Carson City, officially the Carson City Consolidated Municipality,[3] is anindependent city and the capital of the U.S. state ofNevada.[4] As of the2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the6th most populous city in the state. The majority of the city's population lives inEagle Valley, on the eastern edge of theCarson Range, a branch of theSierra Nevada, about 30 miles (50 km) south ofReno. The city is named after themountain manKit Carson (1809-1868). The town began as a stopover forCalifornia-bound immigrants, but developed into a city with theComstock Lode, a silver strike in the mountains to the northeast. The city has served as Nevada's capital since 1861, when it was still a territory. For much of its history, it was a hub for theVirginia and Truckee Railroad, although the tracks were removed in 1950.
Before 1969, Carson City was thecounty seat ofOrmsby County. That year, after a referendum approved merging the city and the county, thestate legislature issued a revised city charter that merged them into the Carson City Consolidated Municipality.[5] With the consolidation, the city limits extend west across theSierra Nevada to theCalifornia-Nevada state line in the middle ofLake Tahoe. Like other independent cities in the United States, it is treated as acounty-equivalent for census purposes.
TheWashoe people have inhabited the valley and surrounding areas for about 6,000 years.[6]
The firstEuropean Americans to arrive in what is now known as Eagle Valley wereJohn C. Frémont and his exploration party in January 1843.[7] Fremont named the river flowing through the valleyCarson River in honor ofKit Carson (1809-1868), themountain man, explorer, and scout he had hired for his expedition. Later, settlers named the area Washoe in reference to the indigenous people.[8]
By 1851, theEagle Station ranch along the Carson River was a trading post and stop-over for westbound travelers and wagons on theCalifornia Trail'sCarson Branch, which ran throughEagle Valley. The valley and the trading post received their name from abald eagle that was hunted and killed by one of the early settlers and was featured pinned on a wall inside the post.
As the area was part of the largerUtah Territory (1850-1896), it was governed from theterritorial (and later state) capital ofSalt Lake City on the eastern shore of theGreat Salt Lake, where the territorial government was headquartered there several hundred miles further east withMormon (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) patriarch ofBrigham Young (1801-1877), as firstGovernor of Utah. Early settlers bristled at the control by Mormon-influenced officials and desired the creation of the provisionalNevada Territory withIsaac Roop (1822-1869, served 1859-1861), as provisional Governor. A vigilante group of influential settlers, headed byAbraham Curry (1815-1873), sought a site for a capital city for the envisioned future separate territory.[9] In 1858,Abraham Curry bought Eagle Station and the settlement was thereafter renamed Carson City.[10] 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 10-acre (40,000 m2) plot in the center of town for a capitol building.
Aftergold andsilver ore were discovered in 1859 on the nearby newly-namedComstock Lode, Carson City's population began to grow. Curry built the Warm Springs Hotel a mile to the east of the town center. When new territorial governorJames W. Nye (1815-1876, served 1861-1864), traveled east to Nevada, he chose Carson City as the territorial capital instead of earlierGenoa, which had functioned temporarily as such for the past few years. Influenced by Carson City lawyerWilliam M. Stewart (1827-1909), who escorted him from the port ofSan Francisco, California, where he arrived onboard a passenger steamboat liner, then journeying uphill pastSacramento to Nevada.[11] As such, Carson City bestedVirginia City and American Flat. Curry loaned the Warm Springs Hotel to the territorial Legislature as a temporary meeting hall. The Legislature named Carson City to be thecounty seat ofOrmsby County and also 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 the 36thstate in 1864 during theAmerican Civil War (1861-1865), Carson City was confirmed as Nevada's permanentstate capital. Carson City's development was no longer dependent on the mining industry and instead became a thriving commercial center. TheVirginia and Truckee Railroad was built betweenVirginia City andCarson City. Alog flume was also built from theSierra Nevada mountains range into Carson City. The currentNevada State Capitol building was constructed from 1869 to 1871. TheUnited States Mint also operated its branch of theCarson City Mint between the years of 1870 and 1893, which struck gold and silver coins ofUnited States currency. People came fromChina during that time, many to work on thetranscontinental railroad being constructed. Some of them owned businesses and taught school. By 1880, almost a thousand Chinese people, "one for every five Caucasians," lived in Carson City.[12]
Carson City's population and transportation traffic decreased when theCentral Pacific Railroad built a branch line throughDonner Pass to connect with theCarson and Colorado Railroad. The new branch also bypassed the Virginia & Truckee line, and ran too far to the north to benefit Carson City. The city was slightly revitalized with the mining booms in nearbyTonopah andGoldfield. The United States federal building (now renamed thePaul Laxalt Building) was completed in 1890 as was theStewart Indian School. Even those developments could not prevent its population from dropping to just over 1,500 people by 1930. Carson City resigned itself to small city status by advertising itself as "America's smallest capital." The city slowly grew afterWorld War II (1939/1941-1945); by 1960, it had reached its former 1880 mining boom-town era population size of 80 years before.
