Winnemucca is a small town that is as good or bad as you want it to be. One of the common answers from certain groups when asked what to there is to do here is often nothing or close to it. Fact it though there is quite a bit if they are things that hold your interest.
As mentioned there is a small golf course with lots of players to meet and mingle with.
A bowling alley that has strong business as well and holds a few larger events ever my year that draws people in.
A movie theater that is sorely in need of upgrade but serviceable.
There is a shooting range and dirt racetrack outside of town for those interests. Clearly not in the same place.
It has a very nice events center that has a very busy schedule during the extended summer season and some events at other times.
If you are family driven there is many nice parks and a boys and girls club with an open splash pad as well as other services.
That doesn’t cover a lot of the outdoor stuff that there is to do. I would recommend going to the Nevada Outdoor School website as they have lots of literature on local stuff plus they host events for the community.
If you want a peak of the community calendar the local rock station rock94.3 is a good source just type their name with a dot com on it to look that up.
And yea we have a heavy drinking scene with more dive bars than you would think we should have but even they have a draw if you are into it and all have their own events that can be pretty cool. The afterburner party at the mineshaft for a post burning man celebration comes to mind.
Oh and try the basque food experience at least once. The Martin Hotel is a must when here.
This is all in the opinion of weird old dude who spends too much time on Reddit so take it all with a grain of salt.
*There is a shooting range and dirt racetrack outside of town for those interests. Clearly not in the same place.*
OoOoooo HALO 2 Racing Maps in Real Life! I LOVE IT!
I currently live in winnemucca. I lived here when I was a child and moved back in my early 30s. It sits on a crossroads between Reno, Saltlake City, and Boise and, as such, has a big supporting industry for truckers as well as a lot of hotel/motels. There are also a large number of mining operations scattered across the countryside, mostly mining gold. Finally, the agriculture sector is big money around here, mostly cattle ranching, but also some farming operations in good locations. I wouldn't say that winnemucca is booming but economically, for its size, it's pretty well diversified, and businesses that open tend to stay open. There are a few empty buildings along the main boulevard, but nothing that's abandoned.
Food choices are a bit limited, but man, there's a couple of gems. I personally think the best chicken fried steak I've ever had was at "The Griddle". "The Martin Hotel" is a historical building and business that has phenomenal food, though a bit higher on the pricing. We have several Mexican food restaurants, all of which are good, but none that really blows you away. There's one single Chinese food restaurant that has been there since I was six and probably earlier. "Winnemucca pizza" is good but their consistency in the food is lacking, some days it's excellent other days it's just good. The casinos have good food, but it's casino food, so it can get old pretty quickly.
Recreation can be a bit limited, especially if you're young. We have some well maintained parks and apparently our golf course is really nice. Though I don't know on that one as I don't golf. We have a movie theater, though it had sears from like 1970 in it which has always been a big turn-off for me. Just about every business you walk into has some sort of slot machine, and there's three big casinos and several smaller ones, but only the "Winners inn" has table games. There's several event through out the year, including multiple ranch hand rodeos, the runnamucca biker festival, county fair and other small events. The city built a really nice trap range on its namesake mountain, right next to the dump.. there's lots of outdoor recreation here as well. Water canyon, which has a disk golf course, rye patch reservoir, the winnemucca dunes, paradise valley. There's nice hot springs in just about every direction, though some are closer than others. There are tons of trails and dirt roads on blm land to explore. Just the other day, I found a random plaque in the middle of the desert that was a California trail historical marker with a quote from a traveler from 1886.
The area is pretty conservative, but for the most part, people dont really talk politics and are pretty welcoming to people. The area has gotten a lot more diverse since I was a child. The people I speak to and work with that belong to bipoc comminuties have seldom voiced concern over people treating them poorly.
The weather here can be harsh though. It's jot uncommon for dust storms to whip up from the sand dunes and the wind around here is absolutely mind-boggling. I've seen it rip the roof off a trailer like a sardine can. One year, when I was young, a wind storm hit and picked up a neighbors shed and dropped it in our property. The winters are cold, with a coldness unlike anywhere else I've been. It cuts straight to the bone, and layers are a necessity.
