Virginia City, Nevada
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"Virginia City" redirects here. For other uses, see Virginia City (disambiguation).
Virginia City is a city located in Storey County, Nevada. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of approximately 1,500. Virginia City is the only city in Storey County with any significant population.
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[edit] Geography
Virginia City is located at 1.
[edit] History
Virginia City is not only one of the oldest established cities in Nevada, it is also one of the oldest west of the Mississippi River. Like many cities and towns in the state, Virginia City was a mining boomtown; in fact it is one of the most famous boomtowns in the Old West as it virtually appeared overnight as a result of the Comstock Lode silver strike of 1859. During its peak, Virginia City had a population of nearly 30,000 residents. When the Comstock Lode ended in 1898, the city's population declined sharply. Today, Virginia City is but a shadow of its former glory, however, it still draws over 2 million visitors per year as the nation's largest National Historic Landmark.
Virginia City could be considered the birthplace of Mark Twain, as it was here in 1863 that writer Samuel Clemens, then a reporter on the local Territorial Enterprise newspaper, first used his famous pen name. Virginia City is also known for being the nearest town to the Cartwright Ranch on the Western television drama Bonanza. As such, the characters made visits to the town regularly -- or at least to the flat Hollywood backlot town. It is also the name and the setting of a 1940 Errol Flynn movie set during the civil war.
[edit] Trivia
Virginia City was such a boomtown that for a long time it housed the only elevator to be found from California to Chicago.
[edit] External links
- Virginia City, Nevada and the Comstock Lode website
- Virginia City, Nevada official site
- Virginia City Photos and Information at Western Mining History
