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Reno Background
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 180,480,
making it the third largest city in Nevada, after Las Vegas and Henderson. Reno lies 26 miles north of the Nevada
state capital, Carson City, and 22 miles north-east of Lake Tahoe in the high desert. Reno shares its eastern border
with the city of Sparks. Reno, known as The Biggest Little City in the World, is famous for its casinos, and is the
birthplace of the gaming corporation Harrah’s Entertainment.
Reno is the corporate headquarters for International Game Technology, which manufactures most of the nation’s
slot machines.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 180,480 people, 73,904 households, and 41,681 families residing in the city. The
population density is 1,008.3/km˛ (2,611.4/mi˛). There are 79,453 housing units at an average density of 443.9/km˛
(1,149.6/mi˛). The racial makeup of the city is 77.46% White, 2.58% African American, 1.26% Native American, 5.29%
Asian, 0.56% Pacific Islander, 9.26% from other races, and 3.60% from two or more races. 19.18% of the population are
Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 73,904 households out of which 27.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.5% are married
couples living together, 10.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 43.6% are non-families. 32.6% of
all households are made up of individuals and 9.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average
household size is 2.38 and the average family size is 3.06.
In the city the population is spread out with 23.2% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 22.2%
from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are
104.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 104.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $40,530, and the median income for a family is $49,582. Males have a
median income of $33,204 versus $26,763 for females. The per capita income for the city is $22,520. 12.6% of the population
and 8.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 16.3% of those under the age of 18 and 7.1%
of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
History
As early as the 1850s a few pioneers settled in the Truckee Meadows, a relatively fertile valley through which the Truckee
River made its way from Lake Tahoe to Pyramid Lake. In addition to subsistence farming, these early residents could pick up
a bit of business from travellers along the California Trail, which followed the Truckee westward as far as Donner Lake,
where the formidable obstacle of the Sierras began.
Gold had been discovered in the vicinity of Virginia City in 1850 and a modest mining community developed, but the discovery
of silver in 1859 led to one of the greatest mining bonanzas of all time as the Comstock Lode spewed forth treasure. The
Comstock’s closest connection to the outside world lay in the Truckee Meadows.
To provide the necessary connection between Virginia City and the California Trail, Charles Fuller built a log toll bridge
across the Truckee River in 1859. A small community to service travellers soon grew up near the bridge. After two years,
Fuller sold the bridge to Myron Lake, who continued to develop the community with the addition of a grist mill, kiln, and
livery stable to the hotel and eating house. The tiny community acquired the name Lake’s Crossing.
In 1868, the Central Pacific Railroad, building tracks across the west to connect with the Union Pacific, built from the
east to form the first transcontinental railroad. Myron Lake, realizing what a rail connection would mean for business, deeded
land to the Central Pacific in exchange for its promise to build a depot at Lake’s Crossing. Once the railroad station
was established, the town of Reno officially came into being on May 13, 1868. The new town was named in honor of Major General
Jesse L. Reno, a Union officer killed in the American Civil War. (Had Jesse Reno not changed the spelling of his name early in
life, presumably the biggest little city would today be Renault, Nevada.)
The extension of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad to Reno in 1872 provided another big boost to the new city’s economy.
In the following decades, Reno continued to grow and prosper as a business and agricultural center and became the principal
settlement on the transcontinental railroad between Sacramento and Salt Lake City. However, political power in Nevada remained
with the mining communities, first Virginia City and later Tonopah and Goldfield.
As the mining boom waned early in the twentieth century, Nevada’s centers of political and business activity shifted to
the non-mining communities, especially Reno and Las Vegas, and today the former mining metropolises stand as little more than
ghost towns. Despite this, Nevada still accounts for over 11% of world gold production.
Nevada’s legalization of casino gambling in 1931 and the passage of liberal divorce laws created another boom for Reno.
The divorce business eventually died as the other states fell in line by passing their own laws easing the requirements for
divorce, but gambling continued as a major Reno industry.
Gaming Industry
At one time, Reno was the gambling capital of the world. There are several reasons for the decline of tourism in the area,
among them the fast rise of Las Vegas, the buying-out of Reno Air by American Airlines and the increase of Indian gaming in
California. These developments have shown little impact on Las Vegas, but Northern Nevada has experienced a noticeable drop
in business. Smaller casinos such as the Comstock and the Sundowner closed, while the larger casinos experience slow days
during the week, epecially during the Winter. Only during weekends, holidays and special events does Reno see an increase
in business.
In an effort to bring more tourism to the area, Reno holds several events throughout the year, all of which have been extremely
successful. They include Hot August Nights (a classic car convention and rally), Street Vibrations (a motorcycle fan gathering
and rally), The Great Reno Balloon Race, the Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-off (held in Sparks), a Cinco de Mayo celebration,
bowling tournaments and the Reno Air Races.
Downtown Revitalization
The closure of many downtown casinos has sparked a surprising movement to turn these empty buildings into condominiums.
Out-of-state developers have purchased the Comstock and the Sundowner, amongst others, in hopes of turning them into upscale
condos, ranging from studios to penthouse suites. In addition to converting old properties, these developers are building new
structures, such as the Palladio, on once-vacant lots.
The Reno Trench project hopes to solve noise pollution and traffic congestion on Virginia Street by lowering the train tracks
below the street level. This would also add to the city’s efforts to make the downtown area friendlier to tourists.
Transportation
The Truckee River runs through town, as does the Union Pacific Railroad, Interstate 80 (east-west) and US 395 (north-south).
Reno has an extensive bus system called Citifare, which is provided by the Regional Transportation System of Washoe County.
The bus system has its main terminal in downtown Reno and a secondary terminal in Sparks.
The city is served by Reno/Tahoe International Airport.
Culture
- National Automobile Museum
- Nevada Historical Society Museum
- Nevada Museum of Art
- University of Nevada, Reno Arboretum
- Wilbur D. May Arboretum and Botanical Garden
Trivia
- Reno (as New Reno) is a location in RPG Fallout 2.
- The Reno-Tahoe Winter Games Coalition was working on a plan to host the 2014 Winter Olympics, but the United States Olympic
Committee decided not to submit a host city for that year’s games. Reno will continue to work towards hosting the 2018 or
2022 games.
- Reno is the setting of the Comedy Central show Reno 911!. The show is not filmed in Reno.
- The Reno-Sparks Indian Colony is an Indian colony located in central Reno.
Source: wikipedia.org
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