The Reno Arch

The Reno Arch, which spans Virginia Street at the intersection with Commercial Row, is a well-known landmark in Reno, Nevada. The current sign is the arch's third iteration. The City of Reno owns and operates it. On October 23, 1926, the first Arch was built to advertise the Nevada Transcontinental Highway Exposition, which ran from July 25 to August 1, 1927, and commemorated the completion of the Lincoln and Victory Highways. These highways were established across Nevada along the corridors of present U.S. Route 50 and Interstate 80, respectively. The city council decided to keep the arch as a permanent downtown gateway after the exposition.

On June 25, 1929, the slogan "Reno, The Biggest Little City in the World" emerged on the arch, accompanied by a lit torch on both sides of the city name. After some people protested about the new slogan, it was replaced with a green neon "RENO" in 1934; however, following the outcry over its removal, the slogan was reinstated with fresh lettering and the torches were removed.

For the tagline "Biggest Little City in the World," the original steel arch was replaced in 1963 by a larger arch with plastic panels, a rotating star, and a connected inverted arch below the "RENO" sign. This arch was presented to the city of Willits, California after it was replaced. Willits replaced the star with the American flag and the motto with "Gateway to the Redwoods" and "Heart of Mendocino County" after removing most of the plastic panels. It is now located on Main Street in downtown Willits.

The current arch was built on August 8, 1987, had new lights put on November 17, 2009, and had its design scheme changed to blue and silver on May 3, 2018. As one of the most famous city welcome signs, it is a notable feature of downtown Reno and has displayed the city's motto, The Biggest Little City in the World, for most of its history.

Location: Reno, Nevada

Built: October 23, 1926

Architect: J.L. Stuart