
Source: USTravelWeather.com [2]

[edit] Government

Reno has a basic democratic municipal government. The city council is the core of the government, with seven members. Five of these councilmen represent districts of Reno, and are elected by the citizens of each district. The other two members are the at-large, who represent the entire city, and the mayor, who is elected by the people of the city. The council has several duties, including setting priorities for the city, promoting communication with the public, planning development, and redevelopment. An example of a successful municipal project is "reTRAC", the trench that separates train traffic from vehicular traffic downtown. Also, the mayor has appointment and dismissal responsibilities, including the sole power to appoint chief of police and chief of fire.

The government's other members include the city manager, who implements and enforces the policies and programs the council approves, and is chosen by the council. He is in charge of the budget and work force for these programs. There is also the city attorney, who is responsible for civil and criminal cases. He represents the city government in court, and prosecutes misdemeanors as well. He is elected. Lastly, the council chooses a city clerk, who records the proceedings of the council, makes appointments for the council, and makes sure efficient copying and printing services are available.

Issues facing the Reno Municipal Government in 2006 and 2007 include development of the Ballardini, Winnemucca, and Marshall Ranches, which combine hold thousands of acres currently undeveloped. Also, the city plans on annexing the township of Verdi. A second issue is the road development that results from this development; the two-lane Pyramid Highway will become a six-lane freeway, a two-lane rural road near Ballardini Ranch will become a four-lane highway, and multiple roads must be paved in order to have access to the developments. These projects are projected to span over twenty years, in order to serve Reno's growing population.

[edit] Education

[edit] Universities and Colleges

The University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) is the oldest university in the state of Nevada and Nevada System of Higher Education. In 1886, the state university, previously only a college preparatory school, moved from Elko in remote northeastern Nevada to a site north of downtown Reno, where it became a full-fledged state college. The university's first building, Morrill Hall, still stands on the historic quad at the campus' southern end. The university grew slowly over the decades, but began to expand rapidly along with the rest of the state and currently has an enrollment of approximately 16,000, with most students hailing from within Nevada. Among its specialties are mining engineering, agriculture, journalism, and one of only two Basque Studies programs in the nation. It also houses the only judicial college in the United States.

Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) is a regionally accredited, two year institution which is part of the Nevada System of Higher Education. The college has an enrollment of approximately 13,000 students attending classes at a primary campus and four satellite centers. The college offers a wide range of academic and university transfer programs, occupational training, career enhancement workshops, and classes just for fun. Courses are conducted daytime and evening in the classroom, by cablecast, and on the Internet. TMCC offers associate of arts, associate of science, associate of applied science or associate of general studies degrees, one-year certificates, or certificates of completion in more than 50 career fields, including architecture, auto/diesel mechanics, criminal justice, dental hygiene, graphic design, nursing, and welding.

The Nevada School of Law at Old College located in Reno was the first law school established in the state of Nevada. Its doors were open from 1981-1988.

[edit] Public schools

Public education is provided by the Washoe County School District.

Reno has eleven public high schools: Damonte Ranch, Galena, Hug, I Can Do Anything Charter High School, McQueen, North Valleys, Regional Technical Institute (RTI), Reno, Truckee Meadows Community College High School, Washoe, and Wooster.
There are also three public high schools in neighboring Sparks, attended by many students who live in Reno: Reed, Spanish Springs, and Sparks High School.
Reno-Sparks has 16 middle schools: Billinghurst, Clayton, Cold Springs, Damonte Ranch, Dilworth, Gerlach, Incline, Mendive, O'Brien, Pine, Shaw, Spanish Springs, Sparks, Swope, Traner, Vaughn, and Washoe.
Reno-Sparks has 62 elementary schools: Allen, Anderson, Beasley, Jesse Beck, Bennett, Booth, Brown, Cannan, Caughlin Ranch, Corbett, Desert Heights, Diedrichsen, Dodson, Donner Springs, Double Diamond, Drake, Duncan, Dunn, Elmcrest, Gomes, Roy Gomm, Greenbrae, Hidden Valley, Huffaker, Hunsberger, Hunter Lake, Johnson, Juniper, Lemmon Valley, Elizabeth Lenz, Lincoln Park, Loder, Mathews, Maxwell, Melton, Mitchell, Moss, Mount Rose, Natchez, Palmer, Peavine, Picollo Special Education School, Pleasant Valley, Risley, Sepulveda, Sierra Vista, Silver Lake, Alice Smith, Kate Smith, Smithridge, Spanish Springs, Stead, Sun Valley, Taylor, Towles, Van Gorder, Verdi, Veterans Memorial, Warner, Westergard, Whitehead, and Sarah Winnemucca.

