Nevada is an American state in the southwest of the United
States. It borders Oregon and
Idaho to the north, Utah to the
east, California to the west, and
Arizona to the southeast.
Nevada has an area of 286,367 km².
With 286,351 km² it is
the seventh largest state - behind Alaska, Texas, California,
Montana, New Mexico and Arizona - and with 9.43 inhabitants/km²
it is the ninth least densely populated, ahead of Nebraska,
Idaho, New Mexico, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming
and Alaska, the least densely populated. It was admitted to the
Union on October 31, 1864, as state number 36, in the middle of
the Civil War; This has earned it the nickname of The State Born
in Battle.
Nevada has the highest population growth rates
– 66.3% between 1990 and 2000 – in the entire United States,
largely thanks to the large immigration of Mexicans. However,
most of Nevada is almost unpopulated. The majority of the
state's population is concentrated in the urban centers of Las
Vegas, Henderson and Reno.
The first European explorers
to explore the Nevada area were the Spanish, who gave it the
name Nevada, because of the snow that covered the mountains in
winter. It was part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain until 1821,
the date of Mexican independence, becoming part of Mexico. In
1848, with the end of the Mexican-American War, it became part
of the United States.
During the 1870s, large deposits of
silver were found in Nevada, earning it the nickname The Silver
State. Currently, mining still has a certain importance in its
economy, although much less than in the past. In addition to
silver, it is a major producer of gold, oil and sand. However,
currently the largest source of income is tourism (Las Vegas and
Reno).
Nevada West Here you will find Nevada's second largest city, Reno,
Pyramid Lake and Lake Tahoe. Furthermore, in the area you will find
settlements from the time of the gold or silver rush, some of which are
well preserved, such as today's capital Carson City and Virginia City.
Nevada North Sparsely populated area with the larger towns of
Winnemucca and Elko. Snowier than the rest of the state in winter.
Central Nevada White Pine County and Lincoln County to the south is
the most sparsely populated area in the state with just 13,500
inhabitants and an area of 50,591 km².
Nevada South In the south
you will find the gambling metropolis Las Vegas and the Hoover Dam,
which dams Lake Mead. About 100 km north of Las Vegas near Mercury on US
95 is the huge former nuclear bomb test area of the USA ("Nevada Test
Site", today "Nevada National Security Site"). There are also some old,
partly abandoned gold mining towns in the south. Very dry desert climate
that gets hotter towards the south.
Austin
Boulder City
Battle Mountain
Carson City - Capital of
Nevada
Ely
Henderson
Las Vegas
Reno
Tonopah
Virginia
City
Winnemucca
Belmont Ghost Town is an abandoned ghost town situated in Nevada. Belmont was found in 1865 on a site of newly discovered silver deposit.
Gold Point Ghost Town is an abandoned settlement in Esmeralda County of Nevada. It was originally found in 1880's.
Great Basin National Park sits near Baker, Nevada in United States. This nature reserve covers an area of 77,180 acres.
Rhyolite Ghost Town is an abandoned settlement in Nye County, Nevada and was originally found in 1904.
You shouldn't have any problems with English in Nevada, as almost 80% of the population only speaks this language. Relatively few people speak Spanish compared to neighboring states in Nevada, but the Spanish-speaking population is currently increasing rapidly. In metropolises like Las Vegas, in addition to the main language English, there are many other languages, including other European, Asian and above all the languages of the natives of Nevada, mainly the Paiute and the Western Shoshone Indians, who still live in small reservations and "colonies “ live on the outskirts of the cities.
By plane
The American airlines American Airlines, Delta Air Lines
and United Airlines are easy to get to from German and other European
airports with a stopover in the United States to McCarran International
Airport in Las Vegas. Condor has direct flights from Frankfurt am Main
twice a week.
By car
Nevada is easily accessible by car from
all surrounding states, especially California. However, there can be
heavy traffic jams, especially on weekends on the way to Las Vegas.
By train
Amtrak currently serves Reno, not Las Vegas. The train
arriving in Reno comes from Sacramento, California, and also makes stops
in Nevada at Winnemucca and Elko before continuing on to Salt Lake City.
Plans have been in place for years to bring passenger trains back to Las
Vegas, but have so far remained unrealized.
You can travel the 560 kilometers (350 miles) from Las Vegas to Reno comfortably and quickly by plane, there are several flights daily to Reno Cannon International Airport and back. However, you have to stop at almost every connection, e.g. B. Plan in Salt Lake City. You can also get to the surrounding states without any problems, there are daily direct flights to the largest cities in the USA.
On the highway: When driving through the Nevada deserts, you should
always make sure that there is enough gas in the tank, because it is
usually several miles to the next gas station. You should always pack
enough provisions, especially drinking water, for longer car journeys,
as you may have to wait a long time for help in the event of a breakdown
or an accident. It doesn't make sense to move away from your vehicle.
Take a spare petrol can with you as a precaution.
In the desert:
One should not enter the desert alone and without a professionally
trained ranger, as it is easy to get lost. Even with a clear view, the
starting point quickly disappears on the horizon. You should definitely
not leave the roads and stay in the open desert during a sandstorm or
extreme heat (which prevails in the desert almost all year round).
Animals are also at risk, especially rattlesnakes, and some poisonous
species of spiders can also be found in the dry desert. In the event of
a sting or bite, instead of running away and panicking, make careful
note of the animal and go to the nearest doctor or snake farm. Snake
farmers in particular usually have the antivenoms of the animals in the
area. In short: Staying in the desert without a ranger and/or at least
one partner is life-threatening.
Nevada, as a state rich in gold and silver (state motto: All for our
contry"), is littered with many long-abandoned settlements of miners,
the so-called "ghost towns". The gold and silver mines have contributed
to Nevada's image as an Eldorado for adventurers. Today there are only a
few, tw. to visit dilapidated buildings and constructions from the
heyday of the respective mines. But they still give an almost
unadulterated impression of the rough reality of life in the "Wild West"
between 1860 and 1950. In some of the tw. Ghost towns that are difficult
to find, but easily accessible by normal car, are still inhabited by
people today, mostly loners and hermits, who are nonetheless always
curious about strangers. Worthwhile destinations to visit ghost towns
are:
Rhyolite (at Beatty)
Goldfield (Semi-Ghost Town between Las
Vegas and Tonopah; only partially derelict)
goldpoint
Manhattan
and neighboring Belmont (northwest of Tonopah)
Tuscarora (north of
Elko)
Cherry Creek (north of Ely, still partly inhabited)
Nevada is bordered to the north by Oregon and Idaho, to the west by
California, to the southeast by Arizona, and to the east by Utah. The
border with Arizona includes the Colorado River and the Hoover Dam. The
state is crossed by several mountain ranges that run from north to
south. Among most of them are drainage valleys. Its territory occupies
an area of 286,352 km², whose extension can be compared to that of
Ecuador.
