Hi, I am wanting to move to Carson City in the next couple years from Arizona and want to know what areas I should be looking at. I am single and have two dogs. No kids. I want a house and can afford up to about 300,000 dollars for a home. I am also in the medical field and want to live near a hospital. Can you help?

Thanks,--marra

Marra-

I lived in Carson City for two years and now live in Reno...I also work in the medical field.

There is only one hospital in Carson City and it is at the extreme north end of town.

With today's market, you should be fine to get a home in the $300,000 range-there are lots of neighborhoods in the north end of town on the east side that would be affordable. The west side is a little more charming, but tends to be more expensive. I would HIGHLY recommend you come out and look in person, however, because Carson City has some decent homes that can be in neighborhoods with extremely rundown homes as neighbors, so you'd really have to look around to make sure of what area you're getting. One positive to Carson City is that it is a relatively small town, so regardless of where you live you'd still be within easy driving distance of the hospital.

How many casinos are in CC and are they comparable to any of the ones in Reno? I've seen two listed: the Nugget and Fandango. I'm sure they're not on the scale of the Grand Sierra, but how about either the Atlantis or Peppermill? Or Tamarack Junction?

Fredo-

There are a few casinos in Carson City...The Nugget and Casino Fandango are probably the largest, but there are a few smaller ones scattered here and there. I think the Tamarack is probably the best comparison, although I might even say the Tamarack is a little smaller than both the Nugget or Fandango. Personally, I really like Fandango-good buffet, clean, now they have tables (didn't before), and they are adding a large movie theater and a Courtyard by Marriott just proximal to the casino.

I'm surprised you knew about Tamarack Junction...that tends to be such a locals casino that I wasn't sure any out-of-towners knew about it!

Yup, been to the Tamarack because for the past 8 years I've visited our Reno office off of So. Meadows quite a bit. I wanted to come up to gamble on Labor Day weekend but Reno/Sparks is pretty booked. I suspect the gambling in CC is more of the locals type, which is what I prefer (I do the locals thing in LV, preferring to stay off-Strip). Any suggestions on where to stay in CC? The TA reviews indicate the Hampton Inn is #1 - it seems to be a bit on the high end though, even higher than the HI in Reno! Go figure!

Hmmmm...

I definitely would have picked the Hampton Inn-it's the newest hotel in Carson City and looks to be the nicest. I guess I would consider the Holiday Inn, or perhaps the Carson Station as alternatives.