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 eastern edge of the Carson Range, 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. 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. The town began as a stopover for California-bound immigrants, but developed into a city with the Comstock Lode, 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, although the tracks were removed in 1950. Before 1969, Carson City was the county seat of

Ormsby County Ormsby County was a county in Nevada Territory from 1861 to 1864 and in the State of Nevada from 1864 until 1969. It contained Carson City, the county seat, and later, the state capital, founded two years earlier. Name It was named after Maj ...

. 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 for census purposes.

History

The Washoe people 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 in honor of Kit Carson, 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, 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 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 Comstock Lode, 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 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

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, 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 Virginia and Truckee Railroad was built between Virginia City and Carson City. A log flume was also built from the Sierra Nevada into Carson City. The current capitol building was constructed from 1870 to 1871. The United States Mint operated the Carson City Mint 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, 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 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 Carson River 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.

Climate

Carson City features a cold semi-arid climate (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 – original capitol still housing the governor's offices with museum exhibits *

Nevada State Museum Nevada State Museum may refer to: *Nevada State Museum, Carson City The Nevada State Museum in Carson City is one of seven Nevada State Museums operated by the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs. The primary building of the museum ...

– former branch of the United States Mint featuring rock, mining and prehistoric exhibits, and a recreated Wild West 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 * 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 Carson may refer to: People *Carson (surname), people with the surname *Carson (given name), people with the given name Places ;In the United States * Carson, California, a city * Carson Township, Fayette County, Illinois *Carson, Iowa, a city * ...

) ** 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 beachfront (several beaches along Lake Tahoe lie within the city limits) **

Chimney Beach Chimney Beach is a beach on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe. It is named after the chimney that is on the shoreline. The chimney once served an old cabin, but now stands alone. The parking area for the beach is on the south edge of Lake Tahoe – N ...

** Secret Harbor **

Whale Beach Whale Beach is a northern beachside suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Whale Beach is located 40 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the Local government in Australia, local government area of ...

** Skunk Harbor * Washoe Lake State Park – 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 areas. 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, 9.4% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more races. 21% of the population were Hispanic or

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 at home as a first language, while 14.1% (7,325) spoke Spanish, 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 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 57–40%. In 2008, however, Barack Obama 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 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 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 Mills is the plural form of mill (disambiguation), mill, but may also refer to: As a name *Mills (surname), a common family name of English or Gaelic origin *Mills (given name) *Mills, a fictional British secret agent in a trilogy by writer Mannin ...

, which has a total land area of and includes the narrow-gauge Carson & Mills Park Railroad. While there are no ski slopes within Carson City, the city is near the Heavenly Mountain Resort, 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 since

Denver S. Dickerson Denver Sylvester Dickerson (January 24, 1872 – November 28, 1925) was an American politician. He was the 11th governor of Nevada from 1908 to 1911. A member of the Silver – Democratic coalition party, he had previously held office as the 13t ...

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 Duane Leroy Bliss (June 10, 1833 – December 23, 1907) was a 19th-century American timber and mining magnate. He founded the Carson and Tahoe Lumber and Fluming Company from Gold Hill, Nevada. He eventually controlled every facet of the business ...

, timber businessman * Orion Clemens, Secretary of Nevada Territory *

Steven S. Coughlin Steven Coughlin (born July 14, 1957) is an American epidemiologist and author who received international attention for his Congressional testimony in support of U.S. veterans. At the time of this entry, he is a tenured Professor of Epidemiology a ...

, 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 * Abraham Curry, 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, best selling author of fantasy novels *

, inventor of the Ferris wheel *

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 * Paul Laxalt, former Governor and U.S. Senator * Greg LeMond, two time World Champion road racing cyclist, and three-time winner of the Tour de France *

Alice Little Alice Little (born May 3, 1990) is an Irish-American sex worker and YouTuber. Her stage name, Alice Little, refers to her height, which is 4'8", making her the "shortest legal escort" in Nevada, and consequently, in the United States. Little gai ...

, 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 *

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

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 Don Tatro is an American businessman and politician who served as a member of the Nevada Senate for the 16th district. Tatro was appointed to the role in November 2021, succeeding Ben Kieckhefer. Early life and education Tatro was born and ra ...

, member of the Nevada Senate *

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, 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 200–499 employees * Nevada Department of Corrections *

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 * Walmart *

Precision Castparts Corp. Precision Castparts Corp. is an American industrial goods and metal fabrication company that manufactures investment castings, forged components, and airfoil castings for use in the aerospace, industrial gas turbine, and defense industries. In ...

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 Carson City is an independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the po ...

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,

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 Gardnerville is an unincorporated town in Douglas County, Nevada, adjacent to the county seat of Minden. The population was 6,211 at the time of th2020 Census U.S. Route 395 runs through the center of Gardnerville. State Route 207, known as ...

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 Virginia and Truckee Railroad 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 discontinued their connecting thruway bus to Sacramento, California in 2008. There is now only a limited Monday – Friday RTC bus service, to Reno 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, 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. Western Nevada College (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