Moving from Tampa to Reno

The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area holds about 3.2 million people (Census ACS), so this is a large pool of potential movers. The Census counts about 225 people a year moving to Washoe County from Pinellas County, Florida, Hillsborough County, Florida and Pasco County, Florida (2016 to 2020 estimates, with a margin of error), against about 260 a year going the other way. For a household in that area, Reno is 2,850 road miles away.

The drive: 2,850 miles from Sparks to Tampa

Measured from our Sparks warehouse to Tampa, the drive is about 2,850 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 2,267 miles, so the highways add about 583 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 531 miles, I-24 for 316 miles and I-70 for 243 miles. Of those, I-80 alone is about 49 percent of the total.

Tampa's 2,850 miles use four interstates: I-75 for 531 miles, I-24 for 316, I-70 for 243 and I-80 for 1,388. Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco counties all feed the same departure, and a Tampa Bay move has a local element too, since waterfront and barrier-island addresses can have bridge weight limits, narrow streets or HOA move rules that the estimator needs to hear about before the crew arrives.

Reading the road numbers

Divide the 2,850 miles into 500-mile days and you get five full days plus about 350 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 372 miles are the short, busy pieces at the start and end.

Terrain and weather on the way

Tampa is at 4 feet and Reno is at about 4,930. The routing tool lists no named pass on this route. Tampa Bay sees no snow, and Reno averages about 21 inches, so the last states are the unfamiliar ones. Hurricane season runs from June to November on the Gulf coast, and many households pick late fall or spring departures to keep the schedule simple.

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 2,850 miles from Tampa. 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 2,850 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, Tampa has a median home value of $420,400 and a median gross rent of $1,701 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 $75,475 in Tampa. The table above puts both ends side by side.

The NOAA normals give Tampa a January low near 52.8 degrees and a July high near 91.0, with about 49 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.

Tampa has a July high of 91 with a low of 76.6; Reno's July high is 93.9 with a low of 60.4, which is the difference between muggy nights and cool ones. Median household income is $75,475 in Tampa and $80,760 in Reno city.

How the move works with O'Brien's

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