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Nevada
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This article is about the U. S. state of Nevada. For other places, see Nevada (disambiguation).
State of Nevada
Flag of Nevada Seal of Nevada
Nickname(s): Silver State, Sagebrush State,
Battle Born State (official)
Motto(s): All For Our Country
Official language(s) None
Capital Carson City
Largest city Las Vegas
Area Ranked 7th
- Total 110,567 sq mi
(286,367 km²)
- Width 322 miles (519 km)
- Length 490 miles (788 km)
- % water 0.7
- Latitude 35°N to 42°N
- Longitude 114°W to 120°W
Population Ranked 35th
- Total (2000) 1,988,258
- Density 18.21/sq mi
7.03/km² (43rd)
- Median income $46,984 (16th)
Elevation
- Highest point Boundary Peak[1]
13,140 ft (4,005 m)
- Mean 5,499 ft (1,676 m)
- Lowest point Colorado River[1]
479 ft (146 m)
Admission to Union October 31, 1864 (36th)
Governor Jim Gibbons (R)
U.S. Senators Harry Reid (D)
John Ensign (R)
Time zones
- most of state Pacific: UTC-8/-7 (DST)
- West Wendover Mountain: UTC-7/-6 (DST)
Abbreviations NV US-NV
Web site www.nv.gov
Nevada is a state located in the western United States, best known for its widespread legalization of gambling, the gaming industry and prostitution, which itself is legal in no other state. The capital is Carson City.
Nevada's nickname is "The Silver State" or "The Sagebrush State", and the state's motto is "All for Our Country." "Home Means Nevada" by Bertha Rafetto is the state song. The phrase "Battle Born" is on the state flag; "The Battle Born State" is the official state slogan, as Nevada was admitted into the union during the American Civil War.
Although the name is derived from the Spanish word nevada which is the feminine form of "covered in snow", the correct pronunciation of the state's name is not IPA: [nəˈβɑdə], but IPA: [nəˈvædə]. 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.
Contents [hide]
1 Geography
1.1 Bordering States
2 History
2.1 Statehood
2.2 Industry
2.2.1 Gaming and labor
2.3 Homesteading
3 Demographics
3.1 Religion
4 Economy
5 Transportation
6 Law and government
6.1 Legislature
6.2 Judiciary
6.3 Libertarian laws
6.4 Politics
7 Important cities and towns
7.1 10 richest places in Nevada
8 Education
8.1 Colleges and universities
9 Parks and Recreation
9.1 Recreation areas maintained by the National Park Service
9.2 Southern Nevada
10 Sports
11 Miscellaneous topics
11.1 State symbols
12 See also
13 References
14 External links
Geography
Further information: List of Nevada counties
The state is broken up by several south-north mountain ranges. Most of those ranges have inland-draining valleys between them, which belies the image portrayed by the term Great Basin.
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) on June 29, 1994.[2]
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.
The mountain ranges, some of which have peaks above 13,000 feet, 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.
The eastern parts of the state receive more summer moisture and have a slightly more verdant terrain. Sagebrush grows everywhere and some rivers and streams break the desert terrain.
The southern third of the state, including the Las Vegas area, is within the Mojave Desert. The area receives less precipitation in the winter, but is closer to the Arizona Monsoon in the summer. The terrain is also lower, mostly below 4,000 feet, creating conditions for hotter summer days and colder 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. (There are a very few, much smaller diagonal boundaries in the northeastern states and Washington, D.C., with the longer exceptions not being at such a steep angle.) All other state boundaries, but one, are lines of latitude, longitude, or are irregular and based on rivers, mountains, lakes, etc. (A circular border exists between Delaware and Pennsylvania.) This line begins in Lake Tahoe nearly four miles offshore (in the direction of the boundary), and continues to the Colorado River where the Nevada, California, and Arizona boundaries merge 12 miles southwest of the Laughlin (Nevada) Bridge.
The largest mountain range in the southern portion of the state is the Spring Mountains, just west of Las Vegas. The state's lowest point is along the Colorado River, south of Laughlin.
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 both the Nevada and Utah legislatures and the U.S. Congress.
Bordering States
Oregon - Northwest
Idaho - Northeast
Utah - East
Arizona - Southeast
California - West
History
The Nevada Territory in 1861.Derived from the Father Kino expeditions at the end of the 17th century through north Mexico and south U.S., Nevada passed to Spanish control, belonging to the Viceroyalty of New Spain. In 1821 became part of the First Mexican Empire of Agustin de Iturbide, until 1823, and afterwards of Mexico. As a result of the Mexican-American War of 1846-48 and based on the Guadalupe-Hidalgo Treaty, Nevada became part of the United States. On August 14, 1850, the U.S. Congress established the Utah territory which included the present day state. 1859 saw the discovery of the Comstock Lode, a rich outcropping of gold and silver, and the mining center Virginia City sprang up. This discovery brought a flood of miners, prospectors, merchants and others hoping to strike it rich.
Statehood
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"). 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 and post-Civil War Republican dominance in congress[3] . 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. It is a common misconception that part of the reasoning for making Nevada a state was due to the large deposits of silver and gold. However, this is merely a myth for Congress would have had unlimited control over the resources when Nevada was a territory, and limited control when Nevada evolved into a state.
Nevada achieved its current boundaries on May 5, 1866 when it absorbed the portion of Pah-Ute County in the Arizona Territory west of the Colorado River, 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.
Industry
Mining shaped Nevada's economy for many years. Although, in the late 19th century, Nevada found it increasingly more difficult to compete with states such as Colorado and Utah in the mining industry. There was even talk of stripping away statehood, the only time in American history such an action was discussed in Congress[citation needed]. However, the rich silver strike at Tonopah in 1900 is thought to have saved the state from near collapse. This was followed by strikes in Goldfield and Rhyolite, lasting well into the 1910s and making Nevada a dominant player in mining once again.
Gaming and labor
The famous Las Vegas Strip, home to the world's largest casino-hotels.
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, and the industry has become Nevada's primary source of revenue today.
In 1931, construction began on Hoover Dam near Las Vegas. Thousands of workers from across the country came to build the dam, and providing for their needs in turn required many more workers. The boom in population is likely to have fueled the relegalization 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.
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.
Homesteading
Over 87% of the state today 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 45.0%
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%
Nevada Population Density MapAccording to the Census Bureau, as of 2005, Nevada has an estimated population of 2,414,807, which is an increase of 81,909, or 3.5%, from the prior year and an increase of 416,550, or 20.8%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 81,661 people (that is 170,451 births minus 88,790 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 337,043 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 66,098 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 270,945 people. According to the 2006 census, Arizona has replaced Nevada as the fastest growing state in the country. Nevada is now in 2nd place after being in 1st place for about 60 straight years. Nevada grew by 2.8% while Arizona grew by 3.5%.
The center of population of Nevada is located in north and west of Las Vegas, very near Yucca Mountain [1].
Demographics of Nevada (csv)
By race White Black AIAN Asian NHPI
AIAN is American Indian or Alaskan Native - NHPI is Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
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 2000-2005 (total population) 18.23% 35.25% 20.23% 46.27% 33.72%
Growth 2000-2005 (non-Hispanic only) 11.17% 31.96% 16.39% 46.36% 33.55%
Growth 2000-2005 (Hispanic only) 43.57% 88.97% 34.74% 44.46% 34.84%
The largest reported ancestry groups in Nevada are: German (14.1%), Mexican (12.7%), Irish (11%), English (10.1%), Italian (6.6%), Filipino (5.2%), and American (4.8%). Nevada also has a sizable Basque ancestry population. In Clark and Pershing Counties, a plurality of residents are of Mexican ancestry; Nye County and Humboldt County have a plurality of German-Americans.
