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For other uses, see Nevada (disambiguation).

State of Nevada

Flag of Nevada Seal of Nevada Nickname(s): Silver State, Sagebrush State, Battle Born State (official)
Official language(s)	None
Capital Largest city	Carson City Las Vegas
Area	Ranked 7th
- Total	110,567 sq. mi.  (286,367 km²)
- Width	322 miles (519 km)
- Length	490 miles (788 km)
- % water	0.7
- Latitude	35°N to 42°N
- Longitude	114°W to 120°W
Population	Ranked 35th
- Total (2000)	1,998,257
- Density	18.21/sq. mi.  7.03/km² (43rd)
Elevation
- Highest point	Boundary Peak 13,140 feet  (4,005 m)
- Mean	5,499 feet  (1,676 m)
- Lowest point	479 feet  (146 m)
Admission to Union	October 31, 1864 (36th)
Governor	Kenny Guinn (R)
U.S. Senators	Harry Reid (D) John Ensign (R)
Time zone(s)	Pacific: UTC-8/-7 Mountain: UTC-7/-6 (only West Wendover)
Abbreviations	NV US-NV
Web site	www.nevada.gov

Nevada is a state located in the western United States, best known for its widespread legalization of gambling and gaming industry.

Contents 1 Geography 2 History 3 Demographics 3.1 Religion 4 Economy 5 Transportation 6 Law and government 6.1 Legislature 6.2 Judiciary 6.3 Unusual laws 6.4 Politics 7 Important cities and towns 7.1 10 richest places in Nevada 8 Education 8.1 Colleges and universities 9 Professional sports teams 10 Miscellaneous topics 11 State symbols 11.1 Famous Nevadans 12 See also 13 References 14 External links

Geography

Further information: List of Nevada counties

Nevada has borders with Oregon and Idaho to the north; California to the west; Arizona to the southeast; and Utah to the east. The border with Arizona includes the Colorado River and Hoover Dam.

It is in a mountainous region that includes semiarid grasslands, lush alpine forests, and sandy deserts, and is the most arid state in the nation. The northern and central portions of Nevada are mostly within the Great Basin Desert, while portions of the southern tip are within the Mojave Desert.

Negotiations are currently underway for Nevada to annex Wendover, Utah, which would be merged with West Wendover, Nevada. This deal will require the permission of both the Nevada and Utah legislatures and the U.S. Congress.

Areas maintained by the National Park Service include:

• 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

History

Derived from the Priest Kino expeditions at the end of the 17^th century through north Mexico and south U.S., Nevada passed to Spanish control, belonging to the Viceroyalty of New Spain. In 1821 became part of the First Mexican Empire of Agustin de Iturbide, until 1823, and afterwards of Mexico. As a result of the Mexico-American war of 1847-48 and based on the Guadalupe-Hidalgo Treaty, Nevada became part of the United States. On August 14, 1850, the U.S. Congress established the Utah territory which included the present day states of Utah, Idaho and Nevada. The year 1859 saw the discovery of the Comstock Lode, a rich outcropping of gold and silver, and Virginia City sprang up. This discovery brought a flood of miners, prospectors, merchants and others hoping to strike it rich.

On March 2, 1861, Nevada separated from the Utah territory and adopted its current name, shortened from Sierra Nevada (Spanish for "snowy range"). On October 31, 1864, just eight days prior to the presidential election, Nevada became the 36th state in the union. Statehood was rushed through despite Nevada's tiny population 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 politically reliable (as opposed to the more agrarian and Confederate-sympathizing California).

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. The transfer was prompted by the discovery of gold in the area, and it was thought that Nevada would be better able to oversee the expected population boom. This area includes most of what is now Clark County, Nevada.

Mining shaped Nevada's economy for many years. In the late 19th century, the Comstock Lode played out, and Nevada went into a tailspin. 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 helped save the state. This was soon followed by strikes in Goldfield and Rhyolite in the following years. These strikes lasted well into the 1910s and made Nevada a dominant player in mining once again.

Over 87% of the land 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 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.

Gambling was common in the early Nevada mining towns but was outlawed in 1909 as part of a nation-wide anti-gaming crusade. Due to a sharp decline in mining output in the 1920s and the decline of the agricultural sector during the Great Depression, Nevada re-legalized gambling on March 19, 1931, when senate bill 98 was signed into law. 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.

In 1931, construction began on Hoover Dam near Las Vegas. Thousands of workers from across the country came to build the dam, and providing for their needs in turn required many more workers. The dam, and later war industries such as the Basic Magnesium Plant, first started the growth of the southern area of the state. Over the next 75 years, Clark County grew in relation to the Reno area, until today it encompasses most of the state's population.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census year	Population
1860	6,857
1870	42,941
1880	62,266
1890	47,355
1900	42,335
1910	81,875
1920	77,407
1930	91,058
1940	110,247
1950	160,083
1960	285,278
1970	488,738
1980	800,493
1990	1,201,833
2000	1,998,257

According to the Census Bureau, as of 2005, Nevada has an estimated population of 2,414,807, which is an increase of 81,909, or 3.5%, from the prior year and an increase of 416,550, 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.

