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.

Geography

History

Virginia City is not only one of the oldest established cities in Nevada, but in the United States west of the Mississippi River as well. Like many cities and towns in the state, Virginia City was a mining boom town; in fact it is one of the most famous boom towns 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 but is maintained as the largest federally designated Historical District in the United States.

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 intended to represent the hilly town. It is also the name and the setting of a 1940 Errol Flynn movie set during the civil war.

External link

• Virginia City, Nevada and the Comstock Lode website