When it comes to exciting places in Nevada, there's no doubt about it, Vegas is almost always the first place people think of. It’s the City of Lights, the Entertainment Capital of the World!
Sin City! It’s got the be the most exciting place in Nevada, if not the whole country, amiright?
Well, apparently not. At least not according to the latest analysis here at the
Movoto Real Estate blog, which is based on the magical science of math, so you know it’s good. Which, then, was the most exciting place in Nevada, according to our research? That honor went to Reno.
Don’t worry, Vegas, you still easily made the cut. Here are the 10 most exciting places in Nevada:
1.
City of Reno
2.
City of Las Vegas
3.
City of Elko
4. CDP of Paradise (tie)
4. CDP of Spring Creek (tie)
6.
City of Sparks
7. CDP of Spring Valley
8. CDP of Winchester (tie)
8.
City of Mesquite (tie)
10.
City of Henderson
Before you just freak out, Vegas residents, let us explain the method behind our analysis and why each city ranked as it did. Then feel free to go ahead and freak out, because, hey, you live in Las Vegas. All those flashing lights are bound to get to you eventually anyway.
How We Created this List
We started creating this most exciting of rankings by making a list of the all of the places in Nevada with populations of 10,000 people or more. This left us with a total of 22 places. Then, using business listings and the U.S. Census 2010 data, we researched each place in the following criteria:
- Nightlife per capita (bars, clubs, comedy, etc.)
- Live music venues per capita
- Active life options per capita (parks, outdoor activities, etc.)
- Arts and Entertainment per capita (movie theaters, festivals, galleries, theaters, etc.)
- Fast Food restaurants per capita (the fewer the better)
- Percentage of restaurants that are not fast food (the higher the better)
- Percentage of young residents ages 18 to 34 (the higher the better)
- Population density (the higher the better)
We ranked each of these places with a score from one to 22, with the lowest score being the most exciting. We then averaged these rankings into one overall
Big Deal Score, again, where the lowest number for that score was the best and all around most exciting place: Las…no, just messing with you. It’s still Reno.
If you want to see more than just these top 10, feel free to head to the bottom of the post for a complete ranking. Otherwise, if you can handle the excitement, we’ll take a look at each of our top 10 winners.
1. Reno
Okay, sure, Vegas has more nightlife and music venues per capita than Reno—and likely, most places in the world—but when it comes to actually living in an exciting city, Reno wins, hands down. That’s because this city is not just dotted with universities, making it one of the youngest cities in the state (27.74 percent of residents were between 18 and 34), but it was also filled with restaurants.
Places like the Gas Lamp Restaurant and Bar, Great Full Gardens, and of course, Old Granite Street Eatery are just a few reasons Reno ranked among the best for its number of restaurants per capita. Yes, even better than Las Vegas.
It also had a bustling nightlife scene, tons of music venues per capita, and more active life options than 18 other places we looked at.
2. Las Vegas
Of course Sin City made the list, just perhaps not in the order you were expecting. That’s because while it had more nightlife, music venues, and arts per capita than anywhere else in the state, it didn’t quite have the young population that Reno did and as far as fast food went...
Well, Vegas ranked dead last for its high number of fast food restaurants. Luckily, though, this city was compact, with a population density of 4,298 people per square mile, and had the second most active life listings per capita.
So hopefully all of those In-N-Out Burgers you’re eating can be balanced with a healthy dose of walking or hitting the gym. Or gambling. That’s a workout too, right?
3. Elko
As the home to Great Basin College, it’s no wonder Elko made our list. First off, 26.87 percent of its residents were between the ages of 18 and 34. Secondly (probably due to its young population, really), it had the second most nightlife options per capita. Yep, even more than Reno.
Plus, with places like the Western Folklife Center and a high number of galleries, it had the fourth highest number of arts per capita. Unfortunately, the only thing it seemed to have more of than arts listings were fast food joints, ranking No. 21 in this category.
