Nevada

State of Nevada
Flag of Nevada State seal of Nevada
Flag of Nevada Seal
Nickname(s): Silver State (official), Sagebrush State,
Battle Born State
Motto(s): All For Our Country
Map of the United States with Nevada highlighted
Official language(s) De jure: None
De facto: English
Demonym Nevadan
Capital Carson City
Largest city Las Vegas
Largest metro area Las Vegas Valley
Area  Ranked 7th in the US
 - Total 110,567 sq mi
(286,367 km²)
 - Width 322 miles (519 km)
 - Length 490 miles (788 km)
 - % water
 - Latitude 35° N to 42° N
 - Longitude 114° 2′ W to 120° W
Population  Ranked 35th in the US
 - Total 2,565,382 (2007 est.)[1]
 - Density 23.4/sq mi  (9.02/km²)
Ranked 42nd in the US
 - Median income  $46,984 (16th)
Elevation  
 - Highest point Boundary Peak[2]
13,140 ft  (4,005 m)
 - Mean 5,499 ft  (1,676 m)
 - Lowest point Colorado River[2]
479 ft  (146 m)
Admission to Union  October 31, 1864 (36th)
Governor Jim Gibbons (R)
Lieutenant Governor Brian Krolicki (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 Nev. US-NV
Website www.nv.gov

Nevada (/nɨˈvæːdə/) 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. Its first settlement was called Mormon Station.

Nevada is the seventh-largest state in area, 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 U.S federal government under various jurisdictions both civilian and military.[3] As of 2006, there were about 2.6 million residents, with over 85% of the population residing in the metropolitan areas around Las Vegas and Reno.[4] The state is well known for its easy marriage and divorce proceedings, legalization of gambling and, in a few counties, legalized brothels.

Contents

Etymology and pronunciation

The name Nevada comes from the Spanish "Nevada", meaning "snow-covered".[5] after the Sierra Nevada ("snow-covered mountains") mountain range.

In 2005, the state issued a specialty license plate via the Nevada Commission on Tourism that lists the name of the state as Nevăda to help with the pronunciation problem. The local pronunciation of the state's name is not /nɨˈvɑːdə/ (as in the "a" in "father"), but /nɨˈvæːdə/ (as in the "a" in "glad").[6] Local residents - particularly natives of the state - resent hearing Nevada's name pronounced differently in the national media, a problem that has crystallized with increased coverage of the state following the 2008 Presidential Primary Elections.[7]

Geography

Welcome to Nevada sign.
Digitally colored elevation map of Nevada
Further information: List of Nevada counties

Nevada is almost entirely within the Basin and Range Province, and is broken up by many north-south mountain ranges. Most of these ranges have inland-draining (unconnected to the ocean by waterways) valleys between them, which belies the image portrayed by the term Great Basin.

Pinion Juniper forests cover large areas of the north and central parts of the state.
Sunrise over Reno

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 June 29, 1994.[8]

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.

Mountains west of Las Vegas in the Mojave Desert.

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 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.

Nevada 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.

The largest mountain range in the southern portion of the state is the Spring Mountain Range, just west of Las Vegas. The state's lowest point is along the Colorado River, south of Laughlin.

Climate

Nevada is made up of mostly desert areas, where temperatures can reach up to 125 °F (52 °C) in short, hot summers and can reach as low as 20 °F (−7 °C) in long, cold winters. Most parts of Nevada receive scarce precipitation during the year. Most rain falls on the lee side (east and northeast slopes) of the Sierra Nevada Range. The average annual rainfall per year is about 7 inches (18 cm); the wettest parts get around 40 inches (102 cm).

Bordering states

Counties

Nevada is divided into political jurisdictions designated as counties. As of 1919 there were 17 counties in the state, ranging from 146 to 18,159 square miles (378 to 47,032 sq. km).

