Reno
Nevada, USA · Downtown & the Truckee River
4 places pinned — click any one for its story.
The place
Reno sits in a high desert valley at the foot of the Sierra Nevada, just over the hill from Lake Tahoe — "The Biggest Little City in the World." It grew up on the railroad and, in the 20th century, on quick divorces and casinos, and today it's reinventing itself around the Truckee River that runs right through downtown, tech, and the outdoors on its doorstep.
A quick weekend over the Sierra — the riverwalk, the neon of the old downtown, and the mountains all around.
Places I visited
History & facts for each spot — with a “then & now” archival photo where one exists. Every one has its own page; open it for the full write-up and all the photos.
The river cuts right through downtown, with a walkable district of restaurants and galleries along its banks and a whitewater kayak park in the middle of the city.
Full history & photos →Archival photo: Truckee River at Verdi, east of the Sierra Nevada mountains, Nevada, Central Pacific R.R, by Thomas Houseworth & Co. — Wikimedia Commons
The neon arch over Virginia Street that crowned Reno 'The Biggest Little City in the World' — first raised in 1926 for a highway celebration and a downtown landmark ever since.
Full history & photos →Read more on Wikipedia →Archival photo: Reno Biggest Little City Sign Day 1973 — Wikimedia Commons
Home to the Harrah Collection — over 200 vintage and one-of-a-kind cars, one of the great automobile museums in the country.
Full history & photos →Read more on Wikipedia →Reno's largest hotel-casino — a 27-story tower east of downtown that opened in 1978 as the MGM Grand Reno. Nearly 2,000 rooms, a vast casino floor, a concert arena, and the outdoor GSR pool and beach at the foot of the Sierra.
Full history & photos →