Nevada

6 Senior-Friendly Towns in Nevada

Published

2 years ago

May 24, 2024

While Nevada might mainly be known for Las Vegas, the state is home to miles upon miles of natural beauty, as well as adorable small towns and parks. Whether you’re looking for somewhere designed for the indoorsy type, with boutiques, libraries, and galleries, or something more outdoorsy with options for fishing, golfing, and hiking, you’ll find the perfect place to settle down. Each town is equipped with health services, senior centers, and more, sure to make transitioning into your new home a breeze.

Ely

Prohibition-era hotel and casino, in Ely, Nevada. Editorial credit: Sandra Foyt / Shutterstock.com

A small mountain town known for its wild west history and mining, Ely brings together plenty of opportunities for both recreational activities and taking care of everyday essentials. The town has a dedicated hospital, medical clinic, and pharmacy, making keeping up with your health easy and accessible. Dollar stores, supermarkets, and hardware stores take care of shopping. You can also take advantage of the animal shelter if you’re looking for some companionship, or somewhere to spend your days volunteering. For meals, look forward to cuisines like homestyle American, Chinese, Mexican, and an old fashioned diner. There are also plenty of cafes and dessert spots, such as a snowcone shop and a floral-themed coffee house. Stay active indoors with a bowling alley, four casinos, and the Ely Art Bank. There is also a seniors center offering daily lunch, pool tables, and bingo. For those who love to be outdoors, stay close to home with a mural walk, showcasing 20 beautiful murals painted on the sides of the town buildings. Or visit the Ely Renaissance Village, an outdoor museum featuring dozens of old buildings, displays, and interactive exhibits. There are also plenty of events to look forward to, including Fire and Ice Fest, with sculptures and ice fishing, the Ely Filk Art and Music Festival, and the Schellraiser Music Festival in nearby McGill. For those looking to escape into the wilderness, spend the day at the different parks around Ely. Great Basin National Park is home to the world’s oldest trees, the bristlecones. It also has caves to explore, and great chances for star gazing at night. The Garnet Hill dormant volcano zone offers the opportunity to search for gems, and Cave Lake State Park and Ward Mountain are great for those who enjoy mountain biking. Comin’s Lake is a fishing haven, with species such as pike, trout, and bass. There is also the White Pine Golf Course for those who love to play the game. Homes in Ely average around an affordable $279,000.

Elko

The town of Elko combines big-name amenities with small-town charm and is located on Interstate 80. Shop for the big stuff at Walmart or Home Depot, and support local at the supermarket and Latin American grocers. There is also an urgent care center, medical offices, dental clinics, and a hospital. The senior center serves daily lunch and offers chances for socializing with horseshoe pits and a patio. Fill your stomach with delicious restaurants offering Mediterranean and Japanese dishes as well as steakhouses. Keep your nights busy with the Old West saloon, perfect for feeling like you’re back in the Old West. There is also a casino, a sports lounge for catching big games, whiskey rooms for sampling, and the 7018 Brewery for trying the newest craft beer. Stay active with the town pool, as well as the 51 mural art walk. In July, enjoy the Silver State Stampede, featuring live music, tasty eats, and rodeo events. Surrounding Elko are several ghost towns, historic sites, and rock-collecting areas, great for immersing yourself in the state’s history. The Humbolt River provides plenty of walking trails, and Angel Lake is great for fishing. Lamoille Canyon features majestic waterfalls and beautiful wildflowers. The Ruby Mountains offer endless backpacking trails and afternoon hiking opportunities. The Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge lets you take part in birdwatching and wildlife viewing. Homes here average around $415,000.

