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Discover (or Rediscover) Northern Nevada

The Community Foundation
of Northern Nevada welcomes you!

Whether you're new to our area or rediscovering
Northern Nevada as we continue to do,
this page is for you.

Red-and-white sign in front of the office building and door of the Community Foundation of Northern Nevada with 50 Washington Street Suite 300.

Contact the Community Foundation

The Community Foundation is well-connected throughout Northern Nevada. When you're new in town, we're glad to be among the first people you meet! We can help you get acclimated, connected and "in the mix" quickly. And we have a variety of free resources and experts for smart tax planning and setting up funds to reflect your dreams and aspirations. Welcome to our hometown, and we're so glad you've made it yours, too!

Email the Community FoundationCall 775-333-5499

Things to Know

Reno named Best Small City by BestCities.org

Says "Natural assets and growing infrastructure make ‘little city’ Reno a big-time destination for visitors and talent." For details, visit the website, BestCities.org


Just how big is the Biggest Little City in the World?

Data according to macrotrends.net

Reno Metro Population

Year

Change from Prior Year

523,000

2022

1.75% increase

514,000

2021

1.98% increase

504,000

2020

2.02% increase

494,000

2019

2.07% increase

484,000,

2018

2.54% increase

The Reno Arch, blue and silver, spanning Virginia Street in downtown Reno during the daylight hours.

Enjoy Northern Nevada in all Four Seasons

Reno-Sparks, Tahoe, the Carson area and surrounding areas provide an abundance of opportunities for residents and visitors to enjoy the beauty and bounty of our region in all four seasons. 

WINTER in Northern Nevada can be snowy and wintry, or sunny, warm and spring-like, as well as all of the above on any given day. Depending on the storms and weather patterns, skiers and snowboarders take to the slopes, adventurers trek out to the white horizons on cross-country skis or snowshoes. On warmer days, the Truckee River is the scene of kayakers, the parks are bustling and people are out and about on foot or bikes.

SPRING is beautiful as the area's natural desert browns and tans spring into green with bursts of every color. Snow activities often continue well into April or May, while sports fields are in full motion picnics, river rafting, neighborhood walks, outdoor concerts, and food trucks bring about gatherings of friends.

A resource for events and things to do is RenoTahoe.com.

SUMMER is festival season, whether that's Shakespeare at Lake Tahoe throughout the summer, Artown and Independence Day events throughout Reno-Sparks in July, or the hot rods and classic cars all over town for Hot August Nights. From performances indoors and out to the splendor of a day on the shores of Lake Tahoe, there is no shortage of places to go, people to see, and things to do in Northern Nevada.

FALL makes itself known with a visual change. The skies above Reno are full of hot air balloons as September gets underway, replaced a week later by vintage and demonstration airplanes. Gorgeous autumn colors start to appear, a few leaves here, a few there. Soon, as the calendar moves toward late October and Carson City's annual Nevada Day Parade, the area becomes a vibrant panorama as green gives way to orange, red, gold, yellow. Be sure to capture your photos when you see the scene that moves you – the fall season of full color can be brief, as autumn winds and winter snows will soon be on their way.

Two colorful hot air balloons are tethered to the ground, surrounded by crowds of people at the Great Reno Balloon Race.
The Great Reno Balloon Race fills Northern Nevada's blue skies with vibrant color each September.

Reno Highlights

Daytime summer view of the lower quad of the University of Nevada, Reno
Everyone wearing COVID facemasks, an African American 30-ish teacher helps a young white female student on her computerin an elementary school classroom with two other students in the background.
A group of about 30 adults gathered at an event, near a table full of appetizers and refreshments.

Sports in Northern Nevada

Reno-Sparks is a recreational paradise, boasting top-rate experiences with championship golf courses, an indoor ice arena (Reno Ice) in south Reno, the National Bowling Stadium in downtown Reno that plays host to several major tournaments each year, plus world-renowned Lake Tahoe just 45-minutes away with all it has to offer for boating, fishing, and skiing.

For those seeking spectator sports, Reno-Sparks offers professional and major college sports to thrill residents and visitors year-round.

Pro sports enthusiasts can enjoy the highest level of minor league baseball with the Triple-A Reno Aces, affiliated with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. A staple in Reno for more than 10 years, the Aces play at Greater Nevada Field, a 9,000-seat ballpark in the heart of downtown. Now a member of Triple-A West (formerly the Pacific Coast League), the Aces play a 140-game schedule from April through September.

As one of fewer than 50 events on the PGA Tour, the Barracuda Championship (formerly the Reno-Tahoe Open) has been a fixture on the schedule since 1999 and features a unique modified stableford scoring system, with players accumulating points for low scores as opposed to traditional stroke play scoring. The 72-hole tournament is played in July at Old Greenwood at the Tahoe Mountain Club in nearby Truckee and features up-and-coming stars, as well as familiar names with major and tour wins to their credit.

Fans of major college sports can check out the Nevada Wolf Pack, members of the Mountain West Conference who compete at the highest level of collegiate athletics (Division I for all sports, including the Football Bowl Subdivision). Offering 15 men’s and women’s intercollegiate sports with on-campus facilities and free on-campus parking, football plays at Mackay Stadium while men’s and women’s basketball teams compete at Lawlor Events Center. Baseball and softball have their own on-campus ballparks, as well, and volleyball uses the Virginia Street Gym as their home court. 

Reno Aces outfielder Alek Thomas running bases at a game, wearing a white  uniform with red number 4 and a blue batting helmet
Reno Aces outfielder Alek Thomas heads for first base in a 2021 game.