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 16.19% of the population aged 5 and over speak Spanish at home, while 1.59% speak Tagalog [2].
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.
From 1991 until 2006, Nevada was the fastest growing state in the country; in 2006, it was surpassed by Arizona. Between 2000 and 2003, Nevada's population increased 12.2%, while the USA's population increased 3.3%. Between 1990 and 2000, Nevada's population increased 66.3%, while the USA's population increased 13.1%. Over two thirds of the population of the state lives in the fast-growing Las Vegas metropolitan area. If Congress were reapportioned using 2005 data, Nevada would gain a representative seat, for a total of 4.
Religion
The religious affiliations of the people of Nevada are:[citation needed]
Christian – 78%
Protestant – 44%
Baptist – 15%
Methodist – 6%
Lutheran – 3%
Other Protestant – 21%
Roman Catholic – 24%
Latter-day Saint – 12%
Other Christian – 1%
Other Religions – 2%
Non-Religious – 20%
Economy
The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that Nevada's total state product in 2003 was $88 billion. Per capita personal income in 2003 was $31,910, 19th 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. It is well-known for gambling and prostitution. Large, luxurious casinos in Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe and Reno attract visitors from around the world.
Nevada's booming economic center of Las VegasIn 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. Silver is a distant second, with 10.3 million ounces worth $69 million mined in 2004. [4] 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.[5] 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 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% and sales tax in Washoe County is 7.375%, while sales tax in Douglas County is 6.75%.
Transportation
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 fast, frequent and clean dedicated connecting service from Las Vegas to trains at Needles, California, Los Angeles, and Bakersfield, California.
Union Pacific Railroad has some railroads in the north and in the south (map).
Greyhound Lines provides some bus services.
Interstate 15 passes through the southern tip of the state, serving Las Vegas and other communities. It has spur routes I-215 and I-515. Interstate 80 crosses through the northern part of Nevada, reaching from Utah in the east and passing westward through Reno and into California. It has a spur route, I-580. Nevada also is served by several federal highways: US-6, US-50, US-93, US-95 and US-395. There are also 189 Nevada State Highways. Nevada is one of a few states in the U.S. that does not have a continuous Interstate highway linking its major poulation cores: Reno, Carson City, and Las Vegas. Even the non-interstate federal highways aren't contiguous between its two largest cities, though it is 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.
Las Vegas has a bus network and a monorail system that is being extended. McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas is one of the busiest airports in the United States. The Reno-Tahoe International Airport (formerly known as the Reno Cannon International Airport) is the other major airport in the state.
RTC RIDE operates a well-structured frequent system of local transit buses throughout the Reno-Sparks Metropolitan area. Other transit systems in the state include Carson City's JAC. Some counties do not have public transport at all, e.g. Storey, Eureka, Lander, and Nye.
Law and government
Nevada's governor is Jim Gibbons (Republican). Nevada's two U.S. senators are Harry Reid (Democrat) and John Ensign (Republican).
Further information: List of Nevada Governors
Legislature
A view of the Nevada State Legislative BuildingNevada has a bicameral legislature, divided into a Senate and an Assembly. Members of the Senate serve for 4 years, and members of the Assembly serve for 2 years. Each session of the Legislature meets for 4 months every two years, or longer if the Governor calls a special session. Currently, the Senate is controlled by the Republican Party and the Assembly is controlled by the Democratic Party.
Judiciary
Nevada is one of the few U.S. states without a system of intermediate appellate courts. It has a state supreme court, the Supreme Court of Nevada, which hears all appeals. The court lacks the power of discretionary review, so Nevada's judicial system is extremely congested.
Original jurisdiction is divided between the District Courts (with general jurisdiction), and Justice Courts and Municipal Courts (both of limited jurisdiction).
Libertarian laws
The Supreme Court of Nevada's courthouseIn 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, in any county that decides to allow it. Quite a few of them do. [6]
Besides prostitution laws (See Prostitution in Nevada), a number of laws in Nevada, to this day, are noticeably more liberal (or libertarian) than in most other states:
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. To boost its fragile economy, Nevada adopted one of the most liberal divorce statutes in the nation. This resulted in Williams v. North Carolina, 317 U.S. 287 (1942), in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that North Carolina had to give "full faith and credit" to a Nevada divorce.
Statutory rape laws. Nevada is currently the only state that has different ages of consent for different sexual practices. An adult may have "ordinary sexual intercourse, anal intercourse, cunnilingus or fellatio" with another person that is 16 years old or older (NRS 200.364); however a different law makes it illegal to incite, entice, or solicit any minor (a person under 18) to engage in an "infamous crime against nature". (NRS 201.195). (See also: Age of Consent).
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.[citation needed]
Politics
Due to the tremendous growth of Las Vegas in recent years, there is a noticeable divide between politics of northern and southern Nevada. The north has long maintained control of key positions in the state government even while the 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 the south sees the north as the "old guard" trying to rule as an oligarchy. However, due to a recent term limit law passed by the voters, the North's hold over key positions will soon be forfeited to the South, leaving Northern Nevada powerless. Most people outside the state are not familiar with this rivalry. According to official statistics, party registration numbers show that 40.5% of voters are registered Republicans, with 40.1% being Democrats and 19.3% of voters being Independents.
The state is not dominated by either major political party and is a Bellwether state. Republicans won Nevada three times in the 1980's. Democrat Bill Clinton won the state in the 1992 and 1996 presidential elections and Republican George Bush won Nevada in 2000 and 2004. In 2004, George Bush narrowly won the state's 5 electoral votes by a margin of 2 percentage points with 50.5% of the vote. Las Vegas' Clark County, which contains the vast majority of the state's population, was the only county to vote Democratic.
The state's United States Senators are newly-elevated Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D), a native of the town of Searchlight, and Senator John Ensign (R).
Important cities and towns
Rank City Population
within
city limits Land Area
sq. miles Population
Density
per sq mi County
1 Las Vegas 553,807 113.3 4,222.5 Clark
2 Henderson 255,646 79.7 2,200.8 Clark
3 Paradise 221,051 47.1 3,947.3 Clark
4 Reno 206,629 69.1 2,611.4 Washoe
5 Sunrise Manor 195,581 38.2 4,081.8 Clark
6 North Las Vegas 177,751 78.5 1,471.0 Clark
7 Spring Valley 176,552 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
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
Incline Village-Crystal Bay $52,521
Kingsbury $41,451
Mount Charleston $38,821
Verdi-Mogul $38,233
Zephyr Cove-Round Hill Village $37,218
Summerlin South $33,017
Blue Diamond $30,479
Minden $30,405
Boulder City $29,770
Spanish Springs $26,908
Further information: Nevada locations by per capita income
Education
Colleges and universities
Sierra Nevada College
Nevada System of Higher Education
University of Nevada, Reno (UNR)
University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV)
Nevada State College at Henderson
Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC)
Great Basin College
Community College of Southern Nevada (CCSN)
Western Nevada Community College
Touro University Nevada
University of Southern Nevada
Parks and Recreation
Recreation areas maintained by the National Park Service
California National Historic Trail
Death Valley National Park
Great Basin National Park near Baker
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Old Spanish National Historic Trail
Pony Express National Historic Trail
Southern Nevada
Mount Charleston and the Mount Charleston Wilderness Area
Mount Charleston as seen from the North Loop Trail, late AprilSpring Mountains and the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area
Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest
Bootleg Canyon Mountain Bike Park
Sports
Las Vegas Gladiators, Arena Football League
Las Vegas 51s, minor league baseball
Las Vegas Wranglers, East Coast Hockey League
Reno Silver Sox, Golden Baseball League
Reno Raiders, ECHL
Miscellaneous topics
Nevada's nickname is "The Silver State" or "The Sagebrush State", and the state's motto is "All for Our Country". "Home Means Nevada" by Bertha Rafetto is the state song. The phrase "Battle Born" is on the state flag; "The Battle Born State" is the official state slogan, as Nevada was admitted into the union during the American Civil War.
