Free Online Nevada City Directories

City and business directories are available online from all over the U.S. and are what I consider another important set of information that can assist you in advancing your family history and genealogy research.

This activity of presenting links is a collaborative effort between The Ancestor Hunt and Miriam Robbins, who for years has made available the Online Historical Directories website, which presents links to directories of all types that are available online, including free collections as well as those available only via subscription. I wish to thank Miriam for her help in launching this category of records at The Ancestor Hunt.

So, what kinds of directories are available to the researcher?  Naturally city and business directories, but also telephone directories, and alumni, farm, lodge, rural, and social directories.

What can you find in these records? How about:

• Full names, including middle names
• Spouse name
• Occupation
• Widows, working women, and adult children at home.
• Maps
• Businesses (and index to advertisers).
• Addresses and maps of churches, schools, funeral homes, cemeteries, post offices, courts, hospitals, benevolent associations, and newspapers.
• Whether a woman is a widow (including the name of her husband).
• List of marriages and deaths of the previous year.
• Death date.
• etc.

Here are a few good primers on the benefits of searching historical city and other directories:​

• FamilySearch – United States Directories
• How to Use City Directories In Your Genealogy Research 
• What’s In A City Directory? (a 10-article series about City Directories)

And here are various places where you can find other city directories online: 

• Where to Find City Directories Online

Note: Some of the links listed take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections’ images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital. To take full advantage, please make sure that you are logged in to FamilySearch. The results may be different if you are signed in, rather than not.

(Updated November 2022)

Links to these free collections are presented initially with statewide collections, followed in alphabetical order by city or county. Generally, the publishing company is included in the reference to the collection, along with the collection title, and the date(s) of the directory:

Statewide

• Business Directory of San Francisco and Principal Towns of California and Nevada, 1877
• Business Directory of San Francisco and Principal Towns of California and Nevada, 1877
• City & County Directories and Pacific Coast Directory, 1886-1887
• Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Wyoming and Arizona Gazetteer and Business Directory
• Directory of Southern Nevada place names
• First Directory of Nevada Territory : containing the names of residents in the principal towns, a historical sketch
• First Directory of Nevada Territory, 1861
• Handbook almanac for the Pacific states : an official register and business directory
• McKenney’s Pacific Coast Directory, 1878
• McKenney’s Pacific Coast Directory, 1878
• McKenney’s Pacific Coast directory, 1883-1884
• McKenney’s Pacific Coast Directory, 1883-84
• McKenney’s Pacific Coast Directory, 1883-84
• McKenney’s Pacific Coast Directory, 1886-87
• McKenney’s Pacific Coast Directory, 1886-87
• Nevada Business Directory, State of Nevada, 1922
• Nevada Sate Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1907-08
• Pacific Coast Business Directory, Langley, 1867
• Pacific Coast Directory, for 1880-81
• Pacific Coast Grange Directory, Bancroft, 1875
• Rocky Mountain directory and Colorado gazetteer for 1871, including Nevada
• The Pacific Coast Directory – 1871-1873
• The Pacific Coast Directory – 1871-1884
• The Pacific Coast Directory – 1878
• The Rocky Mountain Directory, 1871

Carson City

• Carson City, Reno, and Sparks City and Washoe County Directories, Polk, 1921

Fallon

• Directory City of Fallon, 1908-1909
• The Rawhide – Fallon Directory, Nevada, 1908-09

Las Vegas

• Las Vegas, Boulder City, Overton and Moapa Valley, Telephone Directory 1946

Reno

• Polk’s Reno (Nevada) City Directory, 1935
• Polk’s Reno (Nevada) City Directory, 1938
• Polk’s Reno (Nevada) City Directory, 1939
• Polk’s Reno City Directory, 1932
• Polk’s Reno City Directory, 1933
• Polk’s Reno, Nevada City Directory, 1937
• Reno City Directory, 1900

Reno and Sparks

• 1911-12 Directory of Reno and Sparks
• 1915 Directory of Reno and Sparks
• Directory of Reno and Sparks, 1915
• City Directory of Reno and Sparks, 1906
• City Directory of Reno and Sparks, 1907
• Directory of the City of Reno and Sparks, Nev

Reno, Sparks, and Washoe County

• R.L. Polk & Co.’s Reno, Sparks and Washoe County Directory, 1913-1914
• R.L. Polk & Co’s Reno, Sparks and Washoe County Directory, 1917

Reno, Washoe County, and Carson City

• Polk’s Reno City, Washoe County and Carson City Directory, 1923
• Polk’s Reno City, Washoe County and Carson City Directory, 1925-26
• Polk’s Reno City, Washoe County and Carson City Directory, 1927-28
• Polk’s Reno City, Washoe County and Carson City Directory, 1929-30
• Polk’s Reno City, Washoe County and Carson City Directory, 1930-31
• Polk’s Reno City, Washoe County and Carson City Directory, vol. 1920-21

Virginia City

• Mercantile Guide and Directory for Virginia City, Gold Hill, Silver City and American City, 1864

Washoe and Reno

• The Virginia and Truckee Railroad Directory, 1873-74