Most of the northern part of the state is within the
Great Basin Desert, a cold desert that experiences warm temperatures in
summer and freezing temperatures in winter. Moisture from the Arizona
Monsoon sometimes causes summer storms, and Pacific storms often cover
the area with snow.
The Humboldt River flows east to west through
northern Nevada and empties into the Humboldt Sink near Lovelock.
Several rivers flow from the Sierra Nevada to the east, including the
Walker, Truckee, and Carson.
The mountain ranges (some of which
have peaks exceeding 3,600 metres) are home to lush forests high above
the desert plains. Often, the altitude at which the valleys are located
does not go below 900 meters.
The eastern parts of the state
receive more humidity in summer and have somewhat greener terrain
(that's where Artemisia tridentata, the state flower, grows). In that
area, some rivers and streams break the monotony of the desert
landscape.
The southern third of the state, which includes the
Las Vegas area, is in the middle of the Mojave Desert. It receives less
precipitation in winter, but is closer to the Arizona Monsoon in summer.
The terrain is lower, mostly below 1200 meters, which makes the daytime
temperature in summer very high and the nighttime temperature in winter
very low, due to the thermal inversion.
Nevada and California
share the longest diagonal interstate border, at more than 400 miles
(640 km) (there are a few more, though much smaller, diagonal borders in
the northeastern states and Washington, D.C.). All other state
boundaries are either meridians or parallel, or are irregular and
correspond to rivers, mountains, lakes, etc.
The largest mountain
range in the south of the state is the Spring Mountains, located
immediately west of Las Vegas. The lowest point in Nevada is along the
Colorado River, south of Laughlin.
Nevada is usually divided into three physiographic regions:
the
Great Basin, which occupies most of Nevada; This geographic region has a
great variation in altitude: from 146 meters of altitude in the extreme
southeast of the State (next to the Colorado River) to 4,005 meters of
altitude (Boundary Peak) in the southwest. These two points are,
respectively, the lowest and highest point of the State. The Great Basin
is characterized by its rocky and rugged soil. Throughout this region
there are various geysers and hot springs.
the Columbia Plateau,
located in the extreme northeast of Nevada, whose main characteristics
are the presence of deep and narrow valleys, and a slightly rugged soil.
the Sierra Nevada, a mountain range located in the central-west of the
state, with many peaks above 3000 and 4,000 meters of altitude.
Nevada has a desert climate, with two well-defined seasons. The
state's winters are long and very cold, while summers are mostly warm.
However, due to its desert climate, the state registers large
temperature variations between day and night. For example, Reno
sometimes records differences between the maximum and minimum
temperatures of a given day greater than 25 °C. The southern region is
the one that experiences the highest average temperatures throughout the
year, thanks to its low altitude and lower latitude in relation to the
rest of the State.
In winter, the lowest average annual
temperatures are recorded in northeastern Nevada, and the highest in its
southern part. Nevada's average temperature is -4°C in the northeast,
-3°C in the north, and -6°C in the south. For its part, the average
minimum is 2 °C in the south and -10 °C in the northeast, and the
average maximum is 13 °C in the south and 4 °C in the northeast. Extreme
temperatures vary between -40°C and 22°C. The lowest temperature
recorded in Nevada was -46 °C, on January 8, 1937, in San Jacinto.
In summer, the highest average annual temperatures are recorded in
southern Nevada, and the lowest in the highest altitude regions and in
the north in general. The average temperature in the south is 30 °C, and
21 °C in higher altitude regions and in the north. The average minimum
temperature is 21 °C in the south and 7 °C in higher altitude regions
and in the north. The average maximum temperature is 40 °C in the south
and 29 °C in the higher altitude regions and in the north of the State.
The highest temperature recorded in Nevada was 52°C, measured in
Laughlin on June 29, 1994.
Nevada has the lowest average annual
rainfall rate in the entire United States. Only the highest altitude
regions receive more than 60 centimeters of rain annually. However, most
of Nevada receives less than a foot annually. The north in general has
an average annual precipitation of 35 centimeters, while the lower
altitude regions, which occupy all of the south and much of western
Nevada, receive less than 20 centimeters. Average annual snowfall rates
in Nevada range from 750 centimeters in the Sierra Nevada to less than
2.5 centimeters in the south.
Nevada has an average altitude of 1,675 meters. The highest point is
Boundary Peak, which rises to 4,005 meters in the southwestern part of
the state, near the border with California. Other peaks include Wheeler
Peak (3,992 m), Mount Jefferson (3,642 m), Charleston Peak (3,633 m) and
North Schell Peak (3,622 m). In addition, there are about 50 peaks above
2,750 meters. The lowest point is 146 meters above sea level, in the
south of the State.
Nevada belongs to the Great Basin, which
extends east of California. The relief is formed by an almost parallel
succession of mountain ranges. Most of them are about 100 km long. The
longest are the Schell Creek Range (210 km), the Toiyabe Range (188 km)
and the Ruby Range (165 km). These mountain ranges are framed by
longitudinally oriented basins that were filled by alluvial deposits in
the Miocene. There are also grabens and horsts bounded by normal faults
typical of a distension zone. This topography is the result of intense
tectogenesis that creates faults that delimit the grabens. The valleys
receive the debris from erosion at the foot of the mountain ranges and
their glacis.
At altitudes that sometimes exceed 3,600 meters,
the mountains are home to lush forests inhabited by numerous endemic
species. Northern Nevada is located in the Great Basin Desert, where
temperatures are warm in summer and very cold in winter. The eastern
part of the state is wetter. The Las Vegas area is located in the Mojave
Desert. It receives less precipitation in winter, but is subject to the
Arizona monsoon.