Although the name is derived from the Spanish word nevada meaning "snowy", the local pronunciation of the state's name is not IPA: [nəˈvɑdə], but IPA: [nəˈvædə]. Residents use the state name as a Shibboleth to determine whether or not the speaker is a native Nevadan. Residents also often regard the pronunciation as a test of whether visitors such as presidential candidates, have informed themselves about the state. In 2005, the state issued a new series of license plates that list the name of the state as Nevăda to help with the pronunciation problem.
Several United States Navy ships have been named USS Nevada in honor of the state.
Nevada is the only state with legalized prostitution.
Further information: Prostitution in Nevada
Nevada is 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.
The paranormal radio talk show host Art Bell formerly lived 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 Timbuktoo"). 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".
State symbols
Digitally colored elevation map of NevadaState animal: Desert Bighorn Sheep
State artifact: Tule Duck Decoy
State bird: Mountain Bluebird
State colors: Silver and Blue
State fish: Lahontan cutthroat trout
State flower: Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata)
State fossil: Ichthyosaur
State grass: Indian ricegrass
State march: "Silver State Fanfare" by Gerald Willis
State metal: Silver (Ag)
State motto: "All for our country"
State precious gemstone: Virgin Valley black fire opal
State semiprecious gemstone: Nevada turquoise
State song: "Home Means Nevada" by Bertha Raffetto
State reptile: Desert Tortoise
State rock: Sandstone
State soil: Orovada (soil) series
State tartan: A particular tartan designed for Nevada by Richard Zygmunt Pawlowski
State trees: Single-leaf Pinyon pine and Bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva)
A fictional history (with a great deal of fact) titled Nevada was written by Clint McCullough.
See also
Black Rock Desert
Burning Man
List of cities in Nevada
List of Governors of Nevada
List of law enforcement agencies in Nevada
List of mountain ranges of Nevada
List of Nevada counties
List of Nevada rivers
List of Nevada state prisons
List of people from Nevada
List of radio stations in Nevada
List of television stations in Nevada
List of United States Senators from Nevada
List of ZIP Codes in Nevada
Scouting in Nevada
Nevada Highway Patrol
Las Vegas, Nevada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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This article is about the city of Las Vegas in the U.S. state of Nevada. For other uses of the term, see Las Vegas (disambiguation) and Vegas (disambiguation).
For other uses around the city, see Las Vegas metropolitan area and Las Vegas Strip.
Las Vegas, Nevada
Flag
Seal
Nickname: ""The Entertainment Capital of the World"; "Sin City""
Location of Las Vegas in Nevada
Coordinates: 36°10′30″N, 115°08′11″W
County Clark
- Mayor Oscar B. Goodman(D)
Area
- City 340.0 km² (131.3 sq mi)
- Land 1 339.8 km² (31.2 sq mi)
- Water 0.26 km² (0.1 sq mi)
Elevation 610 m (2,001 ft)
Population (2006)[1]
- City 591,536
- Density 1,604/km² (4,154/sq mi)
- Metro 1,710,551
Time zone PST (UTC-8)
- Summer (DST) PDT (UTC-7)
Website: http://www.lasvegasnevada.gov/
The Las Vegas strip at night in December 2006.Las Vegas (often informally abbreviated to "Vegas") is the most populous city in the state of Nevada, United States, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally known vacation, shopping, entertainment, and gambling destination. It was established in 1905 and officially became a city in 1911. It is the largest U.S. city founded in the 20th century.
The name Las Vegas is often applied to the unincorporated areas of Clark County that surround the city, especially the resort areas on and near the Las Vegas Strip. This 4½ mi (7.2 km) stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard is mostly outside the Las Vegas city limits, in the unincorporated town of Paradise.
The center of gambling in the United States, Las Vegas is marketed as The Entertainment Capital of the World, also commonly known as Sin City or Vice City, due to the popularity of legalized gambling, availability of alcoholic beverages at any time (as is true throughout Nevada), and various forms and degrees of adult entertainment. The city's glamorous image has made it a popular setting for films and television programs.
Contents [hide]
1 History
1.1 Founding
1.2 Major events
1.3 Economic history
2 Law and government
2.1 City council
2.2 City management
2.3 Government offices
3 Geography
3.1 Climate
4 Demographics
5 Education
6 Environmental features
7 Economy
8 City redevelopment
9 Technology business development
10 Transportation
11 Culture
11.1 Sports
12 Attractions
13 Sister cities
14 See also
15 References
16 External links
History
Main article: History of Las Vegas
Founding
Las Vegas (English: "The Meadows" or "The Grasslands") was given its name by Spaniards in the Antonio Armijo party, who used the water in the area while heading north and west along the Old Spanish Trail from Texas. In the 1800s, areas of the Las Vegas Valley contained artesian wells that supported extensive green areas or Meadows (Vega in Spanish), hence the name Las Vegas. John C. Frémont traveled into the Las Vegas Valley on May 3, 1844, while it was still part of Mexico. He was a leader of a group of scientists, scouts and observers for the United States Army Corps of Engineers. On May 10, 1855, following annexation by the United States, Brigham Young assigned 30 Mormon missionaries led by William Bringhurst to the area to convert the Paiute Indian population. A fort was built near the current downtown area, serving as a stopover for travelers along the "Mormon Corridor" between Salt Lake and the briefly thriving Mormon colony at San Bernardino, California. Las Vegas was established as a railroad town on May 15, 1905, when 110 acres (44.5 ha) owned by Montana Senator William A. Clark's San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake City Railroad, was auctioned off in what is now downtown Las Vegas. Las Vegas was part of Lincoln County until 1909 when it became part of the newly established Clark County. Las Vegas became an incorporated city on March 16, 1911.
Major events
Las Vegas is one of the most dynamic cities in the world, "reinventing" itself as a gambling mecca, family destination, capital of hedonism ("What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas"), or hotspot for dining and shopping over the years. Several events stand out as turning points:
The floods of 1955, 1984, 1999, and 2003.
Establishment of Las Vegas as a railroad town (May 15, 1905).
Legalization of gambling (March 19, 1931).
Completion of Hoover Dam (October 9, 1936).
Opening of Bugsy Siegel's Flamingo Hotel on what would become the Las Vegas Strip (December 26, 1946).
Atmospheric nuclear testing (1951 to 1962).
The first Strip property "The El Rancho" was consumed by fire on July 17, 1960.
Elvis Presley returns to live performances in August 31, 1969 by opening the International Hotel
MGM Grand Hotel fire the worst disaster in Nevada history on (November 21, 1980).
A series of explosions destroys the PEPCON rocket fuel plant and nearby Kidd and Co. marshmallow factory (May 4, 1988)
Opening of The Mirage which began the era of megaresort casinos on (November 22, 1989).
The Dunes became the first Strip property to be imploded on October 27, 1993.
100th birthday, or Centennial, of Las Vegas (May 15, 2005).
Economic history
Las Vegas started as a stopover on the pioneer trails to the west and became a popular railroad town in the early 1900s. It was a staging point for all the mines in the surrounding area, especially those around the town of Bullfrog, that shipped their goods out to the rest of the country. With the growth of the railroads, Las Vegas became less important, but the completion of the nearby Hoover Dam resulted in substantial growth in tourism, which, along with the legalization of gambling, led to the advent of the casino-hotels for which Las Vegas is famous.