In 1931,gambling was legalized in Nevada which increased tourism to Carson City.[13]
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. By the 1960 census, all but 2,900 of the county's residents lived in Carson City. 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.[5] With this consolidation, Carson City absorbed former town sites such asEmpire City, which had grown up in the 1860s as a milling center along the Carson River and currentU.S. Route 50. Carson City could now advertise itself as one of America's largest state capitals with its 146 square miles (380 km2) of city limits.[14]
In 1991, the city adopted a downtown master plan, specifying no building within 500 feet (150 meters) of the capitol would surpass it in height. This plan effectively prohibited future high-rise development in the center of downtown.[15] TheOrmsby House is the tallest building in downtown Carson City, at a height of 117 feet (36 m). The structure was completed in 1972.[16]
Most of the city proper resides in theEagle Valley. TheCarson 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 theSierra Nevada, small portions of both theVirginia Range and thePine Nut Mountains and portions ofMarlette Lake andLake Tahoe. The highest elevation in city limits isSnow Valley Peak at an elevation of 9,214 feet (2,808 m).[17] Carson City is one of two state capitals that border another state, the other beingTrenton, New Jersey.
Carson City features acold semi-arid climate (Köppen:BSk,Trewartha:BSak) with cold winters and hot summers. The city is in a high desert river valley approximately 4,802 feet (1,464 m) above sea level. There are four fairly distinct seasons. Winters see typically light to moderate snowfall, with an average of 14.0 inches (0.36 m), with the most snowfall being 82.1 inches (2.1 m) from July 1951 to June 1952 and the least 3.1 inches (0.079 m) from July 2002 to June 2003. Most precipitation occurs in winter and spring, with summer and fall being fairly dry, drier than neighboring California. The wettest “rain year” was from July 1937 to June 1938 with 19.36 inches (491.7 mm) and the driest from July 1971 to June 1972 with 3.48 inches (88.4 mm). The most precipitation in one month occurred in December 1955 when 10.39 inches or 263.9 millimetres fell and the most snowfall 34.5 inches or 0.88 metres in March 1952. The most precipitation in one day has been 3.12 inches or 79.2 millimetres on November 19 of 1950.
There are 39.5 afternoons of 90 °F (32.2 °C)+ highs annually, with 100 °F (37.8 °C)+ temperatures occurring 1.2 afternoons per year.[18] The hottest month has been July 2021 with an average of 77.6 °F (25.3 °C), the hottest temperature 107 °F (41.7 °C) on July 19, 1931, and the highest minimum 75 °F (23.9 °C) on August 1, 2022.
There are 125 mornings with lows below freezing, but afternoon maxima top 50 °F or 10 °C on all but 52 days, and top freezing on all but five. Temperatures below 0 °F or −17.8 °C are very rare, occurring about twice per winter and frequently not occurring at all. The coldest temperature in Carson City has been −27 °F or −32.8 °C on January 21, 1937, the lowest maximum 5 °F or −15 °C on December 12, 1932, and December 22, 1990, and the coldest month January 1949 with a mean temperature of 12.6 °F (−10.8 °C), although January 1937 at 14.9 °F (−9.5 °C) is the only other month below 21 °F or −6.1 °C.
