We just moved here (about 45 minutes south of Reno) a couple of years ago. We moved from CA in preparation for retirement. We love it here.
The views are phenomenal pretty much year round. You get small town life with larger cities within close proximity. Plenty of outdoor activities and open spaces.
The best part for us...... what we pay in property taxes. Or what we don't pay. The first year here, Hubby and I laughed at how little we had to pay compared to Cali.
The people are generally very friendly and willing to help out if needed. That also didn't happen in CA.
All in all, We love living here and we're only 5 miles from the CA border to visit family!
Read your post to my husband last night and we both took heart. Thank-you. Best of everything to you in NV.