What its like to live at Sierra Canyon by Del Webb

A couple of times I have received emails from people who are thinking about moving to Reno. They have read my blog and are wondering what it is like to live in a 55 and over community like Del Webb's Sierra Canyon. Recently someone asked me the following.

"We also thought about living in a retirement community but felt it may be full of
really old people and lifeless. Can you tell me more of your experiences of
retirement living in Reno and at Del Webb?"

I thought others might find my response to him interesting so here it is.

"Thanks so much for your email and kind comments about my blog.

When I told my girls that we were moving to a Del Webb community they were horrified that we would move to a place for "old people". Before we moved here we could never see ourselves living in an active adult community. But when we started looking for a place to live in Reno Sierra Canyon seemed like a good place to live since the houses are very nice and the rents are so reasonable.

We moved last July and it has been a great experience. I am sure there are lots of old sedentary people here but the people we have met have been just the opposite. If you have  looked at my blog you have probably seen all the hikes the hiking group takes. We have a lot of fun. The people in the group are really great, interesting, active people that I have enjoyed getting to know. In addition to hiking Sierra Canyon has lots of other activities too.

The gym always has people in it working out and I really love the yoga class. There are also Pilates classes, water aerobics classes, dance classes and lots more.

The people in our neighborhood organized a wine walk last week. We each chipped in $10. Thirty of us visited 8 houses (including ours) and tasted wine. It lasted from 1 until 4. Anyone visiting the neighborhood at 1 on Saturday would have been surprised to see people coming out of houses all at the same time carrying wine glasses. We met a lot of new people and had a lot of fun.

I want to join the bridge group and my husband and I often play pool. There was a tournament last Saturday. I hear that the photography group is great and the several of the people we hike with are in the book club.

The very best part about living here has been the people. I have never lived any place where it is so easy to get to know your neighbors. I mentioned this to a friend in the hiking group Monday and she said most people who move here tend to be social outgoing people.  I think that is true.

The down sides of living here are that you do pay homeowners dues (actually our landlord does) and the homeowners association is pretty strict about what you can and cannot do with your house. Of course this does protect home values.

My husband and I chose Reno because we wanted to live some place cheaper than California and Reno was a convenient place to rent while we waited for our house to sell. We haven't decided whether we will settle here permanently but we are seriously considering it. Reno has been a very pleasant surprise. It is a beautiful setting and there is sure a lot to do. Some of the people we hike with volunteer at the art museum. The museum sounds wonderful and working there sounds like fun so I want to check it out.

If you have any other questions please let me know."

 

Comments

[Marion]

1.

Judith, You asked why we moved. We were renting in Sierra Canyon and when we started to look at places to buy we definitely considered Sierra Canyon. But we decided that we didn't want to pay home owners dues. We said to ourselves that we could hike as much on our own and that we didn't want restrictive covenants. Interestingly enough although we love the house we bought (It is not far from Sierra Canyon). We don't hike as much without the hiking group and I tried another yoga class and didn't like it nearly as much as the Sierra Canyon yoga class.

Reno is a great place to retire. The health care here is superb. We moved my father to Reno soon after we moved here and I take him to all his doctor appointments. (Cardiologist, endocrinologist, podiatrist, urologist, ophthalmologist, retinologist, dermatologidt) A friend just went through treatment for breast cancer and she was very happy with her treatment here. And because Reno is big but not too big all the doctors are relatively close.

I don't particularly like to shop and I don't attend a church so I am not a good one to ask about shopping or churches although we do seem to have a lot of both. My only complaint is that we don't have a Nordstroms :-)

[Judith]

2.

Why did you move? I have just read your blog & am interested in visiting Sierra Canyon. What are the distances & circumstances regarding medical treatment in the area? My husband was injured in 2010 & still requires medical follow-up. Also, what about shopping, churches, etc? Thanks for your info. Judith

[arlyn]

3.

