Carson City, Nevada, USA
Capital of Nevada, situated at an altitude of 1,425 m/4,674 ft near the eastern foothills of the Sierra Nevada, 48 km/30 mi south of Reno; population (1992) 42,800. It is fourteen miles east of Lake Tahoe. The mainstays of the economy are tourism and legalized gambling, although mining and livestock raising are still important.
Settled as a trading post on the
route from Salt Lake City to California in 1851, it was named
after the frontier guide Kit Carson in 1858. It flourished as
a boom town after the discovery of the nearby Comstock silver-ore
lode in 1859, and became state capital in 1864.
Although famous for its gambling, ranching, quick weddings, hot skiing and gold mining the Old West lives in its name, taken from the Carson River, which was also named after frontiersman Kit Carson.
The Sierras provide a constant and gorgeous backdrop, while the lake beckons on summer evenings and weekends (locals call it The Lake; tourists call it Tahoe). The city's weather is dry and often quite lovely, with warm summer days, cool summer nights, and crisp, snow-capped winters.
Although Reno is just 30 miles north, Carson City provides its own big city amenities: a theater company, art galleries and when the legislature is in session, undoubtedly good gossip.