Virginia City was founded in 1859 as a boomtown with the discovery of the Comstock-Lode, the first major discovery of silver deposits in the United States, with numerous mines.
At its peak, in the mid-1870s the city had an estimated 25.000 inhabitants.

The production in the mines declined after 1878, Most of them were left abandoned.
According to the 2010 census, the population of Virginia City was about 855.

Today Virginia City is a city often visited by tourists. The old core has largely been rebuilt. In addition, there is a historic train and in the salons are really full of people in the evenings.