Nickname(s):
Silver State (official), Sagebrush
State,
Battle Born State
Motto(s):
All For Our Country
Official language(s) English
Capital Carson
City
Largest city Las Vegas
Largest metro area Las Vegas Valley
Area
Ranked 7th
- Total 110,567 sq mi
(286,367 km²)
- Width 322 miles
(519 km)
- Length 490 miles (788 km)
- % water PopRank = 35th
-
Latitude 35° N to 42° N
- Longitude 114°?2' W to 120° W
Population
Ranked {{{PopRank}}}
- Total 2,495,529
- Density 18.21/sq mi
7.03/km²
(43rd)
- Median income $46,984 (16th)
Elevation
- Highest point
Boundary Peak
13,140 ft (4,005 m)
- Mean 5,499 ft (1,676 m)
- Lowest
point Colorado River
479 ft (146 m)
Admission to Union October 31, 1864
(36th)
Governor Jim Gibbons (R)
U.S. Senators Harry Reid (D)
John Ensign
(R)
Congressional Delegation List
Time zones
- most of state Pacific:
UTC-8/-7 (DST)
- West Wendover Mountain: UTC-7/-6 (DST)
Abbreviations
NV US-NV
Web site www.nv.gov
Nevada (IPA: /n?'væ?d?/) is a state
located in the western region of the United States of America. The capital is
Carson City and the largest city is Las Vegas. The state's nickname is "The
Silver State" due to the large number of silver deposits that were discovered
and mined there. In 1864, Nevada became the 36th state to enter the union, and
the phrase "Battle Born" on the state flag reflects the state's entry
on the Union side during the American Civil War.
Nevada is the seventh-largest state, and geographically covers the Mojave Desert in the south to the Great Basin in the north. About 86% of the state's land is owned by the US federal government under various jurisdictions both civilian and military. As of 2006, the population of the state was about 2.6 million, with over 85% residing in the metropolitan areas around Las Vegas and Reno. The state is well known for its easy marriage and divorce proceedings, legalization of gambling and, in some counties, prostitution.
Although the name is derived from the Spanish word Nevada, which is the feminine form of "covered in snow", the local pronunciation of the state's name is not IPA: In 2005, the state issued a specialty license plate via the Nevada Commission on Tourism that lists the name of the state as Nevada to help with the pronunciation problem.
Geography
Digitally colored elevation map of NevadaFurther
information: List of Nevada counties
The state is broken up by several north-south
mountain ranges. Most of those ranges have inland-draining valleys between them,
which belies the image portrayed by the term Great Basin.
Much of the northern part of the state is within the Great Basin Desert, a mild desert that experiences hot temperatures in the summer and sub-freezing temperatures in the winter. Occasionally, moisture from the Arizona Monsoon will cause summer thunderstorms; Pacific storms may blanket the area with snow. The state's highest recorded temperature was 125 °F (52 °C) in Laughlin (elevation of 605 feet (184 m)) on 29 June 1994.
The Humboldt River crosses from east to west across the northern part of the state, draining into the Humboldt Sink near Lovelock. Several rivers drain from the Sierra Nevada eastward, including the Walker, Truckee and Carson rivers.
The mountain ranges, some of which have peaks above 13,000 feet (4,000 m), harbor lush forests high above desert plains, creating sky islands for endemic species. The valleys are often no lower in elevation than 3,000 feet (900 m).
The eastern parts of the state receive more summer moisture and have a slightly more verdant terrain. Sagebrush grows everywhere and some rivers and streams break the desert terrain.
The southern third of the state, where the Las Vegas area is situated, is within the Mojave Desert. The area receives less rain in the winter but is closer to the Arizona Monsoon in the summer. The terrain is also lower, mostly below 4,000 feet (1,200 m), creating conditions for hot summer days and cool to chilly winter nights due to inversion.
Mountains west of Las Vegas in the Mojave DesertNevada and California have by far the longest diagonal line (in respect to the cardinal directions) as a state boundary at just over 400 miles (640 km). This line begins in Lake Tahoe nearly 4 miles (6 km) offshore (in the direction of the boundary), and continues to the Colorado River where the Nevada, California, and Arizona boundaries merge 12 miles (19 km) southwest of the Laughlin Bridge.