The constant stream of tourist dollars from the hotels and casinos was augmented by a new source of federal money. This money came from the establishment of what is now Nellis Air Force Base. The influx of military personnel and casino job-hunters helped start a land building boom which still goes on today.
Law and government
Las Vegas City Hall in downtown Las Vegas.The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department provides most law enforcement services in the city and surrounding county. Exceptions include cities with their own law enforcement agency; including North Las Vegas, Henderson and Boulder City.
Most of the people and businesses who live in what they call "Las Vegas" are actually residents of neighboring unincorporated communities or incorporated cities. In fact, of the over 1.8 million people who live in the Las Vegas Valley, only 591,536 live inside Las Vegas city limits. The largest suburbs are Paradise (190,129) between Las Vegas and Henderson (256,390), Sunrise Manor (195,727) east of Las Vegas and North Las Vegas (202,520), and Spring Valley (175,581) southwest of Las Vegas. Paradise, Sunrise Manor, and Spring Valley are unincorporated townships, while Henderson and North Las Vegas are incorporated. The earliest, Paradise, formed during a 1940s water dispute between the City of Las Vegas and early homeowners south of San Francisco Street, now Sahara Avenue.
The City of Las Vegas government operates as a council-manager government. The Mayor sits as a Council member-At-Large and presides over all of the City Council meetings. In the event that the Mayor cannot preside over a City Council meeting, the Mayor Pro-Tem is the presiding officer of the meeting until such time as the Mayor returns to his seat. The City Manager is responsible for the administration and the day-to-day operation of all of the municipal services and city departments. The City Manager also maintains intergovernmental relationships with federal, state, county and other local governments.
A Paiute Indian reservation occupies about 1 acre (4000 m²) in the downtown area of Las Vegas.
City council
(Council members' official city websites are also available)
Oscar B. Goodman – Mayor and Council member at Large (Term Expires in 2007)
Gary Reese – Mayor Pro-Tem and 3rd Ward Council member (Term Expires in 2007)
Lois Tarkanian – 1st Ward Council member (Term Expires in 2007)1
Steve Wolfson, Esq – 2nd Ward Council member (Term Expires in 2009)
Larry Brown – 4th Ward Council member (Term Expires in 2009)
Lawrence Weekly – 5th Ward Council member (Term Expires in 2007)
Steve Ross – 6th Ward Council member (Term Expires in 2009)
1 Elected on January 26, 2005 in a special election to replace Councilwoman Janet Moncrief who was recalled from office.
Lois Tarkanian will serve the remaining two years of the Ward 1 seat.
City management
Douglas Selby – City Manager
Barbara Jo (Roni) Ronemus – City Clerk
Government offices
City of Las Vegas
Government Offices
400 Stewart Avenue
Las Vegas, NV 89101 Metropolitan Police Department
400 Stewart Avenue
Las Vegas, NV 89101 Detention Center (City jail)
(not the Clark County Detention Center)
3200 Stewart Avenue
Las Vegas, NV 89101
Marriage licenses are filed at the Clark County Courthouse.
Geography
Typical desert scene in the Las Vegas area.Las Vegas is located at 36°11′39″N, 115°13′19″W (36.194168, 115.222060)GR1. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 340.0 km² (131.3 mi²). 339.8 km² (131.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.16 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.04%) is water.
The city is located in an arid basin surrounded by mountains varying in color from pink to rust to gray. The Spring Mountains lie to the west. As befits a desert, much of the landscape is rocky and dusty. Within the city, however, there are a great deal of lawns, trees, and other greenery. Due to water resource issues, there is now a movement to encourage xeriscaping instead of lawns. Another part of the water conservation efforts include scheduled watering groups for watering residential landscaping.
Climate
Las Vegas' climate is typical of the Mojave Desert, in which it is located, marked with hot summers, mild winters, abundant sunshine year-round, and very little rainfall. High temperatures in the 90s °F are common in the months of May, June, and September and temperatures normally exceed 100 °F (38 °C) most days in the months of July and August, with very low humidity, frequently under 10%. The hottest temperature ever recorded is 117 °F (47 °C) set twice, on July 19, 2005, at McCarran International Airport and July 24, 1942, at present-day Nellis Air Force Base. Winters are cool and windy, with the majority of Las Vegas' annual 4.49 in (114 mm) of rainfall coming from January to March.[2] Winter daytime highs are normally around 60 °F (16 °C) and winter nighttime lows are usually around 40 °F (4 °C). The coldest temperature ever recorded is 8 °F (-13 °C) set on January 25, 1937, at present-day Nellis Air Force Base. Showers occur less frequently in the Spring or Autumn. July through September, the Mexican Monsoon often brings enough moisture from the Gulf of California across Mexico and into the southwest to cause afternoon and evening thunderstorms. Although winter snow is usually visible from December to May on the mountains surrounding Las Vegas, it rarely snows in the city itself.
Demographics
City of Las Vegas
Population by year [1][2]
1920 2,304
1930 5,165
1940 8,422
1950 24,624
1960 64,405
1970 125,787
1980 164,674
1990 258,295
2000 478,434
2005 545,147
2006 1,800,000
Las Vegas has been the county seat of Clark County since the formation of the county in 1909. The Census Bureau's official population estimate as of 2005 was 545,147. The city’s Planning and Development Department reported an increase of 41,126 in 2005, for a total population of 575,973. [3]. Recent figures place the population for the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which includes all of Clark County, at over 1.6 million people (2004 [4]), and the region is one of the fastest growing in the United States. Las Vegas was ranked as the 29th largest city in the United States in 2000, but recent estimates suggest that the city's population has since surpassed that of Atlanta, Nashville, Washington, D.C., Louisville, Denver and Boston to place it 22nd in rank. It is likely to surpass Milwaukee and possibly a few other cities to reach the top 20 by the time of the 2010 Census.
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 478,434 people, 176,750 households, and 117,538 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,630.3/km² (4,222.5/mi²). There are 190,724 housing units at an average density of 649.9/km² (1,683.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.86% White, 10.36% African American, 0.75% Native American, 4.78% Asian, 0.45% Pacific Islander, 9.75% from other races, and 4.05% from two or more races. 23.61% of the population is Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 176,750 households out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 103.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $44,069, and the median income for a family was $50,465. Males had a median income of $35,511 versus $27,554 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,060. About 8.6% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.4% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.
As of the 2004 census estimate, the Las Vegas metropolitan area contained over 1.6 million residents, and contains the largest ethnic Hawaiian community outside of Hawaii.
Education
Primary public education is provided by the Clark County School District (CCSD), which is the fifth largest school district in the nation.
Las Vegas does not have any independent four-year university within its city limits. The University of Nevada, Las Vegas is located in Paradise, three miles south of the city limits. The University of Nevada Medical School has a campus near downtown Las Vegas. Several national colleges, including the University of Phoenix, have campuses in the Las Vegas area. Nevada State College and Touro University Nevada are both located in nearby Henderson. The Community College of Southern Nevada has campuses in Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Henderson
Environmental features
Las Vegas is situated on the arid floor within Clark County. Correspondingly the environment is dominated by desert vegetation[citation needed] and wildlife[citation needed]; however, the setting is also subject to torrential flash floods which the infrastructure of storm sewers has not been able to contain.[citation needed] The rapid pace of urban development beginning in the 1980s has produced more impervious surface and exacerbated the inherent flooding issue.[citation needed] Enabling the rapid population expansion was a major addition to the city's sewage treatment capacity, an event removing a major constraint to population growth in the 1970s. The sewage treatment expansion resulted from a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant funded 208 program to analyse and forecast growth and environmental impacts through the year 2010.
