Half of Washoe Valley’s homes were built after 1979
More historic than 9% of U.S. towns · #25 of 42 in Nevada. What drives it
Most of Washoe Valley was built recently: 0.7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. Below: 1 old photo or paper and maps from 1950 on.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Washoe Valley is more historic than 9% of U.S. towns, #25 of 42 in Nevada. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Washoe Valley’s overall grade.
Few Nevada towns list much on the Register (a typical Nevada town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Washoe Valley’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (29% of Nevada towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±1.3 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Washoe Valley’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Washoe Valley yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Washoe Valley is a census-designated place (CDP) in Washoe County, Nevada, United States. It corresponds closely to the unincorporated community of New Washoe City. As of the 2020 census, Washoe Valley had a population of 3,074. It is part of the Reno–Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area. The CDP takes its name from the Washoe Valley, a region between Reno and Carson City centered on Washoe Lake.
Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 3,019 in 2010, 3,074 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
By decade
Washoe Valley, decade by decade
One decade in the archive so far: the 1860s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Washoe Valley. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1950Mt Rose sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Washoe Valley.
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this viewMrs. Sandy Bowers (Eilley Bowers), 1863
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Washoe Valley’s page.
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
New Washoe City
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Washoe Valley’s history
How does Washoe Valley rank for history?
Washoe Valley is more historic than 9% of U.S. towns, #25 of 42 in Nevada. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Washoe Valley?
0.7% of Washoe Valley’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.3 points), against a typical 0.3% for a Nevada town; the median home was built in 1979.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (4), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1863
2015
2012
2011