Wheeler Peak in Great Basin National Park.The largest mountain range in the southern portion of the state is the Spring Mountains, just west of Las Vegas. The state's lowest point is along the Colorado River, south of Laughlin.
Bordering States
Utah - East
Arizona - Southeast
California
- West
Oregon - North
Idaho - North
History
Statehood
On
March 2, 1861, the Nevada Territory separated from the Utah territory and adopted
its current name, shortened from Sierra Nevada (Spanish for "snowy range").
Eight days prior to the presidential election of 1864, Nevada became the 36th
state in the union. Statehood was rushed to the date of October 31 - coincidentally
Halloween - to help ensure Abraham Lincoln's reelection and post-Civil War Republican
dominance in Congress. As Nevada's mining-based economy tied it to the more industrialized
Union, it was viewed as more politically reliable than other Confederate-sympathizing
states such as neighboring California. It is a common misconception that one of
the reasons Nevada was granted statehood was its large deposits of silver and
gold. This is merely a myth, however, and would have been illogical in that Congress
had unlimited control over these resources when Nevada was a territory and only
limited control after Nevada became a state.
Nevada achieved its current boundaries on May 5, 1866 when it absorbed the portion of Pah-Ute County in the Arizona Territory west of the Colorado River, essentially all of present day Nevada south of the 37th parallel. The transfer was prompted by the discovery of gold in the area, and it was thought by officials that Nevada would be better able to oversee the expected population boom. This area includes most of what is now Clark County.
Industry
Mining shaped Nevada's economy for many years
(see Silver mining in Nevada). When Mark Twain lived in Nevada during the period
described in Roughing It, mining had lead to an industry of speculation and immense
wealth. However in the late 19th century, Nevada found it increasingly more difficult
to compete with states such as Colorado and Utah in the mining industry. There
was even talk of stripping away statehood, the only time in American history such
an action was discussed in Congress . However, the rich silver strike at Tonopah
in 1900 is thought to have saved the state from near collapse. This was followed
by strikes in Goldfield and Rhyolite, lasting well into the 1910s and making Nevada
a dominant player in mining once again.
Gaming and labor
Gambling erupted
once more following a recession in the early 20th century, helping to build the
city of Las Vegas.Unregulated gambling was common place in the early Nevada mining
towns but outlawed in 1909 as part of a nation-wide anti-gaming crusade. Due to
subsequent declines in mining output and the decline of the agricultural sector
during the Great Depression, Nevada re-legalized gambling on March 19, 1931, with
approval from the legislature. At the time, the leading proponents of gambling
expected that it would be a short term fix until the state's economic base widened
to include less cyclical industries. However, re-outlawing gambling has never
been seriously considered since, and the industry has become Nevada's primary
source of revenue today.
In 1935, construction began on Hoover Dam, located outside Las Vegas near Boulder City. Thousands of workers from across the country came to build the dam, and providing for their needs in turn required many more workers. The boom in population is likely to have fueled the relegalization of gambling, alike present-day industry. Both Hoover Dam and later war industries such as the Basic Magnesium Plant first started the growth of the southern area of the state near Las Vegas. Over the last 75 years, Clark County has grown in relation to the Reno area, and today encompasses most of the state's population.
Nuclear Testing
The Nevada Test Site, 65 miles (105 km) Northwest of the City
of Las Vegas, was founded on January 11, 1951 for the testing of nuclear weapons.
The site is composed of approximately 1,350 square miles (3,500 km²) of desert
and mountainous terrain. Nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site began with a
one-kiloton of TNT (4 terajoule) bomb dropped on Frenchman Flats on January 27,
1951. The last atmospheric test was conducted on July 17, 1962 and the underground
testing of weapons continued until September 23, 1992. The location is known for
the highest amount of concentrated nuclear detonated weapons in the U.S.
