The town was named for the 19th-century Chief Winnemucca of the local Northern Paiute tribe, who traditionally lived in this area.

"[8] The chief's daughter, Sarah Winnemucca, was an advocate for education and fair treatment of the Paiute and Shoshone tribes in the area.

Their family all learned to speak English, and Sarah worked as an interpreter, scout and messenger for the United States Army during the Bannock War of 1878.

In 1883, Sarah Winnemucca published the first autobiography written by a Native American woman,[9] based on hundreds of lectures she'd given in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic.

"[9] On September 16, 1868, the Central Pacific Railroad reached Winnemucca, and was officially opened on October 1 of that year.

The Chinese originally came to the area as workers on the transcontinental Central Pacific Railroad, which reached Winnemucca in 1868.

[12] The Joss House, the last structure associated with Chinatown, was demolished on March 8, 1955, by order of the Winnemucca City Council.

[15] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.4 square miles (24.3 km2), all land.

Basque Americans make up 4.2% of the population of Winnemucca, the highest percentage of any city in the United States.

[26] It is a federally recognized tribe of Western Shoshone and Northern Paiute Indians in northwestern Nevada.

Winnemucca is near the half-way point between Salt Lake City and San Francisco along Interstate 80, which passes through town.

Local aviation needs are served by the Winnemucca Municipal Airport, located about 5 miles southwest of downtown.

Buckaroo Broadcasting operates radio station KWNA-FM[30] with a 25,000 watt signal and a country format.

Other area employers include Winnemucca Farms, casinos, hotels, motels and restaurants located in the city.

The series began as a newspaper column in the Pacific Sun in 1975, before moving to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Anna Madrigal, a transgender character, was depicted as having been born as Andy Ramsey in Winnemucca, Nevada.

[38] In 2021, the town once again caught the attention of Armistead Maupin, after an article in the Nevada Independent News wrote about Winnemucca Pride- a planned LGBTQ pride parade and festival being planned by Winnemucca residents Shawn Dixon, Kat Dixon, Christina Basso and Misty Huff.

"[40] Rod McKuen's poem "Winnemucca, Nevada", in his book Come to Me in Silence, describes his first desk in school.