NEVADA COUNTIES
County name County seat Year founded 2000 population Percent of total Area (sq. mi.) Percent of total
Carson City Carson City 1861 52,457 2.63 % 146 0.13 %
Churchill Fallon 1861 23,982 1.20 % 5,023 4.54 %
Clark Las Vegas 1908 1,375,765 68.85 % 8,091 7.32 %
Douglas Minden 1861 41,259 2.06 % 738 0.67 %
Elko Elko 1869 45,291 2.27 % 17,203 15.56 %
Esmeralda Goldfield 1861 971 0.05 % 3,589 3.25 %
Eureka Eureka 1869 1,651 0.08 % 4,180 3.78 %
Humboldt Winnemucca 1856/1861 16,106 0.81 % 9,658 8.74 %
Lander Battle Mountain 1861 5,794 0.29 % 5,519 4.99 %
Lincoln Pioche 1866 4,165 0.21 % 10,637 9.62 %
Lyon Yerington 1861 34,501 1.73 % 2,016 1.82 %
Mineral Hawthorne 1911 5,071 0.25 % 3,813 3.45 %
Nye Tonopah 1864 32,485 1.63 % 18,159 16.43 %
Pershing Lovelock 1919 6,693 0.33 % 6,068 5.49 %
Storey Virginia City 1861 3,399 0.17 % 264 0.24 %
Washoe Reno 1861 339,486 16.99 % 6,551 5.93 %
White Pine Ely 1869 9,181 0.46 % 8,897 8.05 %
Total counties: 17 Total 2000 population: 1,998,257 Total state area: 110,552 square miles

History

Main article: History of Nevada

Before 1861

See History of Utah, History of Las Vegas, and the discovery of the first major U.S. deposit of silver ore in Comstock Lode under Virginia City, Nevada in 1859.

Early locomotives such as this one in Ely, Nevada, played an important part in Nevada's mining industry.

Separation from Utah Territory

See also: Nevada in the American Civil War
Wpdms nevada territory 1861.png

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").

The separation of the territory from Utah was important to the federal government because of the Nevada population's political leanings, while the population itself was keen to be separated because of animosity (and sometimes violence) between mainstream Christians who dominated Nevada and the Mormons who dominated the rest of the Utah territory. Animosity between mainstream Christian settlers and Mormons was particularly high after the Mountain Meadows massacre of 1857 and the Utah War in 1857-58.

Statehood

See also: Nevada in the American Civil War

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 to help ensure Abraham Lincoln's reelection on November 8 and post-Civil War Republican dominance in Congress.[9] 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.

Nevada achieved its current southern 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.

In 1868 another part of the western Utah Territory, whose population was seeking to avoid Mormon dominance, was added to Nevada in the eastern part of the state, setting the current eastern boundary.

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, both mining and population declined in the late 19th century. However, the rich silver strike at Tonopah in 1900, followed by strikes in Goldfield and Rhyolite, again put Nevada's population on an upward trend.

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 the industry has become Nevada's primary source of revenue today.

The Hoover Dam, located outside Las Vegas near Boulder City, was constructed in the years 1932–1935. 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 re-legalization 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.

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%
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. 2007 2,565,382 28.4%
Demographics of Nevada (csv)
By race White Black AIAN* Asian NHPI*
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 2000–05 (total population) 18.23% 35.25% 20.23% 46.27% 33.72%
Growth 2000–05 (non-Hispanic only) 11.17% 31.96% 16.39% 46.36% 33.55%
Growth 2000–05 (Hispanic only) 43.57% 88.97% 34.74% 44.46% 34.84%
* AIAN is American Indian or Alaskan Native; NHPI is Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
Nevada Population Density Map

According to the Census Bureau's 2007 estimate, Nevada has an estimated population of 2,565,382 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, Nevada is the country's fastest growing state.[10]

The center of population of Nevada is located in southern Nye County [1]. This area the unincorporated town of Pahrump located 60 miles (97 km) west of Las Vegas on the California state line has grown 26 times in size from 1980 to 2000. In the year 2006, the town may have over 50,000 permanent residents. Las Vegas was America's fastest-growing city and metropolitan area from 1960 to 2000, but has grown from a gulch of 100 people in 1900 to 10,000 by 1950 to 100,000 by 1970 to have 2.5 million in the metro area today.

