Genoa, Nevada | |
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Unincorporated town | |
Coordinates: 39°00′16″N 119°50′50″W / 39.00444°N 119.84722°WCoordinates: 39°00′16″N 119°50′50″W / 39.00444°N 119.84722°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Nevada |
County | Douglas |
Area | |
• Total | 9.187 sq mi (23.79 km2) |
• Land | 9.187 sq mi (23.79 km2) |
• Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
Elevation | 4,806 ft (1,465 m) |
Population (2010) | |
• Total | 939 |
• Density | 100/sq mi (39/km2) |
Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) |
• Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
Area code(s) | 775 |
GNIS feature ID | 859807 |
Genoa Historic District
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Genoa Courthouse Museum
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Nearest city | Minden, Nevada |
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Coordinates | 39°0′N 119°51′W / 39.000°N 119.850°W |
Area | 129.5 acres (52.4 ha) |
Architectural style | Late Victorian |
NRHP reference # | 75001108 |
Added to NRHP | April 16, 1975 |
Genoa /dʒəˈnoʊ.ə/ is an unincorporated town in Douglas County, Nevada, United States. Founded in 1851, it was the first settlement in what became the Nevada Territory. It is situated within Carson River Valley and is approximately 42 miles (68 km) south of Reno at 39.005,-119.846. The population was 939 at the 2010 census.
Located within the Utah Territory before the Nevada Territory was created in 1861, Genoa was first settled by Mormon pioneers. The settlement originated as a trading post called Mormon Station, which served as a respite for travelers on the California Trail.
The first white child born in Mormon Station (Genoa, NV) was Jesse R. Hillbun.
Orson Hyde changed the name of the community to Genoa, after the Italian city. The original Mormon settlers withdrew in 1857 when they were recalled by Brigham Young due to the Utah War.
Genoa served as the first capital of the Nevada Territory in 1861, until it was moved that year to Carson City.
The community was the home to Nevada's first hotel, newspaper and court. Nevada's first newspaper, the Territorial Enterprise, was founded in Genoa in 1858, but moved to Virginia City in 1860. Another first for the state, the Genoa Bar, billed "Nevada's oldest thirst parlor", was patronized by Mark Twain, Teddy Roosevelt and Johnny Cash and was used in John Wayne and Clint Eastwood films. Scenes from the 1973 movie Charley Varrick were filmed in Genoa, and the village was the set for the 1990 movie Misery, starring Kathy Bates, when the village doubled in size with buildings added and then removed after the filming. Food writer M. F. K. Fisher wrote a series of cookbook reviews for The New Yorker from her sister's home in Genoa during the 1960s.