Nevada's main river is the Humboldt (480 km), which flows entirely
within the state in the northern part. It does not flow into any sea,
like many of the rivers in the Great Basin. The Colorado River flows
through the south. The other rivers are tributaries of variable size,
generally fed by the melting of mountain peaks in spring. Three basins
are distinguished: in the west, the Truckee and Carson rivers
originate in the Sierra Nevada and are linked to high-altitude lakes; In
the north, the Owyhee River is a tributary of the Snake River that runs
through the northwestern United States. Finally, the Virgin, White, and
Muddy rivers flow into Lake Mead and join the Colorado River.
The
main natural lakes are located in the western part of the state and are
high-altitude lakes: Lake Tahoe stretches between California and Nevada.
It measures 502 square kilometers and is at an altitude of 1,867 meters.
It is the third deepest lake in America and the eighth in the world.
Pyramid Lake (487 square kilometers) is an endorheic lake fed by the
Truckee River. Lastly, Walker Lake is a 272 square kilometer natural
lake. To the south, Lake Mead is the main body of water. It is an
artificial lake created by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River in the
1930s. It is 180 km long upstream of the dam, 640 square kilometers and
885 km of coastline.
Nevada's main problem is aridity. It is especially serious in the
most populated areas, especially in the Las Vegas area, where the demand
for water is high.
The Hoover Dam was built in the 1930s to meet
the needs of the city. Built on the Colorado River, the dam created an
artificial body of water, Lake Mead, stretching for about 150
kilometers. When the Hoover Dam reservoir became insufficient to supply
water to neighboring states, the Colorado River dried up almost
completely downstream. The decrease in the supply of fresh water to the
Gulf of California (Mexico) is causing an increase in salinity levels
that is harmful to marine life. In the arid environment of Nevada, other
rivers are drying up due to evaporation and human withdrawals for
irrigation.
Parks and nature reserves were created for the
recreation of city dwellers and tourists, but also to protect wildlife.
Great Basin National Park was created in 1986 and is located in eastern
Nevada. It covers 312 square kilometers at the foot of Wheeler Peak.
There are also a large number of state parks.
The State of Nevada
has a goal of achieving 20% of its energy consumption from renewable
sources by 2015, which includes solar plants in the desert. Nevada
Solar One, a 64 MW facility near Boulder City, in the Mojave Desert, is
the third largest solar power plant in the world. 14 units produce 1.27
megawatt-hours per year of geothermal electricity (2005) and five new
plants are planned. This energy is used in the food industry.
Mining activity causes all kinds of pollution: mercury lost from gold
mining is by far the most important source.
The Spanish name "Nevada" was given to this territory by the
Franciscan friar and Spanish explorer Francisco Garcés (1738-1781), the
first non-native to set foot on this land, in 1776, as it was limited at
its western end by the Sierra Nevada mountain range. ("snow-covered
mountains").
Nevadans typically pronounce the second syllable of
their state using the /æ/ vowel in "bad." Many people outside the
western states of the country pronounce it with the vowel /ɑː/ of
"father" /nəˈvɑːdə/. Although the latter pronunciation is closer to the
Spanish pronunciation, it is not preferred by local people. The local
pronunciation is not [nəˈβɑdə], but [nəˈvædə]. In 2005, the Nevada
Tourism Commission issued a special license plate listing the state's
name as Nevăda, to help with the pronunciation problem. Notably, George
W. Bush made such a faux pas for his campaign for the 2004 United States
presidential election. Later vindication came when President Bush
campaigned at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center on June 18, 2004. The
president opened his speech by proclaiming that "It's great to be here
in Nevada /nəˈˈvædə/", emphasizing the correct pronunciation of the
letter A. The crowd gave its approval when he joyfully pointed , "You
didn't think I'd get it right, did ya?" ("You didn't think I'd say it
right, did you?")3 Bush subsequently won the state in the election.
Assemblyman Harry Mortenson has proposed a bill to recognize the
alternative (quasi-Spanish) pronunciation of Nevada.
Derived from the expeditions of Father Kino at the end of the 17th
century through the north of present-day Mexico and the south of the US,
Nevada was explored and conquered by the Spanish Crown in the first two
decades of the 18th century - although not fully colonized. -. It was
part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain until 1821, when it was also part
of the First Mexican Empire of Agustín de Iturbide and in 1823 of
Mexico. As a result of the American Intervention in Mexico of 1847-48,
and by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo of 1848, Nevada became part of
the United States of America. In 1850, the United States Congress
established the Territory of Utah, which included the present-day states
of Utah, Idaho, and Nevada. In 1859, important deposits of gold and
silver were discovered in the area, which brought numerous miners,
merchants and other people to the region who sought to become rich.
On March 2, 1861, Nevada separated from the Utah Territory and
adopted its current name, an abbreviation of the Spanish name "Sierra
Nevada." On October 31, 1864, Nevada became the 36th state of the union.
The state's current boundaries were established on March 5, 1866 by
absorbing part of Pah-Ute County into Arizona Territory, west of the
Colorado River. The transfer was expedited after gold was discovered in
the area and Nevada was considered more prepared to control the
territory thanks to the increase in population.
Gambling was
common in the mining towns of early Nevada but was declared illegal in
1909 when a nationwide anti-gambling crusade began. The state legalized
gambling again in 1931 due to the agricultural and mining crisis that
the region was suffering. At that time it was believed that legalization
would last a few years, just enough to overcome the crisis. However,
making the game illegal again has never been considered.
It is
also worth noting that Nevada has been an important nuclear testing area
during the last century, with restricted military zones for nuclear
experimentation and the well-known army air base called "Area 51".
Native Americans lived in the region where the State of Nevada is
currently located thousands of years before the arrival of the first
European explorers. All the indigenous tribes that lived in the region
were part of the Uto-Aztec family. The first European explorer to
explore the region was the Spanish Francisco Garcés, in 1776, having
left New Mexico in the direction of California. At that time, Nevada was
part of the Spanish colonies in the Americas. With the exception of a
few trading posts for bartering with local indigenous people, no
permanent settlement was established in the region for decades.
