The capital of Nevada, Carson City is 32 miles south of Reno along Hwy 395 in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada ranges. It was first settled as a Mormon community; an entrepreneur bought the land and founded the city in 1858.
Gold was discovered at nearby Six-Mile Canyon in 1859, and Carson City soon flourished with the arrival of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad in 1870.
Carson City has retained its Victorian-style architecture. Along Carson Street visitors can take the self-guided Kit Carson Trail to view the historic district. A blue stripe marker is painted on the sidewalk and city maps highlight the main attractions.
The best tour on offer is the Ghost Walk, where a guide outlines the city’s haunted sites dating back to the gold-rush era. At the northern end is the Nevada State Museum, formerly the old US Mint, which currently exhibits an array of pioneer artifacts, along with a nineteenth-century coin press, which is now used for pressing silver and bronze medallions. A subterranean passage links visitors to a full-scale mine.
The 1871 Nevada State Capitol nestles in among the trees along Carson Street and houses an important archival library. The Nevada State Railroad Museum showcases a fine collection of vintage passenger and freight cars and locomotives that were once used on the Virginia and Truckee Railroad.
Buses connect Carson City to Reno, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas.
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