Reno ( REE-noh) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, in the Truckee River valley, on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada, it is about 23 miles (37 km) northeast of Lake Tahoe. Known as "The Biggest Little City in the World", it is the 80th most populous city in the United States, the fourth most populous city in Nevada, and the most populous in Nevada outside the Las Vegas Valley. The city had a population of 264,165 at the 2020 census. The city is named after Civil War Union Major General Jesse L. Reno, who was killed in action during the American Civil War at the Battle of South Mountain, on Fox's Gap. Reno is part of the Reno–Sparks metropolitan area, the second-most populous metropolitan area in Nevada after the Las Vegas Valley. Known as Greater Reno, it includes Washoe, Storey, and Lyon Counties; the independent city and state capital Carson City; and parts of Placer and Nevada Counties in California. The Reno metro area (along with the neighboring city Sparks) occupies a valley colloquially known as the Truckee Meadows. For much of the twentieth century Reno saw a significant number of migrants seeking to take advantage of Nevada's relatively lax divorce laws and the city gained a national reputation as a divorce mill. Today Reno is a tourist destination known for its casino gambling and proximity to Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada Mountains.