In 1821, with the independence of Mexico, Nevada became controlled by
this country. However, the Mexicans had little interest in colonizing
the region of present-day Nevada, due to its desert climate, which was
not conducive to the practice of agriculture. Nevada continued to be
inhabited only by local indigenous natives. During the 1820s, various
British explorers, mostly merchants under the Hudson's Bay Company,
began exploring the lands of Nevada. In 1830, Joseph Walker left Santa
Fe, Texas, heading for Los Angeles, California. In the middle of the
trip, in the desert region of Nevada, he built a rudimentary road to
better orient himself. This road was widely used during the California
gold rush of 1848, which attracted thousands of American immigrants from
the east of the country to the west. .
In 1848, Mexico was
defeated by the United States in the American Intervention in Mexico,
which had begun in 1846. As a result, the entire Nevada region became
part of the United States. In 1850, the Territory of Utah was
established, which included the center and north of present-day Nevada.
The remainder was part of the Territory of New Mexico, also established
in 1850.
American settlers gradually settled in the Nevada
region. The first American settlement in Nevada was Virginia City. Early
urban settlements were created primarily to serve as a supply center for
people from the eastern United States heading west. However, these
supplies—food, clothing, weapons, and basic utensils were very
expensive, since they were usually purchased in California—until the
late 1860s. In 1859, large deposits of silver were found in Virginia
City, which It attracted numerous mining companies and thousands of
people from California and the eastern United States. The population of
the region increased from a few hundred inhabitants in 1850 to 6,857
inhabitants in 1860. In March 1861 the Territory of Nevada was created,
which at that time incorporated only the current regions of Nevada that
were previously part of the Territory of New Mexico.
In 1861, the
Civil War broke out, dividing the country into two: the Union, which was
the United States itself, and the rebellious Confederate States of
America. The majority of the population of Nevada was in favor of the
Union. Abraham Lincoln, the then president of the United States, wanted
to approve a series of constitutional amendments that would prohibit
slavery in the country, for which the approval of the majority would be
necessary. of the members of the House of Representatives and the
Senate. The entry of a new state that actively supported the Union would
be of great value. At the time, the territory of Nevada had only
one-fifth of the population necessary to become a state. In November
1863, a constitutional convention was held to attempt to create a
constitution for the future State of Nevada. This constitution contained
an amendment that proposed taxing any mineral extracted in the state.
Since Nevada's economy at the time was largely based on mining, it was
not approved. In July 1864 a second constitutional convention was held,
and this time the constitution was approved. Then, the United States
Constitution said that only territories with more than 127,381
inhabitants could become States, but Abraham Lincoln ignored the
Constitution, and both he and Congress approved the elevation of Nevada
to statehood. Thus, Nevada became the 36th State of the United States on
October 31, 1864.
In 1866, the US government divided the then Territory of New Mexico
(which included the present-day states of New Mexico and Arizona, as
well as the southern region of Nevada) into three. The Territory of New
Mexico came to occupy only the eastern part. The central part became the
Territory of Arizona, and its extreme northwest was annexed to Nevada,
acquiring its current borders.
The discovery, in 1859, of the
Comstock Lode (an immense vein of silver and gold) attracted thousands
of prospectors and established the state as a flourishing mining center.
Within a decade, the population of Nevada increased from 6,857
inhabitants in 1860 to 42,491. in 1870. However, during the mid-1870s,
the American government placed a cap on the use of silver in the
country's economic system, greatly decreasing the demand for silver
throughout the country. In addition to that, the silver ore that was
extracted in the region's mines was of low quality, since it was mixed
with other chemical elements. Before restrictions on the use of silver
in the country's economy were implemented, silver prices were high,
which made it possible to purify the mineral mined in the state. Thus,
many of the mining companies went bankrupt, while others were forced to
lay off hundreds of workers. The unemployment rate rose dramatically,
and much of Nevada's population left to seek employment in other states.
Nevada's population would gradually decline until the beginning of the
20th century, when ranching became the state's main economic activity,
although harsh winters and the lack of adequate transportation
infrastructure prevented it from developing rapidly.
In the
1900s, new mineral deposits were gradually discovered, most notably
silver at Tonopah and gold at Goldfield. The silver ore extracted in
these mines was of higher quality, and the costs of purification,
therefore, minor. Therefore, silver mining once again became an
important source of income for Nevada. In addition to that, copper
reserves were also discovered in Ely, in 1900. However, the most
important of these discoveries took place in 1902 and later in 1903,
when large reserves of gold were found. The mining sector flourished
again and the construction of various railroads began to transport the
mineral extracted in the state to other regions of the country, helping
to develop urban commerce and livestock farming in Nevada. During the
1900s, Nevada passed a law allowing anyone to divorce even if they had
only lived in the state for six months, with the goal of attracting more
people to this depopulated region.
In 1907, the federal
government, in partnership with Nevada, completed Nevada's Newlands
Irrigation Project, the first large-scale artificial irrigation project
undertaken by the US government. This project consisted primarily of the
construction of dams along the Carson Rivers. and Truckee, allowing for
the generation of electricity and the practice of agriculture in Fallon.
In 1909, gambling was banned in Nevada, at a time when a national
"crusade" against this type of gambling was taking place. Nevada had
legalized the practice of these games in 1869, but the residents of the
state themselves pressured to the provincial government to prohibit this
practice. Despite the ban, gaming continued illegally, and compliance
with these laws was too expensive.
The United States entered
World War I in 1917. By then most of Nevada's gold and silver reserves
had already been depleted, although there were still large deposits of
copper, as well as tungsten and zinc, metals that They were in great
demand during the war. These reserves had been discovered in the
mid-1910s, and numerous mines were opened to meet this demand. However,
with the end of the war in 1918, demand and prices for minerals
generally plummeted, leading to the closure of numerous mines and an
economic recession.
In 1927, the Nevada government reduced the
time needed for a person to obtain a divorce from six to three months,
and in 1931, to just six weeks, causing thousands of people to settle in
the state to quickly obtain the contract. of divorce. In 1931, Nevada
legalized the practice of gambling, mainly because of the economy,
greatly weakened by the Great Depression—which caused the state's
agricultural sector to go into decline—and by the mining recession of
the 1930s. 1920. Numerous casinos were opened and the economy prospered
again.
During the late 1930s, significant reserves of iron, zinc
and lead were discovered, bringing about a revitalization of the state
mining sector. The outbreak of World War II led to the production of war
materiel and other war materials, and caused demand for copper,
tungsten, iron, zinc and lead to grow. During this time, the US
government built several air bases in the region, including Nellis Air
Force Base.