Homesteading
Over
80% of the state's area is owned by the federal government. The primary reason
for this is that homesteads were not permitted in large enough sizes to be viable
in the arid conditions that prevail throughout desert Nevada. Instead, early settlers
would homestead land surrounding a water source, and then graze livestock on the
adjacent public land, which is useless for agriculture without access to water
(this pattern of ranching still prevails). The deficiencies in the Homestead Act
as applied to Nevada were probably due to a lack of understanding of the Nevada
environment, although some firebrands (so-called "Sagebrush Rebels")
maintain that it was due to pressure from mining interests to keep land out of
the hands of common folk. This debate continues to be argued among some state
historians today.
Demographics
Historical populations
Census Pop.
%±
1860 6,857 —
1870 42,941 526.2%
1880 62,266 45.0%
1890
47,355 -23.9%
1900 42,335 -10.6%
1910 81,875 93.4%
1920 77,407 -5.5%
1930 91,058 17.6%
1940 110,247 21.1%
1950 160,083 45.2%
1960 285,278
78.2%
1970 488,738 71.3%
1980 800,493 63.8%
1990 1,201,833 50.1%
2000
1,998,257 66.3%
Est. 2006 2,495,529 24.9%
Nevada Population Density
MapAccording to the Census Bureau's 2006 estimate, Nevada has an estimated population
of 2,495,529, which is an increase of 92,909, or 3.5%, from the prior year and
an increase of 516,550, or 20.8%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural
increase since the last census of 81,661 people (that is 170,451 births minus
88,790 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 337,043 people into the
state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of
66,098 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 270,945
people. According to the 2006 census estimate, Arizona has replaced Nevada to
become the fastest growing state in the country, percentage-wise. Nevada is now
the second fastest growing out of the fifty states, having been in 1st place for
about 60 straight years.
The center of population of Nevada is located in southern Nye County.
Demographics of Nevada (csv)
By race White Black
AIAN Asian NHPI
AIAN is American Indian or Alaskan Native - NHPI is Native
Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
2000 (total population) 86.11% 7.67% 2.17% 5.67%
0.83%
2000 (Hispanic only) 18.78% 0.44% 0.45% 0.25% 0.11%
2005 (total
population) 84.25% 8.58% 2.15% 6.87% 0.92%
2005 (Hispanic only) 22.31% 0.69%
0.51% 0.30% 0.12%
Growth 2000-2005 (total population) 18.23% 35.25% 20.23%
46.27% 33.72%
Growth 2000-2005 (non-Hispanic only) 11.17% 31.96% 16.39% 46.36%
33.55%
Growth 2000-2005 (Hispanic only) 43.57% 88.97% 34.74% 44.46% 34.84%
The largest reported ancestry groups in Nevada are: German (14.1%), Mexican (12.7%), Irish (11%), English (10.1%), Italian (6.6%), Filipino (5.2%), and American (4.8%). Nevada also has a sizable Basque ancestry population. In Clark and Pershing Counties, a plurality of residents are of Mexican ancestry; Nye County and Humboldt County have a plurality of German Americans.
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 16.19% of the population aged 5 and over speak Spanish at home, while 1.59% speak Filipino
6.8% of its population were reported as under 5, 26.3% under 18, and 13.6% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 50.7% of the population. As a result of its rapid population growth, Nevada has a higher percentage of residents born outside of the state than any other state.
From about the 1940s to 2003, Nevada was the fastest growing state in the country percentage-wise. Between 1990 and 2000, Nevada's population increased 66.3%, while the USA's population increased 13.1%. Over two thirds of the population of the state live in the fast-growing Las Vegas metropolitan area. If Congress were reapportioned using 2005 data, Nevada would gain a representative seat, for a total of 4.
Religion
The
religious affiliations of the people of Nevada are:
Christian – 78%
Protestant – 34%
Baptist – 15%
Methodist – 6%
Lutheran
– 3%
Other Protestant – 11%
Roman Catholic – 44%
Latter-day
Saint – 12%
Other Christian – 1%
Jewish – 1%
Other
Religions – 1%
Non-Religious – 20%
Economy
Nevada's
booming economic center of Las VegasThe Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates
that Nevada's total state product in 2006 was $100 billion. Resort areas such
as Las Vegas, Reno, Lake Tahoe, and Laughlin attract visitors from around the
world. Per capita personal income in 2005 was $46,108, 11th in the nation. Its
agricultural outputs are cattle, hay, alfalfa, dairy products, onions and potatoes.