The racial makeup of the state is: 65.2% White non-Hispanic 19.7% Hispanic 6.8% Black 4.5% Asian 0.9% Native American 1.4% Mixed race The five largest ancestry groups in Nevada are: German (14.1%), Mexican (12.7%), Irish (11%), English (10.1%), Italian (6.6%), American (4.8%). In Clark and Pershing Counties, a plurality of residents are Mexican; Nye County and Humboldt County have a plurality of German-Americans. 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.

Nevada is the fastest growing state in the country. Between 2000 and 2003, Nevada's population increased 12.2%, while the USA's population increased 3.3%. 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 lives 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 – 44%
    • Baptist – 15%
    • Methodist – 6
    • Lutheran – 3%
    • Other Protestant – 21%
  • Roman Catholic – 24%
  • LDS – 9%
  • Other Christian – 1%
• Other Religions – 2%
• Non-Religious – 20%

Economy

The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that Nevada's total state product in 2003 was $88 billion. Per capita personal income in 2003 was $31,910, 19^th in the nation. Its agricultural outputs are cattle, hay, dairy products, onions and potatoes. Its industrial outputs are tourism, mining, machinery, printing and publishing, food processing, and electric equipment. It is well-known for gambling and nightlife. Large, luxurious casinos in Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe and Reno attract visitors from around the world.

Mines control a large percentage of Nevada's economy. Gold from the Carlin Trend in Northern Nevada is the second richest mining area in the world. Gold isn't the only mineral found in Nevada but other minerals, such as copper, molybdenum, and lithium, are also mined.

Further information: Nevada locations by per capita income

Nevada is also one of only a few states with no personal income tax. The state sales tax in Nevada is 6.5 percent. Counties can assess option taxes as well, making the combined state/county sales taxes rate in some areas as high as 7.5 percent.

Transportation

Interstate 15 passes through the southern tip of the state, serving Las Vegas and other communities. It has spur routes I-215 and I-515. Interstate 80 crosses through the northern part of Nevada, reaching 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.

The state is one of just a few in the country that allow semi-trailer combinations 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.

Union Pacific Railroad has some railroads in the north and in the south (map). Amtrak's California Zephyr uses one of the northern branches in a daily service from Chicago, Illinois to Emeryville, California serving Elko, Winnemucca, Sparks, and Reno. [1] BNSF Railway has trackage rights to the Union Pacific lines in the north.

Amtrak provides bus services from Las Vegas to Needles, California and Los Angeles ([2]). Greyhound Lines also provides some bus services.

Las Vegas has a bus network and a monorail system that is being extended. McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas is one of the busiest airports in the United States.

There are also bus services in Reno/Sparks, and from there to Carson City. Some counties do not have public transport at all, for example Eureka County.

Law and government

Nevada's governor is Kenny Guinn (Republican). Nevada's two U.S. senators are Harry Reid (Democrat) and John Ensign (Republican).

Further information: List of Nevada Governors

Legislature

Nevada has a bicameral legislature, divided into a Senate and an Assembly. Members of the Senate serve for 4 years, and members of the Assembly serve for 2 years. Each session of the Legislature meets for 4 months every two years, or longer if the Governor calls a special session. Currently, the Senate is controlled by the Republican Party and the Assembly is controlled by the Democratic Party.

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.

Original jurisdiction is divided between the District Courts (with general jurisdiction), and Justice Courts and Municipal Courts (both of limited jurisdiction).

Unusual laws

In 1900, 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, in a burst of ingenuity, built an economy by exploiting its sovereignty. Its strategy was to legalize all sorts of things that were illegal in California ... [a]fter easy divorce came easy marriage and casino gambling. Even prostitution is legal in Nevada, in any county that decides to allow it. Quite a few of them do. ^[1]

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.

Nevada is currently the only state that has different ages of consent for different sexual practices. An adult may have "ordinary sexual intercourse, anal intercourse, cunnilingus or fellatio" with another person that is 16 years old or older (NRS 200.364); however a different law makes it illegal to incite, entice, or solicit any minor (a person under 18) to engage in the "infamous crime against nature". (NRS 201.195). (See also: Age of Consent).

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 Las Vegas area is larger than the rest of the state (the "cow counties"). 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. Most people outside the state are not familiar with this rivalry.

The state is not dominated by either major political party. Republicans won Nevada three times in the 1980's. 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 5 electoral votes by a margin of 2 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, however results show that all but five of Nevada's counties, including Clark and Washoe counties, the two largest in the state, are trending Democratic.

Important cities and towns

The largest city is Las Vegas.

