Virginia City, Nevada
Virginia City, Nevada | |
|---|---|
View of Virginia City, July 2016 | |
| Nickname: The Richest Place on Earth | |
| Motto: "Step Back in Time" | |
| Coordinates: 39°18′27″N 119°38′54″W / 39.30750°N 119.64833°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Nevada |
| County | Storey |
| Area | |
• Total | 0.87 sq mi (2.24 km2) |
| • Land | 0.87 sq mi (2.24 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 6,106 ft (1,861 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 787 |
| • Density | 907.73/sq mi (350.60/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (PDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 89440, 89521 |
| Area code | 775 |
| FIPS code | 32-80000 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2629981 |
Virginia City is a census-designated place (CDP) that is the county seat of Storey County, Nevada, United States, and the largest community in the county. The city is a part of the Reno–Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Virginia City developed as a boomtown with the 1859 discovery of the Comstock Lode, the first major silver deposit discovery in the United States, with numerous mines opening. The population peaked in the mid-1870s, with an estimated 25,000 residents. The mines' output declined after 1878, and the population declined as a result. As of the 2020 Census, the population of Virginia City was 787.