Carson City is an

independent city An independent city or independent town is a city or town that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity (such as a province). Historical precursors In the Holy Roman Empire, and to a degree in its successor states ...

and the capital of the U.S. state of

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, 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. N ...

. 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 eastern edge of the

Carson Range The Carson Range is a spur of the Sierra Nevada in eastern California and western Nevada that starts at Carson Pass and stretches north to the Truckee River near Verdi, Nevada. Geography The mountain range is about 50 miles (80 km) long and ...

, a branch of the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...

, about south of

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 c ...

. The city is named after the

mountain man A mountain man is an explorer who lives in the wilderness. Mountain men were most common in the North American Rocky Mountains from about 1810 through to the 1880s (with a peak population in the early 1840s). They were instrumental in opening up ...

Kit Carson Christopher Houston Carson (December 24, 1809 – May 23, 1868) was an American frontiersman. He was a fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian agent, and U.S. Army officer. He became a frontier legend in his own lifetime by biographies and n ...

. The town began as a stopover for

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

-bound immigrants, but developed into a city with the

Comstock Lode The Comstock Lode is a lode of silver ore located under the eastern slope of Mount Davidson, a peak in the Virginia Range in Virginia City, Nevada (then western Utah Territory), which was the first major discovery of silver ore in the United ...

, a silver strike in the mountains to the northeast. The city has served as Nevada's capital since statehood in 1864; for much of its history it was a hub for the

Virginia and Truckee Railroad The Virginia and Truckee Railroad is a privately owned heritage railroad, headquartered in Virginia City, Nevada. Its private and publicly owned route is long. When first constructed in the 19th century, it was a commercial freight railroad ...

, although the tracks were removed in 1950. Before 1969, Carson City was the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Ormsby County. That year the state legislature abolished the county and included its territory into a revised city charter for a Consolidated Municipality of Carson City. With the consolidation, the city limits extend west across the Sierra Nevada to the California state line in the middle of

Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe (; was, Dáʔaw, meaning "the lake") is a Fresh water, freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada of the United States. Lying at , it straddles the state line between California and Nevada, west of Carson City, Nevad ...

. Like other independent cities in the United States, it is treated as a

county-equivalent In the United States, a county is an administrative or political subdivision of a state that consists of a geographic region with specific boundaries and usually some level of governmental authority. The term "county" is used in 48 states, wh ...

for census purposes.

History

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" ...

have inhabited the valley and surrounding areas for about 6,000 years. The first European Americans to arrive in what is now known as Eagle Valley were

John C. Frémont John Charles Frémont or Fremont (January 21, 1813July 13, 1890) was an American explorer, military officer, and politician. He was a U.S. Senator from California and was the first Republican nominee for president of the United States in 1856 ...

and his exploration party in January 1843. Fremont named the river flowing through the valley

Carson River The Carson River is a northwestern List of Nevada rivers, Nevada river that empties into the Carson Sink, an endorheic basin. The main stem of the river is long although the addition of the East Fork makes the total length , traversing five co ...

in honor of

, the

and scout he had hired for his expedition. Later, settlers named the area Washoe, in reference to the indigenous people. By 1851, the Eagle Station ranch along the Carson River was a trading post and stopover for travelers on the

California Trail The California Trail was an emigrant trail of about across the western half of the North American continent from Missouri River towns to what is now the state of California. After it was established, the first half of the California Trail f ...

's Carson Branch, which ran through Eagle Valley. The valley and trading post received their name from a

bald eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...

that was hunted and killed by one of the early settlers and was featured on a wall inside the post. As the area was part of the

Utah Territory The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th state. ...

, it was governed from Salt Lake City, where the territorial government was headquartered. Early settlers bristled at the control by Mormon-influenced officials and desired the creation of the Nevada territory. A vigilante group of influential settlers, headed by Abraham Curry, sought a site for a capital city for the envisioned territory. In 1858,

Abraham Curry Abraham (or Abram or Abe) Van Santvoord Curry (February 19, 1815 October 19, 1873) is considered the founding father of Carson City, Nevada. A native of the state of New York, he traveled to the West Coast during the California Gold Rush and ...

bought Eagle Station and the settlement was thereafter renamed Carson City. Curry and several other partners had Eagle Valley surveyed for development. Curry decided Carson City would someday serve as the capital city and left a plot in the center of town for a capitol building. After gold and silver were discovered in 1859 on nearby

