Apple’s plans to build a new data center in Reno, Nev., have been green-lighted by the state, the last endorsement the company needed before moving ahead with the project.

…U.S. properties are relative bargains compared to prices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taipei or even mainland Chinese cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. For the price of a 500-square-foot one-bedroom apartment in Hong Kong, around $2 to $3 million US, one can buy a 5,000 square foot house on a half-acre lot in most parts of the U.S.

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In addition to its steady winds, Reno sits on one of the most important geothermal reserves in the country. Senator Harry Reid has said that Nevada could be “the Saudi Arabia of geothermal energy”—if that happens, Reno stands to become a major energy hub. Three geothermal companies already have their headquarters in Reno, and another six have offices there. Given the potential of this sector, city government offers a number of incentives, such as a fast-track permitting process and discounted land purchases, to energy entrepreneurs.

Perhaps one of the most attractive features for energy startups is Nevada’s tax code, which includes neither a corporate nor a personal income tax. However, low taxes mean fewer cash incentives to tantalize industry, says Tom Matter, business development of the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada. Reno’s strategy is to lure businesses with a dynamic research and development sector.

“We’re saying that if you locate here you will have access to experts at the university and at other companies,” says Matter. “We don’t have a million dollars to hand out, but we have a community that will support you. Not to mention that we’re just 30 miles from one of the biggest economies in the world, which is the state of California.”

Reno is home to various earth science and energy research centers, including the Desert Research Institute and the Great Basin Center for Geothermal Energy at the University of Nevada-Reno.  In May 2010, the University of Nevada announced the launch of the National Geothermal Institute, a consortium of top research institutions that will be located on the Reno campus.

Matter and other city officials hope that the new Institute will help situate Reno as a center of innovation and entrepreneurship.

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/press-releases/article/Developers-Learn-EB-5-Financing-for-Real-Estate-3567895.php#ixzz1vGIdkJOb

Americans brace for next foreclosure wave

By Nick Carey

GARFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio (Reuters) – Half a decade into the deepest U.S. housing crisis since the 1930s, many Americans are hoping the crisis is finally nearing its end. House sales are picking up across most of the country, the plunge in prices is slowing and attempts by lenders to claim back properties from struggling borrowers dropped by more than a third in 2011, hitting a four-year low.

But a painful part two of the slump looks set to unfold: Many more U.S. homeowners face the prospect of losing their homes this year as banks pick up the pace of foreclosures.

“We are right back where we were two years ago. I would put money on 2012 being a bigger year for foreclosures than 2010,” said Mark Seifert, executive director of Empowering & Strengthening Ohio’s People (ESOP), a counseling group with 10 offices in Ohio.

Getting through the remaining foreclosures and dealing with the resulting flood of homes on the market in the wake of the bank settlement is a necessary part of the healing process for the U.S. housing market, he added.

According to leading broker dealer Amherst Securities, some 9.5 million homes are still at risk of default and in February it said it expected to see the uptick in foreclosures start to hit in March and April.

There is other evidence that many of the foreclosures that did not happen in 2011 will happen this year.

NATIONAL RANKINGS

Greater Reno-Tahoe ranks high in many categories that contribute to overall quality of life.

1.25.12

Nevada ranks No. 3 Most Business-Friendly Tax Climate in the 2012 Business Tax Climate Index by Tax Foundation.

12.19.11

Nevada ranks No. 2 in the annual Small Business Survival Index by the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council

11.22.11

Nevada ranks No. 7 for business costs and No. 6 for growth prospects according to Forbes’ “Best Place for Business”

10.24.11

Reno is in the Top 10 Luckiest Cities in America according to Men’s Health Magazine

09.23.11

Reno named among “America’s 50 Best Cities: Best Places to Live” by BusinessWeek Magazine.

09.01.11

Reno, Nevada Drivers No.8 “Best Drivers” in the nation according to the seventh annual “Allstate America’s Best Drivers Report”

08.23.11

Nevada ranks high in U.S. Chamber of Commerce report  “Enterprising States: Recovery and Renewal for the 21st Century”

08.15.11

Reno ranks No. 6 “Most Active City” in America by Men’s Health Magazine

06.08.11

Nevada ranks No. 6 in U.S. for Personal and Economic Freedom, Mercatus Center, George Mason University

05.20.11

Nevada leads 15 states in the number of geothermal energy projects in development, Geothermal Energy Association

05.03.11                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Nevada Ranks No. 10 Best State for Business, Chief Executive Magazine 

03.21.11

Nevada ties with Georgia for Highest Entrepreneurial Activity in 2010 according to leading indicator the “Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity”

03.07.11

Nevada ranks No. 1 in the U.S. for LEED-certified buildings, U.S. Green Building Council

12.01.10

Reno Ranked No. 16 Best Place for Kids to Be on Christmas, Martin Prosperity Institute at Toronto University

12.01.10

Truckee, 30 miles west of Reno, named “Most well-rounded ski town,” Sunset Magazine

11.18.10

Reno ranks No. 7 on Newsweek’s “Surprisingly Green” List

10.29.10

Nevada ranks No. 4 best tax climate in the U.S. for 2011 by the Tax Foundation

10.20.10

Nevada ranks in the Top 15 States to Which American’s Would Most Like to Move for the first time since 2003 in a new Harris Poll.

10.02.10

Reno named among the Least Expensive Cities to Do Business by the 2010 Kosmont-Rose Institute’s Cost of Doing Business Survey

08.07.10

Reno named among the “2010 Best Towns” by Outside Magazine

08.06.10

Reno is named a 2010 Smarter City for Energy by the Natural Resources Defense Council

08.03.10

Sparks ranks in the Top 10 Small Cities for High-Tech Manufacturing

05.13.10

Greenopia.com Ranks Nevada No. 6 Greenest State

05.12.2010

Chief Executive Ranks Nevada No. 5 Best State to Do Business

04.02.2010

Men’s Journal Magazine Ranks Reno Among the Top 25 Cities for “Best Places to Live 2010″

NEVADANS ARE SO FORTUNATE TO HAVE SUCH A PRESTIGIOUS UNIVERSITY LOCATED RIGHT DOWN THE ROAD! UNR IS ON IT’S WAY TO GETTING THE RECOGNITION IT TRULY DESERVES. 

 WOLFIE WAS VOTED #1 MASCOT IN THE NATION AND NOW THE GRADUATE SCHOOLS ARE  FOLLOWING IN HIS PAW PRINTS!

SEE THE NEWSWEEK ARTICLE ATTACHED:

http://www.unr.edu/nevada-today/news/2012/us-news-and-world-report

RENO, Nev. (KRNV & MyNew4.com)- Reno makes a top 10 list! On Monday, Mar. 5 USA Today Travel released its list of the 10 Best Domestic, Foreign airports for flier freebies. Among the top was the Reno-Tahoe airport for it its free local phone calls and free Wi-Fi.

http://www.unr.edu/nevada-today/news/2011/mba-program-makes-princeton-reviews-best-list-fourth-time