Winnemucca

Off Interstate 80 is the adorable town of Winnemucca. Surrounded by mountains and recreational areas, there’s no shortage of adventures to be had. Experience the Winnemucca Sand Dunes, Nevada’s largest dune field. Water Canyon Recreation Area is perfect for hiking and sightseeing, and the Humbolt River is a fisher’s dream, offering walleye, bass, and catfish. Park your chair next to the shore or find a dock and spend the afternoon casting a line in the sun. Love to golf? Play a game or purchase a membership at the Winnemucca Golf Course. For those who enjoy a lovely summer picnic, take advantage of the various parks, which have different offerings like picnic shelters and groomed walking trails. On warm days, take a dip at the community swimming pool, or make some friends and play a game of tennis at the public courts. Ride a motorcycle or have always wanted to? Make your way down to the Motorcycle and Music Festival. More of a fan of Old West culture, farming, or daredevil sports? Come on down to Rodeo Weekend. Winnemucca isn’t all fun and adventure, as it also offers everyday necessities such as a Walmart, discount grocery stores, a hospital, a dermatology center, and mental health services. There is also the Pleasant Seniors Center, with weekday meals, transit options, classes such as sewing, legal services, and health services. You can expect to spend around $398,000 on a home here.

Tonopah

By now you’ve probably noticed that Nevada is home to some world-class Western history, and Tonopah is no different. But unlike its smaller counterparts, Tonopah seems to offer endless opportunities for exploration, shopping, and experiencing new things. But first, let’s tackle what this quirky town has for amenities. The medical clinic, urgent care center, and chiropractor office keep your health a priority with timely and caring services. Restaurants like pizza joints, Mexican kitchens, and fried chicken stops keep you satisfied, and the Tonopah Brewing Company is great for meeting with friends and treating yourself to some late-night beverages. Take part in fun town activities like square dancing, bingo, talent shows, craft sales, and blacksmithing. The outdoor pool is great for a hot summer day, and you can take group or self-guided walking tours of the town’s history when you have some spare time. Shop at stores like bike shops, supermarkets, convenience marts, gift shops, and hardware stores to pick up supplies for your latest project. The senior center offers lunch, transportation, and an on-site thrift store great for finding your new favorite outfit. Now let’s get into what makes Tonopah unique. Visit the Historic Mining Park, or the Belmont Ghost Town for a blast to the past. Learn about the town’s history, especially when it comes to turquoise and silver mining, and try some hands-on activities. The Central Nevada Museum lets you take your time learning about the state’s Western past. The iconic Mizpah Hotel is also another hotspot and is even rumored to be haunted. The downtown core of Tonopah features Western stores, saloons, and possibly ghost-infested bars. Surrounding the town are even more chances for activity. Visit the Cresent Sand Dunes, or take in Monte Cristo’s Castle Rock Formation. The Alta Toquima Wilderness Area has hiking trails that lead to Mt. Jefferson and Pine Creek, and the Table Mountain and Arc Dome wildness areas are perfect for wildlife sightseeing. Take part in a fishing derby at Sportsman Park, or catch some heart-pumping racing at the Tonopah Speedway. Homes in Tonopah average around $450,000.

Laughlin

Located right next to the borders of California and Arizona, Laughlin is like a miniature version of Las Vegas and is great for those who love to keep the night going and feel like they’re on an endless vacation during retirement. It is also right next to the community of Bullhead City in Arizona, which provides tons of big-name amenities such as Walmart and Safeway. Home to a hospital and an international airport, your medical and flying needs are covered as well. And it is only an hour and a half drive to Vegas if you want to experience Paradise as well. When it comes to outdoor activities, take part in some swimming and fishing on the Colorado River. Lake Mohave is perfect for boating, and Big Bend of the Colorado River offers spectacular kayaking. Golf at courses such as the El Rio Golf Club, Huukan Golf Club, and Los Lagos Golf Club. Stroll along the River Walk, which winds its way along the Colorado River in town. There are also plenty of boat cruises available, offering river tours and transportation to different casinos. Speaking of casinos, Laughlin is home to eight of them, and they all feature different events and activities, including live music, comedy shows, and unique places to try a drink. Try the many different sports bars, piano bars, martini lounges, and dance clubs throughout town, or keep it lowkey at the cinema. Pamper yourself at the spa or salon. Shop till you drop at the outlet mall, or pick up some quirky knickknacks at a gift store. For breakfast, visit a cafe, with some of them being open 24/7. For lunch, grab some delicious seafood at Bubba Gump Shrimp, or at an American homestyle restaurant. For dinner, enjoy a top-tier steakhouse, dinner cruise, or tap house. A home in Laughlin averages around a surprising $279,900.