, Carson City's population began to grow. Curry built the Warm Springs Hotel a mile to the east of the city center. When territorial governor

James W. Nye James Warren Nye (June 10, 1815 – December 25, 1876) was an American attorney and politician. He was most notable for his service as Governor of Nevada Territory and a United States senator from Nevada. Biography He was born in DeRuyter, N ...

traveled to Nevada, he chose Carson City as the territorial capital, influenced by Carson City lawyer William Stewart, who escorted him from San Francisco to Nevada. As such, Carson City bested

Virginia City Virginia City is a census-designated place (CDP) that is the county seat of Storey County, Nevada, and the largest community in the county. The city is a part of the Reno– Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area. Virginia City developed as a boom ...

and American Flat. Curry loaned the Warm Springs Hotel to the territorial Legislature as a meeting hall. The Legislature named Carson City to be the seat of Ormsby County and selected the hotel as the territorial prison, with Curry serving as its first warden. Today, the property is still part of the state prison. When Nevada became a state in 1864 during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, Carson City was confirmed as Nevada's permanent capital. Carson City's development was no longer dependent on the mining industry and instead became a thriving commercial center. The

was built between Virginia City and Carson City. A

log flume A log flume is a watertight flume constructed to transport lumber and logs down mountainous terrain using flowing water. Flumes replaced horse- or oxen-drawn carriages on dangerous mountain trails in the late 19th century. Logging operations pre ...

was also built from the Sierra Nevada into Carson City. The current capitol building was constructed from 1870 to 1871. The

United States Mint The United States Mint is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury responsible for producing coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce, as well as controlling the movement of bullion. It does not produce paper money; tha ...

operated the

Carson City Mint The Carson City Mint was a branch of the United States Mint in Carson City, Nevada. It primarily minted silver coins; however, it also minted gold coins, with a total face value in dollars nearly equal to that of its silver coins. The mint minted c ...

between the years 1870 and 1893, which struck gold and silver coins. People came from China during that time, many to work on the railroad. Some of them owned businesses and taught school. By 1880, almost a thousand Chinese people, "one for every five Caucasians", lived in Carson City. Carson City's population and transportation traffic decreased when the

Central Pacific Railroad The Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR) was a rail company chartered by Pacific Railroad Acts, U.S. Congress in 1862 to build a railroad eastwards from Sacramento, California, to complete the western part of the "First transcontinental railroad" in N ...

built a line through

Donner Pass Donner Pass is a mountain pass in the northern Sierra Nevada, above Donner Lake and Donner Memorial State Park about west of Truckee, California. Like the Sierra Nevada themselves, the pass has a steep approach from the east and a gradual appro ...

, too far to the north to benefit Carson City. The city was slightly revitalized with the mining booms in Tonopah and Goldfield. The US federal building (now renamed the

Paul Laxalt Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...

Building) was completed in 1890 as was the

Stewart Indian School The Stewart Indian School (1890–1980) was an Indian school southeast of Carson City, Nevada that is noted for the masonry work of colored native stone used by student apprentices to build the vernacular-style buildings. The school, part of the ...

. Even these developments could not prevent the city's population from dropping to just over 1,500 people by 1930. Carson City resigned itself to small city status, advertising itself as "America's smallest capital". The city slowly grew after World War II; by 1960, it had reached its 1880 boom-time population.

20th-century revitalization and growth

As early as the late 1940s, discussions began about merging Ormsby County and Carson City. By this time, the county was little more than Carson City and a few hamlets to the west. However, the effort did not pay off until 1966, when a statewide referendum approved the merger. The required constitutional amendment was passed in 1968. On April 1, 1969, Ormsby County and Carson City officially merged as the Consolidated Municipality of Carson City. With this consolidation, Carson City absorbed former town sites such as Empire City, which had grown up in the 1860s as a milling center along the Carson River and current

U.S. Route 50 U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlanti ...

. Carson City could now advertise itself as one of America's largest state capitals with its of city limits. In 1991, the city adopted a downtown master plan, specifying no building within of the capitol would surpass it in height. This plan effectively prohibited future high-rise development in the center of downtown. The

Ormsby House Ormsby House is a closed hotel and casino in Carson City, Nevada. Originally opened in 1972, it closed on October 30, 2000, for extensive renovations. The re-opening was originally planned for July 4, 2001, but was pushed back many times due to ...

is the tallest building in downtown Carson City, at a height of . The structure was completed in 1972.

