Reno is 4,400 feet above sea level, east of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The area gets about 10 inches of rain annually, 20 inches of snow. More than half of that falls from December to March. Overnight temperatures in the winter can fall below freezing. Summer afternoon highs may exceed 95 degrees.

Before 1844 only Paiute and Washoe Indians inhabited the Truckee Meadows in the Great Basin. The California Gold Rush in the late 1840s and 1850s, brought thousands of travelers through the area before crossing the Sierra Nevada Mountains into California. The first permanent white settlement along the Truckee River was Jamison's Station in 1855. In 1859, Charles W. Fuller built a toll bridge across the Truckee River. This allowed access between the Comstock Lode in Virginia City and mining camps throughout the Great Basin.

Myron Lake purchased Fuller's Crossing in 1860, and soon built a hotel and tavern on the south side of the river. This became known as Lakes Crossing. Silver was discovered in the hills near Reno. This became one of the richest silver strikes ever discovered. The Comstock Lode brought thousands to the area. Reno grew quickly as an important transportation and agricultural center as the area continued to grow.

The Central Pacific Railroad completed the rail through the Sierra Nevada Mountains in 1867. Reno was founded the next year on May 13, 1868, after Lake sold 160 acres north of his bridge to the Central Pacific Railroad for a town site. As the silver market slowed, Reno found other ways to grow. Gambling was legalized in 1879 and there were several brothels in town. Gambling was banned in 1910 but the Nevada Legislature legalized it again in 1931. Prostitution is not legal in Reno, but brothels are legal outside the county. There are several located east of Sparks and several east of Carson City. Reno was incorporated in 1903. It was named for Jesse Reno, a Union Army General.

Though out the first half the 1900’s, Reno became known as the divorce capital of the world. The waiting period for a divorce in Nevada was only six months in the early 1900’s. The Nevada legislature shortened the residency requirement to only three months in 1927. In 1931 the Nevada legislature shortened the residency requirement again, to six weeks. Thousands of people seeking divorce came to Reno each year.

The transcontinental highway system was completed though Reno in 1928. The lighted "Biggest Little City in the World" arch was built to welcome the automobile tourists to Reno.

Modern Reno began in 1978. MGM built their Grand Hotel near the Reno-Cannon International Airport. At 26 stories it was the largest hotel in the world. It is now the Reno Hilton Hotel and Casino.