Fallon

An hour from Reno, the town of Fallon has a hospital for all your medical needs, and a Safeway for that important grocery run. The library is great for finding your new favorite book or taking part in a workshop. Catch the latest flick at the cinema. Swim at either the indoor or outdoor pool depending on the weather, and play some disc golf and softball at a local park. There is also a gym and plenty of walking trails. Dine out at restaurants offering Chinese, American homestyle, and farm fresh eats, and afterward, grab a drink at the Frey Ranch Estate Distillery. The town also offers transit services for seniors, as well as bus service to Reno and Las Vegas for a weekend getaway. The Oats Park Arts Center is perfect for embracing your creative side and showcasing live performances. Love cars? Enjoy some racing at the Rattlesnake Raceway or Top Gun Raceway. The Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge is great for birdwatching, as well as off-roading activities. The Lahontan State Recreation Area provides opportunities for fishing, boating, and exploring ruins. Grimes Point is a nearby archeological area where you can witness carved writings and petroglyphs. Fallon is also home to a good amount of yearly events, such as the Spring Wings Bird Festival in May, a Food and Drink Festival, and the Fallon Cantaloupe Festival in August. The Cantaloupe Festival is also Nevada’s longest-running. Expect to spend around $414,800 for a home here.

Whether you’re into a more resort-centric atmosphere with plenty of live shows, casinos, and lounges, or a more low-key life filled with outdoor exploration and quiet days at a cafe, Nevada has it all. And with its close proximity to Arizona and California, the opportunities for adventure are limitless. With its mild climate compared to other states in the winter, as well as various landscapes like farmland, mountain ranges, and sand dunes, Nevada is a great candidate for the perfect retirement spot.

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Nevada

Nevada debuts public option amid federal health care shifts

Published

1 hour ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Nevada debuts public option amid federal health care shifts

More than 10,000 people have enrolled in Nevada’s new public option health plans, which debuted last fall with the expectation that they would bring lower prices to the health insurance market.

Those preliminary numbers from the open enrollment period that ended in January are less than a third of what state officials had projected. Nevada is the third state so far to launch a public option plan, along with Colorado and Washington state. The idea is to offer lower-cost plans to consumers to expand health care access.

But researchers said plans like these are unlikely to fill the gaps left by sweeping federal changes, including the expiration of enhanced subsidies for plans bought on Affordable Care Act marketplaces.

The public option gained attention in the late 2000s when Congress considered but ultimately rejected creating a health plan funded and run by the government that would compete with private carriers in the market. The programs in Washington state, Colorado, and Nevada don’t go that far — they aren’t government-run but are private-public partnerships that compete with private insurance.

In recent years, states have considered creating public option plans to make health coverage more affordable and to reduce the number of uninsured people. Washington was the first state to launch a program, in 2021, and Colorado followed in 2023.

Washington and Colorado’s programs have run into challenges, including a lack of participation from clinicians, hospitals, and other care providers, as well as insurers’ inability to meet rate reduction benchmarks or lower premiums compared with other plans offered on the market.

Nevada law requires that the carriers of the public option plans — Battle Born State Plans, named after a state motto — lower premium costs compared with a benchmark “silver” plan in the marketplace by 15% over the next four years.

But that amount might not make much difference to consumers with rising premium payments from the loss of the ACA’s enhanced tax credits, said Keith Mueller, director of the Rural Policy Research Institute.

“That’s not a lot of money,” Mueller said.

Three of the eight insurers on the state’s exchange, Nevada Health Link, offered the state plans during the open enrollment period.

Insurance companies plan to meet the lower premium cost requirement in Nevada by cutting broker fees and commissions, which prompted opposition from insurance brokers in the state. In response, Nevada marketplace officials told state lawmakers in January that they will give a flat-fee reimbursement to brokers.