Its industrial outputs are tourism, mining, machinery, printing and publishing,
food processing, and electric equipment. Prostitution is legal in parts of Nevada
in the form of brothels but only counties with populations under 400,000 people
can legalize it, and those counties may choose to outlaw it if they wish. Prostitution
is illegal in Clark County (where Las Vegas sits), Washoe County (where Reno sits),
and several other counties around the state.
In portions of the state outside of the Las Vegas and Reno metropolitan areas, mining and cattle ranching are the major economic activities. By value, gold is by far the most important mineral mined. In 2004, 6.8 million ounces of gold worth $2.84 billion were mined in Nevada, and the state accounted for 8.7% of world gold production. Silver is a distant second, with 10.3 million ounces worth $69 million mined in 2004. Other minerals mined in Nevada include construction aggregates, copper, gypsum, diotomite and lithium. Despite its rich deposits, the cost of mining in Nevada is generally high, and output is very sensitive to world commodity prices.
As of January 1, 2006 there were an estimated 500,000 head of cattle and 70,000 head of sheep in Nevada. Most of these animals forage on rangeland in the summer, with supplemental feed in the winter. Calves are generally shipped to out-of-state feedlots in the fall to be fattened for market. Over 90% of Nevada's 484,000 acres of cropland is used to grow hay, mostly alfalfa, for livestock feed.
Further information:
Nevada locations by per capita income
Nevada is also one of only a few states
with no personal income tax and no corporate income tax. The state sales tax in
Nevada is 6.5%. Counties can assess option taxes as well, making the combined
state/county sales taxes rate in some areas as high as 7.75%. Sales tax in Carson
City is 7.125% in Clark County 7.75%, in Washoe County 7.375%, while sales tax
in Douglas County is 6.75%.
Transportation
Amtrak's California Zephyr
train uses the Union Pacific's original transcontinental railroad line in a daily
service from Chicago to Emeryville, California serving Elko, Winnemucca, Sparks,
and Reno. Amtrak Thruway Motorcoaches also provide connecting service from Las
Vegas to trains at Needles, California, Los Angeles, and Bakersfield, California;
and from Stateline, Nevada, to Sacramento, California.
Union Pacific Railroad has some railroads in the north and in the south. Greyhound Lines provides some bus services.
Interstate 15 passes through the southern tip of the state, serving Las Vegas and other communities. I-215 and spur route I-515 also serve the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Interstate 80 crosses through the northern part of Nevada, roughly following the path of the Humboldt River from Utah in the east and passing westward through Reno and into California. It has a spur route, I-580. Nevada also is served by several federal highways: US 6, US 50, US 93, US 95 and US 395. There are also 189 Nevada state highways. Nevada is one of a few states in the U.S. that does not have a continuous interstate highway linking its major population centers: Reno/Carson City and Las Vegas. Even the non-interstate federal highways aren't contiguous between its two largest cities, though they are well marked by signs showing where to turn.
The state is one of just a few in the country that allow semi-trailer trucks with three trailers—what might be called a "road train" in Australia. However, American versions are usually smaller, in part because they must ascend and descend some fairly steep mountain passes.
Las Vegas has a bus network and a monorail system. McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas is one of the busiest airports in the United States. The Reno-Tahoe International Airport (formerly known as the Reno Cannon International Airport) is the other major airport in the state.
RTC RIDE operates a well-structured frequent system of local transit buses throughout the Reno-Sparks metropolitan area. Other transit systems in the state include Carson City's JAC. Some counties do not have public transport at all, e.g. Storey, Eureka, Lander, and Nye.
Law and government
This section has been nominated
to be checked for its neutrality.
Discussion of this nomination can be found
on the talk page.
The current Governor of Nevada is Jim Gibbons (Republican), the Governor of Nevada is limited to two (four year terms) in office, by election, or succession (lifetime limit) by the Nevada Constitution. Nevada's two U.S. senators are Harry Reid (Democrat) and John Ensign (Republican).
