Reviews & Comments
Sparks, NV
1st time homebuyer : Sparks-Spanish Springs area -
3/21/2007My husband and I purchased our first home a year ago in a section of Sparks that is almost completely new construction. We wanted to look at well-constructed buildings and a well-planned city, and that's what we got. The downside is that we are having to drive 30 minutes west or southwest to get to the base of the Sierra Nevada mtns for recreation. The hills on the east side here are seriously too ugly to hike or bike in- sagebrush can't even grow in them. We have found a couple of canyons to the south and east that are nice (one with a large population of wild horses and the other very wooded). I can't comment on the schools, as we have no children, but our neighbors say the district is very good. We never have to shovel, but watering our garden nearly year round is costly. The air is pretty good quality for a large city (Reno) which is a huge plus. The airport is located right smack in the center of Reno, and the airplane noise is a terrible annoyance in basically ALL areas of Reno and Sparks; to escape it try Caughlin Ranch or Verdi next door. The only other major con is this: Northern Nevada has a lot of smokers, gamblers, alcoholics and casino workers mixed in with the influx of the generally more eco-concious Californians. If you are considering a move to N. Nevada, please remember that it is more important than you might at first realize to be close to a living ecosystem in such a dry climate. We basically have two seasons- cold and sunny, and hot and sunny, and vulture-lovin' dry.