Carson City

Carson City, city, capital of Nevada, in Eagle Valley, in the western part of the state, near Reno and Lake Tahoe. The major economic factor is tourism, with visitors attracted by gaming casinos, numerous Old West ghost towns, and abandoned gold and silver mines in the region. Many people also are employed by the state government. Points of interest in Carson City include the State Capitol (1870s); the Governor's Mansion; the Stewart Indian Museum, the Nevada State Museum (housed in the old United States branch mint building), featuring a full-scale model of a mine and displays on Nevada history; and homes from the 19th century.

Settled by whites as a trading post in 1851 on land inhabited by Native Americans of the Washoe and Paiute tribes, the community was platted in 1858 and named for the nearby Carson River. In 1861 Carson City became the capital of Nevada Territory, and it was retained as the seat of government when Nevada entered the Union as a state in 1864. The growth of Carson City was stimulated by the discovery (1850s) and subsequent working of the great silver deposits in the nearby Comstock Lode, and until significant mining operations in the area were ended about 1950, the city served as a transportation and processing center for silver ore. It was incorporated in 1875. Before it closed in 1893, a United States branch mint here struck more than $50 million worth of famous Carson City silver dollars and other coins. In 1969 Carson City and surrounding Ormsby County were consolidated into a single municipal unit. Population 32,022 (1980); 40,443 (1990); 52,457 (2000); 56,062 (2005 estimate).