After the end of the war in 1945, the decline in domestic and
international demand for metals caused the decline of Nevada's mining
industry. During the 1950s, Nevada instituted a law requiring every
casino (or any other gambling establishment) to have a license, which
would only be issued after a rigorous inspection and investigation of
the facilities by the State. This law was created with the aim of
reducing cheating, as well as to prevent criminals (especially the
mafia) from entering the gambling market.
At that time, tourism
was already an important source of income for the State. Its importance
in Nevada's economy increased rapidly during the 1950s and 1960s. In
1970, nearly 15 million tourists visited Nevada. Currently, tourism is
Nevada's main source of income.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s,
the US military conducted various nuclear tests in a completely isolated
region of southern Nevada, just 100 kilometers from Las Vegas, the
so-called Nevada Test Site. Several nuclear bombs were detonated there.
In 1963, a judicial dispute between Nevada, California and Arizona
in the Supreme Court of the United States, lasting more than four
decades, ended. This dispute was over the water reserves of the Colorado
River, important for the supply of drinking water in Arizona and Nevada
(whose climate is mostly desert) and in the southwestern region of
California (where the climate is also desert). of the Supreme Court
established, for each state, a maximum quota for the amount of drinking
water extracted from the Colorado River per year. Priority was given to
Arizona. In 1967, a provincial project was created with the goal of
finding new reserves of drinking water for Las Vegas, then rapidly
growing. This ended in 1983, with the inauguration of a large aqueduct
that brings drinking water from Lake Mead.
Since the 1980s,
Nevada's economy has gradually become more diversified, and although
tourism is still the largest source of income, manufacturing and
construction industries have also gained importance in the state's
economy. In 2002, President George W. Bush approved the creation of a
nuclear waste repository in Yucca Mountain, an isolated region owned by
the federal government, which brought protests from the state government
and environmentalists. Despite everything, this deposit is expected to
come into operation in 2010.
For years, residents of West
Wendover, Nevada and Wendover, Utah, neighboring cities but in different
states, have pressured their respective state governments to carry out a
merger, with which Wendover, Utah would become part of West Wendover ,
Nevada (which has nearly three times as many inhabitants). Currently,
the governments of Nevada and Utah are discussing this merger, which to
be completed will have to have the approval of the Legislature of both
States and the endorsement of Congress.
According to the 2005 census, Nevada had a population of 2,414,807,
an increase of 81,909 (or 3.5%) over the previous year and an increase
of 416,550. inhabitants (or 20.8%), in relation to the year 2000. The
demographic increase since the last census is due to a natural increase
of 81,661 people (170,451 births minus 88,790 deaths) and a net
migration of 337,043 people in the state . External migrations have led
to a net increase of 66,098 people, while internal migrations have led
to a net growth of 270,945 people.
Nevada is the fastest growing
state in the entire United States. Between 2000 and 2003, Nevada's
population increased by 12.2%, while the US population increased by
3.3%. On the other hand, between 1990 and 2000, Nevada's population
increased by 66.3% compared to 13.1% for the US population.
With
its 7.03 inhabitants/km², Nevada is a very sparsely populated state.
More than two-thirds of the population lives in the Las Vegas
metropolitan area. Only seven cities exceed one hundred thousand
inhabitants.
As a result of its rapid population growth, Nevada
has the highest percentage of residents born outside the state in the
entire United States: in 2005, 17.4% of the state's residents (that is,
413,298 people) were not born in Nevada .
According to the 2017
American Community Survey, 28.2% of Nevada's population was of Hispanic
or Latino origin (any race): Mexican (21.4%), Puerto Rican (0.9%), Cuban
( 1.0%) and other Hispanic or Latino origin (4.8%). The five largest
non-Hispanic white ancestry groups were: German (11.3%), Irish (9.0%),
English (6 .9%), Italian (5.8%) and American (4.7%).
The distribution of the population by age in 2004 was:
Less than 5
years: 6.8%
Less than 18 years old: 26.3%
Over 65 years: 13.6%
Females make up 50.7% of Nevada's population.
Nevada is a territory where its population is mostly Christian. The
first Christian group that arrived to the place was the Catholic Church
with the Spanish colonization and later various Protestant denominations
of European origin or from other parts of the United States arrived.
Church attendance in Nevada is among the lowest of all US states. In
a 2009 Gallup poll, only 30% of Nevadans said they attended church
weekly or almost weekly, compared with 42% of all Americans (only four
states were found with a lower attendance rate than Nevada).
In
2020, the Public Religion Research Institute determined that 67% of the
population was Christian, reflecting a 1% increase in religiosity since
Pew's separate 2014 study.
The main religious affiliations of
Nevadans were, according to the Pew Research Center in 2014: Protestants
of various denominations 35%, irreligious 28%, Catholics 25%, Church of
Latter-day Saints 4%, Jews 2%, Hindus less than 1%, Buddhists 0.5% and
Muslims less than 0.1%. Parts of Nevada (in the eastern part of the
state) are located in the Mormon Corridor.
The largest
confessions by number of faithful in 2010 were the Catholic Church, with
451,070; the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with 175,149;
and the Southern Baptist Convention, with 45,535; Buddhist
congregations, 14,727; Baháʼí Faith, 1,723; and Muslims, 1,700.54 The
Jewish community is represented by the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute
and Chabad. According to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, 6.2% of Nevadans are faithful, making it becomes the sixth state
with the highest percentage in the Union.
Nevada's gross domestic product was $88 billion in 2003, ranking it
19th in the nation. The per capita income in 2004 was $31,910. The
unemployment rate is 4.3%. Its main agricultural products are livestock,
hay, dairy products, onions and potatoes. Its main industrial products
are tourism, mining, machinery, printing and press, food processing and
electrical equipment.
Nevada's economy depends largely on
tourism: it is estimated that in 2000, tourists spent nearly $3 billion
at its casinos. The large and luxurious casinos of Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe
and Reno attract tourists from all over the world. In the state there
are more than 180,000 hotel rooms, that is, one for every 14
inhabitants.
The primary sector corresponds to 1% of Nevada's GDP. The state has
about three thousand farms, which occupy about 12.5% of its surface.
