| Fallon, Nevada | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Nickname(s): The Oasis of Nevada[1] | |
| Location of Fallon, Nevada | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Nevada |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.1 sq mi (7.9 km2) |
| • Land | 3.0 sq mi (7.9 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 3,960 ft (1,207 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 7,536 |
| • Density | 2,474.1/sq mi (955.3/km2) |
| Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP codes | 89406, 89407, 89496 |
| Area code(s) | 775 |
| FIPS code | 32-24100 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0840412 |
| Website | www.cityoffallon.com |
Fallon is a city in Churchill County, located in western Nevada, United States. The population was 7,536 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Churchill County[2] and is located in the Lahontan Valley.
Fallon is primarily an agricultural community. Although the area is arid, approximately 50,000 acres (200 km2) of farmland are irrigated with water supplied by the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District. The principal crop is alfalfa. Fallon Heart O' Gold cantaloupes were once distributed throughout the nation, but are now mostly grown for local consumption. Naval Air Station Fallon, home of the Navy's Top Gun training program since 1996, also provides a significant employment. Fallon is known as the "Oasis of Nevada."
U.S. Route 50 is the main road through town. Fallon is one of the westernmost cities on the Loneliest Road in America, the stretch of Route 50 through Nevada famed for its remoteness. Eastbound travelers must go 110 miles to find the next town, Austin, Nevada.
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Fallon is located at (39.472792, -118.778826).[3]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.1 square miles (8.0 km2), of which, 3.0 square miles (7.8 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) of it (0.65%) is water.
The Fallon climate is warm during summer when temperatures tend to be in the 90s (°F) and very cold during winter when temperatures tend to be in the 40s (°F). The warmest month of the year is July with an average maximum temperature of 92.1 °F (33.4 °C), while the coldest month of the year is December with an average minimum temperature of 17.4 °F (−8.1 °C). Temperature variations between night and day tend to be relatively large due to low humidity. During summer the difference can reach 39°F, being more moderate during winter with an average difference of 28°F. The annual average precipitation in Fallon is 5.3 inches (13 cm). Rainfall is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. The wettest month of the year is May with an average rainfall of 0.71 inches (1.8 cm). Fallon gets around 7-8 in (17.8-20.3 cm) of snow annually. It also can experience heavy fog in winter, known as pogonip.
| Climate data for Fallon, Nevada | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 71 (22) |
76 (24) |
84 (29) |
90 (32) |
98 (37) |
106 (41) |
108 (42) |
105 (41) |
100 (38) |
91 (33) |
81 (27) |
72 (22) |
108 (42) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 45 (7) |
53 (12) |
59 (15) |
66 (19) |
74 (23) |
84 (29) |
92 (33) |
90 (32) |
82 (28) |
70 (21) |
56 (13) |
46 (8) |
68.1 (20.0) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 19 (−7) |
23 (−5) |
28 (−2) |
34 (1) |
41 (5) |
48 (9) |
53 (12) |
51 (11) |
43 (6) |
33 (1) |
25 (−4) |
17 (−8) |
34.6 (1.4) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −25 (−32) |
−27 (−33) |
1 (−17) |
14 (−10) |
20 (−7) |
27 (−3) |
35 (2) |
33 (1) |
21 (−6) |
12 (−11) |
0 (−18) |
−21 (−29) |
−27 (−33) |
| Source: Data is FALLON EXPERIMENT STN, NEVADA | |||||||||||||
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record Precipitation | in. | 2.98 | 2.83 | 1.76 | 2.36 | 3.38 | 3.04 | 1.53 | 1.90 | 1.47 | 1.81 | 1.68 | 2.15 |
| Average Precipitation | in. | 0.56 | 0.54 | 0.45 | 0.50 | 0.71 | 0.43 | 0.16 | 0.22 | 0.28 | 0.39 | 0.38 | 0.49 |
| Average Snowfall | in. | 2.6 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 1.5 |
| Record Snowfall | in. | 20.9 | 13.3 | 10.0 | 4.5 | 8.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 2.4 | 8.0 | 11.5 |
| Data is for Fallon Experiment Station, Nevada | |||||||||||||
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 7,536 people, 3,004 households, and 1,877 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,474.1 people per square mile (954.0/km²). There were 3,336 housing units at an average density of 1,095.2 per square mile (422.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 76.50% White, 2.00% African American, 3.00% Native American, 4.70% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 0.3% from other races, and 3.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.9% of the population.
There were 3,004 households out of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.7% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.4% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,935, and the median income for a family was $41,433. Males had a median income of $35,356 versus $22,818 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,919. About 9.5% of families and 12.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.6% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.
The Paiute-Shoshone Tribe of the Fallon Reservation and Colony is headquartered in Fallon.[5]
U.S. Representative Martin Heinrich was born in Fallon.
Los Alamos National Laboratory, in conjunction with the Department of Defense, conducted an underground nuclear test 28 miles southeast of Fallon, at 5 p.m. on October 26, 1963.
Named Project Shoal, the 12.5 kiloton detonation was part of the Vela Uniform program. The device exploded at a depth of 1,205 feet below ground surface.[6] The site is located in Gote Flat in the Sand Springs Range.
Access to the Project Shoal Area is unrestricted.[7] Access to the area is by Highway 50, Nevada Highway 839, then to an improved gravel road to the site.
Seven miles east of Fallon, adjacent to Highway 50, is the Grimes Point Petroglyph Trail.[8] The Trail features rocks with carvings as much as eight thousand years old, created by native peoples who were drawn to the shores of ancient Lake Lahontan. The Trail is approximately one-half mile long on a level path. Free brochures explaining the native art are available. There is also a cave where bats dwell. Has also been known to be a popular local party destination. The path begins to rise as it goes from the now level lake bottom to the once higher bank where inhabited with caves.
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