Economy
Interior of a casino. A major part of the city economy is based on tourism, including gambling.The primary drivers of the Las Vegas economy have been the confluence of tourism, gaming, and conventions which in turn feed the retail and dining industries. Several companies involved in the manufacture of electronic gaming machines, such as slot machines, are located in the Las Vegas area. In the 2000s retail and dining have become attractions of their own.
Tourism marketing and promotion are handled by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, a county wide agency. Its annual Visitors Survey provides detailed information on visitor numbers, spending patterns and resulting revenues [5].
The Lloyd D. George Federal District Courthouse in Las Vegas is the first Federal Building built to the post-Oklahoma City blast resistant standards.Las Vegas as the county seat and home to the Lloyd D. George Federal District Courthouse, draws numerous legal service industries providing bail, marriage, divorce, tax, incorporation and other legal services.
The redevelopment listed below shows how the city is trying to diversify the local economy and revitalize the downtown area. The World Market Center is an example of this.
City redevelopment
The south end of the Las Vegas Strip in 2003.When The Mirage, the first Megaresort, opened in 1989, it started a movement of people and construction away from downtown Las Vegas to the Las Vegas Strip. This resulted in a drop in tourism from which the downtown area is still trying to recover.
A concerted effort has been made by city officials to diversify the Las Vegas economy from tourism by attracting light manufacturing, banking, and other commercial interests. The lack of any state individual or corporate income tax and very simple incorporation requirements have fostered the success of this effort.
Having been late to develop an urban core of any substantial size, Las Vegas has retained very affordable real estate prices in comparison to nearby urban centers. Consequently, the city has recently enjoyed an enormous boom both in population and in tourism. However, as a New York Times series on the city reported in 2004, the median price of housing in the Las Vegas Valley is now at or above the nationwide median. The urban area has grown outward so quickly that it is beginning to run into Bureau of Land Management holdings along its edges, increasing land values enough that medium- and high-density development is beginning to occur closer to the core.
As a reflection of the city's rapid growing population, the new Chinatown of Las Vegas was constructed in the early 1990s on Spring Mountain Road. Chinatown initially consisted of only one large shopping center complex, but the area was recently expanded for new shopping centers that contain various Asian businesses.
Downtown Las Vegas: The Fremont Street Experience outside of Binion's Horseshoe Casino.With the Strip expansion in the 1990s, downtown Las Vegas began to suffer. The Fremont Street Experience (FSE) was built in an effort to draw tourists downtown. While greatly slowing the decline, it did not stop the decline in tourism and revenue. The multi-level Neonopolis, complete with 11 theaters (managed by Galaxy Theaters, Inc.), was built to offer more retail and services downtown. While there have been changes in ownership and management, Neonopolis has not been able to lease all the space available. As of May 2006, the property has been sold and is under new management. Renovations are under-way to revitalize Neonopolis. Look for new restaurants to open in the late summer to early fall of 2006.
In the early 2000s, some promising signs emerged for downtown Las Vegas. The city successfully lured the Internal Revenue Service to move operations from the far west of the city to a new building downtown that opened in April 2005. The IRS is expected to create a demand for additional businesses in the area, epecially in the daytime hours.
The city purchased 61 acres (247,000 m²) of property from Union Pacific Railroad in 1995 with the goal of creating something that would draw tourists and locals to the downtown area. In 2004 Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman announced plans for the Union Park Development which will include residential and office high-rises, The Lou Ruvo Brain Institute, an academic medical center, The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, and a new City Hall. After failed negotiations with The Related Co. on the development of Union Park in October of 2005, San Diego-based Newland Communities was chosen by the city as the new development firm. The Newland contract calls for Dan Van Epp, Newland's regional vice president and former president of the Howard Hughes Corp., to oversee his company's work on Union Park. The Lou Ruvo Brain Institute is expected to be completed in 2007.
Newport Lofts high-rise development under construction with newly finished Soho Lofts in the background.Along with the Union Park Development, other promising residential and office developments have begun construction around downtown Las Vegas. New condominium and hotel high rise projects have changed the entire Las Vegas skyline dramatically in recent years. Many large high-rise projects are planned for downtown Las Vegas as well as the Las Vegas Strip.
The city council of Las Vegas has agreed on zoning changes on Fremont Street, which allows bars to be closer together duplicating efforts of similar cities, like the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego. It is expected that this change will bring more tourism and business to the downtown area.
Las Vegas from space (1989 Space Shuttle Photo)In 2005, on a lot adjacent to the city's 61 ac (247,000 m²), the World Market Center opened. It is intended to be the nation's and possibly the world's preeminent furniture wholesale showroom and marketplace, and is meant to compete with the current furniture market capital of High Point, North Carolina.
In 2004, the city partnered with Cheetah Wireless Technologies and MeshNetwork to pilot a wide area mobile broadband system. The pilot system is installed downtown, around the Fremont Street Experience.
On October 23, 2006, plans were unveiled to build a World Jewelry Center in Downtown's Union Park. Similar to the World Market Center, the WJC will be a one stop shop for jewelry trade shows from around the world. The project proposes a 57-story, 815-foot office tower. [6]
Technology business development
Although there are large hospitality and gaming industries in Las Vegas, many technology companies are either being relocated to Las Vegas or are created there. For various reasons, Las Vegas has had a high concentration of technology companies in electronic gaming and telecommunications industries.
Some companies started in Las Vegas but since sold or relocated are:
Westwood Studios (sold to Electronic Arts)
Systems Research & Development (Sold to IBM)
Yellowpages.com (Sold to Bellsouth and SBC)
MPower Communications
Some current technology companies in southern Nevada are:
Bigelow Aerospace
CommPartners
Datanamics
eVital Communications
Petroglyph
SkywireMedia
Switch Communications
WorldDoc
Zappos
Transportation
The CAT Bus is a popular means of public transportation among locals and tourists with various bus routes covering a large portion of the valley. The CAT system carries approximately 175,000 people per weekday, or about 10 percent of the valley's population.
The Las Vegas Monorail runs from the MGM Grand Hotel at the south end of the Strip to the Sahara Hotel at the north end of the Strip.
The street numbering system is divided by the following streets:
Westcliff Drive, US-95 Expressway, Fremont Street and Charleston Boulevard divides the north-south block numbers from west to east.
Las Vegas Boulevard divides the east-west streets from the Las Vegas Strip to near the Stratosphere, then Main Street becomes the dividing line from the Stratosphere to the North Las Vegas border, after which the Goldfield Street alignment officially divides east and west.
The McCarran International Airport provides commercial flights into the Las Vegas valley. The airport also serves private aircraft, domestic and international passenger flights, and freight/cargo flights. Although general aviation traffic flies into McCarran International, other airstrips are available.
Intercity bus service to Las Vegas is provided by traditional intercity bus carriers, including Greyhound; many charter services, including Green Tortoise; and several Chinatown bus lines.
Primary roadways into and out of Las Vegas include I-15 (north towards Salt Lake City, Utah, and south towards San Diego, California and Los Angeles), US 93 (north towards Ely, Nevada and Jackpot, Nevada, and south towards Kingman, Arizona) and US 95 (north towards Reno and south towards Searchlight, Nevada), providing access to Interstates I-80 and I-40.
Until 1997, the Amtrak Desert Wind train service ran through Las Vegas using the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) rails that run through the city; Amtrak service to Las Vegas has since been replaced by Amtrak's Thruway Motorcoach bus service. Plans to restore Los Angeles to Las Vegas Amtrak service using a Talgo train have been discussed since the Desert Wind was discontinued. As of 2006, however, no such service has been established.
Union Pacific Railroad (UP) is the only class one railroad to provide rail freight service to the city.
