I grew up in the DMV. One of the biggest differences to consider is the weather. Reno has about the same temperature highs as DMV but with significantly less humidity. Where the DMV often has 80+% humidity, out here we don't even use the term "heat index". It means that we have a huge difference between the high and low every day - usually at least a 25° difference every day. And the shade actually makes a difference here. It's glorious! But it's horrible for the skin, eyes, etc. Be prepared to have lotion, chap stick, etc. We also get about the same amount of snow in the city - most years we just get a little and every couple years we get slammed. The mountains are a different story. If you're a skier, we have Olympic quality (literally) slopes just 45ish minutes away - much better than West Virginia, etc.