Manhattan is a small town in Nye County, Nevada, located at the end of Nevada State Route 377 about 50 miles (80 km) north of Tonopah, the county seat.It originally was founded in 1867 as part of the silver mining boom. George Wheeler found the district abandoned in 1871. Then, in 1905, as part of the gold boom when "4,000 people flood(ed) into the region".