Carlin is a small city located near the western border of Elko County in northeast Nevada, 23 miles west of the city of Elko. It is part of the Elko Micropolitan Statistical Area. Carlin sits along Interstate 80 at an elevation of approximately 4,900 feet. As of the 2010 census, its population was 2,368, up from 2,161 at the 2000 census. The city was named for Civil War general William Passmore Carlin. Its slogan is "Where the Train Stops...And the Gold Rush Begins".