Genoa, Nevada was the first settlement in the Nevada territory in 1850. It is situated in the Carson Valley and is about 60 miles south of Reno, Nevada. It was first settled by Mormons from Utah, creating a fort on the old trail between Los Angeles and Utah. The original Mormon settlers sold their fort in 1854 to a rancher. The town boasts Nevada's first hotel, newspaper and court. Much of Genoa, including the original fort, station and hotel was destroyed in a fire in 1910, but replica of the fort was built in 1947. Every year since 1919 Genoa has held a festival called The Candy Dance, where candy, food and crafts are sold to support its town government. The Candy Dance is usually held during the final weekend of September. South of Genoa is Walley's Hot Springs, a famous spa and resort first built in 1863. In the Genoa graveyard many pioneers rest, including Snowshoe Thompson, his wife and his son.
Genoa is not pronounced GEN-oa, like the city of Genoa, Italy. It is pronounced with accent on the final syllable, gen-OA.
In 1854 this settlement was proclaimed the seat of Carson County, Utah Territory, and in 1861 of Douglas County, Nevada Territory.
Thus Genoa's importance was largely local by the time statehood was granted in 1864, and even that importance was largely superseded by Minden and Gardnerville after 1910 when a resident of the county poor farm, tormented by bedbugs, tried to fumigate his mattress by lighting a pan full of sulfur beneath it.
In 1916 Genoa lost the county seat to Minden and the town dwindled further in size and importance.
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