Virginia City, Nevada - 6.28.2007

Virginia City is one of the oldest established cities in Nevada. Like many cities and towns in the state, Virginia City was a mining boomtown; in fact it is one of the most famous boomtowns in the Old West as it virtually appeared overnight as a result of the Comstock Lode silver strike of 1859. During its peak, Virginia City had a population of nearly 30,000 residents. When the Comstock Lode ended in 1898, the city's population declined sharply.

Virginia City could be considered the birthplace of Mark Twain, as it was here in 1863 that writer Samuel Clemens, then a reporter on the local Territorial Enterprise newspaper, first used his famous pen name.

Today, Virginia City is but a shadow of its former glory, however, it still draws over 2 million visitors per year as the nation's largest National Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Keeping with tradition, Virginia City has no chain stores or fast food restaraunts.