Much of this land is used only for livestock farming. Because of
Nevada's desert climate, farming is impossible without artificial
irrigation. Together, agriculture and livestock comprise 1% of the
state's GDP, and employ approximately 19,000 people. Nevada has large
cattle and sheep herds: as of January 1, 2006, there were 500,000 cattle
and 70,000 sheep in the state. Most of these animals graze in the fields
in summer, while in winter they receive supplementary food. Calves are
usually transported to out-of-state feedlots for fattening. About 90
percent of Nevada's 195,868 acres of cropland are used to grow hay,
mostly alfalfa, to feed livestock. Other products grown are potatoes,
onions and wheat. The effects of fishing and forestry are negligible on
the state economy.
The secondary sector corresponds to 16% of
Nevada's GDP. The manufacturing industry corresponds to 10% of the
State's GDP and employs approximately 103,000 people. The total value of
products manufactured in the State is 4.5 billion dollars. The main
industrialized products manufactured in Nevada are processed foods,
concrete and advertising materials. The construction industry comprises
4% of the state's GDP, employing approximately 48,000 people.
For
its part, mining is responsible for 2% of GDP, employing around 13,000
people. Considering the value of the material extracted, gold is by far
the most important mineral. In 2004, 6.8 million ounces of gold worth
$2.84 billion were mined in Nevada, equivalent to 8.7% of global gold
production. Silver is the second most mined mineral, with 10.3 billion
ounces with a total value of $69 million. Other minerals mined in Nevada
include construction materials, copper, gypsum, diotomite, and lithium.
Despite its rich deposits, the cost of mining in Nevada is high and the
industry is very sensitive to global raw material prices.
The
tertiary sector comprises 83% of Nevada's GDP. About 32% of the state's
GDP comes from community and personal services. This sector employs more
than 530,000 people. Wholesale and retail trade correspond to 15% of
GDP, and employ approximately 246,000 people. Financial and real estate
services correspond to about 18% of the state's GDP, employing
approximately 125,000 people. Government services account for 12% of
GDP, employing approximately 130,000 people. Finally, transport and
telecommunications employ around 62,000 people and comprise 8% of GDP.
About 50% of the electricity generated in the state comes from
thermoelectric plants, hydroelectric plants and geothermal plants. For
their part, wind turbines and solar panels supply small inland
communities.
Nevada is one of the few states where there is no income tax or corporation tax. The sales tax in Nevada is 6.5%. Counties have the power to also levy stock tax, bringing the total sales tax rate in some areas as high as 7.75%. The sales tax in Carson City is 7.125%, in Washoe County it is 7.375%, while in Douglas County it is 6.75%.
Tourist areas such as Las Vegas, Reno, Lake Tahoe and Laughlin
attract visitors from all over the country and the world. In fiscal
2008, its 266 casinos (not counting those with annual revenues of less
than $1 million) generated $12 billion in gaming revenue and another $13
billion in non-gaming revenue.
Nevada is by far the state with
the most hotel rooms per capita in the United States. According to the
American Hotel and Lodging Association, there were 187,301 rooms in 584
hotels (with 15 or more rooms). The state ranks just below California,
Texas, Florida and New York in total number of rooms, but those states
have much larger populations. Nevada has one hotel room for every 14
residents, well above the national average of one hotel room for every
67 residents.
Prostitution is legal in some parts of Nevada in
licensed brothels, but only counties with a population under 400,000
have the option to legalize it. Although prostitution is not a major
part of Nevada's economy, employing about 300 women as independent
contractors, it is a highly visible activity. Of the 14 counties allowed
by state law to legalize prostitution, eight have chosen to legalize
brothels. State law prohibits prostitution in Clark (where Las Vegas is
located) and Washoe (where Reno is located) counties. However,
prostitution is legal in Storey County, which is part of the Reno-Sparks
metropolitan area.
In areas of the state outside the Las Vegas and Reno metropolitan
areas, mining plays an important economic role. By value, gold is by far
the most important mineral mined. In 2004, 6,800,000 ounces (190,000,000
g) of gold worth $2.84 billion were mined in Nevada, and the state
accounted for 8.7% of global gold production. Silver is a distant
second, with 10,300,000 ounces (290,000,000 g) worth $69 million mined
in 2004. Other minerals mined in Nevada include construction aggregates,
copper, gypsum, diatomite and lithium. Despite the richness of its
deposits, the cost of mining in Nevada is generally high, and production
is very sensitive to global raw material prices.
Gold mining in
Nevada is a major industry, and one of the largest sources of gold in
the world. In 2018, Nevada produced 5,581,160 troy ounces (173.6 tons),
representing 78% of US gold and 5.0% of world production. Total recorded
gold production in Nevada from 1835 to 2017 amounts to 205,931,000 troy
ounces (6,405.2 t), with a value of $322.6 billion in 2020 values. Much
of Nevada's gold production comes from large open pit mines using leach
recovery. in batteries.
Nevada's mining industry supported an
average of 14,787 direct employees in 2018, with around 75,000
additional jobs related to providing goods and services needed by the
mining industry. The average salary of mining industry employees during
this time was $97,600 per year, the third highest average private
employment sector in the state.
Silver mining in Nevada began in
1858 with the discovery of the Comstock Lode, the first major silver
mining district in the United States. Nevada calls itself the "Silver
State." Nevada is the second largest producer of silver in the country,
after Alaska. In 2014, Nevada produced 10.93 million troy ounces of
silver, of which 6.74 million were as a byproduct of gold mining. The
largest by-producers were the Hycroft mine (1.82 million ounces), the
Phoenix mine (1.65 million ounces), the Midas mine (1.49 million ounces)
and Round Mountain (0.58 million ounces) .
The government of the state of Nevada has a division of powers:
executive, legislative and judicial. The governor of Nevada is Steve
Sisolak (Democrat). The two senators are Catherine Cortez Masto and
Jacky Rosen, both (Democrats).
The chief executive officer of
Nevada is the governor. He is elected by the population through state
elections, for a term of up to four years. The same person can only hold
this position twice. Since 2019, the governor of Nevada is Steve Sisolak
of the Democratic Party.
