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Constituent state of the United States of America. It borders California on the west, Oregon and Idaho on the north, Utah on the east, and Arizona on the southeast. It has an area of 110,567 square miles (286,368 square kilometres), which makes it the seventh largest of the 50 states; it also, however, is one of the most sparsely settled. Carson City is the capital. Nevada became the 36th state of the Union on Oct. 31, 1864.
Nevada is located in a mountainous region that includes vast semiarid grasslands and sandy alkali deserts. It is the most arid state of the nation. The state takes its name from the Spanish nevada (“snow clad”), a reference to the high mountain scenery of the Sierra Nevada on the southwestern border with California.
Nevada appears far removed from the days when Virginia City was a fabled frontier town, thriving on the rich silver mines of the Comstock Lode. However, many frontier qualities persist, though subtly transformed by a sophisticated urban environment. The prospector digging against odds to find a bonanza has been replaced by the fortune seekers in the gambling casinos of Las Vegas and Reno, and the erstwhile “saloon diversions” have evolved into lavish nightclub entertainment.
While the great majority of Nevadans live in the two main cities—more than one-half of them in the Las Vegas metropolitan area and almost one-fourth in that of Reno—the undeveloped lands of the state provide a largely unknown resource. Combined with the major scientific activity related to the federal government's atomic research facilities, the modern cities and desert reaches make Nevada a unique phenomenon among U.S. states.
![The southern Mountain region. [Credit: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]](http://images.bookrags.com/images/eb/4842.gif) The southern Mountain region. [Credit: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]
Most of Nevada lies within the Great Basin section of the Basin and Range Province, where the topography is characterized by rugged mountains, flat valleys with occasional buttes and mesas, and sandy desert regions. More than 30 north–south mountain ranges cross the state; the highest elevations are Boundary Peak, at 13,143 feet (4,009 metres), and Wheeler Peak, at 13,063 feet. The southern area of the state is within the Mojave Desert, and the lowest elevation, 470 feet (143 metres), is in the Colorado River Canyon.
The state's rivers depend on the melting of winter snows and on spring rainfall. Almost all of the rivers drain into lakes that have no outlets or into shallow sinks that in summer evaporate into alkaline mud flats. The Humboldt, the largest of Nevada's rivers, provides the state's only major east–west drainage system. The Truckee, Carson, and Walker rivers, which rise in the Sierra Nevada, serve extensive irrigation and reclamation projects in their areas. The Muddy and Virgin rivers in southern Nevada are related to the Colorado River system.
Several lakes provide scenic and recreational attractions. Lake Tahoe on the California–Nevada border is particularly notable for its clarity, depth, and scenic beauty. Pyramid, Walker, and Winnemucca lakes are remnants of an ancient sea. In relation to its area, however, Nevada has little surface water. The increasing demands of urbanization, industry, and agriculture are exhausting both groundwater and surface resources, and scarcity of water is an increasing concern. The impounded waters of Lake Mead, extending for 117 miles (188 kilometres) behind Hoover Dam, provide reserves for the southeastern area.
The high Sierras along the state's western boundary often cause clouds of Pacific origin to drop their moisture before reaching Nevada, thus producing a semiarid climate. The driest regions are in the southeast and near Carson Sink, where annual rainfall seldom exceeds four inches (100 millimetres). The northeast has as little as eight inches of precipitation, whereas that of the northwestern mountains often reaches 24 inches. Temperatures vary as widely. In the north July temperatures average 70° F (21° C), and in the south 86° F (30° C). In January the averages range from 24° F (−4° C) in the north to 40° F (4° C) in the south. The northern and eastern areas have long, cold winters and short, relatively hot summers, whereas in southern Nevada the summers are long and hot and the winters brief and mild. Regional differences are pointed up by variations in the growing season: Las Vegas has 239 days, Reno 155, and Elko only 103.