The public option has faced opposition among state leaders. In 2024, a state judge dismissed a lawsuit, brought by a Nevada state senator and a group that advocates for lower taxes, that challenged the public option law as unconstitutional. They have appealed to the state Supreme Court.

Federal Policy Impacts

Recent federal changes create more obstacles.

Nevada is consistently among the states with the largest populations of people who do not have health insurance coverage. Last year, nearly 95,000 people in the state received the enhanced ACA tax credits, averaging $465 in savings per month, according to KFF, a health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News.

But the enhanced tax credits expired at the end of the year, and it appears unlikely that lawmakers will bring them back. Nationwide ACA enrollment has decreased by more than 1 million people so far this year, down from record-high enrollment of 24 million last year.

About 4 million people are expected to lose health coverage from the expiration of the tax credits, according to the Congressional Budget Office. An additional 3 million are projected to lose coverage because of other policy changes affecting the marketplace.

Justin Giovannelli, an associate research professor at the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University, said the changes to the ACA in the Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law last summer, will make it more difficult for people to keep their coverage. These changes include more frequent enrollment paperwork to verify income and other personal information, a shortened enrollment window, and an end to automatic reenrollment.

In Nevada, the changes would amount to an estimated 100,000 people losing coverage, according to KFF.

“All of that makes getting coverage on Nevada Health Link harder and more expensive than it would be otherwise,” Giovannelli said.

State officials projected ahead of open enrollment that about 35,000 people would purchase the public option plans. Of the 104,000 people who had purchased a plan on the state marketplace as of mid-January, 10,762 had enrolled in one of the public option plans, according to Nevada Health Link.

Katie Charleson, communications officer for the state health exchange, said the original enrollment estimate was based on market conditions before the recent increases in customers’ premium costs. She said that the public option plans gave people facing higher costs more choices.

“We expect enrollment in Battle Born State Plans to grow over time as awareness increases and as Nevadans continue seeking quality coverage options that help reduce costs,” Charleson said.

According to KFF, nationally the enhanced subsidies saved enrollees an average of $705 annually in 2024, and enrollees would save an estimated $1,016 in premium payments on average in 2026 if the subsidies were still in place. Without the subsidies, people enrolled in the ACA marketplace could be seeing their premium costs more than double.

Insights From Washington and Colorado

Washington and Colorado are not planning to alter their programs due to the expiration of the tax credits, according to government officials in those states.

Other states that had recently considered creating public options have backtracked. Minnesota officials put off approving a public option in 2024, citing funding concerns. Proposals to create public options in Maine and New Mexico also sputtered.

Washington initially saw meager enrollment in its Cascade Select public option plans; only 1% of state marketplace enrollees chose a public option plan in 2021. But that changed after lawmakers required hospitals to contract with at least one public option plan by 2023. Last year the state reported that 94,000 customers enrolled, accounting for 30% of all customers on the state marketplace. The public option plans were the lowest-premium silver plans in 31 of Washington’s 39 counties in 2024.

A 2025 study found that since Colorado implemented its public option, called the Colorado Option, coverage through the ACA marketplace has become more affordable for enrollees who received subsidies but more expensive for enrollees who did not.

Colorado requires all insurers offering coverage through its marketplace to include a public option that follows state guidelines. The state set premium reduction targets of 5% a year for three years beginning in 2023. Starting this year, premium costs are not allowed to outpace medical inflation.

Though the insurers offering the public option did not meet the premium reduction targets, enrollment in the Colorado Option has increased every year it has been available. Last year, the state saw record enrollment in its marketplace, with 47% of customers purchasing a public option plan.

Giovannelli said states are continuing to try to make health insurance more affordable and accessible, even if federal changes reduce the impact of those efforts.

“States are reacting and trying to continue to do right by their residents,” Giovannelli said, “but you can’t plug all those gaps.”

