Vegan? You Should Think About Moving To This One State In Particular

If you're vegan and looking to move to a new area that caters to your lifestyle, it's likely you've considered states with vegan hubs like Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, and Portland. Surprise: Nevada should be on your radar. While this state may be best known for gambling, show girls, and a wild good time in Las Vegas, Nevada has quietly become the top vegan state, with a growing number of plant-based restaurants, markets, and communities. 

How could a state known for Sin City and being mostly desert become a vegan haven? The research comes from the San Diego State University KCR Radio Program, which rated each state in 2021 for overall vegan-friendliness, rather than the sole number of vegan people or vegan restaurants. The research focused on these key indicators: vegan population per capita, as well as the number of vegan restaurants, vegan meetup groups, and animal welfare organizations. The results adjusted for population size to allow for accurate comparisons between states. 

Now the details: It's estimated that there are 942 vegans per 1 million people in Nevada. In the entire state, Happy Cow lists 779 restaurants that offer vegan options on the menu; 26 of these are fully vegan. It's estimated that over the past few years, vegan restaurants have seen a 5x increase in the state. Another important factor that the research unveiled was that there has been a strong and steady growth in search traffic among the local population in regard to veganism and vegan-related search terms.

In the state of Nevada, Las Vegas is the most famous city, known for food like its indulgent buffets and celebrity chef restaurants. Out of the 26 fully vegan restaurants in the state, 21 of these are located in Las Vegas. In total, there are 384 establishments that offer vegan food on the menu, including several spots on the Strip. Tacotarian, Nacho Daddy, Plant Power Fast Food, and Crossroads are restaurant musts if you are in Vegas. If you want something out of the box, try Blackout Dining in the Dark, a vegan dining experience without lights. Plus, Sin City has an amazing Whole Foods close to the city's airport, with a ton of vegan salad bar and hot bar options.  

Vegas is not everyone's cup of tea, but the more nature-forward Reno ranks number two in Nevada for vegan dining options. The city hosts 77 vegan or vegan-friendly restaurants, with a handful these being 100% vegan. House of Mexica, Thali, and The Fix are local favorites — plus, you can take a vegan food tour in the city with Reno Food Tours. 

If you want to meet veggie lovers face-to-face, check out VegFest, the largest vegan festival in the state. This free entry event takes place in Las Vegas at the end of September. For something outside of Sin City, Henderson hosts a smaller vegan and sustainability festival called Green Adventure at the beginning of October.