Rapidly growing Sparks, Nevada offers an easy commute to downtown Reno, Lake Tahoe and major nearby job centers in Storey County, like the Tesla Gigafactory. Not to be outshined by Reno, the city has one high-rise casino — The Nugget Casino Resort — and a major outlet mall that draws visitors from all over the region. “It’s a little homier than Reno, but you’ve still got shopping, amenities and some really good schools,” says Realtor Jesse Morales of Re/Max Professionals, who lives and works in Sparks.
Sparks is the fifth most populous city in the state with 108,000 residents. It’s experienced a boom in population over the last decade adding around 17,000 new people, largely driven by new employers like Tesla, Google and Panasonic. The city has a finite amount of land for growth, so recent developments have been focused on new apartments and condo complexes.
Downtown Sparks is a stone throw from Reno, making it an epicenter for fun and activities.
The City of Sparks has built several luxury high-rise complexes to meet housing demands.
The City of Sparks is heavily employed by Tech companies like Google and Tesla.
The Nugget is the main high-rise resort located in the heart of the City of Spark's Downtown.
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New builds, midcentury homes and condos
Sparks is typically seen as a more affordable, suburban option compared to neighboring Reno where casinos and entertainment make up the city center. In November 2023, median home price in Sparks was $520,000 compared to of $600,000 in Reno. Home prices in both Reno and Sparks skyrocketed during and immediately after the Covid-19 pandemic but have since leveled off. “The market has been a little slower than the previous few years. The combination of high interest rates and rising prices has made it difficult for first-time homebuyers to buy,” Morales says. Southern Sparks is largely industrial, while the northern part of the city is primarily residential. It offers a wide mix of midcentury single-family homes, newly constructed contemporary homes and an increasing number of multi-family buildings. Wide streets with sidewalks, landscaped front lawns and views of the Sierra Nevada Mountains are common throughout the area.
Wingfield Springs has a strong variety in the choices of modern exterior styles like cement.
Pioneer Meadows is newer community with high-density housing developments priced above $500K.
Large mid-century Ranch Style homes are a big part of the makeup in the North Rock community.
Homes in Reed are often accentuated by brick siding around the garage and front door.
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Outdoor fun
Residents can break out the canoe and fishing rod at Sparks Marina Park, a 77-acre lake with stunning views of the mountains beyond the city. During the summer months, Wild Island Family Adventure Park is the spot for water slides, pools and mini golf. Golden Eagle Regional Park is a great place for sports and outdoor recreation: it’s 448 acres are filled with artificial turf fields, a beach volleyball court, a climbing wall and a concession stand. Meanwhile, avid golfers can tee up at the city’s municipal and private golf courses: Wildcreek Golf Course, Red Hawk Golf and Resort and D’Andrea Golf Club. For hiking and winter sports, Lake Tahoe is just 40 miles south of Sparks. The lake is a nationally renowned vacation spot known for its ski resorts, waterfront vistas and beautiful natural scenery. Sparks itself gets a little more than a foot of snow a year.
Wild Island Adventure park is the only waterpark in the Reno/Sparks area.
Steep topography makes some holes a challenge when playing at D'Andrea Golf Club.
Those who love to fish can cast a line at Sparks Marina just minutes from D'Andrea.
Golden Eagle Regional Park attracts athletes from Wingfield Springs and the surrounding areas.
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Out and about in Sparks
Victorian Square is the heart of downtown Sparks: located across the street from the Nugget Casino Resort, it’s a small, walkable district with an array of restaurants and breweries, a movie theater and an 8,500-seat outdoor amphitheater. Annual events include the Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-off, a six-day event heralded as the country’s largest free-entry barbecue festival. Drawing chefs from all over the country, winners take home a $10,000 cash prize. For shopping, The Outlet at Legends is a popular, open-air destination with upscale apparel shops, cafes, restaurants and a movie theater. There are also plenty of grocery and big box stores in the city, including Costco, Sprouts, Walmart and Lowe’s. For everything else, Reno is a few miles away.
The Nugget Rib Cook Off is held directly beneath the Nugget Casino in Downtown Sparks.
Legends Shopping Mall in Sparks Marina is masterfully landscaped and great for weekend trips.
The Nugget Amphitheater hosts some of the biggest names you can see in Downtown Sparks.
Downtown Sparks is home to Galaxy Theatres which brings movie-goers from all around the region.
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Above average crime rates
Violent crime and property crime levels are a reality in Sparks. There were 461 violent crimes in 2022, putting it about 14% higher than the national average, according to FBI stats. There were 2,222 property crimes reported in 2022, down from 2,541 the previous year. Sparks and Reno city officials have undertaken several major initiatives in recent years to tamp down on crime and homeless encampments. Sparks and Reno have earned national recognition for significantly reducing its homeless population, a feat achieved by building a massive tent in Reno with sleeping pods and centralized social services. Since then, the homelessness rate has dropped by more than 50%, a stark contrast to other major West Coast cities that have struggled to find solutions.
Getting around Sparks
Sparks is traversed by Interstate 80, which runs east to west along the southern edge of the city. The Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County (RTC) offers public transit services, taking passengers to Reno and the outlying Washoe County suburbs. The RTC serves about 17,000 passengers every day across more than 20 bus lines. For rail transportation, residents can catch the Amtrak train in Reno, which offers commuter service to Sacramento, California, 135 miles to the west. The Reno-Tahoe International Airport is about 8 miles south of downtown Sparks and offers non-stop domestic and international flights to San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, Austin and Mexico.
Schools and libraries
Sparks is a part of the Washoe County School District, which holds a B-plus rating from Niche. Some of the city’s schools have won regional and national recognition, like Drake Elementary School, which received the National Blue Ribbon Award in 2022. Sparks Library, part of the Washoe County Library System, offers residents a cool place to read, relax or use a public computer.
On average, homes in Sparks, NV sell after 46 days on the market compared to the national average of 49 days. The median sale price for homes in Sparks, NV over the last 12 months is $530,000, up 5% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
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