Carson City

Carson City is the state capital of Nevada and sits in a valley between the Sierra Nevada mountains and the Virginia Range. The capitol building with sandstone walls and a silver-painted dome rises in the center of town and recalls the legacy of mining.

The city emerged from a trading post called Eagle Station in 1858 and gained importance after silver was discovered in the nearby Comstock Lode. It was named the capital of the new state in 1864 and developed into a center of silver processing.

The Nevada State Museum occupies the former United States Mint building and displays items from indigenous peoples alongside exhibits about mining and railroad history. Visitors can see how the community preserves its past and remembers the days when silver coins were pressed here.

Carson City Airport provides general aviation services, while the main scheduled flights operate through Reno-Tahoe International Airport about 30 miles (50 kilometers) to the north. The center of town can be explored easily on foot, as many points of interest sit close together.

The city merged with Ormsby County in 1969 to form a consolidated municipality that extends across the Sierra Nevada to the California border. This made it one of the few state capitals in the United States that functions simultaneously as a city and a county.

Location: Nevada

Inception: 1858

Elevation above the sea: 1,463 m

Shares border with: Washoe County, Douglas County, Storey County, Lyon County, Placer County

Website: https://carson.org

GPS coordinates: 39.16083,-119.75389

Latest update: December 12, 2025 19:48