Virginia City Highlands, Nevada facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Virginia City Highlands, Nevada
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 Virginia City Highlands, Nevada
Location in Nevada
Virginia City Highlands, Nevada
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Nevada |
| County | Storey |
| Elevation | 5,984 ft (1,824 m) |
Virginia City Highlands is a small, spread-out community in Nevada. It's not a city with its own government, but rather an unincorporated community. This means it's managed by the surrounding counties.
The community is located north of Virginia City, Nevada. It sits right on the border between Storey County and Washoe County. You can reach it by using Cartwright Road and Lousetown Road. These roads connect to Nevada State Route 341.
History of Virginia City Highlands
The story of Virginia City Highlands began in 1957. A company called Curtiss-Wright bought a lot of land here. They planned to use it for testing rockets.
At that time, local ranchers were allowed to let their horses graze on this private land. Because the land was privately owned, it was not covered by a special law. This law is called the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971. It protects wild horses and burros on public lands.
Early Development Plans
In 1971, a company named Carlsberg Financial Company bought 25,000 acres from Curtiss-Wright. At first, the only special thing on this land was a place for wild horses to live safely.
The company then made plans to divide the land into many smaller pieces. They wanted to create 426 lots, each about 10 to 15 acres in size.
In 1972, building in Virginia City Highlands officially started. There was a disagreement with Storey County about the size of the lots. The county was worried about the water supply, also known as the aquifer. After a court case, the plans changed. Instead of 1-acre lots, the land was divided into larger parcels.
By 1999, the area had grown quite a bit. It included:
- 24 square miles of 40-acre lots
- 506 10-acre lots
- 1,069 one-acre lots
Wild Horses and the Community
From 1971 to 1978, the horses on the private land were not gathered up. But in 1978, officials decided some horses in the area belonged to ranchers. These ranchers had used the land before 1971.
A roundup of horses happened in 1978. It was a bit controversial. Ranchers used a helicopter to gather 227 horses. These horses were both branded (marked as owned) and unbranded. Sadly, two horses died during the roundup. Another horse died later at the stockyard. About 1,500 horses were not rounded up at all.
Some of the gathered horses were sold to become saddle horses. Others were sent to be processed.
In 1980, a large area of 37,440 acres was set aside. It was declared a wild horse reserve and a wildlife sanctuary. This was done by a new group called the Virginia Range Wildlife Protection Association. This group was partly started by the homeowners in Virginia City Highlands. In 1980, the ranchers who did the 1978 roundup said they had the right to gather their horses on private land.
