CHAPTER 2 Introduction & Background
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CHAPTER 2 Introduction & Background CHAPTER 2 INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND 2.1 Overview of Storey County Storey County is located in northwestern Nevada approximately 40 miles from the California state line. The western boundary follows township, range and section lines that roughly conform to the western crest of the Virginia Range. The northern boundary is defined as the line equidistant between the north and south banks of the Truckee River, which it follows for about 25 miles. The county line deviates from the river to include about 600 acres just north of the Truckee River just west of the Tracy-Clark power station. The southeast boundary line connecting the north and west boundaries of the county trends the base of the southeasterly edge of the Flowery Range. The county is bordered on the west and the north by Washoe County and on the east and south by Lyon County. Carson City abuts Storey County at a portion of its southwest corner near Mt. McClellan. With 264 square miles of total land area, Storey County accounts for less than one-quarter of one percent of the state's total land area. This makes Storey County the second smallest county in Nevada. In 2010 with a population of 4,010, the county had a population density of 15.2 people per square mile, compared to the state's population density of 25.7 people per square mile. The U.S. Bureau of the Census classifies the county as "rural". Figure 2.1 Image of Storey County Update image with new land Approximately 13 percent of the land in Storey County is owned by the federal government and controlled by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). This is inconsistent to the State of Nevada which is 87 percent federally owned. The major geophysical feature of the county is its mountainous topography. The county seat is Virginia City which is located in the southern part of the county on the eastern slope of Mt. Davidson. Between the 1930s and the 1990s, a majority of residential development in the county 2016 MASTER PLAN Page 2 CHAPTER 2 INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND has been located along the riparian zone of the Truckee River (mainly Lockwood and Painted Rock), the alluvial fan area adjacent to Lyon County (Mark Twain), and within a mountainous area approximately five miles north of Virginia City (Virginia City Highlands & Highland Ranches). With exception of several structures scattered across other portions of the county, Storey County’s population centers are within the following areas: Virginia City: This town is located in the mountainous southwest section of the county. The development of this area can be directly attributed to the discovery of the Comstock Lode and is a major tourist attraction in the State of Nevada. Once home to nearly forty thousand residents, the town today is reduced to an approximate population of 1,000. A limited amount of residential growth (an approximate average of 12 structures per year) has taken place in Virginia City over the past forty years. All residential structures are custom built and are placed upon existing platted parcels. There are no planned unit developments in Virginia City. The town includes approximately 250 commercial businesses, including mostly tourism-related enterprises such as shops, saloons, and boarding accommodations. Gold Hill: This community is located approximately two miles south of Virginia City in Divide and Gold Canyon. Like Virginia City, Gold Hill was developed during the Comstock Lode period and remains a tourist attraction and a residential community. Commercial business includes Gold Hill Hotel and Saloon, Maynard’s Tavern, and a few small custom manufacturing and home-occupation businesses. Residential development is similar to that in Virginia City, but with approximately 200 residents, is much smaller. Development constraints include limited water and sewerage capacity, steep and irregular terrain, and oftentimes uncertain ownership between surface and mineral estate. Mark Twain: Located six miles due east of Virginia City, this is primarily residential community of mobile and manufactured homes with some site-built structures. The community and its outlying areas encompass most of the gently sloped alluvial areas at the base of the Flowery Range. Mark Twain contains no commercial enterprises other than a few home-occupation businesses. One basalt quarry mine exists approximately two miles to the northeast of the Mark Twain Estates. The mine has been in operation since 1945 and is expected to remain active into the distant future. 