Some groups have proposed the California-Nevada Interstate Maglev line from Las Vegas to Los Angeles in order to ease the incoming and outgoing traffic congestion on I-15.
Culture
Main article: Las Vegas metropolitan area
Sports
Main article: Sports in Las Vegas
Attractions
The major attractions in Vegas are the casinos. The most famous casinos line Las Vegas Boulevard South, also known as the Las Vegas Strip. There are many casinos in the city's downtown area as well, which was the original focal point of the city's gaming industry in its early days. Several large casinos are also located in the county around the city.
Fremont Street ExperienceSome of the most notable casinos located downtown are on the Fremont Street Experience and include:
Golden Nugget
Four Queens
Binion's Gambling Hall and Hotel
Fremont Casino
Plaza Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas Club
Fitzgeralds Las Vegas
Golden Gate Hotel and Casino
Sister cities
Las Vegas has several Sister Cities:
Pernik, Bulgaria
An San, South Korea
Huludao, China
Phuket, Thailand
Angeles City, Philippines
See also
List of mayors of Las Vegas, Nevada
List of Las Vegans
Radio stations in Las Vegas
Television stations in Las Vegas
List of movies set in Las Vegas
List of movies shot in Las Vegas
List of bands from Las Vegas
List of television shows set in Las Vegas
List of shows playing in Las Vegas
List of Las Vegas casinos that never opened
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Reno, Nevada
City Logo
City nickname: "The Biggest Little City in the World"
Founded May 13, 1868
County Washoe County
Mayor Bob Cashell
Area
- Total
- Land
- Water
179.6 km² (69.3 mi²)
179.0 km² (69.1 mi²)
0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) 0.32%
Population (2005)
- City
- Metro
;-Density
207,000
397,671
1,008.3/km² (2,611.4/mi²)
Time zone Pacific
Location 39°31′38″N, 119°49′19″W
Elevation 4498 feet (1371 m)
http://www.cityofreno.com
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 180,480, making it the second largest city in Nevada, after Las Vegas. Current estimates place the population of the city proper at 207,000, which would make Reno the third most populous city, after Henderson. It has a metro population of 379,671. Reno lies 26 miles (42 km) north of the Nevada state capital, Carson City, and 22 miles (35 km) northeast of Lake Tahoe in the high desert. Reno shares its eastern border with the city of Sparks. Reno, known as The Biggest Little City in the World, is famous for its casinos, and is the birthplace of the gaming corporation Harrah's Entertainment.
Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Climate
3 Government
4 Education
4.1 Universities and Colleges
4.2 Public schools
4.3 Private schools
5 Gaming Industry
6 Downtown Revitalization
6.1 Nightlife
7 Demographics
8 Transportation
9 Sports
10 Recreation
11 Environmental factors
12 Culture
13 Drug Abuse
14 Economic Climate
15 Movies
16 Famous People
17 Sister Cities
18 Trivia
19 External links
History
As early as the 1850s a few pioneers settled in the Truckee Meadows, a relatively fertile valley through which the Truckee River made its way from Lake Tahoe to Pyramid Lake. In addition to subsistence farming, these early residents could pick up a bit of business from travellers along the California Trail, which followed the Truckee westward, before branching off towards Donner Lake, where the formidable obstacle of the Sierras began.
Gold had been discovered in the vicinity of Virginia City in 1850 and a modest mining community developed, but the discovery of silver in 1859 led to one of the greatest mining bonanzas of all time as the Comstock Lode spewed forth treasure. The Comstock's closest connection to the outside world lay in the Truckee Meadows.
To provide the necessary connection between Virginia City and the California Trail, Charles Fuller built a log toll bridge across the Truckee River in 1859. A small community to service travellers soon grew up near the bridge. After two years, Fuller sold the bridge to Myron Lake, who continued to develop the community with the addition of a grist mill, kiln, and livery stable to the hotel and eating house. The tiny community acquired the name Lake's Crossing.
In 1868, the Central Pacific Railroad, building tracks across the west to connect with the Union Pacific, built from the east to form the first transcontinental railroad. Myron Lake, realizing what a rail connection would mean for business, deeded land to the Central Pacific in exchange for its promise to build a depot at Lake's Crossing. Once the railroad station was established, the town of Reno officially came into being on May 13, 1868. The new town was named in honor of Major General Jesse L. Reno, a Union officer killed in the American Civil War.
The extension of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad to Reno in 1872 provided another big boost to the new city's economy. In the following decades, Reno continued to grow and prosper as a business and agricultural center and became the principal settlement on the transcontinental railroad between Sacramento and Salt Lake City.
Reno as it appeared in the late 1980s and early 1990sHowever, political power in Nevada remained with the mining communities, first Virginia City and later Tonopah and Goldfield.
As the mining boom waned early in the twentieth century, Nevada's centers of political and business activity shifted to the non-mining communities, especially Reno and Las Vegas, and today the former mining metropolises stand as little more than ghost towns. Despite this, Nevada still accounts for over 11% of world gold production.
It was in Reno in 1871 that Jacob Davis, a tailor, started reinforcing his canvas pants with copper rivets. Davis later patented his idea with Levi Strauss, his canvas supplier to create the product now known as Levi's.
Nevada's legalization of casino gambling in 1931 and the passage of liberal divorce laws created another boom for Reno. The divorce business eventually died as the other states fell in line by passing their own laws easing the requirements for divorce, but gambling continued as a major Reno industry.
In more recent years, Reno has experienced rapid growth as a strong economy and a cost of living less than most of California has resulted in a housing boom. New construction is widespread emanating from all sides of the city and into the surrounding valleys. A direct result of such rapid growth has been a dramatic increase in housing prices in the area, with Reno-Sparks being named one of the most overvalued housing markets in the nation in 2006. On March 15, 2006, a new upscale shopping center, The Summit Sierra, opened in the southern suburbs of Reno.
Climate
Reno is situated in a high desert valley of approximately 4,400 feet (1300 m) above sea level. There are four distinct seasons, all of moderate intensity. Winters see some snowfall; however typically it is light. Most precipitation occurs in winter and spring, with summer and fall being extremely dry. Mid-summer highs are typically in the low to mid 90s (degrees Fahrenheit, 30s in degrees Celsius), but temperatures of 100°F (38°C) and above do occur regularly. The low humidity and high elevation generally make even the hottest and coldest days quite bearable. July high and low temperatures average 92°F (33°C) and 51°F (11°C), respectively; in January they are 46°F (7°C) and 22°F (-6°C).
Government
Reno has a basic democratic municipal government. The city council is the core of the government, with seven members. Five of these councilmen represent districts of Reno, and are elected by the citizens of each district. The other two members are the at-large, who represents the entire city, and the mayor, who are elected by the people of the city. The council has several duties, including setting priorities for the city, promoting communication with the public, planning development, and redevelopment. An example of a successful municipal project is "reTRAC", the trench that separates train traffic from vehicular traffic downtown. Also, the mayor has appointment and dismissal responsibilities, including the sole power to appoint chief of police and cheif of fire.
The government's other members include the city manager, who implements and enforces the policies and programs the council approves, and is chosen by the council. He is in charge of the budget and work force for these programs. There is also the city attorney, who is responsible for civil and criminal cases. He represents the city government in court, and prosecutes misdemeanors as well. He is elected. Lastly, the council chooses a city clerk, who records the proceedings of the council, makes appointments for the council, and makes sure efficient copying and printing services are available.
