Kiera Scott
Cannabis cultivation/production
Probably not. I love downtown, but it’s kind of stressful, with too much going on. I would worry about my car. Parking in general is problematic, let alone having to find a spot if I lived there. The crime downtown is bad. I feel that the Reno Police Department is not trained enough to deal with the un-homed population. There is a lot of destruction out of frustration by the un-homed.
Dennis Lamb
Laborer
I actually have lived in downtown Reno—but not right now; it’s a complete mess. It’s overrun by the homeless, and the city doesn’t do anything to help. The city only cleans up the tourist area and is not concerned about the residents. Military vets live on the streets. Jacobs Entertainment has been tearing down low-income housing. Anything that Jacobs does, Hillary Schieve goes along with; it’s common knowledge. Any place that had affordable housing is now gone.
Sue Pelt
Book expert
I prefer a rural setting, so probably not. I like a natural setting where I can see the wildlife, deer, etc. I like to have space. I have chickens, which I probably could not have in downtown Reno. I live in Carson City; Reno is too big.
Teddi Mendoza
Marketing specialist
No, it’s too crowded. I prefer the outskirts of Reno. I live in the northwest area, and it’s quiet and still convenient to get to things. I’m close to all the stores, and there are a lot of parks up here. I have a dog, and living downtown wouldn’t work. The high-rise buildings and even the janky homes downtown do not allow dogs. Certain parts of downtown are dangerous.
Linda Herrick
Retired
No. I believe that downtown Reno still needs a lot of TLC. Aspects of downtown are daunting, because of the homeless crisis and safety issues. I do like to go downtown to art events like Artown, but only during the day. At night, there is a lot of criminal and underground activity. I love downtown, but it needs some help.
Got to agree. Always thought I might enjoy a place downtown when Artown was in its early years. Too much gun play and the city’s failure on low income housing is just a disaster. It’s too bad too cuz I would have enjoyed it if it was safe with plentiful housing.
You all just keep on thinking that way! If everyone decided to live downtown my lease payments would go up. My neighbors and I enjoy this urban living along the river. We have formed a family that looks out for one another; getting each other safely through the pandemic is a testament to that. We even created a small community garden in a space that was once just a gravel patch. We can easily walk to museums, theaters, cocktail lounges and wonderful restaurants. Where else can we walk our adorable bulldog in a loop on the River Walk and end up meeting our friends and neighbors at the Eddy? You can keep your suburbs; we are living our best lives right here in downtown.
I live downtown now. I fall asleep to occasional gunfire, screaming homeless, my car has been gotten into twice in 2 years. In the last few months, the yelling has intensified immensely. Reno police drive by the people sleeping on the sidewalks. Something has changed definitely for the stranger downtown. I used to go walking around in the well lit areas. I don’t now.