According to the census estimates the racial distributions were as follows: 65% White American, 7.1% African-American, 6% Asian-American (estimates placed them at 10%), 2% others (American Indians and Pacific Islanders) and the remaining 20% were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.

Nevada also has a sizable Basque ancestry population. In Douglas and Pershing Counties, a plurality of residents are of Mexican ancestry with Clark County (Las Vegas) being home to over 200,000 Mexican Americans alone; Nye County and Humboldt County have a plurality of Germans; and Washoe County has many of Irish ancestry. Las Vegas is home to rapid-growing ethnic communities like Canadians, Scandinavians, Italians, Poles, American Jews and Armenians.

Largely African-American sections of Las Vegas ("the Meadows") and Reno can be found, but many African-Americans in Nevada are newly transplanted residents from either California and the East Coast, but the US Armed forces, hotels and domestic services attracted black Americans since the 1950s.

Since the California Gold Rush of the 1850s brought thousands of Chinese miners in Washoe county, Asian Americans lived in the state followed by few hundreds of Japanese farm workers in the late 1800s. In the late 20th century, many immigrants from China, Japan, Korea, Philippines and recently from India and Vietnam came to the Las Vegas metropolitan area with one of America's most prolific Asian-American communities, with a mostly Chinese and Taiwanese area known as "Chinatown" west of I-15 on Spring street, and an "Asiatown" shopping mall for Asian customers on Charleston Avenue/Paradise Boulevard.

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 [2] and 1% speak Chinese languages, the majority of foreign languages are found in ethnic sections of Central Las Vegas.

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. Las Vegas was a major destination for immigrants seeking employment by the gaming and hospitality industries from South Asia and Latin America during the 1990s and 2000s, but farming and construction is the biggest employer of immigrant labor.

From about the 1940s to 2003, Nevada was the fastest-growing state in the US 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 Las Vegas metropolitan area.

Religion

Major religious affiliations of the people of Nevada are:[11]

The largest denominations by number of adherents in 2000 were the Roman Catholic Church with 331,844; the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with 116,925; and the Southern Baptist Convention with 40,233. 77,100 Nevadans belong to Jewish congregations.[12]

Economy

Nevada quarter, reverse side, 2006.jpg
Lake Tahoe on the California, Nevada border.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that Nevada's total state product in 2006 was $117 billion. Resort areas such as Las Vegas, Reno, Lake Tahoe, 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 residents can legalize it, and even those counties may choose to outlaw it if they wish. Prostitution is illegal and offenders are prosecuted in Clark County (which contains Las Vegas), Washoe County (which contains Reno), 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 (see Gold mining in Nevada). Silver is a distant second, with 10.3 million ounces worth $69 million mined in 2004 (see Silver mining in Nevada).[13] 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.[14] 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 (1,960 km2) 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

State Route shield

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.

The Loneliest Road in America, U.S. Highway 50.

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 of Reno/Carson City and Las Vegas. Even the non-interstate federal highways aren't contiguous between its two largest metropolitan areas, 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.

Citizens Area Transit (CAT) is the public transit system in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The agency is the largest transit agency in the state and operates a network of frequent bus service, including the use of double-decker buses on the Las Vegas Strip. RTC RIDE operates a system of local transit bus service throughout the Reno-Sparks metropolitan area. Other transit systems in the state include Carson City's JAC. Most other counties in the state do not have public transportation at all.

Additionally, a monorail system provides public transportation in the Las Vegas area. The Las Vegas Monorail line services several casino properties and the Las Vegas Convention Center on the east side of the Las Vegas Strip, with a possible future extension to McCarran Airport.

McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas is one of the busiest airports in the nation. The Reno-Tahoe International Airport (formerly known as the Reno Cannon International Airport) is the other major airport in the state.

Law and government

The current Governor of Nevada is Jim Gibbons (Republican); the governor of Nevada is limited by the Nevada Constitution to two four-year terms in office, by election or succession (lifetime limit). Nevada's two U.S. senators are Harry Reid (Democrat) and John Ensign (Republican). Nevada's three U.S. Representatives are Republican Dean Heller and Democrats Shelley Berkley and Dina Titus.

