Moving from Orlando to Reno

The Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford metro area holds about 2.7 million people (Census ACS), so this is a large pool of potential movers. The Census counts about 22 people a year moving to Washoe County from Lake County, Florida, Orange County, Florida and Seminole County, Florida (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 2,846 road miles away.

The drive: 2,846 miles from Sparks to Orlando

Measured from our Sparks warehouse to Orlando, the drive is about 2,846 miles. Free-flow driving time is 49 h 48 min, which works out to six days at 500 miles a day. A straight line across the map would be 2,317 miles, so the highways add about 529 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 1,388 miles, I-75 for 477 miles, I-24 for 316 miles and I-70 for 243 miles. Of those, I-80 alone is about 49 percent of the total.

Orlando shares much of its path with Tampa and Miami, with I-75 for 477 miles, I-24 for 316, I-70 for 243 and I-80 for 1,388. Lake, Orange and Seminole counties form the origin area, and a Central Florida move often means a gated community or a rental that sets its own truck rules. Describe the street and the gate to the estimator so the plan fits.

Reading the road numbers

Divide the 2,846 miles into 500-mile days and you get five full days plus about 346 more miles. The routing tool's 49 h 48 min implies about 57 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. The connector roads that make up the remaining 422 miles are the short, busy pieces at the start and end.

Terrain and weather on the way

Orlando is at 80 feet and Reno at about 4,930. The routing tool shows no named pass. Central Florida has no snow, and Reno averages about 21 inches. The Southeast's spring storms and summer thunderstorms can interrupt loading, and the hurricane season from June to November is the main seasonal consideration.

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 2,846 miles from Orlando. 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 49 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 2,846 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, Orlando has a median home value of $394,100 and a median gross rent of $1,747 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 $72,336 in Orlando. The table above puts both ends side by side.

The NOAA normals give Orlando a January low near 49.5 degrees and a July high near 92.0, with about 51 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.

Orlando's July high is 92 and Reno's is 93.9, but Reno's January low of 26.1 against Orlando's 49.5 is the larger change. Median household income is $72,336 in Orlando and $80,760 in Reno city.

How the move works with O'Brien's

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