1. Washoe, a chimpanzee raised in Reno, was the first non-human to communicate through sign language learning 350 different signs.
2. Reno experiences around 1,000 earthquakes every year. Fortunately most of them are too weak to do any damage or even be felt.
3. At 48.5 inches long, the world’s longest cat, stewie, resided in Reno until he passed away in 2013.
4. Gambling in Reno can be traced back to pre-colonial times, with games being played in celebration of hunts and harvests.
5. Reno’s namesake comes from a man who has never been to Reno, Jesse Lee Reno. Shot in a battle in Maryland, it was customary to name train stops after fallen soldiers.
6. Reno holds the Guinness World Record for most people playing checkers at one time, 540.
7. In Reno, it’s illegal to use bad words in front of a dead body.
8. Tahoe Tessie, the North American counterpart to the Loch Ness monster, is said to travel at more than 60 miles per hour and stretch up to 80 feet long. She calls Lake Tahoe her home.
9. One of the nation’s leading experts in limb reattachment surgery, William Zamboni, learned his skills at the University of Nevada – Reno.
10. Getting fabric from wholesaler Levi Strauss & Co, Jacob Davis came up with the idea to use copper rivets on pants, thus creating Levi jeans.
11. Before taking the pen name “Mark Twain,” Samuel Clemens went to Reno to search for gold and silver. He was unsuccessful.
12. While many people know Vegas as the marriage capital of the world, Reno became known as the divorce capital of the world after 30,000 couples untied the knot between 1929 and 1939 due to very lax divorce laws.
13. Sex toys are illegal in Reno.
14. Visitors to the Cal Nevada Casino can take a trip down to the pool if they want to swim in both Nevada and California at the same time.
15. The man that won the contest that birthed the slogan the “Biggest Little City in the World” was actually from Sacramento.
16. Roughly 15 feet tall, the giant native american head on cowan drive is one of 70 Peter “Wolf” Toth heads scattered around north america.
17. It’s illegal to change the weather in Reno without a state recognized permit.
18. Famous for being stuck on an island with Gilligan, Dawn Wells, the actor that played Mary Ann in “Gilligan’s Island,” is from Reno.
19. Before Vegas took off in the 1960s, Reno was the gambling capital of america.
20. With more than 16,000 slot machines, Reno has one machine for every 14 residents.
21. Reno has also been awarded the “loosest slots in america” title by “Casino Player” magazine for six years running.
22. UN Reno professor Esmail Zanjani created the world’s first human-sheep chimera, a sheep with 15 percent human cells and half human organs.
23. In Reno, it’s illegal to lie down on the side walk.
24. Elvis Presley’s Caddy and John Wayne’s Corvette both called Reno their resting place.
25. Reno once had a 16,000 sq. foot ice rink that was painstaking dismantled and moved across the country to Atlantic City.
26. Gourmelt grilled cheese truck has been recognized for serving up the best grilled cheese in the nation. Yum!
27. There’s a giant metal spider with the body of a vw bug on the roof of a homeless shelter in the Reno area.
28. Drivers travelling from los angeles to Reno are actually driving west.
29. Basecamp Boulder Park is home to the world’s tallest climbing wall, rising 164 feet into the air.
30. Though the original attendance of “The Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-off” was 30,000 in 1989, attendance now tops 500,000 with over 200,000 pounds of ribs cooked.
31. Reno city parks are home to more than 150 different tree species.
32. Doc Brown’s time travelling Delorean has nothing on the golden Delorean in Reno’s National Automobile Museum.
33. Reno has sister cities all over the world, including the countries of Israel, Spain, Russia, China, Canada, Thailand, and Taiwan.
34. Reno only gets around 7 inches of rainfall every year.
35. Recently removed from JA’s Nugget, the famous golden rooster was appraised at around $300,000 before going to auction, made of 14 pounds of 18k gold.
36. Eddie Money filmed the video for “Take Me Home Tonight” in Reno.
37. While prostitution within the city is illegal, the Mustang Ranch was the state’s first legal brothel.
38. Minutes from Reno stands a 36-foot-tall, one-toothed, white-bearded prospector known as Last Chance Joe. He is currently being threatened with demolition.
39. Thrill seekers should thank University of Nevada - Reno grad Ron Toomer for the upside-down roller coaster. He built the first one.
40. Famous for her sweet moves on the ice, Kristi Yamaguchi moved to Reno after her win in the 1992 Winter Olympics.
41. Reno is the second drunkest city in America with the third most deaths from liver disease.
42. Chapel tavern in Reno is consistently ranked as one of the “best places to drink rum” in the nation.
43. While some of the establishing shots of “Reno 911!” were filmed in Reno, most of the show is actually filmed in California.
44. Lake Tahoe is regularly ranked as the top lake to visit in America and is also America’s highest Alpine Lake.
45. In 2012, Wolfie Jr. was named the Capital One mascot of the year.
46. Known for being a hot desert state, it may surprise you to know that the record low temperature in Reno is -17 degrees.
47. There’s a popular rumor that divorcees used to throw their weddings rings down into the waters of the truckee river. However, there is no hard evidence to support this claim.
48. The average commute in Reno is roughly 15 minutes.
49. Reno’s national bowling stadium is home to the world’s longest bowling scoring display and is often referred to as the “taj mahal of tenpins.”
50. Some reports show that washoe county averages more than 300 days of sun annually.
51. While roughly 40 million people visit Vegas every year, only 4 million visit Reno.
52. With 18 nearby winter sports resorts and 50 championship golf courses in the area, Reno residents can stay active year round.
53. Elvis’ collection of guns and jewels are housed in nearby Sparks.
Vegas’ little brother may not be the biggest or most visited town in Nevada, but Reno’s unique location in washoe county in beautiful lake tahoe country makes it worth the visit.
What’s your favorite fun fact about Reno? Tell us in the comments below!