Despite aridity and rugged terrain, Nevada shows considerable variety in vegetation. In the lower desert areas, mesquite, creosote, greasewood, yucca, and more than 30 varieties of cacti abound, while sagebrush and Joshua trees flourish at the higher elevations. Throughout the state, particularly during the period after the spring rains, more than 2,000 varieties of wildflowers have been identified. Mountain forests contain pine, fir, and spruce as well as juniper and mountain mahogany. The piñon pine is characteristic in the high mountain regions, and the rare bristlecone pine—one of the oldest living species of trees—is native to the Toiyabe Range.
The animal population of Nevada includes those species that are best adapted to temperature extremes and to lack of moisture. Among the larger animals are bighorn sheep, several varieties of deer, and the pronghorn. Rabbits and other rodents are found in abundance. The desert harbours such reptiles as geckos, horned toads, tortoises, and sidewinder rattlesnakes. Predators such as the coyote and bobcat are common. The permanent bird population of the state is somewhat limited, but there are seasonal visitations by a great variety of migratory birds. Game birds that can be found in the state include sage grouse, pheasant, and quail; and Nevada's rivers and lakes contain large quantities of bass, trout, crappie, and catfish.
The majority of Nevadans are of European ancestry, almost 90 percent of whom were born in the United States. An estimated 5,000 to 10,000 persons trace their ancestry to Basques recruited as sheepherders from their Pyrenean homeland. Spanish-speaking Americans, mainly those of Mexican and Cuban origin, are concentrated in the southeast. Descendants of the Paiute, Shoshoni, and Washoe Indians live on several reservations. Blacks, mostly in the Las Vegas and Reno areas, make up a very small percentage of the state's population.
The predominant religious groups are Mormons and Roman Catholics. There are a variety of Protestant denominations and a Jewish minority.
From the 1950s through the '70s Nevada's population grew by about 70 percent, and by the mid-1980s it was expanding three times faster than that of the nation as a whole. In spite of a birth rate slightly above, and a death rate slightly below, the national average, this growth was largely the result of immigration from other states. The impact of this immigration has been felt most strongly in Las Vegas and surrounding Clark county and in Reno and surrounding Washoe county. Most Nevadans are urban and are engaged in the booming economies of those two metropolitan areas.
Although the traditional bases of Nevada's economic life, mining and agriculture, remain important, they are far overshadowed by manufacturing, government, and tourist-related services.
One of the richest mineral regions of the nation extends eastward from California across Nevada and into Arizona. Copper production, which had been the largest component of mineral production, dropped dramatically in the 1970s and '80s, when the state's leading copper producers shut down operations. Copper is now produced only as a by-product of gold-mining operations. Gold has replaced copper as the most commercially valuable of the state's minerals, and the annual output is among the highest in the nation. Nevada is also the leading producer of barite and mercury. The McDermitt Mine in Humboldt county is the largest single source of mercury in the United States. Although silver production dropped in the late 1970s, new mines began operation in the 1980s. Other important minerals include gypsum, sand and gravel, crushed stone, tungsten, and magnesium. Petroleum was discovered in Nye county in 1954, and commercial production began in the 1970s.
Nevada's agriculture depends on irrigation. Even in the river valleys, farmers and ranchers pump additional groundwater for their crops and livestock. About 750,000 acres (300,000 hectares) are classified as cropland, compared with about 7,600,000 acres of pasture and rangeland. In the 20th century farms and ranches have increased in acreage while declining in number.
Croplands are devoted mainly to forage and feed crops, with alfalfa the major commercial crop. Livestock ranching, however, is the primary source of agricultural income. The large cattle and sheep ranches are chiefly in Elko, Humboldt, and Lander counties. Most of the cattle are shipped to California or the Midwest for fattening and marketing. Dairy and poultry farms have become important in western and southeastern Nevada, where horse ranches also have been developed.
Nearly one-fifth of Nevada's total acreage is devoted to forests and woodlands. More than 5,000,000 acres have been designated as national forests, and private holdings support only a small-scale lumber industry. Aside from lumber production, the forests are of importance for the conservation of water and wildlife and in providing recreational opportunities.