Overall, I'd say that life in winnemucca is kind of a slow one. People come here to pretty much be left to their own devices. If you act with consideration and politeness, people will pay that back to you.
Fyi. The pizzeria has switched from original owners. I've heard the old quality has gone down hill since that happened. Also China garden also has new owners as of a couple years ago.
The griddle has great crepes that are homemade as well as quiches and desserts. My favorite meals are the breakfast burrito, Rosie's French toast and off menu sweet sweet Connie (waffle with cream cheese sauce and strawberries) I have worked there and it holds a special place in my heart. Oh the chorizo is amazing and the chicken fried steaks are made from homemade bread crumbs and cubed steal from uptown.
Great notes. I didn't go into as much detail.
If you don’t mind me asking whereabouts that plaque was at that you saw. It kinda sounds lame but I go around documenting stuff like that and adding it to Pokémon go. While not for everyone it is something I enjoy doing.
It was at the Northside of the farmland by reinhart. To get to it, I took a service road right off of hwy 95 heading north just before the first passing zone. I went around the base of the mesa and it was along a fence with what I think was an alfalfa field.
Yes, I agree, the lithium mine opening at thacker pass is going to bring in a lot of revenue for the city/county, but my understanding is that it's only going to employ between like 150-400 people permanently. Which will likely bring in more support jobs and such, but I dont think it's going to have the effect that goldstrike and newmont had on Elko. Those two main mines out there employ a couple thousand people and bring in a ton of support jobs. I'm not saying it's a fact, just my take on it.
Boring if you're childless unless you don't mind outdoors. Lots of open space for going on a side by side or four wheeling.
Not a lot of food options. Schools are meh. Bars are meh.
I grew up there and didn't mind it, but going back now in my 30s is painful. It feels rundown and trashy. Very conservative. I don't feel there's much to do for young adults unless you have a family and can enjoy the boys and girls club or other family events. There's a bowling alley for activity.
If you're into small town living, you'd probably be happy. 2.5 hours from reno and Elko which means a bigger city isn't terribly far away.
Oh, and the hospital is terrible.
What are your demographics and what do you want the answer to be to your question?
I spent a few months there for a mining project way back in the 90s. It was better than other small towns I lived in like Pioche, Gerlach, or Tonopah. Winnemucca had choices on where to eat or live that were lacking elsewhere. Out of all the non-Reno places I’d say it was the best option. But that’s a fairly low bar.
How does it compare to Elko? Not saying Elko is great but there are restaurants and fairly close to lots of outdoor stuff. Jobs are good so long as you don't mind working on a mine.
I never spent time in Elko so I don’t know. I did genuinely like Winnemucca but I wasn’t there all that long. I really compared it to Gerlach, and Winnemucca was the better choice for me.
Lived there for three years. Small town charm with a pretty seedy underbelly. Not the worst town but far from the best. Better than Lovelock or Battle Mtn imho.
I think 20/20 did an investigation into the police department for corruption in the 90's if I remember right. I heard a lot of talk a few years back about the sheriff's son raping a girl and nothing ever came of it.
Just a lot of shady stuff through the times. Lots of police corruption homeless deaths drug dealers galore. Not to mention a pretty crazy past with former Chinatown which is now Bridge St. The tunnels underground. Haunting lol. Pretty much any old town in Nevada has a past.
I loved Winnemucca for the year I was there. I did a stint work americorp there and got to see a totally different part of the country. I will say a majority of my social group were other volunteers that were also not from there so maybe that colored my experience. But I really learned to love the desert and it is cool you can drive maybe half an hour to an hour and be in the middle of nowhere
I remember riding in the back seat of my parents Ford Tempo on I-80, back in the 80s. There were billboards as you approached Winnemucca that said "5 Billion people have never been to Winnemucca!" (At the time the world population was around 5 billion.) I guess the sign was a play on the McDonalds signs that said x number of big macs sold or x number of people served.
That's all I know about Winnemucca, despite living in Reno for the past 4 1/2 years.
They used to have incredible signs that I remember seeing driving back to Reno from school events in Elko.
"Winnemucca: Gateway to the Pacific Ocean"
"Winnemucca: English spoken here"
And so on...