[edit] Private schools

Reno has a few private high schools, the largest of which are Bishop Manogue High School and Sage Ridge School (SRS).

[edit] Gaming Industry

Downtown Reno, including the city's famous arch over Virginia St.

Before the 1960s, Reno was the gambling capital of the United States, but Las Vegas' rapid rise, American Airlines' buyout of Reno Air and the growth of Indian gaming in California have seriously reduced its business. Older casinos were either torn down (Mapes, Nevada Club, Harold's Club, Palace Club) and smaller casinos like the Comstock, Sundowner, Golden Phoenix, Kings Inn, Money Tree, Virginian, and Showboat closed. Reno Casinos experience slow days during the week, especially during winter, when mountain passes are closed to through traffic from California. Only during weekends, holidays and special events does Reno see an increase in business.

Two local casinos have shown significant growth, and have moved downtown gaming further south on Virginia Street. These include the Atlantis (formerly the Clarion), and The Peppermill. The Peppermill is viewed as the most outstanding Reno gaming/hotel property by Casino Player and Nevada Magazines. In 2005,the Peppermill Hotel Casino began a $300 million dollar Tuscan-themed expansion. The Peppermill is adding a 600-room all-suite hotel tower, 62,000 square feet of convention space, a resort-style pool complex, and many additional restaurants and lounges.

In an effort to bring more tourism to the area, Reno holds several events throughout the year, all of which have been extremely successful. They include Hot August Nights (a classic car convention and rally), Street Vibrations (a motorcycle fan gathering and rally), The Great Reno Balloon Race, the Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-off (held in Sparks), a Cinco de Mayo celebration, bowling tournaments (held in the National Bowling Stadium) and the Reno Air Races.

Reno is the location of the corporate headquarters for International Game Technology, which manufactures most of the world's slot machines.

[edit] Downtown Revitalization

The closure of many downtown casinos has sparked a surprising movement to turn these empty buildings into condominiums. Out-of-state developers have purchased the Comstock and the Sundowner, amongst others, in hopes of turning them into upscale condos. In addition to converting old properties, these developers are building new structures on once-vacant lots.

The Reno Trench Project (ReTRAC) was undertaken to solve noise pollution and traffic congestion on Virginia Street by lowering the train tracks below street level. This has also added to the city's efforts to make the downtown area friendlier to tourists. The trench was completed on November 22, 2005.

[edit] Nightlife

Reno has recently opened many businesses that contribute to socializing and after-work activities. Many bars and nightclubs have moved into the area of Virginia and West Second Streets in downtown Reno. This area is beginning to resemble "bar rows" seen in many larger, metropolitan cities. Though this growth has only been a recent trend, it has the potential of inviting new, young, urban professionals to Reno and retaining them. Since one of Reno's major problems is sustaining the 24-to-35 demographic population, this new trend in nightlife may prove to be best for the city's future development and growth. Bars and clubs in this area include Divine Ultra Lounge, Imperial Lounge, Tonic, El Cortez Lounge, the Green Room, Five Star Saloon, the West 2nd Street Bar, Vino's, 210 North, Se7en, Jungle Vino, Sierra Tap House, and Silver Peak Brewery.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 180,480 people, 73,904 households, and 41,681 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,008.3/mi² (2,611.4/km²). There were 79,453 housing units at an average density of 443.9/km² (1,149.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.46% White, 2.58% African American, 1.26% Native American, 5.29% Asian, 0.56% Pacific Islander, 9.26% from other races, and 3.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.18% of the population.

There were 73,904 households out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.5% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.6% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.2% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 104.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $40,530, and the median income for a family was $49,582. Males had a median income of $33,204 versus $26,763 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,520. About 8.3% of families and 12.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.3% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Transportation

The course of the Truckee River runs through Reno, as does the Union Pacific Railroad, Interstate 80 (east-west) and US 395 (north-south).

Reno has an extensive bus system called RTC RIDE(formerly known as Citifare), which is provided by the Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County. The bus system has its main terminal in downtown Reno and secondary terminals in Sparks and at Meadowood Mall in south Reno. The RTC also has a service called RTC ACCESS (formerly known as CitiLift) that provides transport for disabled people. RTC INTERCITY (formerly known as PRIDE) buses link Reno to Carson City and rural Douglas County.

