Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 180,480, making it the third largest city in Nevada, after Las Vegas and Henderson. Current estimates place the population of the city proper at 207,000. Reno lies 26 miles north of the Nevada state capital, Carson City, and 22 miles north-east of Lake Tahoe in the high desert. Reno shares its eastern border with the city of Sparks. Reno, known as The Biggest Little City in the World, is famous for its casinos, and is the birthplace of the gaming corporation Harrah’s Entertainment.

Reno is the corporate headquarters for International Game Technology, which manufactures most of the world’s slot machines.Reno is one of the fastest-growing U.S. cities. It has an international airport and serves as a distribution and warehouse center, where commercial goods can be stored tax-free for nearby manufacturing plants. Concrete, automated gaming systems, Western buckles and accessories, beverage dispensers, and plastic and metal products are manufactured. There is alfalfa processing and mining for gold and silver.

The site was once a popular campsite beside a ford on the Donner Pass route to California; in 1860 a bridge was built. The name Lake’s Crossing was changed to Reno when the Central Pacific RR arrived in 1868 and the town was laid out. In the 1990s officials began deemphasizing gambling; one result was the building of the National Bowling Stadium.

Reno is the seat of the Univ. of Nevada, with its school of mines museum and Desert Research Institute. The city is also the headquarters for the Toiyabe National Forest. Lake Tahoe, Pyramid Lake, and other recreational areas and state parks are in the vicinity.