There is a wonderful Korean restaurant right off the main road there. Definitely stop in. I need to go back there. They have a really interesting story & food there is great.
Also the Martin Hotel is amazing. Traditional Basque cuisine and you sit with friendly strangers from all walks of life—had a great time there.
I lived there for a year before the pandemic for work. It's not a place I would choose to move, but I'm sure for the people from there it is home and that has a deeper meaning than my 2-bit short-timer review.
If you find the desert beautiful like I do, then it's quite pretty. If you don't, you will think it's ugly. Again, perspective matters a ton in a place like Winnemucca. The good isn't always sitting right on the surface.
The problem is, the bad isn't always on the surface either. Like many rural small towns in America, especially ones off major highways, there are serious drug issues. Crime as well, not only from locals but by the drive-by types off the freeway.
If you're the type of person who likes to get involved in the community, civics, schools, non-profits etc, you will find that people who want to pitch in are warmly welcomed. If you want to sit in your house and work remote all the time while looking down your nose at the locals, well, you get what you give. Don't drive up housing prices even more if you're going to be that person.
Nice little town. My ex-wife and her parents have lived there for over 40 years. They even have a small red light district there which was kinda trippy. It was basically a strip mall ( no pun intended) with women sitting in chairs in a showroom window. I learned recently that the airport is now named after my former FIL and deservedly so as he's a super nice man.
I only went there once and that was for the Nevada state wrestling championships when I was in high school years ago. Didn't have much of a chance to take in the town, but honestly there wasn't really much to do when we had our downtime.
Winnemucca is rad! I stayed there once for work at the holiday inn and ended up meeting these crazy Irish kids on some sort of college sanctioned tour. Anyways we got fucked up in the parking lot and partied our asses off. I didn’t even know them and just wanted to get some sleep. Had a blast in Winnemucca!
I spent my entire childhood in winnemucca. Most of the police are in the pocket of the Mormon church, so watch out for that. The only thing I ever liked about winnemucca was every time I left.
Ehhh i traveled through… its like a really sad Reno and i suspect there is American Indian settlement near which says something about the land… oh and sand dunes on the road
Huh!! I opened the OP’s profile to see other posts and they’re all like this. How’s life in Botswana? How’s life in Croatia? How’s life in ____ ?
But… also a Redditor for seven years? 🤔
All of the brothels in Winnemucca have been closed and demolished for years, that's why people drive over to Battle Mountain. I don't know if Humboldt County outlawed them or what but there are no Brothels in that County. Battle Mountains is a different County.
I am sure the people are fantastic but I drove through it once and it sorta reminded me of the shithole I live in if the place I live was in the desert
Winnemucca is a small town that is as good or bad as you want it to be. One of the common answers from certain groups when asked what to there is to do here is often nothing or close to it. Fact it though there is quite a bit if they are things that hold your interest. As mentioned there is a small golf course with lots of players to meet and mingle with. A bowling alley that has strong business as well and holds a few larger events ever my year that draws people in. A movie theater that is sorely in need of upgrade but serviceable. There is a shooting range and dirt racetrack outside of town for those interests. Clearly not in the same place. It has a very nice events center that has a very busy schedule during the extended summer season and some events at other times. If you are family driven there is many nice parks and a boys and girls club with an open splash pad as well as other services. That doesn’t cover a lot of the outdoor stuff that there is to do. I would recommend going to the Nevada Outdoor School website as they have lots of literature on local stuff plus they host events for the community. If you want a peak of the community calendar the local rock station rock94.3 is a good source just type their name with a dot com on it to look that up. And yea we have a heavy drinking scene with more dive bars than you would think we should have but even they have a draw if you are into it and all have their own events that can be pretty cool. The afterburner party at the mineshaft for a post burning man celebration comes to mind. Oh and try the basque food experience at least once. The Martin Hotel is a must when here. This is all in the opinion of weird old dude who spends too much time on Reddit so take it all with a grain of salt.
There is a shooting range and dirt racetrack outside of town for those interests. Clearly not in the same place. *Fucking killjoys*
I’ve already wrote the mayor and have a petition circulating through town. Either put these 2 together or expect an angry mob at town hall!!!
My man. Bravo.
There's plenty of desert if shooting guns while racing in dirt is your thing.
