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Once Upon A Time...
Tales from Reno’s Storytellers
In recent years there has been a ton of buzz
about Reno. Not just in certain circles but
in general, Reno is on the radar as one
of the “it” spots. The stories shared with
media outside the city limits has been one
of progress, growth, and momentum. It’s
been fun telling friends and family about
more flights coming in and out of the Reno/
Tahoe Airport, all of the new companies
moving to town, and the amazing gastro
scene rivaling that of major foodie
epicenters around the country, but we were
guessing the story hasn’t always been as
fun or as easy to tell. We turned to our
PR community and asked if they would
like chime in on this topic. Below are the
responses we received from some of Reno’s
proudest storytellers. It seems that its a
great time to be in PR these days!
We Are Scrappy
And Bold And
Thick-skinned
By Natasha Bourlin
R
eno has been my home
since I was very young, but
originally being from Las
Vegas, we used to travel here
to visit friends and family about every
other month. So I grew up seeing
both sides of our Silver State, and I
distinctly remember thinking – “grass
is always greener” philosophy or not -
that Vegas was by far the more exciting
and glamorous part.
Living in suburban Reno, it seemed
hours
away from any sort of
civilization at that point. What is now
one of the swankier areas of Reno, was
once simply remote ranchland. My
mother would have to call my grade
school and tell them I’d be late because
the Callahan’s cows had gotten out
again and were grazing in our yard,
so we couldn’t get out of the driveway.
Also, back then, you befriended
anyone your age who lived near you
just to have someone to play with. And
there was not much for children to do
in town, but our imaginations were
powerful and we kept entertained
by riding bikes, creating forts and—
eventually—Atari 2600.
Upon entering teenage-hood, there
was REALLLLLLY nothing to do; if
you weren’t 21 but had a rebellious
streak, you essentially wreaked havoc
on the town in a variety of ways (never
harming anyone, of course), visiting
your friends in bands who practiced in
warehouses deep in Sparks, or sat for
countless hours at the Pneumatic Diner
or Deux Gros Nez philosophizing.
Or – if you were interested in debate
like I was – you’d often attend public
forums or political functions to see
how far you could push the envelope,
argument-wise. Because as teenagers,
we knew it all!
When we traveled, I wasn’t from
Reno, I was from… Lake Tahoe.
Vegas. Anywhere the person you
were speaking to may actually know
existed.
Everywhere seemed more interesting
than Reno. And nearly everyone who
grew up here had grandiose plans for
their departure as soon as they were
of legal age. Some left and came back
(the Reno boomerang effect), some left
for good.
However, these days it’s an exciting
time to be here—the community is
evolving monthly, it seems, with new
and interesting bits of culture infusing
this once “good ol’ boy” run town.
Now, college students are coming here
by choice, not by financial necessity
being Nevadans, and the message
is slowly trickling out there: Reno is
the underground “hip” place to be
anymore.
For years, people associated not
just Reno but Nevada with vices. In
northern Nevada, we were “number
one in all things bad” for decades.
Want to drink all night, then get a
cheap room and meal? Cross over
the county line and indulge another
nefarious vice? We’ve got you covered.
And we haven’t entirely changed that,
which is in fact part of who we are as
a society. We’re scrappy and bold and
thick-skinned. But who outside of this
region understands or values that?
Growing up there were many people
who had never left the county, much
less the state. But there were also many