Issues facing the Reno Municipal Government in 2006 and 2007 include development of the Ballardini, Winnemucca, and Marshall Ranches, which combine hold thousands of acres currently undeveloped. Also, the city plans on annexing the township of Verdi. A second issue is the road development that results from this development; the two-lane Pyramid Highway will become a six-lane freeway, a two-lane rural road near Ballardini Ranch will become a four-lane highway, and multiple roads must be paved in order to have access to the developments. These projects are projected to span over twenty years, in order to serve Reno's growing population.
Education
Universities and Colleges
The University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) is the oldest university in the state of Nevada and Nevada System of Higher Education. In 1886, the state university, previously only a college preparatory school, moved from Elko in remote northeastern Nevada to a site north of downtown Reno, where it became a full-fledged state college. The university's first building, Morrill Hall, still stands on the historic quad at the campus' southern end. The university grew slowly over the decades, but began to expand rapidly along with the rest of the state and currently has an enrollment of approximately 16,000, with most students hailing from within Nevada. Among its specialties are mining engineering, agriculture, journalism, and one of only two Basque Studies programs in the nation. It also houses the only judicial college in the United States.
Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) is a regionally accredited, two year institution which is part of the Nevada System of Higher Education. The college has an enrollment of approximately 13,000 students attending classes at a primary campus and four satellite centers. The college offers a wide range of academic and university transfer programs, occupational training, career enhancement workshops, and classes just for fun. Courses are conducted daytime and evening in the classroom, by cablecast, and on the Internet. TMCC offers associate of arts, associate of science, associate of applied science or associate of general studies degrees, one-year certificates, or certificates of completion in more than 50 career fields, including architecture, auto/diesel mechanics, criminal justice, dental hygiene, graphic design, nursing, and welding.
The Nevada School of Law at Old College located in Reno was the first law school established in the state of Nevada. Its doors were open from 1981-1988.
Public schools
Public education is provided by the Washoe County School District.
Reno has eleven public high schools: Damonte Ranch, Galena, Hug, I Can Do Anything Charter High School, McQueen, North Valleys, Regional Technical Institute (RTI), Reno, Truckee Meadows Community College High School, Washoe, and Wooster.
There are also three public high schools in neighboring Sparks, attended by many students who live in Reno: Reed, Spanish Springs, and Sparks High School.
Reno-Sparks has 16 middle schools: Billinghurst, Clayton, Cold Springs, Damonte Ranch, Dilworth, Gerlach, Incline, Mendive, O'Brien, Pine, Shaw, Spanish Springs, Sparks, Swope, Traner, Vaughn, and Washoe.
Reno-Sparks has 62 elementary schools: Allen, Anderson, Beasley, Jesse Beck, Bennett, Booth, Brown, Cannan, Caughlin Ranch, Corbett, Desert Heights, Diedrichsen, Dodson, Donner Springs, Double Diamond, Drake, Duncan, Dunn, Elmcrest, Gomes, Roy Gomm, Greenbrae, Hidden Valley, Huffaker, Hunsberger, Hunter Lake, Johnson, Juniper, Lemmon Valley, Elizabeth Lenz, Lincoln Park, Loder, Mathews, Maxwell, Melton, Mitchell, Moss, Mount Rose, Natchez, Palmer, Peavine, Picollo Special Education School, Pleasant Valley, Risley, Sepulveda, Sierra Vista, Silver Lake, Alice Smith, Kate Smith, Smithridge, Spanish Springs, Stead, Sun Valley, Taylor, Towles, Van Gorder, Verdi, Veterans Memorial, Warner, Westergard, Whitehead, and Sarah Winnemucca.
Private schools
Reno has several private high schools, the largest of which are Bishop Manogue High School and Sage Ridge School (SRS), which are both college preparatory schools.
Gaming Industry
Image:Renoarch.jpg
Downtown Reno, including the city's famous arch over Virginia St.Before the 1960s, Reno was the gambling capital of the world, but Las Vegas' rapid rise, American Airlines' buyout of Reno Air and the growth of Indian gaming in California have seriously reduced its business, though not that of Las Vegas. Older casinos were either torn down (Mapes, Nevada Club, Harold's Club, Palace Club) and smaller casinos like the Comstock, Sundowner, Golden Phoenix, Kings Inn, Money Tree, Virginian, and Showboat closed. Reno Casinos experience slow days during the week, epecially during winter, when mountain passes are closed to through traffic from California. Only during weekends, holidays and special events does Reno see an increase in business.
Two local casinos have shown significant growth, and have moved downtown gaming further south on Virginia Street. These include the Atlantis (formerly the Clarion), and The Peppermill. The Peppermill is viewed as the most outstanding Reno gaming/hotel property by Casino Player and Nevada Magazines. In 2005,the Peppermill Hotel Casino began a $300 million dollar Tuscan-themed expansion. The Peppermill is adding a 600-room all-suite hotel tower, 62,000 square feet of convention space, a resort-style pool complex, and many additional restaurants and lounges.
In an effort to bring more tourism to the area, Reno holds several events throughout the year, all of which have been extremely successful. They include Hot August Nights (a classic car convention and rally), Street Vibrations (a motorcycle fan gathering and rally), The Great Reno Balloon Race, the Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-off (held in Sparks), a Cinco de Mayo celebration, bowling tournaments and the Reno Air Races.
Reno is the location of the corporate headquarters for International Game Technology, which manufactures most of the world's slot machines.
Downtown Revitalization
The closure of many downtown casinos has sparked a surprising movement to turn these empty buildings into condominiums. Out-of-state developers have purchased the Comstock and the Sundowner, amongst others, in hopes of turning them into upscale condos. In addition to converting old properties, these developers are building new structures on once-vacant lots.
The Reno Trench Project (ReTRAC) was undertaken to solve noise pollution and traffic congestion on Virginia Street by lowering the train tracks below street level. This has also added to the city's efforts to make the downtown area friendlier to tourists. The trench was completed on November 22, 2005.
Nightlife
Reno has recently opened many businesses that contribute to socializing and after-work activities. Many bars and nightclubs have moved into the area of Virginia and First Streets in downtown Reno. This area is beginning to resemble "bar rows" seen in many larger, metropolitan cities. Though this growth has only been a recent trend, it has the potential of inviting new, young, urban professionals to Reno and retaining them. Since one of Reno's major problems is sustaining the 24-to-35 demographic population, this new trend in nightlife may prove to be best for the city's future development and growth. Bars and clubs in this area include XOXO, Tonic, El Cortez Lounge, Liquid Lounge, the Green Room, Five Star Saloon, the West 2nd Street Bar, and Vino's. Club 210 North recently opened on the same property as the former Level and Reno Live. A block away are more clubs; including Se7en, 3rd Street Blues, Jungle Vino, Sierra Tap House and Silver Peak Brewery.
Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 180,480 people, 73,904 households, and 41,681 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,008.3/mi² (2,611.4/km²). There were 79,453 housing units at an average density of 443.9/km² (1,149.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.46% White, 2.58% African American, 1.26% Native American, 5.29% Asian, 0.56% Pacific Islander, 9.26% from other races, and 3.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.18% of the population.
There were 73,904 households out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.5% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.6% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.2% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 104.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $40,530, and the median income for a family was $49,582. Males had a median income of $33,204 versus $26,763 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,520. About 8.3% of families and 12.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.3% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
The course of the Truckee River runs through Reno, as does the Union Pacific Railroad, Interstate 80 (east-west) and US 395 (north-south).
Reno has an extensive bus system called RTC RIDE(formerly known as Citifare), which is provided by the Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County. The bus system has its main terminal in downtown Reno and secondary terminals in Sparks and at Meadowood Mall in south Reno. The RTC also has a service called RTC ACCESS (formerly known as CitiLift) that provides transport for disabled people. RTC INTERCITY (formerly known as PRIDE) buses link Reno to Carson City and rural Douglas County.
