Moving from Columbus to Reno

The Columbus metro area holds about 2.2 million people (Census ACS), so this is a large pool of potential movers. The Census counts about 9 people a year moving to Washoe County from Delaware County, Ohio and Franklin 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 2,232 road miles away.

The drive: 2,232 miles from Sparks to Columbus

Measured from our Sparks warehouse to Columbus, the drive is about 2,232 miles. Free-flow driving time is 38 h 30 min, which works out to five days at 500 miles a day. A straight line across the map would be 1,940 miles, so the highways add about 292 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 193 miles, I-70 for 169 miles and I-474 for 14 miles. Of those, I-80 alone is about 82 percent of the total.

Columbus is a hub, so the route starts on the interstates that radiate from it. I-70 covers 169 miles and I-74 covers 193 miles before the route joins I-80 for 1,836 miles, with I-474 as a connector. Delaware and Franklin counties supply the Census flow to Washoe, and the path crosses Indiana and Illinois before the long run on I-80. A Columbus move usually has easy truck access, with wide suburban streets and plenty of room to park.

Reading the road numbers

Divide the 2,232 miles into 500-mile days and you get four full days plus about 232 more miles. The routing tool's 38 h 30 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

Columbus is at 806 feet and Reno at about 4,930. The routing tool lists no named pass on this route. Central Ohio gets about 28 inches of snow a year, and the plains and Wyoming are the colder, windier part of the trip. Check OHGO for the start and Wyoming's map for the end.

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 2,232 miles from Columbus. 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 82 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 2,232 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, Columbus has a median home value of $252,900 and a median gross rent of $1,295 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 $66,082 in Columbus. The table above puts both ends side by side.

The NOAA normals give Columbus a January low near 22.0 degrees and a July high near 85.4, with about 42 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.

Columbus has a July high of 85.4 and a January low of 22, and its annual precipitation is about 41.6 inches, nearly six times Reno's. Median household income is $66,082 in Columbus city and $80,760 in Reno city.

How the move works with O'Brien's

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