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Elko is the largest city in and county seat of Elko County, Nevada, United States. With a 2020 population of 20,467, Elko is currently growing at a rate of 0.31% annually and its population has increased by 11.86% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 18,297 in 2010. Elko serves as the economic hub of the Ruby Valley, a region with a population of over 55,000. Elko is 21 miles from Lamoille Canyon and the Ruby Mountains famously dubbed the Swiss Alps of Nevada, providing year round access to recreation including hiking, skiing and hunting with access to over twenty alpine lakes. [8] The city straddles the Humboldt River. Most of the residents in Elko live within the Tree Streets, houses lined with trees and greenery. Spring Creek, Nevada, serves as a bedroom community 6 miles from the city with a population of 13,805.
Though Elko lies along the route of the historic California Trail, it was first inhabited only in 1868, when it was at the east end of the railroad tracks built by the Central Pacific Railroad (the portion of the First Transcontinental Railroad built from California to Utah). When the railroad crews moved on, Elko remained, serving as a center for ranching, mining, rail freight and general supplies.
Elko is said to have been named by Charles Crocker, a superintendent of the Central Pacific Railroad. He was especially fond of animal names and added the letter “o” to Elk. There is no definitive evidence of this naming history, but it has become the widely accepted version. The first Elko County Courthouse was built in 1869. Elko was officially incorporated as a city in 1917. The 1910 replacement for the original courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The U.S. Post Office-Elko Main, built in 1933, is also listed.
Elko’s economy is based heavily on gold mining, with ranching, tourism and the casino industry providing additional jobs. The city is considered the capital of Nevada’s goldbelt. The state of Nevada produces more gold than all but four countries, and most of the gold from Nevada is mined near Elko. This has caused the town to have a boom and bust economy consistent with the rises and declines in the price of gold. The town is surrounded by hundreds of abandoned mining camps, and viewing them is a popular local activity.