A drive by shooting range
Life in the ‘Mucc!
*There is a shooting range and dirt racetrack outside of town for those interests. Clearly not in the same place.* OoOoooo HALO 2 Racing Maps in Real Life! I LOVE IT!
I currently live in winnemucca. I lived here when I was a child and moved back in my early 30s. It sits on a crossroads between Reno, Saltlake City, and Boise and, as such, has a big supporting industry for truckers as well as a lot of hotel/motels. There are also a large number of mining operations scattered across the countryside, mostly mining gold. Finally, the agriculture sector is big money around here, mostly cattle ranching, but also some farming operations in good locations. I wouldn't say that winnemucca is booming but economically, for its size, it's pretty well diversified, and businesses that open tend to stay open. There are a few empty buildings along the main boulevard, but nothing that's abandoned. Food choices are a bit limited, but man, there's a couple of gems. I personally think the best chicken fried steak I've ever had was at "The Griddle". "The Martin Hotel" is a historical building and business that has phenomenal food, though a bit higher on the pricing. We have several Mexican food restaurants, all of which are good, but none that really blows you away. There's one single Chinese food restaurant that has been there since I was six and probably earlier. "Winnemucca pizza" is good but their consistency in the food is lacking, some days it's excellent other days it's just good. The casinos have good food, but it's casino food, so it can get old pretty quickly. Recreation can be a bit limited, especially if you're young. We have some well maintained parks and apparently our golf course is really nice. Though I don't know on that one as I don't golf. We have a movie theater, though it had sears from like 1970 in it which has always been a big turn-off for me. Just about every business you walk into has some sort of slot machine, and there's three big casinos and several smaller ones, but only the "Winners inn" has table games. There's several event through out the year, including multiple ranch hand rodeos, the runnamucca biker festival, county fair and other small events. The city built a really nice trap range on its namesake mountain, right next to the dump.. there's lots of outdoor recreation here as well. Water canyon, which has a disk golf course, rye patch reservoir, the winnemucca dunes, paradise valley. There's nice hot springs in just about every direction, though some are closer than others. There are tons of trails and dirt roads on blm land to explore. Just the other day, I found a random plaque in the middle of the desert that was a California trail historical marker with a quote from a traveler from 1886. The area is pretty conservative, but for the most part, people dont really talk politics and are pretty welcoming to people. The area has gotten a lot more diverse since I was a child. The people I speak to and work with that belong to bipoc comminuties have seldom voiced concern over people treating them poorly. The weather here can be harsh though. It's jot uncommon for dust storms to whip up from the sand dunes and the wind around here is absolutely mind-boggling. I've seen it rip the roof off a trailer like a sardine can. One year, when I was young, a wind storm hit and picked up a neighbors shed and dropped it in our property. The winters are cold, with a coldness unlike anywhere else I've been. It cuts straight to the bone, and layers are a necessity. Overall, I'd say that life in winnemucca is kind of a slow one. People come here to pretty much be left to their own devices. If you act with consideration and politeness, people will pay that back to you.
Fyi. The pizzeria has switched from original owners. I've heard the old quality has gone down hill since that happened. Also China garden also has new owners as of a couple years ago. The griddle has great crepes that are homemade as well as quiches and desserts. My favorite meals are the breakfast burrito, Rosie's French toast and off menu sweet sweet Connie (waffle with cream cheese sauce and strawberries) I have worked there and it holds a special place in my heart. Oh the chorizo is amazing and the chicken fried steaks are made from homemade bread crumbs and cubed steal from uptown. Great notes. I didn't go into as much detail.
If you don’t mind me asking whereabouts that plaque was at that you saw. It kinda sounds lame but I go around documenting stuff like that and adding it to Pokémon go. While not for everyone it is something I enjoy doing.
It was at the Northside of the farmland by reinhart. To get to it, I took a service road right off of hwy 95 heading north just before the first passing zone. I went around the base of the mesa and it was along a fence with what I think was an alfalfa field.
Nice. Thanks kindly.
Lithium bro. Lithium. Get ready for your small town to boom.
