Reno named happiest place to live in US

The Biggest Little City in the World made it to the top of a new Outside Magazine ranking.

by Alejandra O’Connell-Domenech | Sep. 27, 2023

Pedestrians and traffic on Virginia Street on Thursday, March 27, 2014, in downtown Reno, Nev., where local tourism officials say visitors spent more money and stayed longer last year than they did two years ago. The Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority said a new survey shows gamblers still drive the Reno-Tahoe market but outdoor recreation and sightseeing in the Sierra are bringing more families and others to the region. (AP Photo/Scott Sonner)

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Reno, Nev., is the happiest place to live in the country, according to a new Outside Magazine ranking.

About 273,000 people call The Biggest Little City in the World home.

The city earned its top ranking in part due to its relatively affordable cost of living and wealth of outdoor and indoor activities.

The happiest place to live in the United States is Reno, Nev., according to a new ranking from Outside Magazine.

Researchers at the travel, sports and fitness magazine compared U.S. cities across five different metrics, including overall well-being and inclusivity to come up with their list of happiest places to live.

“Once known for gambling and easy divorces, Reno is now a modern boomtown,” the magazine wrote.

Reno is home to a whitewater park, multiple climbing gyms, a monthlong summer arts festival, craft breweries and urban art installations “handed down” from Burning Man, a weeklong public art event in the state’s Black Rock Desert, according to the outlet.

“Reno has changed so much,” Reno resident Sara Holm, director of studies and diversity at the Lake Tahoe School, told Outside. “You can run through a county park with sheep grazing, go backcountry skiing, or see a touring Broadway play.”

Outside touted Reno’s “relatively affordable cost of living” in its ranking, but things like housing, gas and groceries have become more expensive in recent years.

Now, the median home price in the city is $550,000 and the median rent is $1,531 a month, according to Outside.

But Reno isn’t perfect: Outside notes that The Biggest Little City in the World has some room for improvement.

“If it’s a bad wildfire season in the region, summer months can be smoky,” wrote Megan Michelson, an Outside researcher involved in the ranking.

“The Washoe County Health District’s Air Quality Management Division works with community partners to offer clean-air solutions and education for residents to improve their quality of life.”