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Virginia City

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Virginia City

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Also known as Virginia City, Nevada, Virginia City, NV

census-designated place that is the county seat of Storey County, Nevada, United States

Key facts

Country
United States
State
Nevada
County
Storey
Total
0.86 sq mi (2.24 km )
Land
0.86 sq mi (2.24 km )
Water
0 sq mi (0.00 km )
Elevation
6,106 ft (1,861 m)
Density
908/sq mi (350.6/km )
Time zone
UTC−8 ( Pacific (PST) )
Summer dst
UTC−7 (PDT)
Zip codes
89440, 89521
Fips code
32-80000

via Wikipedia infobox

~15 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Virginia City is a historic town in Storey County, Nevada, United States. It was established in 1859 after the discovery of the Comstock Lode, one of the first major silver deposits in the United States, and rapidly developed into one of the most important mining centers of the American West. At its peak in the mid-1870s, Virginia City had an estimated population of 25,000 residents and served as a center of mining finance, engineering, and innovation.

Mining output declined after 1878, and the population fell sharply, but many historic buildings survived. The town played a significant role in Nevada’s economic development. It is closely associated with writers such as Mark Twain, who began his career there. In the 20th century, Virginia City’s historic area was preserved, and the town was designated a National Historic Landmark District in 1961. As of the 2020 census, the population was 787.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Virginia City” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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