Silver City, Nevada, along with Virginia City and Gold Hill, is one of the old towns on the Comstock Lode. These towns and surrounding land are in the Comstock National Historic District and the Virginia City National Historic Landmark. Click on “Maps” above to see where we are.
Silver City is a small community of about 170 souls, the southernmost of the towns on the Comstock Lode. Close to moribund by the mid-1960s, new people were attracted to the town by the cheap real estate and rental prices, convenience to Carson City and Reno, natural beauty of its setting, and opportunity to live in and build a community based on both libertarian and liberal views (yes, it’s possible!). Many of those ‘60s-‘70s “pioneers” and/or their children, are still here. Silver City experienced an actual “revitalization” of the town, for and by the people who live in it. And we remain quite vital !!
This is no privileged, gated community. We have a good socioeconomic mix of professionals, small business owners and contractors, retirees, musicians, and tradesmen/women. Many houses are owner-built. We have little crime and a lot of community involvement. While we are extremely grateful for the considerable support and investment we have received from Lyon County, I think it’s fair to say that everything we value in this town was created, constructed, and organized by the tireless efforts of people who have volunteered many person years of service on the Town Advisory Council, Volunteer Fire Dept., various Lyon County boards and commissions (Central Lyon Co. Parks & Rec., School Board, Lyon Co. Planning Commission, etc.), and NGOs (Healthy Communities/Silver City Community Partners). I’ll bet there isn’t another community in Nevada with the total service years to population ratio that we have.
The residents of Silver City are uncommonly united in their dedication to their town. For example, when the old (1867) Silver City School House community center burned to ground in 2004, the community became a vocal stakeholder in the years-long negotiations between Lyon Co. and the insurance company, ultimately resulting in construction of new community center on the footprint of the old.