Yes, I agree, the lithium mine opening at thacker pass is going to bring in a lot of revenue for the city/county, but my understanding is that it's only going to employ between like 150-400 people permanently. Which will likely bring in more support jobs and such, but I dont think it's going to have the effect that goldstrike and newmont had on Elko. Those two main mines out there employ a couple thousand people and bring in a ton of support jobs. I'm not saying it's a fact, just my take on it.
I suspect you are underestimating things.
The is or the was a Sears?
Boring if you're childless unless you don't mind outdoors. Lots of open space for going on a side by side or four wheeling. Not a lot of food options. Schools are meh. Bars are meh. I grew up there and didn't mind it, but going back now in my 30s is painful. It feels rundown and trashy. Very conservative. I don't feel there's much to do for young adults unless you have a family and can enjoy the boys and girls club or other family events. There's a bowling alley for activity. If you're into small town living, you'd probably be happy. 2.5 hours from reno and Elko which means a bigger city isn't terribly far away. Oh, and the hospital is terrible. What are your demographics and what do you want the answer to be to your question?
I spent a few months there for a mining project way back in the 90s. It was better than other small towns I lived in like Pioche, Gerlach, or Tonopah. Winnemucca had choices on where to eat or live that were lacking elsewhere. Out of all the non-Reno places I’d say it was the best option. But that’s a fairly low bar.
How does it compare to Elko? Not saying Elko is great but there are restaurants and fairly close to lots of outdoor stuff. Jobs are good so long as you don't mind working on a mine.
I never spent time in Elko so I don’t know. I did genuinely like Winnemucca but I wasn’t there all that long. I really compared it to Gerlach, and Winnemucca was the better choice for me.
Mining
Lived there for three years. Small town charm with a pretty seedy underbelly. Not the worst town but far from the best. Better than Lovelock or Battle Mtn imho.
I'd love to know more about the seedy underbelly.
I think 20/20 did an investigation into the police department for corruption in the 90's if I remember right. I heard a lot of talk a few years back about the sheriff's son raping a girl and nothing ever came of it.
That was the homeless deaths by the train tracks. Nobody really talks about it much nowadays
Just a lot of shady stuff through the times. Lots of police corruption homeless deaths drug dealers galore. Not to mention a pretty crazy past with former Chinatown which is now Bridge St. The tunnels underground. Haunting lol. Pretty much any old town in Nevada has a past.
http://cprr.org/Museum/Winnemucca_Marden.pdf
Quiet
This song describes it well: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=joX0LMV_lm0
The documentary on the singer is hilarious!
I love this guy’s Gardnerville ranchos song too
Lots of people totin' packs down dusty roads...
I loved Winnemucca for the year I was there. I did a stint work americorp there and got to see a totally different part of the country. I will say a majority of my social group were other volunteers that were also not from there so maybe that colored my experience. But I really learned to love the desert and it is cool you can drive maybe half an hour to an hour and be in the middle of nowhere
I remember riding in the back seat of my parents Ford Tempo on I-80, back in the 80s. There were billboards as you approached Winnemucca that said "5 Billion people have never been to Winnemucca!" (At the time the world population was around 5 billion.) I guess the sign was a play on the McDonalds signs that said x number of big macs sold or x number of people served. That's all I know about Winnemucca, despite living in Reno for the past 4 1/2 years.
They used to have incredible signs that I remember seeing driving back to Reno from school events in Elko. "Winnemucca: Gateway to the Pacific Ocean" "Winnemucca: English spoken here" And so on...
Windy.
Winnemucca has everything you need and nothing that you want. Lived there for 6 years and loved it.
One time i got a gun pulled on me for smoking weed in a motel parking lot
I grew up in ely. I imagine the same
It’s where the Utah mormoms go to drink
Nahh, the don't go any further than they have to. Wendover is all they need.
Ah true ! Got my directions mixed up
There is a wonderful Korean restaurant right off the main road there. Definitely stop in. I need to go back there. They have a really interesting story & food there is great. Also the Martin Hotel is amazing. Traditional Basque cuisine and you sit with friendly strangers from all walks of life—had a great time there.