Manufacturing has expanded and diversified, and most of the larger enterprises are located in Clark or Washoe counties. The leading product groups are stone, clay, and glass products; printing and publishing; food and food by-products; and chemicals. The largest industrial complex is located in Henderson, where major factories process titanium ore and produce industrial chemicals.
Most of the electricity is generated by coal and natural gas, but a small amount is produced by hydroelectric plants. Coal and natural gas are used in power plants in southern Nevada. Hoover and Davis dams are major power sources, supplemented by imports of hydroelectric power from California and Oregon.
About 85 percent of Nevada's land is owned by the federal government. Following establishment of the Nevada Test Site by the federal government in the 1950s, a complex of research and development enterprises, mainly in the aerospace, civil defense research, biomedical environmental protection, and electronics fields, developed in the Las Vegas area. These industries have come to rival similar industries in California and in the Boston and Washington, D.C., areas. The test site itself is a major centre for underground nuclear detonation and for 15 years, until 1972, for nuclear rocket development. Thousands of military personnel are stationed also at Nellis Air Force Base and Fallon Naval Air Station.
Tourism and its related activities bring millions of visitors; contribute more income than mining, agriculture, and manufacturing combined; and employ about one-third of the work force. Although millions of people visit Lake Mead and other recreational and scenic areas, the tourist industry centres on several attractions that largely are unique to Nevada among the U.S. states.
The 24-hour-a-day gaming casinos bordering The Strip and Glitter Gulch in Las Vegas are the most publicized aspect of the legal gambling industry. Important adjuncts to the casinos are the luxury hotels, gourmet restaurants, golf courses, and nightclubs that have made Las Vegas—and, to a lesser extent, Reno and Lake Tahoe—a major centre of live entertainment in the nation. Small towns also emphasize the hospitality industry and tourism. Unique to the rural counties of central Nevada is legal prostitution.
Its vast size makes Nevada heavily dependent upon air transportation. The state is served by several national airlines. There are numerous airports and airfields, and both Las Vegas and Reno have been designated as international ports of entry.
Three major railroads cross the state, while short lines serve as feeders where truck competition has not caused their discontinuance. Nevada's public roads include primary and secondary highways as well as municipal and rural roads. Two of the federal highways are part of the interstate system.
The three major transportation and trade centres of the state are Reno, the principal distributive centre for northwestern Nevada and northeastern California; Elko and Ely, in northeastern Nevada; and Las Vegas, the commercial centre for southern Nevada and nearby areas of Utah and Arizona. Warehousing and trucking industries flourish because of Nevada's strategic geographic location and the “free port” tax exemption for goods continuing in transit.
Nevada is governed under its original constitution, adopted in 1864 but since amended in many respects. The chief officials, including the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, controller, and treasurer, are elected to four-year terms. In addition to the usual departments and agencies supervising areas of public concern, the state Equal Rights Commission oversees areas of discrimination of various kinds, while the Gaming Control Board oversees operations of the gambling industry.
Nevada's bicameral legislature comprises the Senate of 21 members elected for four-year terms and the Assembly of 42 members elected for two-year terms. It convenes in January of odd-numbered years.
The highest judicial body is the Supreme Court, composed of a chief justice and four associate justices. There are also district courts, subdivided into departments on a population basis. Cities and townships have courts staffed by municipal judges and justices of the peace. All judicial offices are subject to nonpartisan elections.
Local government comprises 16 counties, 16 cities, and 56 townships. As Nevada traditionally has been rural-oriented, the county remains the primary unit of local administration. Each county has a public administrator, board of commissioners, district attorney, sheriff, and other officials. Cities and towns are incorporated under charters granted by the legislature, most of them with a mayor–council form of government.
Nevada's fiscal policies have been markedly conservative. The constitution rigidly limits both taxation and indebtedness. The bonding capacity cannot exceed 2 percent of the total assessed valuation of real property in the state, and there is a maximum tax rate on real estate. Even more unusual is the absence of state taxation upon inheritances and all types of income. A gaming tax and the sales tax are the principal sources of state income. State taxation provides about two-thirds of general revenue, with most of the balance coming from federal grants and subventions.