The average temperature in Carson City increased by 4.1 °F (2.3 °C) between 1984 and 2014, a greater change than in any other city in the United States.[19]
Climate data for Carson City, Nevada, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present
U.S. Decennial Census[26] 1790–1960[27] 1900–1990[28] 1990–2000[29]
Carson City, Nevada – Racial composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
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 people/km2). There were 21,283 housing units at an average density of 148 per square mile (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, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 9.4% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more races. 21% of the population wereHispanic orLatino 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.
As of 2010, 82.3% (42,697) of Carson City residents age 5 and older spokeEnglish at home as afirst language, while 14.1% (7,325) spokeSpanish, 0.6% (318)French, and numerousIndo-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.[34]
Ormsby Countyconsolidated with Carson City in 1969, and the county simultaneously dissolved.[35] The city is now governed by a five-member board of supervisors, consisting of a mayor and four supervisors.[35] All members are electedat-large, but each of the four supervisors must reside in respective wards, numbered 1 through 4.[35] 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).[35] Like counties in Nevada, Carson City retains an elected Sheriff with local law enforcement provided by the Carson City Sheriff's Office.[36]
The city is generally considered a Republican stronghold, often voting for Republicans by wide margins. In 2004,George W. Bush defeatedJohn Kerry 57–40%. In 2008, however,Barack Obama became the first Democrat since 1964 to win Ormsby County/Carson City, defeatingJohn McCain 49–48%, by 204 votes, a margin of under 1%.[37]
United States presidential election results for Ormsby County/Carson City, Nevada[38]
Carson City, being the state capital, has seen many political protests and demonstrations.[39][40][41]
In an attempt to either make a proposed spent nuclear fuel storage facility atYucca 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 ofNye County and created a new county with no residents out of the area surrounding Yucca calledBullfrog County. Carson City became the county seat of Bullfrog County, even though it was not in Bullfrog County and is more than 100 miles (160 km) from Yucca Mountain. A state judge found the process unconstitutional in 1989, and Bullfrog County's territory was retroceded to Nye County.[42][43]
Carson City has never hosted any professional team sports. However, a variety of sports are offered at parks and recreation.[44] 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 51 acres (0.21 km2) and includes the2 ft (610 mm)narrow-gauge[45] Carson & Mills Park Railroad.[46]While there are no ski slopes within Carson City, the city is near theHeavenly Mountain Resort,Diamond Peak andMount Rose Ski Tahoe skiing areas.[47] Carson City houses the 2024 #1 rateddisc golf course in Nevada, Stadium Course At Carson Ridge.[48]
Carson City has served as one of the state's centers for politics and business. Everystate governor sinceDenver S. Dickerson has resided in theGovernor's Mansion in Carson City.[49] The following personalities took up residence in Carson City at some point in their lives.[50]
There are four highways in the city:Nevada State Route 28,U.S. Route 395,U.S. Route 50, andInterstate 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 the only five state capitals not directly served by an interstate highway until I-580 was extended into the city limits.
However, there is virtually no ground public transportation to other destinations. Passenger trains have not served Carson City since 1950, when theVirginia and Truckee Railroad was shut down.Greyhound Lines stopped their bus services to the town in 2006 andAmtrak discontinued their connecting thruway bus toSacramento, California, in 2008. There is now only a limited Monday – FridayRTC bus service,[81] toReno which is still served by both Greyhound and Amtrak, as well asEastern Sierra Transit Authority service fromLone Pine to Reno.
Carson City is also served by theCarson Airport, which is a regional airport in the northern part of the city.Reno–Tahoe International Airport, which is 28 miles (45 km) away, handles domestic commercial flights.[82]
TheCarson City School District, the sole public school district of the city,[83] 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.[84]
The district sponsors Carson Montessori School, a public charter school serving grades K-6.[85] Students residing in any Nevada county may enroll.[86] Carson Montessori School is the only school in district operating with a balanced budget.[87] In 2019 Carson Montessori School received the Governor's STEM Schools Designation,[88] 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 (3 m) banner.[89]
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