The lore of Old Southwest Reno
Old Southwest is Reno's southwest quadrant. It grew as middle-class bungalows spread south from the grand homes along the Truckee.
Tap a year to see where it happened, or press Play.
1859
Charles Fuller starts a ferry over the Truckee, and by 1860 a bridge and a hotel. This crossing grows into Reno.
Nevada State Historic Preservation OfficeReno Historical (Historic Reno Preservation Society)
1889
Francis Newlands, later a US senator, buys 15 acres on the bluff above the Truckee. His home is the area's first building.
1912
Mount Rose School is built on an open field at Reno's southern edge, and is still in use.
Reno Historical (Historic Reno Preservation Society)Historical Marker Database (HMdb)
1927
Idlewild Park is created for a fair marking the finished Lincoln Highway and Victory Highway, today US 50 and US 40.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic PlacesReno Historical (Historic Reno Preservation Society)
1927
California spends two years and $100,000 on its fair building, dedicated to the nation's war dead. It is the only one left.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic PlacesReno Historical (Historic Reno Preservation Society)
1934
Luella Garvey, divorced in Reno in 1927, hires architect Paul Revere Williams. Her $40,000 house is the most expensive Reno has seen.
1938
The WPA, a federal jobs program, finishes Virginia Lake to hold floodwater and irrigation water. Gold turns up in the digging.
1951
After the war Reno needs bigger schools, so Reno High moves from West Street to a 51-acre site by Idlewild Park.
Reno Historical (Historic Reno Preservation Society)Reno Historical (Historic Reno Preservation Society)
1958
City horticulturist Fred Gallaway starts a rose garden on the site of Idlewild's old zoo. Today it holds more than 1,750 roses.
City of Reno, Parks and RecreationCity of Reno, Parks and Recreation
1997
The Truckee hits a record 14.94 feet at Reno and floods downtown. Upstream reservoirs keep it about 9 feet lower.
2016
The 171-acre Newlands Historic District joins the National Register, the nation's list of places worth preserving. It is Reno's second.
Nevada State Historic Preservation OfficeNational Park Service form, via Historic Reno Preservation SocietyNational Park Service, NPGallery
OUR PICK2026
Hub Coffee Roasters, a Reno family business, roasts its own beans. Our pick for coffee before a walk on the Truckee.
Northern Nevada Business WeeklyEdible Reno-TahoeOpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
Today
Today Old Southwest is famous for its tree-lined streets and historic homes.
National Park Service form, via Historic Reno Preservation SocietyNevada State Historic Preservation Office
SOURCES
- Reno, Historical Marker No. 30Nevada State Historic Preservation Office
- Virginia Street Bridge (site)Reno Historical (Historic Reno Preservation Society)
- Newlands Neighborhood naming overviewHistoric Reno Preservation Society
- Mount Rose Elementary SchoolReno Historical (Historic Reno Preservation Society)
- McKinley Park School: The Spanish Quartet (marker)Historical Marker Database (HMdb)
- California Building and Idlewild Park (Nevada travel itinerary)National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places
- California BuildingReno Historical (Historic Reno Preservation Society)
- Luella Garvey HouseReno Historical (Historic Reno Preservation Society)
- Fun factsCity of Reno, Parks and Recreation
- Reno High SchoolReno Historical (Historic Reno Preservation Society)
- Central SchoolReno Historical (Historic Reno Preservation Society)
- Rose GardenCity of Reno, Parks and Recreation
- Fact Sheet FS-037-97, January 1997 flood in northern California and western NevadaU.S. Geological Survey
- Reno's Hub Coffee Roasters celebrates 10th anniversary (13 June 2019)Northern Nevada Business Weekly
- Nominatim lookups of the beat spots and aside candidatesOpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
- Newlands Historic District Listed in the National RegisterNevada State Historic Preservation Office
- Newlands Historic District (NRIS 16000912)National Park Service, NPGallery
- Locals' Guide to Coffee Shops in Reno-TahoeEdible Reno-Tahoe
- Newlands Historic District, National Register nominationNational Park Service form, via Historic Reno Preservation Society
- Works Progress Administration (WPA)History.com
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. The print of Old Southwest