Moving from Philadelphia to Reno

The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro area holds about 6.2 million people (Census ACS), so this is a large pool of potential movers. The Census counts about 17 people a year moving to Washoe County from Bucks County, Pennsylvania and Delaware County, Pennsylvania (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 2,659 road miles away.

The drive: 2,659 miles from Sparks to Philadelphia

Measured from our Sparks warehouse to Philadelphia, the drive is about 2,659 miles. Free-flow driving time is 46 h 12 min, which works out to six days at 500 miles a day. A straight line across the map would be 2,346 miles, so the highways add about 314 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 2,283 miles, I-76 for 341 miles, I-280 for 14 miles and US 6 for 13 miles. Of those, I-80 alone is about 86 percent of the total.

Philadelphia's route is a straight shot onto I-80. I-76 carries 341 miles across Pennsylvania, I-80 carries 2,283, and I-280 and US 6 are short connectors. Because I-76 here is the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the trip crosses the state's mountain belt on a toll road before the long run through Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming and Utah. Row house blocks in the city and long driveways in Bucks and Delaware counties lead to very different loading days.

Reading the road numbers

Divide the 2,659 miles into 500-mile days and you get five full days plus about 159 more miles. The routing tool's 46 h 12 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

Philadelphia is only 100 feet above sea level and Reno is about 4,930, so every mile west adds a little elevation. The routing tool lists no named pass, though the Pennsylvania Turnpike runs through ridge country where weather can change quickly. Winter conditions in Wyoming matter most of all, and a storm there can stall a shipment for a day or two.

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 2,659 miles from Philadelphia. 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 86 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 2,659 miles as six 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, Philadelphia has a median home value of $243,100 and a median gross rent of $1,397 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 $61,953 in Philadelphia. The table above puts both ends side by side.

The NOAA normals give Philadelphia a January low near 26.6 degrees and a July high near 88.2, with about 45 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.

A Philadelphia basement full of boxed books or furniture that has lived in a damp row house meets a very dry climate in Reno. Philadelphia receives about 45 inches of precipitation a year and Reno about 7.4. Wood furniture can shrink and crack slightly in the first dry winter, so many people keep a humidifier in the room with the piano.

How the move works with O'Brien's

On a move from Philadelphia, you book the move with O'Brien's, the Bekins agent in Sparks, and we coordinate it from your Philadelphia 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 Pennsylvania page.