Carson City, Nevada

"Carson City" redirects here. For other uses, see Carson City (disambiguation).

Carson City, Nevada
State capital and independent city
Downtown Carson City Nevada State Capitol Carson City Mint Nevada State Railroad Museum Stewart Indian School
Flag Seal
Nicknames:  Carson, CC, The Capitol
Motto:  Proud of its Past...Confident of its Future
Location within Nevada
Carson City Location in Nevada Carson City Location within the United States
Coordinates: 39°9′52″N 119°46′1″W
Country	United States
State	Nevada
Founded	1858 (1858)
Incorporated	1875 (1875)
Named for	Kit Carson
Government
• Mayor	Lori Bagwell
Area
• Total	157.12 sq mi (406.94 km2)
• Land	144.53 sq mi (374.34 km2)
• Water	12.58 sq mi (32.59 km2)  8.0%
Elevation	4,682 ft (1,427 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	58,639
• Estimate  (2025)	58,571
• Density	405.7/sq mi (156.65/km2)
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (Pacific)
ZIP code	89701–89706, 89711–89714, 89721,89703
Area code	775
GNIS feature ID	863976
Website	carsoncity.gov
Nevada Historical Marker
Reference no.	44

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Carson City is an independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the 6th most populous city in the state. The majority of the city's population lives in Eagle Valley, on the eastern edge of the Carson Range, a branch of the Sierra Nevada, about 30 miles (50 km) south of Reno. The city is named after the mountain man Kit Carson (1809–1868). The town began as a stopover for California-bound immigrants, but developed into a city with the Comstock Lode, a silver strike in the mountains to the northeast. The city has served as Nevada's capital since 1861, when it was still a territory. For much of its history, it was a hub for the Virginia and Truckee Railroad, although the tracks were removed in 1950.

Before 1969, Carson City was the county seat of Ormsby County. That year, after a referendum approved merging the city and the county, the state legislature issued a revised city charter that merged them into the Carson City Consolidated Municipality. With the consolidation, the city limits extend west across the Sierra Nevada to the California–Nevada state line in the middle of Lake Tahoe. Like other independent cities in the United States, it is treated as a county-equivalent for census purposes.