Are you struggling to afford your health insurance? Have you decided to forgo coverage? Click here to contact KFF Health News and share your story.

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF.

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Nevada

NEVADA VIEWS: Planning for a resilient economic future

Published

13 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

NEVADA VIEWS: Planning for a resilient economic future

Southern Nevada has a proud history of competing — and winning — through boldness and reinvention. We have developed a world-class tourism economy, built globally recognized brands and demonstrated our ability to rebound from significant disruptions. In today’s fiercely competitive global economy, however, we must intentionally design the next chapter of our economic story. Communities worldwide are continuously enhancing their sophistication, and we must keep pace.

Since joining the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance in late August of last year, I have consistently heard from community partners that we must diversify and enhance Southern Nevada’s economy. Our goal is to build upon and complement the strengths we already possess.

To achieve this, the alliance, as Southern Nevada’s regional economic development organization and designated Regional Development Agency, is embarking on a comprehensive strategic planning process. This initiative will guide our economic development priorities both in the near and long term, ensuring that we focus on areas that will yield the most positive impact.

The alliance has a history of reinvention, having been established in 1958 as the Southern Nevada Industrial Foundation, later becoming the Nevada Development Authority, and since 2011, operating under its current name in partnership with the Governor’s Office of Economic Development.

Economic development extends beyond merely attracting companies. It encompasses the ability of local families to access high-wage careers, the opportunity for young people to build their futures at home and the resilience of our economy to withstand disruptions.

Over the past decade, Southern Nevada has made significant strides toward economic diversification, with investment outcomes in 2025 surpassing those of 2024. However, our work is far from complete. While tourism will always be a foundational strength and source of pride for our region, over-reliance on any single sector poses risks. A diversified economy enhances stability, and stability creates opportunities. We are united in our desire for more accessible housing, expanded health care and education, and greater upward mobility for our residents.

This strategic planning effort aims to ensure that the alliance and its partners concentrate on the right initiatives in the right manner. It will validate the region’s target industries and subsectors, narrowing our focus on areas where Southern Nevada has genuine competitive advantages and long-term potential. The planning process will include community interviews, focus groups and surveys to ensure our final strategy reflects the real opportunities and challenges facing Southern Nevada. We will establish flagship goals and a prioritized strategy matrix to direct our attention and resources toward meaningful outcomes.

A crucial aspect of this process involves clarifying roles within the broader economic ecosystem. Economic development is a team sport — when organizations replicate efforts, operate in silos or compete for recognition, the region loses valuable time and credibility, allowing opportunities to slip away. I have witnessed this behavior in various markets, serving as a red flag for prospective companies.

We have already made strides in building partnerships, exemplified by a Memorandum of Understanding signed in November 2025 with the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada to jointly support economic development education and advocacy for community leaders statewide.

Our strategic work will also include a organizational assessment of the alliance, evaluating our mission, resource deployment and engagement model. Economic impact requires operational excellence and measurable execution. Most importantly, this plan — which we anticipate completing by late April — will feature a three-year road map with clear timelines, recommended actions and meaningful metrics to transparently track our progress. A longtime mentor of mine often said, “What gets watched gets measured, and what gets measured gets done.”

Las Vegas has always taken the initiative to shape its own future. This strategic plan presents an opportunity for us to do what we do best: come together, think bigger, act smarter and create something lasting. Together, we can build a purposeful and resilient economic future for Southern Nevada.

Danielle Casey is president and CEO of the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance.

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Nevada

Nevada State Police averts ‘udder chaos’ in Eureka County

Published

1 day ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Nevada State Police averts ‘udder chaos’ in Eureka County

EUREKA COUNTY, Nev. (KOLO) – On Friday, Feb. 27, the Nevada State Police assisted with a cattle crossing on State Route 306 at Interstate 80 in Eureka County.

“While not an everyday part of our job, we like to do our part to assist our local ranchers while keeping traffic from turning into udder chaos,” according to an agency Facebook post. “It was a perfect opportunity to be outside (even if our animal friends were a little moo-dy).”

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