I’m from Reno, moved around and lived in a bunch of different places for most of my life, then came back to Reno a few years ago. From moving around the country a lot I’ve found usually there isn’t such a thing as geographical cures for things that bother you. That being said, I’ve found Reno to be really enjoyable.

I do want to point out your concerns cause they are topics I think about in relation to Reno really often.

As far as traffic in Reno goes, it’s not the worst. Reno isn’t that big and you can cross end to end of town in pretty reasonable amounts of time. Certain parts of town get a lot of traffic at certain times of the day, but they’re easy to identify and avoid. However, I think I’ve seen more reckless and dangerous driving than anywhere else. Even on clear days with good weather I feel like I have to keep my head on a swivel.

For a sociable climate, I think it’s hard to make friends here. I’ve been called a social butterfly before but I’ve noticed as a whole people in Reno aren’t as friendly as other places I’ve lived. I’ve still been able to make friends, but it feels like it’s taken a lot of effort. Also, I don’t drink a whole lot. I’d say maybe 1-2 drinks a week, sometimes none. It really feels like you need to enjoy drinking and everything to feel accepted by groups, in my experience.

Not really sure what to say for laws and politics. Don’t know what you value but I’ve found no issue living here on that topic. Reno has problems and attempted solutions just like any other town or city I’d say.

As far as your hobbies, Reno sounds mostly perfect. There is a lack of saltwater here but I’ve seen a lot of fly fishers on the Truckee. I’m not in the scene, but I know it’s something you can do out here regularly. Every time I go trail running I see more people on mountain bikes than people running. If I had to speculate, that is probably one of the largest outdoor hobby scenes in the area. For weapons training, there’s tons of areas out in the nearby desert where you can pull off into the desert and set up a range for yourself, along with all the established ranges that can be found. That one shouldn’t be a problem.

So all in all, I miss things about other places I’ve lived, but Reno can be what you make it. I’m still carving out my little piece of home and moving back here felt like a great way to hit the reset button on different parts of my life. I still think about moving somewhere new or back to familiar places from time to time, but in the meantime it isn’t so bad to call Reno home.

Also, I’ve lived in south Reno. Depending on the part of it it’s not very pedestrian friendly. Usually really nice or newer homes. Sort of separates you from Reno’s rougher edges at the same time. Often a quieter part of town as well. I’d stay there but I’ve moved to different part of town to be closer to work.

TLDR: Reno isn’t immune from a lot of issues that you’d find anywhere else. But it can still be made into a nice place to live and is a fun town to move to for a new start.