The public school system is controlled by an elected Board of Education, which delegates administrative responsibilities to an appointed superintendent of public instruction. Local school districts, coextensive with the counties, receive supplementary funding from the state. School attendance is compulsory for those between the ages of seven and 17.
The University of Nevada originally was established at Elko in 1874 under the provisions of the Morrill Land-Grant College Act; 12 years later it was moved to Reno. In 1951 an extension branch was established in Las Vegas, which since has become the autonomous University of Nevada, Las Vegas. There are two-year community colleges in Elko, Carson City, Reno, and North Las Vegas. To supplement campus instruction the Desert Research Institute and the Agricultural Experiment Stations provide statewide research services.
Nevada's welfare programs and its custodial institutions are administered by the Department of Human Resources. Old-age and welfare allotments are given on the basis of need, and public assistance is available for the blind and other handicapped residents. Support payments are provided for dependent children, and orphanages are located near Carson City and Boulder City. The state mental hospital is in Sparks, and there is a mental health facility in Las Vegas. Penal and rehabilitation institutions include the state prison in Carson City, auxiliary prisons in Jean and Indian Springs, a girls' training centre at Caliente, and an industrial school for boys at Elko. Health care, housing, and public safety are responsibilities of local government or private enterprise.
Nevadans traditionally have mingled rural conservatism and the individualism of the Old West. Until the mid-20th century its population was small and dispersed, and cultural values were those of an agrarian society. With the establishment of resort industries and increases in population, however, Las Vegas and Reno developed marked metropolitan characteristics. Not only has the economy diversified but cultural activities also have burgeoned. Recognizing this trend, in 1967 the state legislature established the Nevada State Council on the Arts to coordinate and stimulate cultural activities.
Both major cities have well-established programs in the performing arts. The universities sponsor lectures, concerts, and theatrical productions, while the tourist industry regularly features some of the most famous entertainers in show business. Both Reno and Las Vegas support symphony orchestras and have commercial and public art galleries. Traditional Indian arts and crafts have been revived on reservations and in urban colonies.
Nevada's frontier heritage is commemorated by annual pageants and festivals. During Helldorado Week, held in Las Vegas each May, the townspeople wear Western garb and stage a series of rodeos and parades. There is a Basque Festival in Elko, and the Reno Rodeo is an outstanding Fourth of July celebration. The state observes its anniversary, Admission Day, on October 31, highlighted by a parade and costume ball in Carson City.
The Nevada State Museum, in Carson City, emphasizes the mining industry and mineral collections. Anthropological artifacts are featured at the Lost City Museum in Overton, at the Museum of Natural History in Las Vegas, and at the Southern Nevada Museum in Henderson. The Mackay School of Mines Museum, on the Reno campus of the state university, is oriented toward metallurgical, mineralogical, and geologic specimens. The Nevada Historical Society, also in Reno, has pioneer mementos, the most complete holding of Nevada newspapers, and a sizable historical reference library. The library of the University of Nevada, Reno, has the largest collection of books in the state, while the Nevada State Library in Carson City is notable for its excellent collection of legal works.
The state and federal governments maintain parks, forests, historical monuments, and recreational areas. The Valley of Fire State Park, near Overton, is known for its brilliantly coloured rock formations and Indian petroglyphs. Mormon Station Historic State Monument, in Genoa, is the site of the first permanent settlement in Nevada; the Death Valley National Monument is on the border between Nevada and California. Red Rock Canyon, with unusual high-desert terrain and a spectacular multicoloured escarpment, is near Las Vegas, and Cathedral Gorge State Park, near Pioche, displays red and gold rocks that resemble church spires. Humboldt National Forest, in east central Nevada, includes the Jarbidge Wilderness and the Ruby Mountains. The Lake Mead National Recreation Area, which contains Hoover Dam, has fishing, boating, and swimming facilities; and Great Basin National Park, featuring the Lehman Caves and the Wheeler Peak area, is located near the Nevada–Utah border.
