ABOUT NEVADA

NEVADA

This States name was officially adopted in 1861 when it’s territory was established by Congress; from Spanish meaning snow-capped.

Nevada entered the Union as a State during the Civil War and just before the presidential election of 1864. The Constitutional Convention met in Carson City on July 4, 1864, just one year after the terrible battle at Gettysburg. The Union needed another State, another supporter of President Lincoln, to prove to the Confederacy that the Union was strong. Patriotism was running high here and those assembled for the Convention felt very loyal to the Union and quite willing to do what they could to support it. (Courtesy: Official Nevada State Government Website).

With mostly mountainous and desert terrain, Nevada altitudes vary from 1,000 feet to over 13,000 feet. The climate is arid, with abundant sunshine; light rainfall and snow in winter (higher elevations). Average temperature varies from 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the south to 45 degrees Fahrenheit in the north. However in summer, temperatures in the south and west of Nevada easily hit the 100’s and even 120’s when you’re unlucky.

Tourist-connected industries (hotels, casinos, amusement and recreation facilities) make up the largest employment category in Nevada. There are big resort areas, with nearby skiing as well as sunbathing, near Lake Tahoe, Reno, Las Vegas, and elsewhere. Ghost towns, rodeos, trout fishing, water skiing, and deer hunting are other attractions.

Most people know Nevada for two things: Gambling and Aliens. To start with the latter, Aliens are common to occasionally visit the remote territories and enclosed valleys of Nevada’s desert regions. The closeness of Area 51, a ‘secret’ US Army base, probably has its fair share in maintaining this carefully protected believe in Alien life, as it runs test flights for new US Military aircraft usually still unknown to the common people and therefore easily mistaken for Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO’s) operated by the Extra Terrestrial life.

Area 51

Area 51, also known as Groom Lake, is a secret military facility about 90 miles north of Las Vegas. The number refers to a 6-by-10-mile block of land, at the center of which is a large air base the government will not discuss. The site was selected in the mid-1950s for testing of the U-2 spyplane, due to its remoteness, proximity to existing facilities and presence of a dry lake bed for landings. Groom Lake is America's traditional testing ground for "black budget" aircraft before they are publicly acknowledged. The facility and surrounding areas are also associated -- with varying levels of credibility -- with UFO and conspiracy stories. In 1989, Bob Lazar claimed on a Las Vegas television station that he had worked with alien spacecraft at Papoose Lake, south of Area 51. Since then, "Area 51" has become a popular symbol for the alleged U.S. Government UFO cover-up.

Gambling

The ‘other’ thing Nevada is very well know for its very liberal approach to gambling and sex, and everything else that tags along with these two hot topics. Gambling was legalized on March 19th 1911. To read more on Las Vegas click here.

Some Nevada State facts:

STATE BIRD
Mountain Bluebird.

STATE ANIMAL
Desert Bighorn Sheep.

STATE REPTILE
The Desert Tortoise.

STATE FLOWER
Sagebrush, adopted March 20, 1917.

STATE TREE
Two trees share the State tree designation. The Single-Leaf Piñon and the Bristlecone Pine.

STATE PRECIOUS GEMSTONE
Among the many gemstones found in Nevada, the Virgin Valley Black Fire Opal is one of the most beautiful. The Virgin Valley in northern Nevada is the only place in North America where the Black Fire Opal is found in any significant quantity.

STATE SONG
"Home Means Nevada" by Mrs. Bertha Raffetto, Reno; adopted February 6, 1933.

STATE CAPITAL
Carson City; designated in July 1864; also territorial capital dating back to 1861.

NEVADA NICKNAMES
Battle-Born State, Sagebrush State, Silver State

AREA
110,540 square miles, 483 miles long, 320 miles wide; seventh in size.

POPULATION
Census 2000 population, 1,998,257

COUNTIES
Carson City, Churchill, Clark, Douglas, Elko, Esmeralda, Eureka, Humboldt, Lander, Lincoln, Lyon, Mineral, Nye, Pershing, Storey, Washoe, White Pine.

MINING
Among its products are gold, silver, copper, zinc, brucite, magnesium, magnesite, manganese, tungsten, uranium, mercury, lead, non-metallics, oil, coal, iron.

AGRICULTURE
Cattle, horses, sheep, hogs, poultry, hay, wheat, corn, potatoes, rye, oats, alfalfa, barley, vegetables, dairy products, some fruits.

PRINCIPAL LAKES
Natural: Lake Tahoe, on California-Nevada border west of Carson City; Pyramid Lake, largest natural lake in state, north of Reno; Walker Lake, north of Hawthorne; Topaz Lake on California-Nevada border, south of Gardnerville; Ruby Lake, south of Elko.
Manmade: Lake Mead, largest manmade lake in the state, with a 550-mile shoreline, forms southern boundary of state, east of Las Vegas, backed up by Hoover Dam on Colorado River; Lake Mohave, south of Las Vegas, backed up by Davis Dam on Colorado River; lake Lahontan, near Fallon; and Rye Patch Reservoir near Lovelock.

PRINCIPAL MOUNTAINS
Highest peak: Boundary Peak on Nevada-California border south of Hawthorne, 13,145 feet; other principal peaks: Wheeler Peak, east of Ely, 13,061; Mt. Charleston, west of Las Vegas, 11,910; North Schell Peak, north of Ely, 11,890; 51 peaks above 9,000 feet.

PRINCIPAL RIVERS
Longest: Humboldt River, 500 miles from Humboldt Mountains, east of Elko to Humboldt Sink south of Lovelock; Carson River, Truckee River, Walker River, Colorado River.

NATURAL RESOURCES
Minerals -- Gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, tungsten, uranium, manganese, titanium, iron, mercury, opal, barite, molybdenum, magnesite, diatomite, talc, gypsum, dalomite, lime, turquoise, fluorspar, brucite, antimony, perlite, pumice, salt, sulfur oilshale. Oil -- In central and eastern Nevada.
Forests -- Two national forests: Toiyabe, 2.5 million acres; Humboldt, 2.5 million acres divided into 19 forest areas. Water -- Principal rivers (Truckee, Carson, Walker, Humboldt) provide 2,000,000 acre feet annually within state. Colorado provides 300,000 acre feet annually, about 100,000 kilowatts of hydroelectric power being generated for use in Nevada; four hydroelectric plants near Reno, and Lahontan Dam hydroelectric plant near Fallon.

UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA SYSTEM
University of Nevada Reno (UNR); University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV); Community College of Southern Nevada; Truckee Meadows Community College; Western Nevada Community College; and Great Basin College.

HIGHWAYS
A total of 49,702 miles of streets and highways of which 40,519 are country roads.