FUN WITH MAPS ISSUE 2024-089

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (May 9, 2024) – In this edition of Fun with Maps we learn about small town going big time.

The Biggest Little City in the World

Reno, Nevada was established on May 9, 1868, just four years after Nevada was admitted to the Union as the 36th state.

The railroad came in 1871, boosting the local economy which was agriculture based until then.  While gold and silver mines were not far off, they only tangentially helped the city.

Then it all changed in 1931.  With new legislation significantly reducing the burden of proof for divorce and requiring only six weeks residency prior to seeking divorce, Reno became “the divorce capital of the world”.  Well, until the rest of the world caught up with it.

At about the same time, Nevada legalized gambling, and Reno was the primary gambling spot in Nevada until Las Vegas expanded in the early 1960s.

While prostitution, another sinful activity as viewed by many, is legal in parts of Nevada, it is not so in Reno.

This pictorial map of Reno was created in 1935 by Caples as promotional material for the Town House Night Club.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.