Geography

Most of the city proper resides in the Eagle Valley. The

flows from Douglas County through the southwestern edge of both the valley and Carson City. Since the consolidation, the city limits today include several small populated areas outside of this valley. Today the city limits include several peaks in the

, small portions of both the

Virginia Range The Virginia Range is a mountain range of western Nevada, primarily within Storey County, and extending east into Lyon County. The range is named after James Finney, "Old Virginny", an early discoverer of gold associated with the Comstock Lode ...

and the

Pine Nut Mountains The Pine Nut Mountains are a north–south mountain range in the Great Basin, in Douglas and Lyon counties of northwestern Nevada, United States. The highest mountain in the range is Mount Siegel at 9,456 ft (2,882 m). Geography The rang ...

and portions of

Marlette Lake The Marlette Lake Water System was created to provide water for the silver mining boom in Virginia City, Nevada. These structures are now listed as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers, and are ...

and

. The highest elevation in city limits is

Snow Valley Peak Snow Valley Peak is a mountain located in the Carson Range of the Sierra Nevada. The mountain lies within the city limits of Carson City, NV. At 9,214 feet in elevation it is also the city's highest point. From the peak Mound House, Carson Cit ...

at an elevation of . Carson City is one of two state capitals that border another state, the other being

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.cold semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...

(Koppen: BSk) with cold winters and hot summers. The city is in a high desert river valley approximately above sea level. There are four fairly distinct seasons. Winters see typically light to moderate snowfall, with an average of . Most precipitation occurs in winter and spring, with summer and fall being fairly dry, drier than neighboring California. There are 39.5 days of + highs annually, with + temperatures occurring 1.2 days per year. The average temperature in Carson City increased by between 1984 and 2014, a greater change than in any other city in the United States.

Places of interest

Museums

Nevada State Capitol The Nevada State Capitol is the capitol building of the U.S. state of Nevada located in the state capital of Carson City at 101 North Carson Street. The building was constructed in the Neoclassical Italianate style between 1869 and 1871. It is li ...

– original capitol still housing the governor's offices with museum exhibits * Nevada State Museum – former branch of the

featuring rock, mining and prehistoric exhibits, and a recreated

Wild West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

village *

Nevada State Railroad Museum The Nevada State Railroad Museum, located in Carson City, Nevada, preserves the railroad heritage of Nevada, including locomotives and cars of the famous Virginia and Truckee Railroad. Much of the museum equipment was obtained from various H ...

– featuring the

Inyo Inyo may refer to: Places California * Inyo County, California * Inyo National Forest, USA * The Inyo Mountains * The Mono–Inyo Craters Other uses * Japanese for yin and yang Yin and yang ( and ) is a Chinese philosophy, Chinese p ...

locomotive and relocated Wabuska Railroad Station *

– museum collection includes items from former faculty, students and school * Foreman-Roberts House Museum – Gothic Revival architecture, tours available. *

Sears–Ferris House The Sears–Ferris House, at 311 W. Third St. in Carson City, Nevada, is a historic house built in 1863. It was owned from 1868 to 1890 by George Washington Gale Ferris Sr., father of George Washington Gale Ferris Jr., future inventor of the Fer ...

(not open to public) – home of

George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. (February 14, 1859 – November 22, 1896) was an American civil engineer. He is mostly known for creating the original Ferris Wheel for the 1893 Chicago World's Columbian Exposition. Early life Ferris was bor ...

, inventor of the

Ferris wheel A Ferris wheel (also called a Giant Wheel or an observation wheel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components (commonly referred to as passenger cars, cabins, tubs, gondolas, capsules ...

* Yesterday's Flyers, an aviation museum in Carson City. * Children's Museum of Northern Nevada – Carson City

Open land

* Silver Saddle Ranch * Mexican Dam – 1860s stone dam across the Carson River * Prison Hill –

historic markers, location of the Stewart "S" * Carson Aquatic Trail * Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest ( Carson Ranger District) ** Kings Canyon Falls **

– – highest point within Carson City *

Tahoe Rim Trail The Tahoe Rim Trail is a 170-mile (274 km) long-distance hiking trail that forms a loop around the Lake Tahoe Basin in the Sierra Nevada and ranges of Nevada and California in the United States.Hauserman, Tim ''The Tahoe Rim Trail'' The trail ...