Further information: List of Nevada Governors
Legislature
A view of the Nevada State
Legislative Building in Carson CityThe Nevada Legislature is a bicameral body
divided into an upper house Senate and a lower house Assembly. Members of the
Senate serve for four years, and members of the Assembly serve for two years.
Both houses of the Nevada Legislature will be impacted by term limits starting
in 2010, as Senators and Assemblymen/women will be limited to a maximum of 12
years service in each house (by appointment or election which is a lifetime limit)
- this provision has not been strictly enforced, as voters imposed term limits
on the legislature back in mid to late 1990s, but rulings by the Nevada Attorney
General's office have stated that term limits cannot go into effect prior to 2010.
Each session of the Legislature meets for a constitutionally mandated 120 days
in every odd-numbered year, or longer if the Governor calls a special session.
Currently, the Senate is controlled by the Republican Party (11 to 10 majority)
and the Assembly is controlled by the Democratic Party (27 to 15 majority).
Judiciary
Nevada
is one of the few U.S. states without a system of intermediate appellate courts.
It has a state supreme court, the Supreme Court of Nevada, which hears all appeals.
The court lacks the power of discretionary review, so Nevada's judicial system
is extremely congested. There have been several articles accusing judges in Nevada
of making biased or favored decisions as the result of case outcomes and reporting
done by the Los Angeles Times newspaper (in which it raised the issue of justice
for sale).
Original jurisdiction is divided between the District Courts (with general jurisdiction), and Justice Courts and Municipal Courts (both of limited jurisdiction).
Libertarian laws
Nevada's population was
the smallest of all states and was shrinking, as the difficulties of living in
a "barren desert" began to outweigh the lure of silver for many early
settlers. Historian Lawrence Friedman has explained what happened next:
"Nevada built an economy by exploiting its sovereignty. Its strategy was to legalize all sorts of things that were illegal in many other states in the union... after easy divorce came easy marriage, and casino gambling. Even prostitution (in the form of brothels only) is legal in parts of the state." [9] (See Prostitution in Nevada).
Divorce laws
Nevada's early reputation as a "divorce
haven" arose from the fact that prior to the no-fault divorce revolution
in the 1970s, divorces were quite difficult to obtain in the United States. To
boost its fragile economy, Nevada adopted one of the most liberal divorce statutes
in the nation. This resulted in Williams v. North Carolina, 317 U.S. 287 (1942),
in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that North Carolina had to give "full
faith and credit" to a Nevada divorce.
Tax laws
Nevada's tax laws
also draw new residents and businesses to the state. Nevada has no personal income
tax or corporate income tax.
Incorporation laws
Nevada also provides
friendly environment for the formation of corporations, and many (especially California)
businesspeople have incorporated their businesses in Nevada to take advantage
of the benefits of the Nevada statute. Nevada Corporations offer great flexibility
to the Board of Directors and simplify or avoid many of the rules that are cumbersome
to business managers in some other states. In addition, Nevada has no franchise
tax.
Financial institutions
Similarly, many U.S. states have usury
laws limiting the amount of interest a lender can charge, but Federal law allows
corporations to 'import' these laws from their home state. Nevada (amongst others)
has relatively lax interest laws, in effect allowing banks to charge as much as
they want, hence the preponderance of credit card companies in the state.
Drug
laws
This is a notable exception to Nevada's otherwise libertarian principles.
It is notable for having the harshest penalties for drug offenders in the country.
Nevada remains the only state to still use mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines
for marijuana possession. However, it is now a misdemeanor for possession of less
than one ounce. In 2006, voters in Nevada defeated attempts to allow possession
of 1 ounce of marijuana (for personal use) without being criminally prosecuted,
but this failed by a vote of (55% against legalization, 45% in favor of legalization).
Also, Nevada is one of the states that allows for use of marijuana for medical
reasons (though this remains illegal under federal law, and US Supreme Court rulings).
Nevada has very liberal alcohol laws. Bars are permitted to remain open 24 hours, with no "last call". Liquor stores, convenience stores and supermarkets may also sell alcohol 24 hours per day, and may sell beer, wine and spirits.