The RTC also provides a free bus service up and down Virginia Street in Reno called RTC SIERRA SPIRIT, which many locals refer to as "the Pinwheel bus" due to the pinwheel design on the bright yellow buses and at bus stops. This regular service is free of charge.
Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Reno. The city's passenger rail station is located at 280 North Center Street in downtown Reno. Amtrak train 5, the westbound California Zephyr, is scheduled to depart Reno at 9:14am daily and provides service to the cities of Truckee, Colfax, Roseville, Sacramento, Davis, Martinez, and Emeryville, across the bay from San Francisco. Amtrak train 6, the eastbound California Zephyr, is scheduled to depart Reno at 3:58pm daily and provides service to Sparks, Winnemucca, Elko, Salt Lake City, Provo, Helper, Green River, Grand Junction, Glenwood Springs, Denver, Omaha, Galesburg, and Chicago. Amtrak California Thruway Motorcoaches also arrive and depart Reno four times daily in each direction connecting to and from the Coast Starlight, Capitol Corridor, and San Joaquin trains at Sacramento, California.
The city is served by Reno/Tahoe International Airport, with general aviation traffic also handled by Reno Stead Airport.
Sports
Reno is home to the Reno Silver Sox Golden Baseball League team and will be home to the Reno Raiders of the ECHL in the future. Football teams include the Nevada Wolf Pack.
A multi-million dollar whitewater rafting/kayaking project is underway on the Truckee River leading into Reno.
In 2004, the city completed a $1.5 million whitewater park on the Truckee River in downtown Reno which attracts paddlers from all over the region and hosts whitewater events throughout the year. The course runs Class 2 and 3 rapids with safe and free, year-round public access. The 1,400-foot north channel features more aggressive rapids, drop pools and "holes" for rodeo kayak-type maneuvers. The milder 1,200-foot south channel is set up as a kayak slalom course and a beginner area.
The Reno area boasts 14 ski areas within two hours of the city.
Recreation
Reno is home to a variety of recreation activities including both seasonal and year-round. In the summer, Reno locals can be found near three major bodies of water: Lake Tahoe, the Truckee River, and Pyramid Lake. Lake Tahoe, which splits the border between California and Nevada, provides visitors and locals with opportunities to fish, water-ski and wakeboard, parasail, jet-ski, and of course swim. The Truckee River runs from Lake Tahoe through the center of downtown Reno and up to Pyramid Lake. After receiving city funding, the Truckee River now draws kayakers from all over the United States. The river is also a major part Artown, held in the summer at Wingfield Park, where locals and visitors come to swim, inner-tube, raft and enjoy local Reno culture.
Winters in Reno are just as enjoyable. Skiing and snowboarding are among the most popular winter sports and draw in many tourists. There are approximately eight major ski resorts, including Northstar-at-Tahoe, Sierra-at-Tahoe, Alpine Meadows, Squaw Valley Ski Resort, Sugar Bowl, Diamond Peak, Heavenly and Mount Rose Ski Resort located as close as eleven miles and as far as ninety-eight miles from the Reno-Tahoe International Airport. Other popular winter activities include cross country skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating, and snowmobiling.
For those who choose to make Reno their permanent residence, the city offers a variety of entertainment throughout the entire year. Popular local hotspots include the Western Village; a subsidiary of the Peppermill, Liquid, the Chocolate Bar, Silver Peak Brewery, and Wild Island.
Environmental factors
The Reno-Sparks wastewater treatment plant discharges secondary treated effluent to the Truckee River. In the 1990s this capacity was increased from 20 to 30 million gallons (70 to 110 million liters) per day. While treated, the effluent nevertheless contains suspended solids, nitrogen and phosphorus. aggravating water quality concerns of the river and its receiving waters of Pyramid Lake. Local agencies working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have developed a number of watershed management strategies to accommodate this expanded effluent discharge; to accomplish this successful outcome, the DSSAM Model was developed and calibrated for the Truckee River in order to analyze the most cost effective available management strategy set. The resulting management strategies included a package of measures such as land use controls in the Lake Tahoe basin, urban runoff controls in Reno and Sparks and best management practices for wastewater discharge.
Wetlands are an important part of the Reno/Tahoe area. They act as a natural filter for the solids that come out of the water treatment plant. Plant roots absorbe nutrients from the water and naturally filter it. Wetlands are also a home for over 75% of the species in the Great Basin. However, the area's wetlands are at risk of being destroyed due to development around the city. While developers build on top of the wetlands they fill them with dirt destroying the habitat they create for the plants and animals. Washoe county has devised a plan that will help protect these important ecosystems: Mitigation. In the future, when developers try to build over a wetland, they will be responsible for creating another wetland near Washoe Lake.
The Truckee River serves as Reno's primary source of drinking water. It supplies Reno with 80,000,000 gallons of water a day during the summer, and 40,000,000 gallons of water per day in the winter. Before the water goes to the homes around the Reno area, it must go to one of two water treatment plants, Chalk Bluff or Glendale Water Treatment Plant. As an attempt to save water, golf courses in Reno, like Arrow Creek Golf Course, have been using treated effluent water instead of treated water from one of Reno's water plants.
Culture
National Automobile Museum
Nevada Shakespeare Company
Nevada Museum of Art
University of Nevada, Reno Arboretum
Wilbur D. May Arboretum and Botanical Garden
Reno Pops Orchestra
Artown
Drug Abuse
Nevada has the second highest incidence of drug abuse in the United States.[citation needed] Reno contributes to this problem because of the widely spread use of the drug Methamphetamine.[citation needed] The city of Reno has acknowledged that Meth abuse is a large problem in Reno and they are taking steps to help spread knowledge about the consequences of using this drug. A television special, "Crystal Darkness," was shown in January 2007 to show the dangers and problems with Methamphetamine. The city encouraged all public school students and parents to watch the show in hopes that they could raise awareness throughout the Reno community. [1]
Economic Climate
Transportation, casinos, gaming and tourism are few of the biggest factors of Reno's economy. The casinos and gaming attract people from around the world to come and spend their money in Reno.
Movies
Movies filmed in Reno include:
The Cooler
Magnolia
Hard Eight
Charley Varrick
The Wizard
Jinxed!
The Misfits
Kingpin
Blind Fury
Pink Cadillac
Diamonds
Sister Act
Father's Day
Waking Up in Reno
Mafia
Famous People
Famous people who come from Reno include:
Thomas K. Dye - the creator of the webcomic, Newshounds.
Mädchen Amick - actress of TV series Joey.
Terri Ivens - soap opera actress on All My Children.
Shannyn Sossamon - actress of A Knight's Tale and 40 Days and 40 Nights.
Walter Van Tilburg Clark - author of The Ox-Bow Incident.
Chris Carr - kick returner and defensive back for the Oakland Raiders.
Doug Clifford - Creedence Clearwater Revival drummer lives in a suburb of Reno called Galena.
Sister Cities
Reno has four sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):
Udonthani, Thailand
Hatzor, Israel
Wanganui, New Zealand
Taichung, Taiwan, Republic of China
Trivia
Reno (as New Reno) is a location in the computer role-playing game Fallout 2.
The Reno-Tahoe Winter Games Coalition was working on a plan to host the 2014 Winter Olympics, but the United States Olympic Committee decided not to submit a host city for that year's games. Reno will continue to work towards hosting the 2018 or 2022 games.
Reno is the setting of the Comedy Central show Reno 911!, although the show is not filmed there.
The Reno-Sparks Indian Colony is located in central Reno.
Some people have a saying that jokingly refers to Reno's neighboring city, Sparks, Nevada: "Reno is so close to Hell you can see Sparks."