The RTC also provides a free bus service up and down Virginia Street in Reno called RTC SIERRA SPIRIT, which many locals refer to as "the Pinwheel bus" due to the pinwheel design on the bright yellow buses and at bus stops. This regular service is free of charge.

Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Reno. The city's passenger rail station is located at 280 North Center Street in downtown Reno. Amtrak train 5, the westbound California Zephyr, is scheduled to depart Reno at 9:14am daily and provides service to the cities of Truckee, Colfax, Roseville, Sacramento, Davis, Martinez, and Emeryville, across the bay from San Francisco. Amtrak train 6, the eastbound California Zephyr, is scheduled to depart Reno at 3:58pm daily and provides service to Sparks, Winnemucca, Elko, Salt Lake City, Provo, Helper, Green River, Grand Junction, Glenwood Springs, Denver, Omaha, Galesburg, and Chicago. Amtrak California Thruway Motorcoaches also arrive and depart Reno four times daily in each direction connecting to and from the Coast Starlight, Capitol Corridor, and San Joaquin trains at Sacramento, California.

The city is served by Reno/Tahoe International Airport, with general aviation traffic also handled by Reno Stead Airport.

[edit] Sports

Reno is home to the Reno Silver Sox Golden Baseball League team and will be home to the Reno Raiders of the ECHL in the future.

Reno also enjoys a thriving college sports scene, with the University of Nevada Wolf Pack achieving appearances in football bowl games and an Associated Press Top Ten ranking in basketball in 2007.

A multi-million dollar whitewater rafting/kayaking project is underway on the Truckee River leading into Reno.

In 2004, the city completed a $1.5 million whitewater park on the Truckee River in downtown Reno which attracts paddlers from all over the region and hosts whitewater events throughout the year. The course runs Class 2 and 3 rapids with safe and free, year-round public access. The 1,400-foot north channel features more aggressive rapids, drop pools and "holes" for rodeo kayak-type maneuvers. The milder 1,200-foot south channel is set up as a kayak slalom course and a beginner area.

The Reno area boasts 14 ski areas within two hours of the city.

Reno is the home of the National Bowling Stadium, which hosts the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Open Championships every three years.

[edit] Recreation

Reno is home to a variety of recreation activities including both seasonal and year-round. In the summer, Reno locals can be found near three major bodies of water: Lake Tahoe, the Truckee River, and Pyramid Lake. Lake Tahoe, which splits the border between California and Nevada, provides visitors and locals with opportunities to fish, water-ski and wakeboard, parasail, jet-ski, and of course swim. The Truckee River runs from Lake Tahoe through the center of downtown Reno and up to Pyramid Lake. After receiving city funding, the Truckee River now draws kayakers from all over the United States. The river is also a major part Artown, held in the summer at Wingfield Park, where locals and visitors come to swim, inner-tube, raft and enjoy local Reno culture.

Winters in Reno are just as enjoyable. Skiing and snowboarding are among the most popular winter sports and draw in many tourists. There are approximately eight major ski resorts, including Northstar-at-Tahoe, Sierra-at-Tahoe, Alpine Meadows, Squaw Valley Ski Resort, Sugar Bowl, Diamond Peak, Heavenly and Mount Rose Ski Resort located as close as eleven miles and as far as ninety-eight miles from the Reno-Tahoe International Airport. Other popular winter activities include cross country skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating, and snowmobiling.

For those who choose to make Reno their permanent residence, the city offers a variety of entertainment throughout the entire year. Popular local hotspots include the Western Village; a subsidiary of the Peppermill, Liquid, the Chocolate Bar, Silver Peak Brewery, and Wild Island.

[edit] Environmental factors

The Reno-Sparks wastewater treatment plant discharges secondary treated effluent to the Truckee River. In the 1990s this capacity was increased from 20 to 30 million gallons (70 to 110 million liters) per day. While treated, the effluent nevertheless contains suspended solids, nitrogen, and phosphorus, aggravating water quality concerns of the river and its receiving waters of Pyramid Lake. Local agencies working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have developed a number of watershed management strategies to accommodate this expanded effluent discharge; to accomplish this successful outcome, the DSSAM Model was developed and calibrated for the Truckee River in order to analyze the most cost effective available management strategy set. The resulting management strategies included a package of measures such as land use controls in the Lake Tahoe basin, urban runoff controls in Reno and Sparks and best management practices for wastewater discharge.