Smoking
Nevada
voters enacted a smoking ban ("the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act") in
November 2006 that became effective on Dec. 8, 2006. It outlaws smoking in most
workplaces and public places. Smoking is permitted in bars, but only if the bar
serves no food, or the bar is inside a larger casino. Smoking is also permitted
in hotel rooms, tobacco shops, and brothels. However, most businesses do not obey
this law and the government tends not to enforce it. Yet, in one case they did
prosecute an establishment called "Bilbo's" but trial is pending until
2008.
A 2006 study found workers in Nevada casinos had damage to their DNA from tobacco smoke.
Politics
Due to the tremendous growth of Las
Vegas in recent years, there is a noticeable divide between politics of northern
and southern Nevada. The north has long maintained control of key positions in
the state government even while the population of the Las Vegas area is larger
than the rest of the state. This has fostered resentment as the north sees the
south as a potential bully of majority rule and the south sees the north as the
"old guard" trying to rule as an oligarchy. However, due to a term limit
amendment passed by Nevada voters in 1994, and again in 1996, some of the North's
hold over key positions will soon be forfeited to the South, leaving Northern
Nevada with less power. Most people outside the state are not familiar with this
rivalry. According to official statistics, party registration numbers show that
40.5% of voters are registered Republicans, with 40.1% being Democrats and 19.3%
of voters being Independents.
The skyline of Reno.The state is not
dominated by either major political party and is a swing state in both state and
federal politics. Republicans won Nevada three times in the 1980s. Democrat Bill
Clinton won the state in the 1992 and 1996 presidential elections and Republican
George Bush won Nevada in 2000 and 2004. In 2004, George Bush narrowly won the
state's five electoral votes by a margin of two percentage points with 50.5% of
the vote. Las Vegas' Clark County, which contains the vast majority of the state's
population, was the only county to vote Democratic.
The state's U. S. Senators are newly-elevated Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D), a native of the town of Searchlight, and Senator John Ensign (R).
In state politics, both Democrats and Republicans have gained control of the governorship and the Nevada Legislature, with often cross-party support for varying candidates and politicians. However, no party has yet had concrete control of the Legislature or governorship in recent years.
State departments and agencies
Department of Administration
Department of Agriculture
Attorney General
Department of Business
& Industry
Department of Conservation & Natural Resources
Consumer
Health Assistance
Controller's Office
Department of Correction
Department
of Cultural Affairs
Nevada Commission on Economic Development
Department
of Education
Nevada Secretary of State, Election Division
Department of
Employment, Training & Rehabilitation
Gaming Control Board
Governor's
Office
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Information
Technology
Department of Justice
Lieutenant Governor
Nevada Military
Department
Division of Minerals, Commission on Mineral Resources
Department
of Motor Vehicles
Nevada National Guard
Department of Personnel
Advisory
Council for Prosecuting Attorneys
Public Employees Benefit Program
Public
Employees Retirement System
Department of Public Safety
Public Utilities
Commission
Department of Secretary of State
Department of Taxation
Commission
on Tourism
Department of Transportation
Nevada State Treasurer
Universities
and Community Colleges of Nevada
Nevada Office of Veterans' Services
Western
Interstate Commission for Higher Education
Department of Wildlife
Local
important governorment laws Incorporated towns in Nevada, known as cities, are
vested with home rule powers, meaning that they are given the authority to legislate
anything not prohibited by law.
Unincorporated towns are settlements emminently governed by the county in which they are located, but who, by local referendum or by the act of the county commission, can form limited local governments in the form of a Town Advisory Board (TAB)/ Citizens Advisory Council (CAC), or a Town Board.
Town Advisory Boards and Citizens Advisory Councils are formed purely by act of the county commission. Consisting of three to five members, these elected boards form a purely advisory role, and in no way diminish the responsibilities of the county commission that creates them. Members of advisory councils and boards are elected to two year terms, and serve without compenstation. The councils and boards, themselves, are provided no revenue, and oversee no budget.
