Welcome to Virginia City - at 6200 feet it is 1200 feet higher up in the mountains

than Reno is. Virginia City represents the real old west. It became a city in 1849 when

the Comstock Lode was discovered nearby. At the height of the gold rush, the population of the city was

close to 60,000 people. The city was abandoned after the gold rush and almost disappeared except

for the fact that it was revived by the 1960s TV show Bonanza, which sparked new interest in the city

and led to the founding of organizations dedicated to preserving it. In fact, because of Bonanza, the city

was added to the National Historic Register in 1961. Today much of the original old downtown remains.