2016 MASTER PLAN Page 3 CHAPTER 2 INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND The Highlands: Located 5 miles north of Virginia City, this is an estate residential subdivision of one, ten, and forty acre parcels with primarily upscale custom-built housing. The Highlands includes the Virginia City Highlands, Highland Ranch Estates, and Virginia Ranch Estates. There are currently no commercial developments in this area. The area is of steep and irregular terrain and includes pinion and juniper woodland. Lockwood & River District: This district stretches about 25 miles along the south bank of the Truckee River and makes up the northern boundary of the county. It has a mixed land use of residential, agricultural, recreational, industrial, and commercial development. The primary population center in the River District is Lockwood with approximately 1,000 residents and a couple dozen commercial businesses. Lockwood includes the Rainbow Bend planned unit development, the Lockwood Mobile Home Park, and several rural residences to the east and west. There is one convenience market that serves this community. The River District also includes Mustang, Tracy, and Painted Rock, which are primarily composed of agricultural lands with some residences located on large rural parcels. McCarran: This area is home to the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center and includes approximately 107,000 acres of land located within the northeast interior of the county to the banks of the Truckee River. The industrial center includes approximately 30,000 acres of light and heavy manufacturing and distribution, power generation, waste to energy, data management, and other unique and high intensity industries. The area is intended to be a mixed-use non-residential development, consisting of a wide-range of industrial, high intensity use, office, and commercial businesses. The area is currently served by Interstate 80, the Union Pacific Railroad, the Tracy-Clark Combined Cycle Power Plant, and other infrastructures located within the “I-80 Corridor”. 2016 MASTER PLAN Page 4 CHAPTER 2 INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND 2.2 Early History The unprecedented wealth of the Comstock Lode created Virginia City and Storey County. The following account gives a historical outline of Storey County. One of the most famous mining camps in the world, Virginia City was established in 1859 after the discovery of the Comstock Lode. The mining camp was named in honor of James "Old Virginny" Finney by the early prospectors because of his discovery and knowledge of placers below what would later be the Ophir Mine and his location of the first quartz mining claim on the Comstock. Virginia City, county seat of Storey County, is on the east side of the Virginia Range just below Mountain Davidson at an elevation of 6,220 feet. Today Virginia City is a year-round international tourist attraction with a population of approximately 1,000. In the fall of 1859, Virginia City had an initial population of 200 to 300. After word of the Comstock discovery spread across the nation in early 1860, nearly 10,000 rushed to the Comstock, many from the California goldfields. About 4,000 remained in the area: 2,345 in Virginia City (868 dwellings), the rest in Gold Hill and vicinity. The political ramifications resulted in the creation of the Nevada Territory, carved from Utah Territory, by President Buchanan on March 2, 1861. The population remained about 4,000 through 1862. Samuel Clemens arrived in late 1862, worked as a reporter for the Territorial Enterprise for 21 months, and left the area under his penname Mark Twain. During this period construction of the old Geiger Grade Toll Road was started and in partial use by the end of the year. This road linked Virginia City with emigrant trails and supply routes that crossed the Truckee River at the site that would become Reno in 1868. Organization of the San Francisco Stock Exchange Board, the first mining exchange in the United States, also occurred in 1862. By 1863, mining successes and promotion brought the Virginia City and vicinity population to some 15,000. Homes, business buildings and office blocks were built, gas and sewer pipes were laid in the principal main streets. Daily stages brought in all the luxuries of the Bay Area. The town was made up of two classes of people, each of which kept its own place and went its way without interference from the other. Seventy-five stamp-amalgamation mills were operating in the region: 19 in Virginia City and in Six and Seven Mile canyons below, 35 in Gold Canyon from Gold Hill to Dayton, 12 on the Carson River, and nine in Washoe Valley. 2016 MASTER PLAN Page 5 CHAPTER 2 INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND The Comstock brought enough people, money and politicians to the area that on October 31, 1864, Nevada was admitted as the 36th State. Economic slow-down saw 10,000 leave the area, many for other mining camps, leaving an area population of about 4,000 in 1865. Virginia City population increased to about 11,000 by 1868. The Yellow Jacket Mine fire occurred in 1869, which also saw the construction of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad between Virginia City and Carson City and Reno was completed on August 24, 1872, linking up with the existing Central Pacific Railroad. This pretty much ended the wagon freight business over the Sierra and to Virginia City.