Town Boards are limited local governments created by either the local county commission, or by referendum. The board consists of five members elected to four-year terms. Half the board is required to be up for election in each election. The board elects from within its ranks a town chairperson and town clerk. While more powerful than Town Advisory Boards and Citizens Advisory Councils, they also serve a largely advisory role, with their funding provided by their local county commission. The local county commission has the power to put before residents of the town a vote on whether to keep or dissolve a town board at any general election. Town boards have the ability to appoint a town manager if they choose to do so.
Important
Cities and Towns
Rank City Population
within
city limits Land Area
sq.
miles Population
Density
per sq mi County
1 Las Vegas 553,807 131.3
4,217.8 Clark
2 Henderson 255,646 79.7 2,200.8 Clark
3 Paradise 221,051
47.1 3,947.3 Clark
4 Reno 206,629 69.1 2,611.4 Washoe
5 Sunrise Manor
195,581 38.2 4,081.8 Clark
6 North Las Vegas 177,751 78.5 1,471.0 Clark
7
Spring Valley 176,552 33.4 3,519.4 Clark
8 Sparks 88,518 23.9 2,773.6 Washoe
9 Carson City 58,350 143.4 366 Carson City
10 Pahrump 44,614 297.9 82.7
Nye
Paradise, Sunrise Manor, and Spring Valley are unincorporated towns in the Las Vegas metropolitan area.
Rank County Population
within
county
limits Land Area
sq. miles Population
Density
per sq mi Largest city
1 Clark 1,715,337 7,910 174 Las Vegas
2 Washoe 383,453 6,342 54 Reno
3
Carson City 56,146 155.7 366 Carson City
4 Douglas 47,803 710 58 Gardnerville
Ranchos
5 Elko 46,499 17,179 3 Elko
6 Lyon 44,646 1,994 17 Fernley
7
Nye 38,181 18,147 2 Pahrump
8 Churchill 26,106 4,929 5 Fallon
9 Humboldt
17,129 9,648 2 Winnemucca
10 White Pine 8,966 8,876 1 Ely
Note: table was compiled using Nevada State estimates from 2004 for population and Census 2000 for area and density
See also: List of cities in Nevada
10 richest
places in Nevada
Ranked by per capita income
Incline Village-Crystal
Bay $52,521
Kingsbury $41,451
Mount Charleston $38,821
Verdi-Mogul
$38,233
Zephyr Cove-Round Hill Village $37,218
Summerlin South $33,017
Blue Diamond $30,479
Minden $30,405
Boulder City $29,770
Spanish
Springs $26,908
Further information: Nevada locations by per capita income
Education
Colleges and universities
Morrison University
Nevada
System of Higher Education
University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV)
University
of Nevada, Reno (UNR)
Nevada State College at Henderson
Truckee Meadows
Community College (TMCC)
Great Basin College
College of Southern Nevada
(CSN)
Western Nevada Community College
Sierra Nevada College
Touro
University Nevada
University of Southern Nevada
Parks and Recreation
Recreation areas maintained by the National Park Service
California National
Historic Trail
Death Valley National Park
Great Basin National Park near
Baker
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Old Spanish National Historic
Trail
Pony Express National Historic Trail
Southern Nevada
Mount Charleston
and the Mount Charleston Wilderness Area
Mount Charleston as seen from the
North Loop Trail, late AprilSpring Mountains and the Spring Mountains National
Recreation Area
Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest
Bootleg Canyon Mountain
Bike Park
Ash Meadows National Wildlife Preserve
Sports
Las Vegas
Gladiators, Arena Football League
Las Vegas 51s, minor league baseball
Las
Vegas Wranglers, East Coast Hockey League
Battle Born Derby Deamons, Roller
Derby
Reno Silver Sox, Golden Baseball League
Reno Raiders, ECHL
Las
Vegas Posse, Canadian Football League (defunct)
Las Vegas Outlaws, XFL (defunct)
UNLV Rebels
University of Nevada Wolf Pack
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Miscellaneous topics
Nevada's nicknames are "Sagebrush State, "Battle
Born State", and "Silver State", and the state's motto is "All
for Our Country". "Home Means Nevada" by Bertha Raffetto is the
state song. The phrase "Battle Born" is on the state flag; "The
Battle Born State" is the official state slogan, as Nevada was admitted into
the union during the American Civil War.