Further information: List of Nevada Governors; Map of Congressional Districts.

Legislature

A view of the Nevada State Legislative Building in Carson City

The 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 in the constitution was recently upheld for legislators by the Supreme Court of Nevada in a unanimous decision (7-0), so term limits will be in effect starting in 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 Democratic Party (12 to 9 majority) and the Assembly is controlled by the Democratic Party (28 to 14 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

The courthouse of the Supreme Court of Nevada

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 ... after easy divorce came easy marriage and casino gambling.

Even prostitution is legal in Nevada (under the form of licensed brothels) in most rural counties (it is however illegal in Clark County, which contains Las Vegas, in Washoe County, which contains Reno, in Carson City, and in two other counties).

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. Already having legalized gambling and prostitution, Nevada continued the trend of boosting its profile by adopting 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. (This basically means all states have to honor a marriage or divorce performed in another state.)

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. [3].

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 and alcohol 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, (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).

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 December 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 casinos, hotel rooms, tobacco shops, and brothels.[15] However, some businesses do not obey this law and the government tends not to enforce it.[16] Yet, in one case they did prosecute an establishment called "Bilbo's" but trial is pending until 2008.[17]

Politics

Presidential elections results
Year Republican Democratic
2008 42.65% 412,827 55.15% 533,736
2004 50.47% 418,690 47.88% 397,190
2000 49.49% 301,575 45.94% 279,978
1996 44.55% 198,775 45.60% 203,388
1992 34.71% 175,828 37.41% 189,148
1988 58.90% 206,040 37.91% 132,738

Due to the 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 a leech on its resources, mainly water and electricity) 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.

Clark and Washoe counties—home to Las Vegas and Reno respectively—have long dominated the state's politics. Between them, they cast 87 percent of Nevada's vote, and elect a substantial majority of the state legislature. The great majority of the state's elected officials are either from Las Vegas or Reno.

Registration is nearly evenly split between the two major parties. According to official statistics, 38.1% of voters are registered Republicans, 41.7% are Democrats and the remaining 20.1% are considered Independents. As a result, Nevada remains a swing state in both state and federal politics. Democrat Bill Clinton won the state in the 1992 and 1996 presidential elections, Republican George W. Bush won in 2000 and 2004, and Democrat Barack Obama won the state in 2008.

Interestingly, Nevada has voted for the winner in every presidential election since 1908 except in 1976, when it voted for Gerald Ford over eventual winner Jimmy Carter. This puts it at a similar status as a political bellwhether like Missouri, though Missouri's continued status as a bellwhether is questionable, since Republican John McCain appears to have won Missouri despite Democrat Barack Obama's landslide win. On the other hand, Nevada appears to be continuing its trend of voting with the winning candidate as it voted for Obama in 2008.

The state's U. S. Senators are Democrat Harry Reid, the Senate Majority Leader, and Republican John Ensign, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Both are from Las Vegas. The Governorship is held by Jim Gibbons, a Republican from Reno.

State departments and agencies

Local government

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 eminently 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 compensation. 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

Las Vegas
Reno
Elko
Carson City
Ely
Rank City Population
within
city limits		 Land Area
sq. miles		 Population
Density
per sq mi		 County
1 Las Vegas 591,536 131.3 4,217.8 Clark
2 Henderson 265,790 79.7 2,200.8 Clark
3 North Las Vegas 215,026 78.5 1,471.0 Clark
4 Reno 206,629 69.1 2,611.4 Washoe
5 Sunrise Manor 195,727 38.2 4,081.8 Clark
6 Paradise 189,958 47.1 3,947.3 Clark
7 Spring Valley 175,581 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

  1. Incline Village-Crystal Bay $52,521
  2. Kingsbury $41,421
  3. Mount Charleston $38,821
  4. Verdi-Mogul $38,233
  5. Zephyr Cove-Round Hill Village $37,218
  6. Summerlin South $33,017
  7. Blue Diamond $30,479
  8. Minden $30,405
  9. Boulder City $29,770
  10. Spanish Springs $26,908
Further information: Nevada locations by per capita income

Education

Colleges and universities

Research Institutes

Parks and Recreation

Cathedral Gorge State Park.
Mount Charleston
Great Basin National Park
Valley of Fire State Park

Recreation areas maintained by the National Park Service

Southern Nevada

Wilderness

Further information: List of wilderness areas in Nevada

There are 68 designated wilderness areas in Nevada, protecting some 6,579,014 acres (26,624.33 km2) under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management.[18]

State Parks

See: List of Nevada state parks.

