Silver City, Nevada

Silver City is a Census Designated Place and small residential community in Lyon County, Nevada, USA, near the Lyon/Carson border. The population as of the 2020 census was 155.

Silver City, Nevada
Unincorporated community
Silver City Show map of Nevada Silver City Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 39°15′49″N 119°38′26″W
Country	United States
State	Nevada
County	Lyon
Area [1]
• Total	0.97 sq mi (2.50 km2)
• Land	0.97 sq mi (2.50 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation [2]	5,102 ft (1,555 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	155
• Density	160.29/sq mi (61.89/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	89428[3]
Area code	775
FIPS code	32-66800
GNIS feature ID	2728753[2]

History

• 
  Silver City, overlooking Gold Canyon
• 
  Devils Gate and Silver City. Left photo is circa 1866; right photo is 2010.

Silver City was established in 1859, named for the silver deposits discovered in the area near the Lyon/Carson border.^[4][5] Through this narrow gorge called Gold Canyon, above the historic Devil's Gate rock formation,^[6][7] thousands of travelers passed on their way to the silver mines of the Comstock Lode.^[8]

By 1861, the town had four hotels, multiple saloons and boarding houses, and a population of 1,200. Silver City provided boarding facilities for animals used in hauling ore-laden wagons between the Comstock mining areas and mills on the Carson River. A foundry, the first iron works in Nevada was moved here from Johntown in 1862. The town was the site of the Comstock's first silver mill—Paul's Pioneer. During the 1870s, additional mills were built and by 1871, Silver City had eight mills with 95 stamps.^[5]

The population began to decline after the Virginia and Truckee Railroad was completed in 1869. Construction workers left the area, taking their business with them.^[9]

Geography

Climate

Silver City experiences a warm summer Mediterranean climate (Csb).

Climate data for Silver City (6,189 ft/1,886 m)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	63 (17)	70 (21)	64 (18)	79 (26)	89 (32)	95 (35)	99 (37)	100 (38)	93 (34)	85 (29)	72 (22)	69 (21)	100 (38)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	41.2 (5.1)	43.5 (6.4)	48.9 (9.4)	55.2 (12.9)	64.6 (18.1)	74.1 (23.4)	83.2 (28.4)	81.6 (27.6)	73.6 (23.1)	61.9 (16.6)	49.5 (9.7)	41.7 (5.4)	59.9 (15.5)
Daily mean °F (°C)	32.9 (0.5)	34.8 (1.6)	39.3 (4.1)	44.8 (7.1)	53.5 (11.9)	62.5 (16.9)	71.1 (21.7)	69.5 (20.8)	61.9 (16.6)	51.2 (10.7)	40.5 (4.7)	33.5 (0.8)	49.6 (9.8)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	24.3 (−4.3)	26.1 (−3.3)	29.8 (−1.2)	34.3 (1.3)	42.4 (5.8)	50.8 (10.4)	59 (15)	57.3 (14.1)	50.5 (10.3)	40.7 (4.8)	31.5 (−0.3)	25.1 (−3.8)	39.3 (4.1)
Record low °F (°C)	−1 (−18)	−9 (−23)	4 (−16)	10 (−12)	15 (−9)	28 (−2)	36 (2)	31 (−1)	21 (−6)	11 (−12)	6 (−14)	−11 (−24)	−11 (−24)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	2.1 (53)	1.9 (48)	1.5 (38)	0.7 (18)	0.9 (23)	0.6 (15)	0.3 (7.6)	0.4 (10)	0.5 (13)	0.6 (15)	1.3 (33)	2 (51)	12.7 (320)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	14.3 (36)	12.7 (32)	7.7 (20)	2.2 (5.6)	1.2 (3.0)	0.1 (0.25)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0.2 (0.51)	0.8 (2.0)	5.1 (13)	13 (33)	57.3 (146)
Average precipitation days	7	6	6	4	4	3	2	2	2	3	4	6	49
Average snowy days	4.2	4.2	2.8	1.2	0.5	0.1	0	0	0.2	0.2	2.1	3.9	19.4
Source: Weatherbase[10]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
2020	155		—
U.S. Decennial Census[11]

See also

• List of ghost towns in Nevada