4. Paradise
If your idea of paradise involves a quiet and peaceful place, perhaps nestled in a bed of clouds or a tropical oasis…well, this might not be the paradise you’re looking for.
If you’re idea of paradise involves a ton of young people, partying, and lots of options for eating out, then we might have found your city. Paradise had the second most young folks in the state, as it’s home to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and more restaurants per capita than anywhere in
Nevada, which made sense considering it’s home to the famous Vegas Strip.
4. Spring Creek
This little Census Designated Place may come as something of a surprise to you. After all, it’s usually thought of as a bedroom community to nearby Elko, but according to these numbers, there’s plenty of local excitement as well.
Along with a handful of other places, Spring Creek tied in first place for both its lack of fast food restaurants and its high number of non-fast food (i.e., non-boring) restaurants.
If you love barbecue, you should probably just go ahead and start heading this way. People may generally commute out of Spring Creek for work, but when it comes to ribs, Elko residents are commuting here, specifically to JJ’s BBQ Burgers & Brew.
6. Sparks
It would almost be disappointing if a place with a name like Sparks wasn’t at least a little bit exciting. Luckily, this Sparks lived up to its electric name, especially when it came to nightlife, with the fifth most venues in the state.
Plus, with restaurants like Great Basin Brewing Co., SK Noodle, and BJ’s Barbecue, it ranked sixth overall for its number of restaurants per capita. Speaking of food, the cherry on top is that this city was the seventh most densely populated. So while you’re out and about, walking off that burger, you’re bound to run into somebody exciting.
7. Spring Valley
If you’re looking for a somewhat quieter place to hang your hat, but still close enough to the Las Vegas Strip for some action (interpret that as you will), Spring Valley might just be the place for you.
It ranked well in our analysis for its high number of restaurants per capita, its lack of fast food, and even a high percentage of people between the ages of 18 and 34—25.98 percent. That’s nearly three percent higher than Vegas’s young population.
It was also more densely populated than Las Vegas, with a whopping 5,369 people per square mile.
8. Winchester
Seeing as though this community contains part of the Las Vegas Strip, it really is no surprise that it made our list—especially when it came to a variety of restaurants and a packed in population.
In fact, there were more people per square mile in Winchester than there were in any other place in the state—6,444. To put that into perspective just compare this to, say, Spring Creek where there were 210, or even
Boulder City where there were just 72 people per square mile.
8. Mesquite
Okay, Mesquite may not exactly have a ton of young people (alright, it’s actually something of a retirement community), but don’t let that fool you—this place is still plenty exciting by anyone’s standards.
In fact, even with its slightly older population, Mesquite managed to have the seventh most nightlife listings per capita. It also had the seventh most restaurants and the second most arts options.
Who says excitement is reserved solely for the young? Not Nevada, that’s for sure.
10. Henderson
Henderson may be lumped into the Las Vegas Metropolitan area, but this city could not be more different. Where as Vegas is all bright lights, night clubs, and God knows what else, Henderson is actually quite safe, affluent, and was even ranked “One of the Best Cities to Live in America” by Bloomberg Businessweek recently.
It has an excitement of its own kind. Arts, restaurants, and an active life make this place not just exciting, but an all around good place to live. For those of you who just can’t live without nightlife, don’t worry, it still ranked ninth in this category and fourth for its number of music venues per capita.
Leaving Las Vegas
Las Vegas may be an exciting place to visit, but when it comes to actually living in an exciting city in Nevada, Reno is where it’s at. It’s younger, has a better food scene, plus you probably won’t leave this city married to some girl you just met named Marla and with a tattoo of a sailboat on your butt.
But hey, no judgement. If you’re in the market for a new tattoo and perhaps a nice little house in Vegas (or Reno, or anywhere else, really), get in touch, because aside from creating exciting lists like this one, we sell houses.
You’ll have to find Marla on your own, though.
