Sparks is the nearby community east of Reno that is a hub of commerce, industry, and new development. Along with a friendly downtown area, the beautiful Victorian Avenue district has dining, shopping, and entertainment. As of the census of 2016, there were 98,345 people and 34,986 households residing in the city.
Sparks is the home of the Legends at Sparks Marina, an award winning shopping destination, and Sparks is also well known for the Nugget's Best in the West Rib Cook-Off Festival, as well as many friendly community events.
Sparks was originally started by the Southern Pacific Railroad company when they moved rail workers from Wadsworth, NV during the construction of a new switching house. The Southern Pacific Railroad built a switch yard and maintenance sheds, gave workers plots of land, and the city was born. The city that sprung up around them was first called Harriman after E. H. Harriman, president of the Southern Pacific. The city was quickly renamed Sparks after John Sparks, the Governor of Nevada in 1904.
