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Reno is known as "The Biggest Little City in the World" & the third-largest city in Nevada after Las Vegas & Henderson. Reno is 26 miles (42 km) north of the Nevada state capital, Carson City & 22 miles (35 km) northeast of Lake Tahoe. Reno shares its eastern border with the city of Sparks.
Gold was discovered in nearby Virginia City in 1850 & a small mining community developed, but the discovery of silver in 1859 led to one of the greatest mining bonanzas of all time.
To provide the necessary connection between Virginia City & the California Trail a log toll bridge was built across the Truckee River & a small community to service travellers soon grew up near the bridge.
In 1863 the Central Pacific Railroad begun laying tracks east from Sacramento to the Union Pacific Railroad at Promontory, Utah. A railroad station was established & the town of Reno officially came into being on May 9, 1868. It was named in honor of Major General Jesse Lee Reno, a Union officer killed in the American Civil War.
The extension of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad to Reno in 1872 provided another big boost to the new city's economy. Reno continued to grow as a business & agricultural center & became the principal settlement on the transcontinental railroad between Sacramento & Salt Lake City.
Nevada's legalization of casino gambling in 1931 & the passage of liberal divorce laws created another boom for Reno.
Before the late 1950s, Reno was the gambling capital of the USA, but in the last twenty years Las Vegas' rapid rise& the growth of Indian gaming in California have reduced its business.
Reno holds several events throughout the year including Hot August Nights (a classic car convention), Street Vibrations (a motorcycle fan gathering), The Great Reno Balloon Race, the Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-off, bowling tournaments at in the National Bowling Stadium & the Reno Air Races.