Lake Tahoe–Nevada State Park Lake Tahoe–Nevada State Park is a state park comprising multiple management units and public recreation areas on the northeast shores of Lake Tahoe in the United States, U.S. states of the United States, state of Nevada. The park covers approxim ...

* Lake Tahoe beachfront (several beaches along Lake Tahoe lie within the city limits) ** Chimney Beach ** Secret Harbor ** Whale Beach ** Skunk Harbor *

Washoe Lake State Park Washoe Lake State Park is a year-round public recreation area occupying on the southeast shore of Washoe Lake in Washoe County, Nevada. The state park lies to the east of Lake Tahoe, approximately north of Carson City near U.S. Route 395. T ...

– borders city to the north * "C Hill" – hill featuring the Carson City "C" and giant American Flag

Demographics

Carson City is the smallest of the United States' 366

metropolitan statistical area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

s. As of the 2010 census, there were 55,274 people, 20,171 households, and 13,252 families residing in the city. The population density was 366 people per square mile (141/km²). There were 21,283 housing units at an average density of 148/sq mi (57/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.1% White, 1.9% Black or African American, 2.4% Native American, 2.1%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.2%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 9.4% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more races. 21% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. As of the 2000 census, there were 20,171 households, out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.97. The city's age distribution was: 23.4% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.2 males. Data from the 2000 census indicates the median income for a household in the city was $41,809, and the median income for a family was $49,570. Males had a median income of $35,296 versus $27,418 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,943. 10.0% of the population and 6.9% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 13.7% of those under the age of 18 and 5.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Languages

As of 2010, 82.3% (42,697) of Carson City residents age 5 and older spoke

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

at home as a

first language A first language, native tongue, native language, mother tongue or L1 is the first language or dialect that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongu ...

, while 14.1% (7,325) spoke

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

, 0.6% (318)

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, and numerous

Indo-Aryan languages The Indo-Aryan languages (or sometimes Indic languages) are a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages in the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family. As of the early 21st century, they have more than 800 million speakers, primarily ...

were spoken as a main language by 0.5% (261) of the population over the age of five. In total, 17.7% (9,174) of Carson City's population age 5 and older spoke a first language other than English.

Government and politics

Ormsby County consolidated with Carson City in 1969, and the county simultaneously dissolved.Board of Supervisors
Carson City. The city is now governed by a five-member board of supervisors, consisting of a mayor and four supervisors. All members are elected

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...

, but each of the four supervisors must reside in respective wards, numbered 1 through 4. The mayor and supervisors serve four year terms. Elections are staggered so the mayor and the supervisors from Wards 2 and Ward 4 are elected in presidential election years, and the supervisors from Wards 1 and 3 are elected in the even-numbered years in between (i.e., the same year as gubernatorial elections). The city is generally considered a Republican stronghold, often voting for Republicans by wide margins. In 2004,

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

defeated

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party (Unite ...

57–40%. In 2008, however,

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

became the first Democrat since 1964 to win Ormsby County/Carson City, defeating

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...

49–48%, by 204 votes, a margin of under 1%. Carson City, being the state capital, is home to many political protests and demonstrations at any given time. In an attempt to either make a proposed spent nuclear fuel storage facility at

Yucca Mountain Yucca Mountain is a mountain in Nevada, near its border with California, approximately northwest of Las Vegas. Located in the Great Basin, Yucca Mountain is east of the Amargosa Desert, south of the Nevada Test and Training Range and in the Ne ...

prohibitively expensive (by raising property tax rates to the maximum allowed) or to allow the state to collect the potential federal payments of property taxes on the facility, the state government in 1987 carved Yucca Mountain out of

Nye County Nye County is a county in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 51,591. Its county seat is Tonopah. At , Nye is Nevada's largest county by area and the third-largest county in the contiguous United States, behi ...

and created a new county with no residents out of the area surrounding Yucca called Bullfrog County. Carson City became the county seat of Bullfrog County, even though it is not in Bullfrog County and is more than from Yucca Mountain. A state judge found the process unconstitutional in 1989, and Bullfrog County's territory was retroceded to Nye County.

