Our Genealogy Helper
Introduction ...
We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:
- That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
- We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
- On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.
By learning about Vista (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.
As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Vista. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.
Neighboring Counties ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived: their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Vista is located in Washoe County.
To see how the shape of Nevada's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Washoe County: Lassen (CA), Modoc (CA), Nevada (CA), Placer (CA), Sierra (CA), Carson City, Churchill, Humboldt, Lyon, Pershing, Storey, Harney (OR) & Lake (OR).
Below are the counties that are near Vista. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Vista:
- Washoe County (The home county of Vista)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vista, with the one closest to Vista listed first.
- Sparks
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Hidden Valley
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Hidden Valley is located in Washoe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hidden Valley
- Hafed
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Hafed is located in Washoe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hafed
- Reno
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Sun Valley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Panther Valley
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Panther Valley is located in Washoe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panther Valley
- Spanish Springs
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Spanish Springs is located in Washoe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spanish Springs
- Raleigh Heights
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Raleigh Heights is located in Washoe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raleigh Heights
- Golden Valley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Golden Valley is located in Washoe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden Valley
- Lemmon Valley
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Lemmon Valley is located in Washoe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lemmon Valley
- Steamboat
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Steamboat is located in Washoe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steamboat
- Lawton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Lawton is located in Washoe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawton
- Carson City
- The following are listed by their distance from Vista, with the one closest to Vista listed first.
- Lakeview Summit
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Lakeview Summit is located in Carson City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview Summit
- Empire
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Empire is located in Carson City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Empire
- New Empire
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- New Empire is located in Carson City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Empire
- Carson City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Douglas County
- Indian Hills
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Indian Hills is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Hills
- Lyon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vista, with the one closest to Vista listed first.
- Carson Rapids City
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Carson Rapids City is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carson Rapids City
- Silver City
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Silver City is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver City
- Sutro ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Sutro is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sutro
- Johntown ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Johntown is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johntown
- Dayton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Stagecoach
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Stagecoach is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stagecoach
- Mound House
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Eureka ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Eureka is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
- Fernley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Silver Springs
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Fort Churchill ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Fort Churchill is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Churchill
- Davis Station ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Davis Station is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Station
- Storey County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vista, with the one closest to Vista listed first.
- Lockwood
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Lockwood is located in Storey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lockwood
- Lousetown ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Lousetown is located in Storey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lousetown
- Virginia City Highlands
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Clark
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Clark is located in Storey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clark
- Thisby
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Thisby is located in Storey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thisby
- Flowery City ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Flowery City is located in Storey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flowery City
- Virginia City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Gold Hill
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Gold Hill is located in Storey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Hill
- American City ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- American City is located in Storey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for American City
- American Flat ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- American Flat is located in Storey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for American Flat
- Nevada County (CA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vista, with the one closest to Vista listed first.
- Mystic ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Mystic is located in Nevada County (CA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mystic
- Bronco
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Bronco is located in Nevada County (CA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bronco
- Floriston
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Polaris
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Polaris is located in Nevada County (CA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polaris
- Prosser Lake Heights
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Prosser Lake Heights is located in Nevada County (CA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prosser Lake Heights
- Truckee
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Placer County (CA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vista, with the one closest to Vista listed first.
- Brockway
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Kings Beach
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Tahoe Vista
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Carnelian Bay
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Plumas County (CA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vista, with the one closest to Vista listed first.
- Chilcoot - Vinton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Chilcoot - Vinton is located in Plumas County (CA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chilcoot - Vinton
- Chilcoot
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Sierra County (CA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vista, with the one closest to Vista listed first.
- Calvada ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Calvada is located in Sierra County (CA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvada
- Loyalton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Vista, see our County-by-County Page for Vista.
Cemeteries Near Vista ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Vista.
This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.
Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Vista - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Vista covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Vista, with the one closest to Vista listed first.
- Nevada State Hospital Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Our Mother of Sorrows Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Our Mother of Sorrows Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Our Mother of Sorrows Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located outside and to the northwest of Reno.
- The Our Mother of Sorrows Cemetery has also been known as:
- Mother of Sorrows Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2147642 <2>
- Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Hebrew Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Knights of Pythias Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Hillside Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Huffaker Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huffaker Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Huffaker Cemetery is located outside and to the south of Reno.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2243472 <2>
- Masonic Memorial Gardens
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Mountain View Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Sierra Memorial Gardens Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Whispering Pines Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Reno - Sparks Indian Colony / Hungry Valley Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Continue List (38 more) ...
- Fireman Cemetery
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fireman Cemetery
- The Fireman Cemetery has also been known as:
- Exempt Firemen's Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #83970 <2>
- Hebrew Cemetery
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Masonic Cemetery
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masonic Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Masonic Cemetery is located outside and to the northeast of Virginia City.
Nearby Communities in 1895 ...
We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<4>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Vista had railroad service and no post office.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Vista, with the one closest to Vista listed first.
- Hafed
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Hafed is located in Washoe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hafed
- Reno
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Anderson ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Anderson is located in Washoe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson
- Anderson has also been known as:
- Junction House
- Sparks Ranch
- Huffakers ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Huffakers is located in Washoe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huffakers
- Steamboat
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Steamboat is located in Washoe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steamboat
- Lawton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Lawton is located in Washoe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawton
- Clarks ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Clarks is located in Washoe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarks
- Washoe City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Washoe City is located in Washoe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washoe City
- Virginia City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Thisby
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Thisby is located in Storey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thisby
- Verdi
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Marmol ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Marmol is located in Washoe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marmol
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Gold Hill
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Gold Hill is located in Storey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Hill
- Mystic ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Mystic is located in Nevada County (CA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mystic
- Silver City
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Silver City is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver City
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Vista. See our List of 1890's Communities around Vista.
Newspapers Published in Vista ...
An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).
To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.
Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 84 newspapers that have been published in the area around Vista.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Vista, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Vista.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.
To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Vista:
- Websites specific to Nevada
- Pages specific to Washoe County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Carson City
- Douglas County
- Lyon County
- Storey County
- Nevada County
- Placer County
- Plumas County
- Sierra County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Nevada
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Vista) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <4> | We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Vista, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |