Last year, I was visiting my friend on the West Coast. While we were driving from Reno to Lake Tahoe, I looked at the map and said, “Hey, let’s stop in Carson City!” In addition to being one of the more esoteric state capitals, I remembered from my childhood coin-collecting days that a U.S. mint used to be located there. The city itself is situated high in the mountains. Denver is known as the Mile High City, but Carson City isn’t far behind with an elevation of 4,800 feet. Many of the mountains in the area were still snow-capped in the month of May.
Carson City feels somewhat isolated despite it being only 30 miles from Reno. On the drive down Interstate 580, we crossed the scenic Galena Creek Bridge, a unique twin-span concrete-arch bridge that had only been open to traffic for just four years. As we entered the city via William Street and Carson Street, we drove past the Carson Nugget casino, a psychic shop, and some gas stations.
Carson City is very small, especially with it being a state capital. It has a small downtown area which I would describe as quaint. It seemed pretty clean and well kept. The main road had a lot of construction going on at the time. We made our way to the capitol building which was right in the middle of town.
The capitol itself was fairly small compared to other capitols I’ve seen. Nevada only has a couple large population centers, Las Vegas and Reno, so a huge amount of activity didn’t seem to be happening here in comparison to more populous states. I assume that a lot of Nevada state government offices are located in other cities due to its large size and concentrated populations. Nevada is the 7th largest state by total area (110,000 sq. mi.), but it only has about 3 million residents, making it one of the least densely populated states.
The capitol building is surrounded by shaded, idyllic grounds. Well-maintained walkways, trees, and greenspace are plentiful – it looks like a leafy park. Some people appeared to be relaxing outside on their lunchbreaks and enjoying the nice weather.
When we walked inside, we were greeted by a security guard who looked surprised that any visitors had shown up. He was excited and happy to talk to us. He explained that he was originally from California and made some other small talk with us. The guard gave us a couple informational pamphlets and stamped them with the official state seal. Unfortunately, the ink smeared all over the place. Lastly, he recommended that we check out the museum upstairs.
We were literally the only people walking around the building which made it even more fun. I felt like we had free range of the entire capitol! It was extremely quiet and empty.
We first encountered an old-time courtroom with antique furniture. I don’t think it is still in use today. I browsed around the room and sat in one of the elevated chairs for a picture. We walked around the upstairs and found the actual state museum next.
The museum had an abundant amount of memorabilia about the founding of the state, including documents and other items about what Nevada was like when it joined the union. Nevada entered statehood in 1864.
The flag displayed in the museum had 36 stars because Nevada had become the 36th state at the time. Apparently, the word “Nevada” translates to “snowy” in Spanish. The area that is modern-day Nevada was annexed from Mexico after the Mexican-American War. It was part of the “Utah Territory” prior to it becoming a state.
Nevada’s state symbols are also displayed in the museum, including the state animal and reptile – the desert bighorn sheep and the desert tortoise. Some items related to the Nevada centennial in 1964 were also displayed.
The museum had a lot of interesting geological samples, including gypsum from a diamond mine and silver and gold from other mines. Silver also happens to be the official state metal.
While walking through the hallway, I was able to catch a glimpse of the back of the capitol building. It offered a closer view of the domes and a better perspective of the building’s size.
We saw the entrance to the Office of the Governor on our way out. The security guard was surprised that we took so much time looking around. He commented, “Wow, you two must have really enjoyed the museum.” Apparently, he was watching us on his security cameras the entire time! In retrospect, it makes sense since there are valuable items and metals that should be surveilled.
It may not be prominently featured in travel guides, but I really enjoyed my stop in Carson City. I’m glad that I was able to experience it. Having lived my entire life on the East Coast, I thought it was really interesting to see an old mountain city and a small-town capital that most Americans will never get to experience. If you’re ever out in this region of America, make sure to check it out. It’s definitely worth a visit.