Culture

Sports and recreation

Carson City has never hosted any professional team sports. However, a variety of sports are offered at parks and recreation. Many neighborhood parks offer a wide variety of features including picnic tables, beaches, restrooms, fishing, softball, basketball hoops, ponds, tennis, and volleyball. The largest park is Mills Park, which has a total land area of and includes the

narrow-gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structur ...

Carson & Mills Park Railroad. While there are no ski slopes within Carson City, the city is near the

Heavenly Mountain Resort Heavenly Mountain Resort is a ski resort located on the California–Nevada border in South Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. It opened for business on December 15, 1955 and has 97 runs and 30 lifts that are spread between Califo ...

, Diamond Peak and

Mount Rose Ski Tahoe Mount Rose Ski Tahoe is a ski resort in the western United States, in the Sierra Nevada mountains near Reno, Nevada. The closest resort to the city, it is located about south-southwest of Reno, in the Carson Range. It has the highest base elevat ...

skiing areas.

Notable people

Carson City has served as one of the state's centers for politics and business. Every

state governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...

since Denver S. Dickerson has resided in the Governor's Mansion in Carson City. The following personalities took up residence in Carson City at some point in their lives. * Duane Leroy Bliss, timber businessman *

Orion Clemens Orion Clemens (July 17, 1825 – December 11, 1897) was the first and only Secretary of the Nevada Territory. His younger brother Samuel Langhorne Clemens became a famous author under the pen name Mark Twain. Early life Born in Gainesboro, Tenn ...

, Secretary of Nevada Territory * Steven S. Coughlin, American epidemiologist and author *

John Cradlebaugh John Cradlebaugh (February 22, 1819 – February 22, 1872) was the first delegate to the United States House of Representatives from Nevada Territory. Biography Born in Circleville, Ohio, he attended the common schools; Kenyon College (in Gambi ...

, first Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from Nevada Territory *

, founding father of Carson City and early politician *

Dat So La Lee Louisa Keyser, or Dat So La Lee (ca. 1829 - December 6, 1925) was a celebrated Native American basket weaver. A member of the Washoe people in northwestern Nevada, her basketry came to national prominence during the Arts and Crafts movement ...

, Native American basket weaver and artist *

Nellie Verrill Mighels Davis Nellie Verrill Mighels Davis (née Verrill) (September 10, 1844 – June 24, 1945) was a US civic leader and journalist. In 1897, she was the first woman to report a boxing prize fight (Fitzsimmons/Corbett) in the United States. She was also the ...

, journalist *

David Eddings David Carroll Eddings (July 7, 1931 – June 2, 2009) was an American fantasy writer. With his wife Leigh, he authored several best-selling epic fantasy novel series, including ''The Belgariad'' (1982–84), ''The Malloreon'' (1987–91), '' The ...

, best selling author of fantasy novels *

, inventor of the

Ellen Hopkins Ellen Louise Hopkins (born March 26, 1955) is a novelist who has published several ''New York Times'' bestseller, bestselling novels that are popular among the teenage and young adult audience. Personal life Hopkins was adopted by Albert and Val ...

, author *

, former Governor and U.S. Senator *

Greg LeMond Gregory James LeMond (born June 26, 1961) is an American former professional road racing cyclist, entrepreneur, and anti-doping advocate. A two-time winner of the Road Race World Championship (1983 and 1989) and a three-time winner of the Tou ...

, two time World Champion road racing cyclist, and three-time winner of the Tour de France * Alice Little, Irish-American sex-worker and advocate *

David Lundquist David Bruce Lundquist Jr. (born June 4, 1973) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and current bullpen coach for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). During his big league playing career, Lundquist pitched for ...

, Major League baseball player (Chicago White Sox) *

Maurice E. McLoughlin Maurice Evans McLoughlin (January 7, 1890 – December 10, 1957) was an American tennis player. Known for his powerful serve, overhead, and volley, McLoughlin was the first male tennis champion from the western United States. Biography He was ...

, two-time U.S. Open champion, member of

International Tennis Hall of Fame The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It honors both players and other contributors to the sport of tennis. The complex, the former Newport Casino, includes a museum, grass tennis courts, an indo ...

Henry Rust Mighels Henry Rust Mighels (November 5, 1830 – May 27, 1879) was a US journalist and politician. A writer of the Sagebrush School, he was the editor and publisher of Carson City, Nevada's ''Nevada Appeal''. He was born in Norway, Maine. He served ...