Wetlands are an important part of the Reno/Tahoe area. They act as a natural filter for the solids that come out of the water treatment plant. Plant roots absorbe nutrients from the water and naturally filter it. Wetlands are also a home for over 75% of the species in the Great Basin. However, the area's wetlands are at risk of being destroyed due to development around the city. While developers build on top of the wetlands they fill them with dirt destroying the habitat they create for the plants and animals. Washoe county has devised a plan that will help protect these important ecosystems: Mitigation. In the future, when developers try to build over a wetland, they will be responsible for creating another wetland near Washoe Lake.

The Truckee River serves as Reno's primary source of drinking water. It supplies Reno with 80,000,000 gallons of water a day during the summer, and 40,000,000 gallons of water per day in the winter. Before the water goes to the homes around the Reno area, it must go to one of two water treatment plants, Chalk Bluff or Glendale Water Treatment Plant. As an attempt to save water, golf courses in Reno, like Arrow Creek Golf Course, have been using treated effluent water instead of treated water from one of Reno's water plants.

[edit] Culture

[edit] Drug Abuse

Nevada has the eighth highest incidence of drug abuse in the United States [3]. Reno contributes to this problem because of the widely spread use of the drug Methamphetamine [4]. The city of Reno has acknowledged that Meth abuse is a large problem in Reno and they are taking steps to help spread knowledge about the consequences of using this drug. A television special, "Crystal Darkness," was shown in January 2007 to show the dangers and problems with Methamphetamine. The city encouraged all public school students and parents to watch the show in hopes that they could raise awareness throughout the Reno community. ^[1]

[edit] Movies

Movies filmed in Reno include:

Jane Austen's Mafia!
The Pledge

[edit] Famous People

Famous people who come from Reno include:

Dawn Wells - Miss Nevada 1959 - Actress of TV series Gilligan's Island.
Mädchen Amick - Actress of TV series Joey.
Terri Ivens - Soap opera actress on All My Children.
Shannyn Sossamon - Actress of A Knight's Tale and 40 Days and 40 Nights.
Sharon Stone - Actress owns a residence in Reno.
Summer Cummings - Adult film actress.
Thomas K. Dye - The creator of the webcomic, Newshounds.
Curtis Hanson - Producer / Director of 8 Mile, L.A. Confidential, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, others.
Walter Van Tilburg Clark - Author of The Ox-Bow Incident.
Brian Crane - Cartoonist who created the comic strip Pickles.
Chris Carr - Kick returner and defensive back for the Oakland Raiders.
Brent Boyd - Offensive lineman for the Minnesota Vikings.
Doug Clifford - Creedence Clearwater Revival drummer lives in the Reno suburb of Galena.
Chuck Ruff - Edgar Winter Group drummer lives in Reno and works at the Bizarre Guitar.
Kristi Yamaguchi - Figure skater owns a residence in Reno.
Rudy Galindo - Figure skater lives in Reno.
Jennifer Harman - American professional poker player.
Paul Laxalt - Governor and U.S. Senator, from Nevada.
Jim Gibbons - Governor and member of the United States House of Representatives, from Nevada.
J. Buzz Von Ornsteiner - Forensic Psychologist/Television Personality

[edit] Sister Cities

Reno has four sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):

[edit] Trivia

Reno (as New Reno) is a location in the computer role-playing game Fallout 2.
The Reno-Tahoe Winter Games Coalition was working on a plan to host the 2014 Winter Olympics, but the United States Olympic Committee decided not to submit a host city for that year's games. Reno will continue to work towards hosting the 2018 or 2022 games.
Reno is the setting of the Comedy Central show Reno 911!, although the show is not filmed there.
The Reno-Sparks Indian Colony is located in central Reno.
Some people have a saying that jokingly refers to Reno's neighboring city, Sparks, Nevada: "Reno is so close to Hell you can see Sparks."
Rock band R.E.M. had a single called "All the Way to Reno".
Rock band Toad the Wet Sprocket recorded its album Fear in Reno.
Rapper Kanye West video for Drive Slow was filmed in Reno.
Marvel Comics supervillains Oddball and Tenpin (Elton and Alvin Healey), were born in Reno.
Marvel Comics superhero Phantom Rider (Hamilton Slade) was born in Reno.

[edit] External links

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