| Lyon County, Nevada | |
Location in the state of Nevada |
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Nevada's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1861 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Yerington |
| Largest city | Fernley |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
2,016 sq mi (5,221 km²) 1,994 sq mi (5,164 km²) 23 sq mi (60 km²), 1.13% |
| PopulationEst. - (2010) - Density |
51,980 23/sq mi (9/km²) |
| Website | www.lyon-county.org |
Lyon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2010 census, the population was 51,980. Its county seat is Yerington.[1]
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Lyon County was one of the nine original counties created in 1861. It was named after Nathaniel Lyon, the first Union General to be killed in the Civil War. Its first County Seat was Dayton, which had just changed its name from Nevada City in 1862, which had been called Chinatown before that. After the Dayton Court House burned down in 1909, the seat was moved to Yerington in 1911. There were stories that it was named for Captain Robert Lyon, a survivor of the Pyramid Lake War in 1860, but Nevada State Archives staff discovered a county seal with the picture of the Civil War general and settled the conflict.
Lyon County has 16 schools provided by the Lyon County School District.
The Central Pacific (the first transcontinental railroad) ran through the county, although a portion of the original route has been shifted for a new route south of Wadsworth in favor of Fernley. The Central Pacific later became the Southern Pacific Railroad which was merged into Union Pacific in 1996.
The Virginia and Truckee Railroad runs through Mound House in western Lyon County, on its way from Carson City to Virginia City.
The narrow-gauge Carson and Colorado Railroad had its terminus in Mound House, where it intersected with the V&T. It traveled east through Dayton, then turned south to the Mason Valley, and east again on its way to Walker Lake. Later a branch line connected the C&C to the Southern Pacific at Hazen.
The Eagle Salt Works Railroad ran for 13.5 miles, primarily on the original Central Pacific grade from Luva (2 miles east of Fernley) to Eagle Salt Works.
The Nevada Copper Belt Railroad ran on the west side of the Mason Valley.
Amtrak's passenger train, the California Zephyr goes through Lyon County. The nearest Amtrak passenger stations are Reno and Winnemucca, Nevada. The California Zephyr runs from the San Francisco Bay Area to Chicago via Salt Lake City, Denver and Omaha. There are three known airports in Lyon County, The Yerington Airport, The Silver Springs Airport with 7200 feet long runway capable of accepting 737's, its runway lights are visible when driving down on Fir Street from Ramsey Weeks cut-off to 95A; and The Tiger Field on 95A from Fernley with a dirt runway of 2,750 feet and a paved runway of 5,600 feet.
Interstate 80 also passes through Lyon county.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,016 square miles (5,220 km2), of which 1,994 square miles (5,160 km2) is land and 23 square miles (60 km2) (1.13%) is water.
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 34,501 people, 13,007 households, and 9,443 families residing in the county. The population density was 17 people per square mile (7/km²). There were 14,279 housing units at an average density of 7 per square mile (3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.62% White, 0.65% Black or African American, 2.45% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 4.59% from other races, and 2.94% from two or more races. 10.97% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race (this figure likely doesn't reflect the significant illegal alien population).
There were 13,007 households out of which 33.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.40% were married couples living together, 9.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.40% were non-families. 21.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the county the population was spread out with 27.10% under the age of 18, 6.60% from 18 to 24, 27.30% from 25 to 44, 25.20% from 45 to 64, and 13.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 102.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $40,699, and the median income for a family was $44,887. Males had a median income of $34,034 versus $25,914 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,543. About 7.20% of families and 10.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.10% of those under age 18 and 7.10% of those age 65 or over.
From 2000 until 2008, Lyon County was one of the fastest growing counties in the United States.[1] However, its growth rate collapsed during 2008.[2]
Prostitution is licensed and legalized in Lyon county. Open ranches include:
| Storey County | Washoe County | |||
| Douglas County and City of Carson City | Churchill County | |||
| Lyon County, Nevada | ||||
| Mono County, California | Mineral County |
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