, journalist, politician, first husband of Nellie Verrill Mighels Davis *

Hank Monk Hank Monk (March 24, 1826 – February 28, 1883) was a legendary stagecoach driver in the 19th century who drove a stage between Carson City, Nevada and Placerville, California in the 1870s. He is mentioned in Chapter XX of Mark Twain's ''Roug ...

, stagecoach driver *

William Ormsby William Matthew Ormsby (1814 – May 12, 1860) was an early settler of Nevada who was instrumental in the establishment of Carson City and the Nevada Territory. Major Ormsby was killed leading a Militia force against Paiute Indians in what was ...

, soldier and namesake of Ormsby County and

Donovan Osborne Donovan Alan Osborne (born June 21, 1969) is a former Major League Baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from -. Career Osborne attended Carson High School in Carson City, Nevada before he was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 1987 ...

, Major League baseball player (St. Louis Cardinals) *

Darrell Rasner Darrell Wayne Rasner, Jr. (born January 13, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals and New York Yankees and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Toh ...

, Major League baseball player (New York Yankees) * Don Tatro, member of the

Nevada Senate The Nevada Senate is the upper house of the Nevada Legislature, the state legislature of U.S. state of Nevada, the lower house being the Nevada Assembly. It currently (2012–2021) consists of 21 members from single-member districts. In the previ ...

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...

, author (lived with his brother Orion) * Matt Williams, Major League third baseman (San Francisco Giants, Cleveland Indians, and Arizona Diamondbacks) *

Sarah Winnemucca Sarah Winnemucca Hopkins ( – October 17, 1891) was a Northern Paiute author, activist (lecturer) and educator (school organizer). Her maiden name is Winnemucca. Her Northern Paiute language, Northern Paiute name was Thocmentony, also spelled To ...

, Native American activist and author

Economy and infrastructure

The following is a list of notable employers in Carson City from the fourth quarter of 2012: 1,000–1,499 employees *

Carson City School District Carson City School District (CCSD) is a school district headquartered in Carson City, Nevada. As of 2015 Richard Stokes is the superintendent. It is the sole school district in Carson City. Text list/ref> Schools * Carson High School Middle s ...

500–999 employees *

Nevada Department of Transportation The Nevada Department of Transportation (Nevada DOT or NDOT) is a government agency in the U.S. state of Nevada. NDOT is responsible for maintaining and improving Nevada's highway system, which includes U.S. highways and Interstate highways within ...

Western Nevada College Western Nevada College (WNC) is a public college with its main campus in Carson City, Nevada and additional campuses in Fallon and Minden. There are also WNC centers in Dayton, Fernley, Hawthorne, Lake Tahoe, Lovelock, Smith Valley and Ye ...

200–499 employees *

Nevada Department of Corrections The Nevada Department of Corrections (NDOC) is a governmental agency in the U.S. state of Nevada. The NDOC headquarters is located on the property of the Stewart Indian School in Carson City. History In 1862, the first prison in Nevada was cre ...

Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles The Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is a Nevada state agency responsible for issuing driver licenses and vehicle registration. The DMV operates a total of 20 offices across the state, with five in Las Vegas, two in Reno, and one each in H ...

Casino Fandango Casino Fandango is a hotel and casino located in Carson City, Nevada. It has of gaming space. It is owned and operated by Carson Gaming LLC. It opened on July 31, 2003. In 2010, the Casino Fandango won the award for the ''Premier Entertainment ...

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

* Precision Castparts Corp. *

Gold Dust West Hotel and Casino The Gold Dust West Carson City (formerly the Pinon Plaza Hotel Casino) is a casino hotel located on Hwy 50 in Carson City, Nevada. The Gold Dust West contains of gaming space, with table games, video poker machines, and slots. The Gold Dust West ...

Carson Nugget Carson Nugget is a hotel and casino located in Carson City, Nevada. "In 1954, the small Carson Nugget casino opened adjacent to the historic Federal Building." The Carson Nugget is nearly 30,000 square feet. The property features slots, table gam ...

Costco Wholesale Corporation Costco Wholesale Corporation (doing business as Costco Wholesale and also known simply as Costco) is an American multinational corporation which operates a chain of membership-only big-box retail stores (warehouse club). As of 2022, Costco i ...

Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources The Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) is a Nevada state agency that focuses on the preservation and management of Nevada’s natural, cultural, and recreational resources. The current director is James Settelmeyer. The ...