Hi Again and Thankyou for your reply.
I am sorry to hear that you don't live in the Sierra Canyon area any longer. I definitely enjoyed your blog and the many special photos and activities you presented. I will keep checking in and who knows? Perhaps meet you one day.
Thanks
ARLYN

[Marion]

4.

Arlyn,
Thanks for your comment. We don't live at Sierra Canyon any more but when we did there were a lot of really great, friendly, single people. They hiked, did yoga, played tennis and lots more. I think it would be a great place to live if you are single.
Marion

[arlyn]

5.

Hi--I also just wanted to say THANKS for your postings and info here. ! I am considering moving into this area and was happy to see the hiking and welcoming aspect of this community. (I also got the same reaction from my son >>--"Mom ??! your moving into an old people's place??" But then--- he said? "oh ya I guess you are almost 60 huh??"

I am a 58 yr. old single female... At this time in my life I treasure special friends and family! and being able to explore some common interests! and make new friends. Is the community here accepting of "single-hood" too? . A friend of mine once said something about it being difficult to be a "Single person" in the 55+ communities because most members were couples .. Just wondered what your thoughts on that were?? Thanks ..so much AKM!..

[Marion]

6.

Stephanie,
Del Webb / Pulte has a sales Office and model homes at Sierra Canyon. This is their web site http://www.pulte.com/delwebb/communities/nv/reno/sierra-canyon/index.aspx and their phone number is 775-746-7500.

[Stephanie]

7.

Hi Marion,
My husband and I were thinking of touring the property.
Who should we contact?
Thanks!
Stephanie

[Carl Hemming]

8.

Marion,

i enjoyed your pictures taken with the hiking club. Many of the places are familiar because i through hiked the TRT last summer with my daughter, son-in-law and their dog. it took us 16 days to do the 165 miles and it was an icredible experience. My wife and i are looking at homes in Sierra Canyon and are considering becoming members of the community. We are very much interested in the hiking and snowshoe club. we live in interior alaska where snow is very much a part of the environment but extreme temperatures and low light in the winter make it a difficult place to live. any advice on the community or area would be much appreciated. :-) Carl and Chris Hemming

[Marion]

9.

Shirley, Thanks for the comment. I emailed you my thoughts and then decided I would also write a blog post about Reno weather. It is an important topic if you are thinking about moving here. Good luck.
Marion

[Shirley]

10.

Hi, I always check your blog for the newest in hikes, and so love the pictues. You hike in mighty beautiful country down there. I live in Washington state near the Canadian border, but am considering a move to Sierra Canyon within the next year. I cannot make up my mind about the move and I am hoping you can help me to know a
little more about the place. We have lots of rain here all winter long, but it snows very little. So I am
worried about living in a place where it snows . . . all winter? Do you have snow on the ground all winter?
Is it gloomy all winter? And then there is the summer heat factor. It gets really, really HOT there. Do
you leave air conditioning on all night long? Or do you keep the windows open all night? Is the heat
bearable? And am I being a little nutty about this? Hope you can give me some idea about the weather living
at such a high elevation. We are at sea level here, much rain, but pretty mild all year. I sure appreciate any info you can throw my way. . . Thanks much . . . Shirley

[Bob Marcacci]

11.

Hi, I really enjoy your blog. We just purchased a home in Sierra Canyon that will be finished in May or June. We just sold our California home and are temporarily moving to Saint George Utah until home in Reno is completed and we are looking forward to dueing some hiking with your group. Thanks for an interesting blog. Bob Marcacci 12/23/07

[Liz]

12.

Enjoyed reading your personal perspective on life inside an active adult community.
With my website, www.plannedseniorhood.com, I have seen a great number of these communities, some from website links as well as from first-hand visits. I recently toured Sun City in Hilton Head, SC, also a Del Webb community. It is staggering the variety of activities available. Many residents are not only active but participate in quite rigorous activities. Still, I like to think that while partaking in all of these fun activities, lasting friendships are being formed that will continue to serve one well when activies eventually move to a slower pace. While long-term communal relationships are not necessarily what initially attract most to an active adult community, quite possibly it may be the eventual reason for them to stay.