Reno

The Truckee Meadows were part of the homeland of the Washoe people, with the Northern Paiute living around Pyramid Lake to the north. Emigrant wagon trains followed the Truckee River west towards California on the California Trail, and in 1859 the discovery of the Comstock Lode, a vast silver deposit near Virginia City, brought a rush of miners to the region. A toll bridge built across the river in 1859, later bought by Myron Lake, gave the spot its first name, Lake's Crossing.

The Central Pacific Railroad arrived in 1868, and the town laid out beside the tracks was named after Jesse Lee Reno, a Union general killed in the Civil War. Reno became a railway, ranching and supply town, and its fortunes rose when it became the seat of Washoe County in 1871 and the home of the state university in 1885. In the early 20th century Nevada's short residency requirement made it the divorce capital of the country, and in 1931 the state cut the residency period to six weeks and legalised gambling in the same year.

Reno thrived as a gambling and entertainment city through the mid-century, until Las Vegas overtook it around 1960. Competition from Las Vegas and from tribal casinos in California later hurt business, and several downtown casinos closed or were converted. Since the 2010s the city has been reshaped by warehouses, data centres and battery and electric-car factories in the industrial parks to the east, and by newcomers from California.

Reno has long sold itself as a smaller, friendlier alternative to Las Vegas, and casino culture is still visible downtown, from the arch and neon to the slot machines in petrol stations and supermarkets. But the city has built a broader identity: a month-long arts festival every July, murals across Midtown, a well-regarded art museum and a lively independent restaurant and brewing scene.

The outdoors is central to local life. Within an hour people ski in the Sierra, swim and paddle at Lake Tahoe, kayak the whitewater park downtown or ride mountain-bike trails in the hills. Classic cars are a passion too, celebrated each summer at Hot August Nights. In late August the city is also the closest major city for many of the people heading to the Burning Man gathering in the Black Rock Desert to the north.

Reno has a strong Basque heritage, the legacy of immigrants who came to work in Nevada's sheep industry from the late 19th to the mid-20th century; the university has one of only two Basque studies programmes in the country. Native nations remain part of the region, including the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony and the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe. People are informal, outdoorsy and proud of the city's independence from both Las Vegas and California.

About 265,000 people live in Reno, and the metropolitan area, which includes Sparks, holds over half a million. Gaming and tourism are still major employers, but the economy has diversified into distribution warehouses, data centres, manufacturing, health care and the University of Nevada, Reno. A favourable state tax climate, lower housing costs and technology jobs have drawn businesses and residents from California.

That growth has made housing costs a major local concern, and population rose by 17 per cent between 2010 and 2020. New subdivisions spread south and north into the desert, and traffic on the freeways has grown.

Daily rhythms are those of a mid-sized western city: commuting by car, weekends in the mountains or at the lake, and casino floors that never close. Water from the Truckee River, wildfire smoke and winter air quality are regular local concerns. In summer, families crowd the river parks downtown on hot afternoons.

Reno's most distinctive tradition is Basque, the legacy of immigrants who worked in Nevada's sheep industry. Basque restaurants such as Louis' Basque Corner on East Fourth Street keep that heritage at the table, and their classic drink is Picon Punch, a bittersweet mix of an orange-flavoured aperitif, grenadine, soda water and brandy.

The casinos added their own traditions: large buffets, steakhouses, coffee shops open around the clock and cheap late-night breakfasts. Mexican food is everywhere, from taco trucks to family restaurants, reflecting a Latino community that makes up about a quarter of the city, and there are many Asian restaurants.

Downtown, the Riverwalk adds bars and restaurants with outdoor seating beside the Truckee River. Midtown has become the centre of the independent scene, with bakeries, coffee roasters, gastropubs and breweries. The region's craft beer is well established, Nevada's oldest operating brewery opened in Sparks in 1993, and summer brings farmers' markets with produce from Nevada and California.