The Reno Arch is the city's emblem — a steel and neon span across Virginia Street at Commercial Row carrying the famous slogan "The Biggest Little City in the World". The first arch went up in 1926 to celebrate the completion of the Lincoln and Victory highways; the current version is the third major rebuild and dates from 1987.
The block under the arch is the symbolic centre of downtown Reno and the natural place for a photograph after dark, when the neon and the surrounding casino marquees blaze in every colour. The Old Reno Arch (1934 version) was preserved when it was retired and now stands a few blocks west on Lake Street, where it makes a quieter and equally photogenic stop.