The Washoe Valley is a geographical

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

covering in southern Washoe County in the state of

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

. Located between

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

and

Carson City Carson City is an independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the sixth largest city in Nevada. The majority of the city's population lives in Eagle Valley, on the ...

, it is named for the

Washoe people The Washoe or Wašišiw ("people from here", or transliterated in older literature as ''Wa She Shu'') are a Great Basin tribe of Native Americans, living near Lake Tahoe at the border between California and Nevada. The name "Washoe" or "Washo ...

, Native Americans who lived there before the arrival of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

ans. Slide Mountain and Mount Rose overlook the valley from the west. New Washoe City and

Washoe Lake Washoe Lake ( Washo: c'óʔyaʔ dáʔaw) is a lake located near Carson City in the Washoe Valley of Washoe County, Nevada. It is a very shallow lake with a surface area that can vary greatly from year to year. Washoe Lake State Park sits on th ...

are located in the

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams ove ...

. The

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the count ...

Washoe Valley, Nevada Washoe Valley is a census-designated place (CDP) in Washoe County, Nevada, United States. It corresponds closely to the unincorporated community of New Washoe City. The population was 3,019 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Reno– Sparks ...

, corresponds closely to the area covered by New Washoe City and as of the 2010 Census had a population of 3,019. The valley's ZIP codes are 89701 and 89704, which are often associated with Carson City and other areas nearby.

History

From 1857 to 1957, Theodore Winters (1823–1906) and his daughter, Neva Winters Sauer, owned and operated a cattle farm and

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

stud Stud may refer to the following terms: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay ba ...

with a quarter-mile training track. Among the ranch's famous horses was El Rio Rey, the

American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt The American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when the '' Daily Racing F ...

of 1889. The Winters Ranch and Bowers Mansion in the valley are today listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

Winters, California Winters is a city in rural Yolo County, and the western Sacramento Valley, in northern California. The population of Winters was 6,624 as of the 2010 Census. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Yuba City, CA-NV Combined Statistical A ...

, is named in honor of Theodore Winters.

Washoe Zephyr

The Washoe Valley, along with much of the region in the lee of the Sierra Nevada mountains, is known for its occasionally strong winds. These sometimes require the closing of U.S. 395, the principal north-south highway, to high profile vehicles. One of these, known as the

Washoe Zephyr The Washoe Zephyr is a seasonal diurnal wind which occurs across western Nevada just east of the Sierra Nevada mountains. It blows primarily in the summer from mid afternoon until late in the evening from the west to southwest, becoming quite gust ...

, occurs during the summer, sometimes daily. Describing the Washoe Zephyr as it occurred while he was in Carson City, Mark Twain wrote: :: "A Washoe wind is by no means a trifling matter. It blows flimsy houses down, lifts shingle roofs occasionally, rolls up tin ones like sheet music, now and then blows a stage-coach over and spills the passengers; and tradition says the reason there are so many bald people there is, that the wind blows the hair off their heads while they are looking skyward after their hats."

Transportation

The valley is a main thoroughfare in northern Nevada, with Interstate 580/

US 395 U.S. Route 395 (US 395) is a U.S. Route in the western United States. The southern terminus of the route is in the Mojave Desert at Interstate 15 near Hesperia. The northern terminus is at the Canada–US border near Laurier, where the road ...

and US 395 Alt passing along the base of the Sierra Nevada at the western edge of the valley, connecting Reno and Carson City. The Virginia & Truckee Railroad used to pass through this transportation corridor from 1872 to 1950, with the grade highly visible through the middle of the valley, and many bridges across the creeks near Pagni Canyon were still there (as pictured above) until the Washoe Drive Fire occurred and swept through the canyon. There are also small bridges whose framework is still there farther south along the route.

References

External links

Video at YouTube featuring aerial views of non-populated areas and Washoe Lake in the Washoe Valley

November 1994 Historical/Architectural survey of U.S. highway 95 through Washoe Valley
{{Coord, 39, 16, 11, N, 119, 48, 19, W, region:US-NV_source:gnis-861908, display=title Valleys of Nevada Landforms of Washoe County, Nevada