Nevada City

Black and white illustration of a building with an outer ring with black text on a white background

Nevada City, California, started as Deer Creek Dry Diggings, named after a deposit of placer gold. Miners were attracted by the area’s considerable gold deposits, and the population grew throughout the 1850s. In 1851, the City of Nevada was incorporated, before Nevada became a state. When the State of Nevada was so named in 1861, residents of Nevada City cried foul, but the name stuck.

In the late 1850s, Nevada City was the third-largest city in California, but its decline was swift. Miners began to leave California to exploit the more profitable Comstock Lode in Nevada (the state). In the present day, the city’s downtown area is a National Historic District, featuring preserved buildings from the heydays of mining. Mark Twain and Jack London performed at the Nevada Theatre, and the National Hotel claims to be the oldest hotel still operating in California. The building pictured on the button is either one of the city’s two very similar historical firehouses, one of which is a museum.