The Nevada Legislature is bicameral, that
is, it is made up of a Senate and an Assembly. The Senate is made up of
21 senators, while the Assembly has 42 members. Nevada is divided into
21 legislative districts. The voters of each district elect a senator
and two members of the Assembly, who will represent said district in
each chamber. The term of office of the senators is four years, and that
of the members of the Assembly is two. Like the governor, a given person
can serve as senator only twice. For members of the Assembly, this limit
is six terms. Currently, the Senate is controlled by the Republican
Party, and the Assembly is controlled by the Democratic Party.
The
highest court of the Nevada Judicial Branch is the Nevada Supreme Court,
composed of seven judges. These judges are elected by the people of the
State for a term of up to five years. Nevada is one of the few US states
without an intermediate appellate court system, and it is the Nevada
Supreme Court that hears all cases and appeals. This court lacks
discretionary review power, so Nevada's court system is extremely
congested. Nevada also has nine district courts, which employ a total of
51 judges, elected by the people of their respective judicial districts
for terms of up to six years.
The current Nevada Constitution was adopted in 1864. Amendments to the Constitution are proposed by the Nevada Legislature, and to be approved, they must first be ratified by at least 51% of the Senate and Assembly, in two successive votes. , and then by 51% or more of Nevada's voting population, in a referendum. The population of the State can also propose amendments to the Constitution through petitions, which require the signature of at least 10% of the people who voted in the last referendum or in the last state elections for governor held in the state. If this petition has a minimum of 10% signatures, the amendment is then reviewed by the Legislature, and put to a vote in a referendum, where it must obtain the vote in favor of at least 51% of voters in two consecutive referendums. If this amendment is ratified by 51% or more of the voters in both ballots, the amendment is automatically approved. Amendments can also be proposed and introduced by constitutional conventions, which need to receive the approval of at least 67% of the votes of both houses of the Legislature and 51% of the State's electors in a general election, or 51% of the state's electors in a referendum.
Due to the tremendous growth of Las Vegas in recent years, there is
an evident divide between the politics of northern Nevada and that of
the south. The North has long maintained control of key positions in
state government, even though the Las Vegas area's population is much
larger than the rest of the state. This has fostered some resentment as
the north sees the south as a potential threat, and the south sees the
north as the "old guardian" attempting to rule as an oligarchy. Most
people from out of state are not familiar with this rivalry.
Distribution by parties:
Republican: 40.5%
Democrat: 40.1%
Others: 19.3%
The state is not dominated by either of the two
main political parties. 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 here in 2000 and 2004. In
2004, George Bush won the state by a narrow margin (2 percentage points,
with 50.5% of the votes cast). Clark County, home to the vast majority
of the state's population, was the only county to vote Democratic,
although results show that all but five of Nevada's counties, including
Clark and Washoe counties, the state's two largest , they tend to vote
for this party.
Nevada is divided into 16 counties and one independent city, Carson
City. Counties are governed by councils made up of three, five or seven
members. Most Nevada cities are governed by a mayor and a city council.
Nevada counties are as follows:
Churchill County, with capital in
Fallon.
Clark County, with capital in Las Vegas.
Douglas County,
with capital in Minden.
Elko County, with capital in Elko.
Esmeralda County, with capital in Goldfield.
Eureka County, with
capital in Eureka.
Humboldt County, with capital in Winnemucca.
Lander County, with capital at Battle Mountain.
Lincoln County, with
capital in Pioche.
County of Lyon, with capital at Yerington.
Mineral County, with capital in Hawthorne.
Nye County, with capital
in Tonopah.
Pershing County, with capital at Lovelock.
Storey
County, with capital in Virginia City.
Washoe County, with capital in
Reno.
White Pine County, with capital in Ely.
Area 51 is near Groom Lake, a dry salt lake bed. The much smaller
Creech Air Force Base is in Indian Springs, Nevada; Hawthorne Army
Depot, Hawthorne; the Tonopah Proving Ground, near Tonopah; and Nellis
Air Force Base, in the northeast part of the Las Vegas valley. Naval Air
Station Fallon in Fallon; NSAWC, (pronounced "EN-SOCK") in western
Nevada. The NSAWC consolidated three Command Centers into a single
Command Structure under one flag officer on July 11, 1996.
The
Naval Strike Warfare Center, based at NAS Fallon since 1984, joined the
Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) and the Airborne Early Warning
Weapons School, which moved from NAS Miramar as a result of a decision
of Base Reorganization and Closure in 1993, which transferred that
installation back to the Marine Corps as MCAS Miramar. The Seahawk
Weapons School was added in 1998 to provide tactical training for Navy
helicopters.
These bases host various activities, such as the
Joint Unmanned Air Systems Center of Excellence, the Naval Air Warfare
and Strike Center, the Nevada Test and Training Range, Red Flag, the
United States Air Force Thunderbirds, the United States Air Force
Warfare Center, the United States Air Force Weapons School, and the
United States Navy Fighter Weapons School.
Several United States
Navy ships have been named USS Nevada in honor of the state. These
include:
Nevada (screw frigate of 1865)
USS Nevada (BM-8)
USS
Nevada (BB-36)
USS Nevada (SSBN-733)
The Nevada government began planning a statewide public school system
in 1861, when Nevada was still a territory. Four years later, in 1865,
already elevated to state status, the Nevada Legislature established a
state system of public schools, and the first school districts in the
State began to be defined. However, Nevada initially had to endure great
difficulties in the area of basic education, due to its small population
and the presence of vast regions where small towns and rural communities
were isolated from the rest of the state. Schools existed in these
areas, although they generally only served three to ten students. These
students, for their part, often lived far from schools, and were forced
to travel long distances to get to class. The lack of budgets was
constant. In 1900, the State opened its first secondary school.
Currently, all educational institutions in Nevada must follow certain
rules and standards dictated by the Nevada State Board of Education.
This board directly controls the state's public school system, which is
divided into several school districts. The council is made up of 11
members elected by the population. In cities, the responsibility for
managing schools falls to the municipal school district, while in less
densely populated regions, this responsibility falls to the school
districts operating in the county. Nevada allows the existence of
"charter schools" - independent public schools, which are not managed by
school districts, but which depend on public budgets for their support.
Schooling is compulsory for all children and adolescents over seven
years of age, until the completion of secondary education or until the
age of fifteen.
In 1999, the State's public schools served
approximately 325,610 students, employing approximately 17,400 teachers.
