What makes Reno so special?

Midsize cities in the U.S. are seeing a renaissance as people from large metro areas are getting sick of the hustle and bustle by putting down roots in smaller cities like Reno, Nevada. Compared to big cities, you’ll find better priced housing, improved quality of life, and business opportunities galore. What is the secret of the Biggest Little City that makes it such a great place to settle down? We have five great reasons why!

1. YES to Business and Jobs; NO to Income Tax.

Just three short years ago, Tesla opened its Gigafactory and employed over 5,000 people. Soon after, other large companies followed suit like Apple, Switch, Microsoft, Intuit, and Patagonia. This movement created thousands of jobs for all

The number of visitors to the Reno-Sparks and Washoe County regions over the past year has topped the 5 million mark for the first time since 2007.

What caused the increased visitation for fiscal year 2017? The Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority and area policymakers have a few ideas. The U.S. economy is stronger than ever, and this has led to a renewed push to market the Reno-Tahoe Area, plus all of the buzz from the arrival of high-profile tech companies including Apple, Google and Tesla.

In 2002, this region was in the midst of an economic boom that tracked nearly 5.7 million tourists. The housing bubble popped five years later when the recession hit and tourism fell as expected. Visitor counts fell by nearly a quarter to as low as

Five Reno startups were recognized by the city and state officials this month for raising funding and creating high-paying jobs.

From a company that caters to endurance athletes to one that specializes in the Internet of Things, Governor Brian Sandoval and Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve paid them a special recognition. Breadware, the Sufferfest, Talage, MyVR and Bombora have brought 125 new tech jobs to the area and raised more than $10 million in funding. Even better, the average annual wage for those jobs is $77,000.

“We’re at the brink of a fourth industrial revolution, a new economy,” Sandoval said. “This community… has to be at the foundation and at the beginning of this fourth industrial revolution so we can position this state as the new

Reno launched from number 11 last year to number 6 this year in the annual “America’s Best Cities 2018” list.

From the buzz, the recreation and the booming tech industry, Reno was a no brainer to land in the top ten overall among small cities. Nevada landed a one-two punch with Las Vegas ranking as the number 5 best large city. The Resonance Consultancy releases the rankings, with their clout as a global destination branding consulting firm with offices in NYC and Vancouver.

The report bases its rankings on six different categories, a mix of traditional and non-traditional metrics like economic factors, infrastructure, housing affordability, Google results and social media trends. It’s no longer accurate to rely only on economic indicators.

Companies looking to relocate are flocking to Northern Nevada - why?

The Reno-Sparks region has become a distribution mecca, due mostly in part to its proximity to I-80. Nancy McCormick is the vice president of business retention, expansion and workforce for the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN) and they use I-80 as a selling point. According to data from EDAWN, the area has one-day truck service to the Bay Area, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Portland and Boise. Add an extra 24-hours and two-day service is available to Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico.

"We have immediate access to port of entry in California and logistically can reach locations in 11 western states within 24 - 48 hours," said McCormick. "It's

Along with Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval and Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve, Apple CEO Tim Cook surprised us all with his appearance at the groundbreaking of the new data center in Downtown Reno.

Image courtesy of Las Vegas Review Journal

The new $4 million warehouse is a small extension of Apple’s already wide footprint on the Reno area. The company has announced plans to invest $350 billion in the U.S. economy over the next five years, including doubling the size of its $1 billion data center east of Reno.

“We are pleased to be part of transforming downtown Reno to the vibrant city it should be,” Cook said at the ceremony. “Our commitment to Reno and Northern Nevada is representative of the commitments we’ve made throughout the U.S.”

Cook

Northern Nevada has earned big headlines in the news as a major tech hub, but is it really the next Silicon Valley?

Image courtesy of the Reno-Sparks Chamber of Commerce

Particularly since Tesla began construction on its Gigafactory, Reno has had national headlines pegging it as the newest Silicon Valley. Lately, they’ve sounded something like this:

“For decades, the city was a gambling mecca. But when casinos fell on hard times, Reno struggled. The city has reinvented itself as a tech hub, thanks to recent arrivals like Tesla.”

That clip came from CBS This Morning as they touched on Reno’s economic improvements. And they are right – many big names in tech have moved, or expanded to northern Nevada in recent time including Apple, Switch

After going through the toughest recession in its history, Northern Nevada has hit some major economic development victories.

Last year, 156.4 million pounds of cargo came through Reno’s airport the three to four weeks prior to Christmas. This whopping number was an all-time record for the facility. And the airport isn’t the only player in the region to see shipping traffic “take off”.

The improving economy has combined successfully with the increased adoption of e-commerce, which has help fuel an increase in the number of new warehouses and distribution center. Add a growing manufacturing base producing items from cheese to pet food to electric batteries, and Northern Nevada continues its transformation as a distribution mecca. Storage and

At the start of September, Amazon.com announced their plan to build a secondary North American headquarters.

The announcement has opened up a bidding war to be a second home for the online retailer.

“We expect HQ2 to be a full equal to our Seattle headquarters,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO, in a press release issued by the company. “Amazon HQ2 will bring billions of dollars in up-front and ongoing investments, and tens of thousands of high-paying jobs. We’re excited to find a second home.”

The state of Nevada has offered subsides, tax breaks and other incentives to land corporate footprints for Apple, Tesla, Panasonic, Switch and Google, along with others. The Amazon press release included a bulleted list of conditions for its new

Reno-Tahoe has been chosen by the largest U.S. Bicycle Industry Trade Show as its new home.

Interbike is America’ leading cycling trade show and has recently created its very own Interbike Marketweek. The consumer festival will begin with a weekend getaway at the breathtaking Northstar California Resort in Lake Tahoe, followed by a trade-focused OutDoor Demo and moving into the Interbike trade show which will take place in Reno.

“We’re extremely excited about this move for a multitude of reasons,” said Pat Hus, Vice President of Interbike. “For the first time in a very long time, we’ve been able to hit the reset button on Interbike and OutDoor Demo and give the industry something new and fresh that we couldn’t do in our previous locations. With