Reno is Nevada’s second largest city, located on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, near Lake Tahoe. Considered a more laid-back gambling town than Las Vegas, with ties to the gold mining days of the Old West, Reno has developed into a sizable city that draws visitors and settlers from the West Coast. In the winter, one can enjoy many world class ski resorts nearby, including Squaw Valley, the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics. In the summer, nearby Lake Tahoe offers all kinds of water sports, camping, and trekking. Nearby is Virginia City, an old mining town made famous as the place Mark Twain started his writing career.