Virginia City
Virginia City, Nevada, an unincorporated community in Storey County. It is 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Reno on the eastern slope of Mount Davidson, about 6,500 feet (1,981 m) above sea level. Silver was discovered at the nearby Comstock Lode in 1859 and Virginia City, beginning as a mining camp, became the silver capital of the world. Silver production declined in the late 1870's, and the lode was virtually abandoned in 1898. Much of the old city has been restored as a tourist resort "ghost town." It is a national historic landmark. At its peak, in 1873-75, Virginia City had a population of 25,000. In 2000 the population of the entire county was 3,399.