By Emily Najera

A city is more than its skyline. It’s the shape of its neighborhoods, the rhythm of its streets, the glow of neon humming through the night.

In northern Nevada, desert winds carry the echoes of old highways and the pulse of new development. Buildings hold memory. Their walls are layered with history—rewritten, but never erased.

Through photography, the past lingers. The camera bears witness, capturing what stays and what fades. An old motel sign flickers. A gas station, sun-bleached and weathered, stands still. A stretch of road, once a lifeline, now bypassed by interstates.

These are not grand landmarks, but the everyday places that shape a region’s identity. They speak to the movement of people and time, how neighborhoods grow, shift, and settle. In documenting them, photography preserves what’s there. It also invites reflection on what these spaces mean, and what they become.

Northern Nevada’s roadways and buildings tell stories of reinvention. Before the interstates, these routes carved paths through open land, connecting rural towns and city centers. Motels sprung up for travelers. Restaurants and bars served growing communities. Storefronts anchored local economies. Now, many of these places rest in between: not quite forgotten, not fully preserved.

Photography, in this sense, becomes an act of attention. Not nostalgic, but present. It’s a way of saying: look closely. This matters. It’s about honoring the ordinary, finding poetry in the in-between, and recognizing the humanities in the landscapes we often overlook.

Reno Skyline from West 5th Street, Reno, 2019

Emily Najera is a photographer based in Reno, documenting the shifting landscapes of cities and neighborhoods. Inspired by history and motivated by the rapid pace of development, her work explores the tension between preservation and change. As a photojournalist, her images have been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and more. Instagram: @emilynajeraphoto

All images featured are copyrighted by Emily Najera. Unauthorized use or reproduction of these images without written permission is strictly prohibited. For permission requests, please send an email to emilyanajera@gmail.com.

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Roadsides of Northern Nevada