Rank City Population within city limits Land Area sq. miles Population Density per sq mi County 1 Las Vegas 549,571 113.3 4,222.5 Clark 2 Henderson 229,984 79.7 2,200.8 Clark 3 Reno 199,249 69.1 2,611.4 Washoe 4 Paradise 188,768 47.1 3,947.3 Clark 5 Sunrise Manor 184,801 38.2 4,081.8 Clark 6 North Las Vegas 164,971 78.5 1,471.0 Clark 7 Spring Valley 161,286 33.4 3,519.4 Clark 8 Sparks 81,673 23.9 2,773.6 Washoe 9 Enterprise 79,299 48.6 301.9 Clark 10 Carson City 56,146 143.4 366 Carson City 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 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 16,692 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 [edit] 10 richest places in Nevada Ranked by per capita income Incline Village-Crystal Bay, Nevada $52,521 Kingsbury, Nevada $41,451 Mount Charleston, Nevada $38,821 Verdi-Mogul, Nevada $38,233 Zephyr Cove-Round Hill Village, Nevada $37,218 Summerlin South, Nevada $33,017 Blue Diamond, Nevada $30,479 Minden, Nevada $30,405 Boulder City, Nevada $29,770 Spanish Springs, Nevada $26,908 Further information: Nevada locations by per capita income [edit] Education [edit] Colleges and universities Sierra Nevada College Nevada System of Higher Education University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) Nevada State College at Henderson Community College of Southern Nevada (CCSN) Great Basin College Truckee Meadows Community College Western Nevada Community College Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine at Henderson [edit] Professional sports teams Las Vegas Gladiators, Arena Football League Las Vegas 51s, minor league baseball Las Vegas Wranglers, East Coast Hockey League [edit] Miscellaneous topics Nevada's nickname is "The Silver State" or "The Sagebrush State", and the state's motto is "All for Our Country". "Home Means Nevada" by Bertha Rafetto 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 (in IPA) [nəˈvɑdə], but [nəˈvædə]. Residents 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 Nevăda to help with the pronunciation problem. Several United States Navy ships have been named USS Nevada in honor of the state. Nevada is the only state with legalized prostitution. Further information: Prostitution in Nevada Nevada is also 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, near Nellis Air Force Base. The paranormal radio talk show host Art Bell lives in Pahrump, Nevada. [edit] State symbols Digitally colored elevation map of Nevada 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 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 series State tartan: A particular tartan designed for Nevada by Richard Zygmunt Pawlowski State trees: Single-leaf Piñon and Bristlecone pine [edit] Famous Nevadans Andre Agassi - tennis player Art Bell - paranormal talk radio show host of Coast To Coast AM Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch - NASCAR drivers Walter van Tilburg Clark - writer Michael Chang - tennis player Brandon Flowers, singer Jenna Jameson - adult film actress Jack Kramer - tennis player Paul Laxalt - politician Robert Laxalt - writer Greg Maddux - Major League Baseball player Pat Nixon - First Lady Harry Reid - Senate Minority Leader Edna Purviance - actress Steve Wynn - casino owner Barry Zito - Major League Baseball player A fictional history (with a great deal of fact) titled Nevada was written by Clint McCullough. [edit] See also Scouting in Nevada List of cities in Nevada List of Governors of Nevada List of mountain ranges of Nevada List of Nevada counties List of Nevada rivers List of Nevada state prisons List of people from Nevada List of radio stations in Nevada List of television stations in Nevada List of United States Senators from Nevada List of ZIP Codes in Nevada [edit] References ^ Lawrence M. Friedman, American Law in the Twentieth Century (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2002), 596-597. [edit] External links Find more information on Nevada by searching Wikipedia's sister projects: Dictionary definitions from Wiktionary Textbooks from Wikibooks Quotations from Wikiquote Source texts from Wikisource Images and media from Commons News stories from Wikinews Official state website Nevada state symbols Nevada State Library and Archives — Why Did Nevada Become a State? Photos of Nevada - Terra Galleria US Census Bureau Nevada Employment State and County Data County Maps of Nevada Full color maps. List of cities, towns and county seats Wikipedia's Delamar Ghost Town, Nevada [3] State of Nevada State capital Carson City Regions Great Basin | Mojave Desert | Lake Tahoe | Las Vegas Valley Major cities Carson City | Henderson | Las Vegas | North Las Vegas | Reno | Sparks Counties Churchill | Clark | Douglas | Elko | Esmeralda | Eureka | Humboldt | Lander | Lincoln | Lyon | Mineral | Nye | Pershing | Storey | Washoe | White Pine Political divisions of the United States States Alabama | Alaska | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine | Maryland | Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Montana | Nebraska | Nevada | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New Mexico | New York | North Carolina | North Dakota | Ohio | Oklahoma | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island | South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Vermont | Virginia | Washington | West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming Federal district District of Columbia Insular areas American Samoa | Guam | Northern Mariana Islands | Puerto Rico | Virgin Islands COFA Republic of the Marshall Islands | Republic of Palau | Federated States of Micronesia Minor outlying islands Baker Island | Howland Island | Jarvis Island | Johnston Atoll | Kingman Reef | Midway Atoll | Navassa Island | Palmyra Atoll | Wake Island