Sports

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.

Several United States Navy ships have been named USS Nevada in honor of the state. The one that preceded the ship that was at Pearl Harbor was eventually renamed USS Tonopah, for the Nevada city

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

Future Issues

Nevada enjoys many economic advantages as a whole, 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 fastest 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.

In 2008, The "American State Litter Scorecard," presented at the American Society for Public Administration national conference, positioned Nevada, next to Mississippi and Louisiana, one of the worst states for removing litter from public roadways and properties.[19]

Recently, an economic downturn due to the house market collapse in Las Vegas (which has one of the highest home foreclosure rates in the nation), coupled with many months of declining gaming revenue and higher prices for gasoline and consumer goods has caused a 1.2 billion dollar shortfall in the state budget (which is required by the constitution to be balanced), and has caused Nevada to drain its rainy day fund of 267 million coupled with budget cuts means that hard times are ahead for the Silver state. In August 2008, it was announced that Boyd Gaming would halt construction on a 4.2 billion dollar project called Echelon, which was to replace the old Stardust Hotel & Casino, the reason cited for this is lack of funding/credit from banks, and a souring economy.

State symbols

Playa areas of Nevada

A fictional history (with a great deal of fact) titled Nevada was written by Clint McCullough.

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.census.gov/popest/states/NST-ann-est.html 2007 Population Estimates
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Elevations and Distances in the United States". U.S Geological Survey (April 29, 2005). Retrieved on November 6, 2006.
  3. ↑ Nevada Natural Resources Status Report
  4. ↑ Popul of Nevada's Counties and Incorp cities 2006 Time Series EMAIL 012207.xls
  5. ↑ "Nevada". Wordreference.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-24.
  6. ↑ The name is derived from the Spanish word Nevada, which is the feminine form of "covered in snow," although it is common for Spanish-derived place names in the United States to be no longer pronounced by native English speakers in a manner which reflects the name's Spanish roots (the pronunciation of the name "Los Angeles," for instance, is commonly accepted as "Los An-JELL-es" not "Los An-HELL-es" by native English speakers).
  7. ↑ Griffith, Martin (2008-01-18). "It's Nuh-VAD-uh, not Nuh-VAH-duh", Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
  8. ↑ National Climatic Data Center, Asheville, N.C., and Storm Phillips, STORMFAX, INC.
  9. ↑ Rocha Guy, Historical Myth a Month: Why Did Nevada Become A State?
  10. ↑ CNN
  11. ↑ Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
  12. ↑ http://www.thearda.com/mapsReports/reports/state/32_2000.asp
  13. ↑ Nevada Mining Association, Economic Overview of the Nevada Mining Industry 2004
  14. ↑ United States Department of Agriculture Nevada State Agriculture Overview - 2005
  15. ↑ State smoking ban sparks zone-change request for Gardnerville parcel Nevada Appeal serving Carson City, Nevada
  16. ↑ Have Nevada bars given up the smoking habit?
  17. ↑ Las Vegas Now - Breaking News, Local News, Weather, Traffic, Streaming Video, Classifieds, Blogs - UPDATED: Bilbo's Smoking Lawsuit Case
  18. ↑ Wilderness.net
  19. ↑ S. Spacek, The American State Litter Scorecard" March 2008

External links


Flag of Nevada

 
State of Nevada
Carson City (capital)
Topics

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Preceded by
West Virginia		 List of U.S. states by date of statehood
Admitted on October 31, 1864 (36th)		 Succeeded by
Nebraska