Moving from Cincinnati to Reno

The Cincinnati metro area holds about 2.3 million people (Census ACS), so this is a large pool of potential movers. The Census counts about 31 people a year moving to Washoe County from Campbell County, Kentucky, Pendleton County, Kentucky and Butler County, Ohio (2016 to 2020 estimates), but the margin of error is as large as the estimate, so the safest reading is that households travel in both directions. For a household in that area, Reno is 2,168 road miles away.

The drive: 2,168 miles from Sparks to Cincinnati

Measured from our Sparks warehouse to Cincinnati, the drive is about 2,168 miles. Free-flow driving time is 37 h 6 min, which works out to five days at 500 miles a day. A straight line across the map would be 1,873 miles, so the highways add about 296 miles. Those are road-time figures, not a delivery promise; your written estimate sets the delivery window.

Four roads account for most of the trip: I-80 for 1,836 miles, I-74 for 311 miles, I-474 for 14 miles and I-15 for 2 miles. Of those, I-80 alone is about 85 percent of the total.

Cincinnati's route is simple for a long haul: I-74 for 311 miles, then I-80 for 1,836, with I-474 and I-15 supplying 16 connector miles. I-74 runs across Indiana and Illinois to the Quad Cities on the Mississippi River, and from there the route follows I-80 through Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming and Utah. Campbell and Pendleton counties in Kentucky sit across the river from the city, and a move from the Kentucky side starts on the same roads.

Reading the road numbers

Divide the 2,168 miles into 500-mile days and you get four full days plus about 168 more miles. The routing tool's 37 h 6 min implies about 58 miles per hour, a number that leaves out fuel, food, rest and weather. Reno is on Pacific Time, so the trip also moves your clock back three hours.

If you follow the truck in your own vehicle, the long I-80 stretch is where fuel, food and rest stops are easiest to find.

Terrain and weather on the way

Cincinnati sits at 761 feet and Reno at about 4,930. The routing tool lists no named pass on the route. The Ohio River valley can bring ice and fog, while the plains and Wyoming bring wind and snow. For a January move, check Ohio's OHGO map before the truck leaves and Wyoming's before the last two days.

Before loading day, check the state road-conditions site listed below for the start of the route and the Nevada road map (NDOT) for the finish.

Timing the trip and planning your own drive

Late spring through early fall is the easiest season for the 2,168 miles from Cincinnati. December through February is the slow part of the year, because wind and snow on the plains and in Wyoming can hold a truck for a day, and summer is the busiest moving season, so book early.

With 85 percent of the miles on I-80, one slow stretch there can set the pace for the whole shipment, which is why the delivery window in your written estimate has room in it. For your own car, treat the 2,168 miles as five days on the road, and keep your documents, medications and a few days of clothing with you in the car.

What changes when you arrive in Reno

On the Census measures, Cincinnati has a median home value of $230,900 and a median gross rent of $1,001 a month. Reno city has a median home value of $548,300 and a median rent of $1,556. The Census median household income in Reno city is $80,760, against $52,909 in Cincinnati. The table above puts both ends side by side.

The NOAA normals give Cincinnati a January low near 23.6 degrees and a July high near 86.6, with about 43 inches of precipitation a year. Reno has a January low near 26.1, a July high near 93.9, about 7.3 inches of precipitation and about 21 inches of snow.

Median household income is $52,909 in Cincinnati city and $80,760 in Reno city. Cincinnati's July high is 86.6 and its January low is 23.6, compared with Reno's 93.9 and 26.1.

How the move works with O'Brien's

On a move from Cincinnati, you book the move with O'Brien's, the Bekins agent in Sparks, and we coordinate it from your Cincinnati home through the Bekins Van Lines network, then handle delivery, unpacking and storage in Sparks. Your written estimate sets the delivery window.

Pricing for an interstate move is by weight, with an itemized written estimate. There are three ways to a price: a phone ballpark, an online request or a free in-home estimate by an O'Brien's estimator, and the in-home visit comes with 10 free heavy-duty boxes. An itemized inventory and condition report comes before packing.

When the closing date and the delivery window do not line up, the shipment can wait in our 30,000 square foot warehouse in Sparks, with vault storage from $40 per month. The interstate move guide covers the sequence.

Getting settled in Reno

Nevada's new-resident rules give you 30 days for vehicle registration and 30 days for a driver's license. For the rest of the checklist, see the moving to Reno guide, and for state-level differences the Ohio page.