I lived there for a year before the pandemic for work. It's not a place I would choose to move, but I'm sure for the people from there it is home and that has a deeper meaning than my 2-bit short-timer review. If you find the desert beautiful like I do, then it's quite pretty. If you don't, you will think it's ugly. Again, perspective matters a ton in a place like Winnemucca. The good isn't always sitting right on the surface. The problem is, the bad isn't always on the surface either. Like many rural small towns in America, especially ones off major highways, there are serious drug issues. Crime as well, not only from locals but by the drive-by types off the freeway. If you're the type of person who likes to get involved in the community, civics, schools, non-profits etc, you will find that people who want to pitch in are warmly welcomed. If you want to sit in your house and work remote all the time while looking down your nose at the locals, well, you get what you give. Don't drive up housing prices even more if you're going to be that person.
9 hole golf course
The hardest 9 hole golf course to be correct
You can run a muck
Or get lucky and Winnemucca.
I haven't lived there personally but my whole family is from there. They all moved away as soon as they were able to
What coincidence, was looking at all 3 of the posts on r/winnemucca last night. Small world.
Nice little town. My ex-wife and her parents have lived there for over 40 years. They even have a small red light district there which was kinda trippy. It was basically a strip mall ( no pun intended) with women sitting in chairs in a showroom window. I learned recently that the airport is now named after my former FIL and deservedly so as he's a super nice man.
Ask Johnny Cash, he’s been there.
Winnemucca is where people from Boise go to gamble.
I thought that's why Jackpot, Nevada exists, it's far closer to Boise.
When Life gets there, we’ll let you know.
Until then, it’s Percocets and meth
If you’re going to move, try and buy property. The mining activity will likely only increase housing prices will increase.
It’s already expensive there :/
I only went there once and that was for the Nevada state wrestling championships when I was in high school years ago. Didn't have much of a chance to take in the town, but honestly there wasn't really much to do when we had our downtime.
I always stop for gas when I’m in town.
Drinking
I don’t live there but have spent some time riding the Winnemucca dunes. Good times for sure!
I don’t live there but have spent some time riding the Winnemucca dunes. Good times for sure!
Slow and slow. Hope you like your options.
Hit 37 this morning . cold. But not so .bad Make sure to check your reptiles and other animals are warm
Get a ouji and ask Johnny cash, he said he’d been there
Hot af Cold af
Ask Johnny Cash
Google History of Winnemucca by JP Marden. Some interesting and depressing stuff especially regarding Bridge St.
Winnemucca is rad! I stayed there once for work at the holiday inn and ended up meeting these crazy Irish kids on some sort of college sanctioned tour. Anyways we got fucked up in the parking lot and partied our asses off. I didn’t even know them and just wanted to get some sleep. Had a blast in Winnemucca!
Is The Pig still in business. I thought the food was pretty decent when I’ve been.
Àaàaaa1 as
Àaàaaa1 as
I stop in this town every time I’m hearing to see family in Boise
Just stopped there for an hour yesterday…haven’t seen the humongous cricket invasion mentioned here yet. They were EVERYWHERE
How's life on the Indian colony?
I spent my entire childhood in winnemucca. Most of the police are in the pocket of the Mormon church, so watch out for that. The only thing I ever liked about winnemucca was every time I left.
Ehhh i traveled through… its like a really sad Reno and i suspect there is American Indian settlement near which says something about the land… oh and sand dunes on the road
Y'all, this is a bot using your answers for content somewhere. Maybe training a large language model or something.
Huh!! I opened the OP’s profile to see other posts and they’re all like this. How’s life in Botswana? How’s life in Croatia? How’s life in ____ ? But… also a Redditor for seven years? 🤔
Sheeit. nn
It is not a place I enjoy stopping at and couldn't imagine living there. It's just a very small town.
We travel extensively ( Chile,Portugal, Canada, Norway and most states)and have learned to avoid cities in favor of small town.
Brothels 😂
All of the brothels in Winnemucca have been closed and demolished for years, that's why people drive over to Battle Mountain. I don't know if Humboldt County outlawed them or what but there are no Brothels in that County. Battle Mountains is a different County.
I am sure the people are fantastic but I drove through it once and it sorta reminded me of the shithole I live in if the place I live was in the desert
Terrible :(
Meth
It's shit
It's very racist and lots of trump flags and an old stump is there greatest thing they have
Fuckin sucks lol