<Tr> <Th> Reference no . </Th> <Td> 44 </Td> </Tr> <P> Carson City is an independent city in and the capital of the US state of Nevada, named after the mountain man Kit Carson . As of the 2010 census, the population was 55,274 . The majority of the town's population lives in Eagle Valley, on the eastern edge of the Carson Range, a branch of the Sierra Nevada, about 30 miles (50 km) south of Reno . </P> <P> The town began as a stopover for California bound emigrants, but developed into a city with the Comstock Lode, a silver strike in the mountains to the northeast . The city has served as Nevada's capital since statehood in 1864 and for much of its history was a hub for the Virginia and Truckee Railroad, although the tracks were removed in 1950 . Before 1969, Carson City was the county seat of Ormsby County . In 1969, the county was abolished, and its territory merged with Carson City to form the Consolidated Municipality of Carson City . With the consolidation, the city limits extend west across the Sierra Nevada to the California state line in the middle of Lake Tahoe . Like other independent cities in the United States, it is treated as a county - equivalent for census purposes . </P> <P> The Washoe people have inhabited the valley and surrounding areas for about 6,000 years . </P>

When did carson city become the capital of nevada