100–199 employees *

Nevada Department of Health and Human Services The Nevada Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is a state agency of Nevada, headquartered in Suite 100 of the 4126 Technology Way building in Carson City. The agency provides health services and human services. History The department ...

, Division of Welfare and Supportive Services

Transportation

There are four highways in the city:

Nevada State Route 28 State Route 28 (SR 28) is a state highway in Douglas County, Carson City, and Washoe County in western Nevada, United States, that runs along the northeastern shore of Lake Tahoe. SR 28 connects U.S. Route 50 (US 50) in D ...

U.S. Route 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 be ...

, and Interstate 580, its only freeway. Phase 1 of the Carson City Freeway Project from US 395, just north of the city, to US 50 was completed in February 2006, and Phase 2A, extending from Rt. 50 to Fairview Drive, was officially opened on September 24, 2009. Phase 2B, Fairview Drive to Rt. 50, was completed in August 2017. Prior to 2012, Carson City was one of only five state capitals not directly served by an interstate highway; the city lost this distinction when I-580 was extended into the city limits. Carson City's first modern bus system, Jump Around Carson, or JAC, opened to the public in October 2005. JAC uses a smaller urban bus ideal for Carson City. Tahoe Transportation District connects Gardnerville with Carson City. However, there is virtually no ground public transportation to other destinations. Passenger trains haven't served Carson City since 1950, when the

was shut down.

Greyhound Lines Greyhound Lines, Inc. (commonly known as simply Greyhound) operates the largest intercity bus service in North America, including Greyhound Mexico. It also operates charter bus services, Amtrak Thruway services, commuter bus services, and pac ...

stopped their bus services to the town in 2006 and

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

discontinued their connecting thruway bus to

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

in 2008. There is now only a limited Monday – Friday RTC bus service, to

which is still served by both Greyhound and Amtrak, as well as

Eastern Sierra Transit Authority Eastern Sierra Transit is the operator of public transportation for the Eastern Sierra Region in California (between the Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of Calif ...

service from Lone Pine to Reno. Carson City is also served by the

Carson Airport Carson Airport . Nevada Department of Transportation. April 2007. (Carson City Airport) is three miles northeast of Carson City, the capital of Nevada, United States. It is operated by the Carson City Airport Authority. The FAA's National Pl ...

, which is a regional airport in the northern part of the city.

Reno–Tahoe International Airport Reno–Tahoe International Airport is a public and military airport southeast of downtown Reno, in Washoe County, Nevada, United States. It is the state's second busiest commercial airport after Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. T ...

, which is away, handles domestic commercial flights.

Education

The

, the sole public school district of the city, operates ten schools there. The six elementary schools are Bordewich-Bray Elementary School, Empire Elementary School, Fremont Elementary School, Fritsch Elementary School, Mark Twain Elementary School, and Al Seeliger Elementary School. The two middle schools are Carson Middle School and Eagle Valley Middle School. Carson High School and the alternative Pioneer High School serve high school students. Carson High is on Saliman Road. The district sponsors Carson Montessori School, a public charter school serving grades K-6. Students residing in any Nevada county may enroll. Carson Montessori School is the only school in district operating with a balanced budget. In 2019 Carson Montessori School received the Governor's STEM Schools Designation, an official recognition given to 25 schools statewide which causes a short ceremony attended by the governor during which receiving schools are assigned a 10-foot banner.

(WNC) is a regionally accredited, two-year and four-year institution which is part of the

Nevada System of Higher Education The Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE, formerly the University and Community College System of Nevada or "UCCSN") is a state government unit in Nevada that oversees its public system of colleges and universities. It was formed in 1968 to ove ...

. The college offers many programs including education, arts and science. Carson City has a

public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants. There are ...

, the Carson City Library.

Historic buildings

Image:StCharlesHotel Carson City.jpg, Image:Laxalt Building, 2007.jpg, Image:Nevada Govenors Mansion.JPG, File:Paul Laxalt State Building.jpg, Paul Laxalt State Building – formerly the U.S. Court House & Post Office, now home to the Nevada Commission on Tourism

References

External links

* * *
Carson City Convention and Visitors Bureau
* {{Authority control Cities in Nevada Independent cities in the United States Populated places established in 1858 Nevada counties 1858 establishments in Utah Territory Former county seats in Nevada