For their part, private schools served nearly 13,900 students, employing
approximately one thousand teachers. The State's public school system
used about $1.738 million, and public school spending was approximately
$5,900 per student. In 2000, 80.7% of the state's residents over 25
years of age had a high school diploma. Another 18.2% had a bachelor's
degree or higher.
Nevada has nearly 80 public libraries, managed
by 21 different public library systems, which move an average of 5.1
books per capita annually. Most of them are concentrated in Las Vegas
and Reno. The first institution of higher education in Nevada was the
University of Reno, founded in 1874. The State currently has 14
institutions of higher education, of which 6 are public and 8 are
private. The largest institutions of higher education are Sierra Nevada
College and the University of Reno. The Nevada Community College and
University System is the State's system of public universities and
colleges, which controls various institutions of higher education
throughout Nevada.
Amtrak's California Zephyr train uses the original Union Pacific
transcontinental rails in daily service from Chicago to Emeryville,
passing through Elko, Winnemucca, Sparks and Reno. Amtrak Thruway
Motorcoaches provide fast, regular service specializing in link Las
Vegas with the train stations of Needles, Los Angeles and Bakersfield,
in California.
The Union Pacific operates some railroad lines in
the north and south. Greyhound Lines supplies some bus services.
Interstate 15 passes through the tip of southern Nevada, connecting Las
Vegas and other communities. It has two branches, I-215 and I-515.
Interstate 80 crosses the northern part of the state, coming from Utah
in the east to California in the west, passing through the city of Reno.
It consists of a branch, I-580. Several federal highways also connect
the state: US-6, US-50, US-93, US-95 and US-395, in addition to 189
Nevada State Highways. Nevada is one of the few states in the US that
does not have a continuous interstate highway connecting its main
population centers: Reno, Carson City and Las Vegas.
Nevada is
one of the few in the country that allows three-trailer tractor-trailers
to circulate. They are smaller versions, partly because they have to
ascend and descend fairly steep mountain passes.
Las Vegas has an
extensive bus network and an expanding monorail system. Harry Reid
International Airport in Las Vegas is one of the busiest airports in the
United States. Reno-Tahoe International Airport is the other major
airport in Nevada. The city of Elko has a small airport with regular
commercial services.
Citifare operates a network of bus lines in
the Reno-Sparks Metropolitan Area. Some counties, especially the most
depopulated, have very limited public transportation services, such as
Eureka County.
The first newspaper published in Nevada was the Territorial
Enterprise, in the town of Genoa, in 1858. In 2002, the state had four
morning newspapers, four afternoon newspapers, and four Sunday
newspapers. The leader is the Las Vegas Review-Journal, with a daily
circulation of 165,754 and a Sunday circulation of 217,419. The Reno
Gazette-Journal, with a daily circulation of 66,919 and a Sunday
circulation of 84,981, is the most influential newspaper in the northern
half of the state. The regional interest magazine Nevada is published
six times a year. Several newspapers are printed in Spanish, in view of
the large Hispanic community that resides in the state.
Nevada's
first radio station opened in Reno in 1928. In 2003, the state had 27
radio stations (of which 7 were AM and 20 were FM—several of them with
programming in Spanish) and 8 television stations, 88 the first of
which was founded in 1953, in Las Vegas.
In 2001, 95.2% of Nevada
households had at least one telephone. That year, 72,183 Internet
domains were registered in the state.
Nevada has developed a thriving solar energy sector over the years.
An independent study conducted in 2013 found that solar energy users
generated a net benefit of $36 million. However, in December 2015, the
Public Utilities Commission allowed the state's only electric company,
NV Energy, to charge higher rates and fees to solar panel users, causing
an immediate collapse of solar panel use in the roofs.
In
December 1987, Congress amended the Nuclear Waste Policy Act to
designate the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository as the only site
designated as a permanent repository for all of the nation's highly
radioactive waste.
Nevada had a total summer capacity of 11,938
MW across all of its power plants, and net generation of 39,890 GWh. The
corresponding electric power generation mix was 6.9% coal, 64.6% natural
gas, 12.1% solar, 9.8% geothermal, 5.6% hydroelectric, 0.8% wind and
0.2% biomass.
Small-scale solar, including customer-owned PV
panels, supplied an additional net 680 GWh to Nevada's power grid in
2019. This was seven times less than the amount generated by the state's
utility-scale PV plants. Nevada ranks second in the nation as a producer
of geothermal resources and fourth as a producer of solar resources.
Nevada is one of the few states in the country where sports betting
is legal. To avoid fraud, the major leagues have decided not to have
teams there.[citation needed] However, some teams have temporarily
played in Las Vegas, for example the Utah Jazz of the National
Basketball Association in 1983/84, the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA in
1992, and the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball in 1996. This
veto on professional franchises has been broken by the creation of a
franchise, the Vegas Golden Knights, based in Las Vegas, which will
begin to compete in the NHL in the 2017/18 season.
Meanwhile, the
state has hosted the 2007 NBA All-Star Game and the NBA Summer League
since 2004. In addition, the Las Vegas Quicksilvers played in the North
American Soccer League in 1977, with Eusébio as a star.
Las Vegas
is known as the capital of professional boxing. Numerous fights have
taken place there between stars such as Muhammad Ali, George Foreman,
Ron Lyle, Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, Evander Holyfield, Mike
Tyson, Óscar de la Hoya, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Starting
in the 1990s the city has hosted numerous mixed martial arts bouts,
particularly the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
The Las Vegas
Grand Prix was a motorsport race held on temporary circuits, scoring for
Formula 1 and CART. Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Motor Speedway oval has
hosted NASCAR Cup Series, CART and IndyCar Series races.
The
Shriners Hospitals for Children Open is a golf tournament that has been
part of the PGA Tour since 1983. The US Sevens, a rugby tournament of
the IRB Rugby World Series 7s, has been played in Las Vegas since 2010.
In terms of college sports, the UNLV Rebels and the Nevada Wolf Pack
are rival teams in the Mountain West Conference. The Rebels have
excelled in men's basketball, where they achieved 13 conference
championships, one national championship and four national semifinals.
At the same time, the MWC men's basketball final and the Las Vegas Bowl
for American football are played in Nevada.
In 2017, the only
professional Las Vegas Soccer team called Las Vegas Lights FC was
founded, which has been playing since 2018 in the USL Championship, the
second most important league in the United States.