Although the name is derived from the Spanish word Nevada meaning "snowy", the local pronunciation of the state's name is not IPA: [n?'v?d?], but IPA: [n?'væd?]. Residents use the state name as a Shibboleth to determine whether or not the speaker is a native Nevadan. Residents also often regard the pronunciation as a test of whether visitors such as presidential candidates, have informed themselves about the state. In 2005, the state issued a new series of license plates that list the name of the state as Nevada to help with the pronunciation problem.
Several United States Navy ships have been named USS Nevada in honor of the state.
Nevada is home to Nellis Air Force Base, a major testing and training base of the United States Air Force. Nellis is reputedly the home of Area 51, a top-secret installation of which the U.S. federal government has always denied existence. Area 51 is supposedly located in Groom Lake. Some time ago, the United States Air Force confirmed that there is an operating facility at Groom Lake, but the nature of the activities being conducted at Groom Lake are classified and cannot be disclosed.
The paranormal radio talk show host Art Bell lives in Pahrump, Nevada.
In Finnish language there is a very well known concept "huitsin Nevada", which refers to some far away place in spoken language (in a same way as a saying "from here to Timbuktu"). The origin and history of the saying is unknown. "Nevada" refers to the name of this US state and "huitsin" is a slang word meaning "very" or "utter".
Songs about Nevada
Sands of Nevada
from Mark Knopfler's 2000 release Sailing to Philadelphia
Future Issues
Nevada
enjoys many economic advantages and the southern portion of the state enjoys mild
winter weather, but rapid growth has led to issues of overcrowded schools. Nevada
is already home to the nation's 5th largest school district in the Clark County
School District (projected fall 2007 enrollment is 314,000 students grades K-12),
the state has seen rising crime levels, and problems with transportation (according
to state figures, there is a 1 billion dollar shortfall in funds for road construction
projects in Nevada). Most recently, there has been news of water shortfalls in
Southern Nevada in the years to come, due to the population increase, and the
Southern Nevada Water Authority estimates that there will be water shortages by
the year 2010, despite plans to import water from rural and northern Nevada. Despite
this, the state remains one of the fast growing in the country.
The residents of the communities in the Las Vegas Valley pay some of the highest car insurance rates in the nation.
Some have suggested that Nevada annex the town of Wendover, Utah, which would be merged with West Wendover, Nevada. This deal will require the permission of the Nevada and Utah legislatures, as well as the U.S. Congress.
State symbols
State animal: Desert Bighorn Sheep
State artifact: Tule
Duck Decoy
State bird: Mountain Bluebird
State colors: Silver and Blue
State fish: Lahontan cutthroat trout
State flower: Sagebrush (Artemisia
tridentata)
State fossil: Ichthyosaur
State grass: Indian ricegrass
State
march: "Silver State Fanfare" by Gerald Willis
State metal: Silver
(Ag)
State motto: "All for our country"
State precious gemstone:
Virgin Valley black fire opal
State semiprecious gemstone: Nevada turquoise
State song: "Home Means Nevada" by Bertha Raffetto
State reptile:
Desert Tortoise
State rock: Sandstone
State soil: Orovada (soil) series
State tartan: A particular tartan designed for Nevada by Richard Zygmunt Pawlowski
State trees: Single-leaf Pinyon pine and Bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva)
A fictional history (with a great deal of fact) titled Nevada was written
by Clint McCullough.
A Information page or directory on the State of Nevada and Las Vegas
100s of great websites http://www.lonympics.co.uk/
The Entrance to the Internet Sea Safari, with more creatures many of us have never seen before
Things to do in the Faeroes, and more Things to do in many places Sites
A to B - B to A Travel and fact guide
The Entrance to the second land, Internet Safari, the wildlife safari of the web
The Entrance to the Internet World Botany Park, the smallest of our tours
The Killers, the Major New Band
A Safari Price Comparision Website
Happy Holidays Deals, go here if your looking for a Holiday or Vacation tour or hotel at times
Cryptology Nevada specifically and South West USA generally
The Lonympics World History Tour, a short tour round the world looking at some fascinating thing
The facts in this page on Nevada were updated in December 2007 This T Short is good value say some customers.