In 1878, Vermont resident J. W. Long came to White Pine County and soon set up a camp known as "Ely", after discovering gold.

[8] Ely was founded as a stagecoach station along the Pony Express and Central Overland Route.

With the advent of cyanide heap leaching—a method of extracting gold from what was previously considered very low-grade ore—the next boom was on.

As Kennecott's smelter was demolished, copper concentrate from the mine is now shipped by rail to Seattle, where it is transported to Japan for smelting.

The now-defunct BHP Nevada Railroad ran from the mining district south of Ruth through Ely to the junction with the Union Pacific at Shafter from 1996 to 1999.

[10] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.1 square miles (18 km2), all of it land.

Ely experiences a semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk), and extreme day-night temperature differences year-round.

On average, the first and last dates of freezing temperatures are September 8 and June 18, respectively, allowing a growing season of only 79 days.

The diurnal temperature range of Ely is so great due to its elevation, dry air, clear skies, and location in a valley, allowing for intense radiative cooling at sunset, even after hot summer days.

High temperatures of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher occur on an average of 29.2 days annually, but, due to the elevation and aridity, the low very rarely manages to stay at or above 60 °F or 16 °C.

Artists from all over the world have been commissioned to create images of area history, using different art styles.

They also maintain a historical village consisting of a general store and several shotgun houses which display the history of the people that came to the area to work for the railroad and the mine.

[19] Ely is also home to regional offices of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, and Nevada Department of Wildlife.

The open spaces around Ely are popular with hikers, mountain bikers and cross country skiers.

[20][21] The Bureau of Land Management, operates an area supporting an elk herd south of town.

[22] Starting in 1867, iron-rich gossans were mined for precious metals in Lane Valley west of Ely.

From 2006 through 2014, the UNLV Rebels football team of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas held training camp in Ely.