The website Great Streets has singled out Virginia City as one of their Great Main Streets. They’re written up a fairly in-depth multi-page article about how well C Street works for pedestrians, and how most of that is because it was designed back in the 1800s, when there were no cars. In this case the lack of modernization has been a good thing, as it’s kept the sidewalks wide, and covered with awnings to protect against the weather. The biggest downside they mention is that the only parking available in town is on-street, so that creates more traffic through the downtown core than there should be, as people search for a good spot. They also note how the overhead wiring is ugly as sin.
Go read the article, and be sure to click the little pictures at the bottom to get to the other pages.
