Outdoors Reno

Photo credit: RSCVA

"The Biggest Little City in the World" has grown from the days in the 1920s and '30s when it was the destination for hundreds of ladies looking for Reno-vation, a "quickie" divorce where only 6 weeks of residence were required before "freedom." As a result, a goodly number of small Western "dude" ranches made a specialty of the 6-week stay, providing outdoor activities such as horseback riding, hiking, and swimming, and the nighttime excitement of rustic casinos. The town remained pretty much the same, even after the divorce boom petered out, until the late 1970s, when large casino-hotel resorts were built and the city grew to its present population of 195,000, with the adjacent town of Sparks adding another 76,000. The gambling may have arrived in force, but don't mistake this area for Las Vegas; if you're looking for a fantasy world of exotic casino-hotels you're in the wrong end of the state. Reno is a real city where the gambling action is only a part of the experience. Sure you can gamble here year-round, but it's the outdoor sports -- both summer and winter -- and its proximity to Lake Tahoe that make this city a prime tourist destination.

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