Archaeological evidence indicates that prehistoric Indian settlements existed in Nevada more than 20,000 years ago. Cave dwellers left picture writings on rocks in southern Nevada, and Basket Makers and Pueblo Indians also flourished there. Explorers of the early 1800s found Mohave, Paiute, Shoshoni, and Washoe Indians at various locations within Nevada.
Missionaries and fur traders were in the vanguard of the exploration of the Nevada area. The missionary travels of Francisco Garcés from New Mexico to California in 1775–76 were imitated by other Spanish Franciscans. In 1825 Hudson's Bay Company trappers explored the northern and central region, and two years later Jedediah Smith led a party of Americans into the Las Vegas Valley and across the Great Basin. By 1830 the Old Spanish Trail was bringing traders to the area from Santa Fe and Los Angeles, and in 1843 and 1845 John C. Frémont's explorations publicized the Great Basin and the Sierra Nevada region. During the 1840s pioneers followed the Humboldt Valley–Donner Pass route to the Pacific Coast, and the gold rush of 1849 greatly expanded migration through Nevada to California.
Nevada, which came under U.S. sovereignty through the Mexican cession of 1848, was a part of California until it was incorporated into the newly organized Utah Territory in 1850. In 1849 a settlement was made at Genoa (then Mormon Station) in Carson Valley, but the population remained sparse until the discovery of the famous Comstock Lode in 1859. From that time on Nevada ceased to be merely a highway for gold seekers on the way to California. Virginia City became the most famous of all the Western mining camps, and the rapid influx of prospectors and settlers resulted in the organization of Nevada Territory in 1861.
The American Civil War gave strategic importance to the new territory. President Lincoln realized that Nevada's mineral wealth could help the Union, and he also needed a Northern state to support the proposed antislavery amendments to the Constitution. Although Nevada Territory had only about one-fifth of the 127,381 persons required for statehood, Nevadans were encouraged to seek admission to the Union. Congress accepted the proposed state constitution and voted for statehood in 1864.
In its early decades Nevada's economy was dependent on mining and ranching. The rich Comstock mines reached a maximum annual output of $36,000,000 in silver in 1878. During the 1870s, however, the federal government limited the role of silver in the monetary system, causing a decline in silver prices, the closing of many Nevada mines, and the decay of once thriving communities into ghost towns.
As mining declined, cattle ranching became a major industry. Beef prices, however, were unpredictable, high railroad rates were burdensome, and severe winters often killed thousands of cattle. In the late 1880s many cattle ranchers were forced into bankruptcy. Depressed in mining and ranching, the state's population dropped from 62,000 in 1880 to 47,000 in 1890.
Prosperity returned to Nevada only after the beginning of the 20th century, when rich silver ores were discovered near Tonopah and major copper deposits around Ely and when a major gold strike occurred at Goldfield. Thousands of miners answered the lure of these bonanzas, and the railroads built extensive branch lines to bring in equipment to the mining areas and haul out the ore. Accessible railroads and reduced rates also encouraged cattle ranchers to renew large-scale production. Irrigation of fertile river valleys produced sizable hay crops. Thus assured of winter feed, ranchers further expanded their herds in the upland regions. World War I demands for Nevada's beef and metals kept the boom going, but the failing markets of the 1920s brought the return of economic depression.
During its first three decades as a state, Nevada was oriented to Republican control. Reflecting the lax standards in national politics, the state was often manipulated by corrupt politicians. Mine owners and ranchers frequently subsidized government officials, and there were accusations that rich men in the state had bought seats in the U.S. Senate. Monetary issues became of paramount importance in the 1890s, and the Free Silver Party swept four consecutive state elections. By 1900, however, the traditional two-party system was again in control, and since then Nevada has voted consistently with overall national trends.
Nevada began its transition to a modern economy during the Great Depression of the 1930s. After the legalization of gambling in 1931 and the reduction to six weeks of the residence requirement for divorce, Nevada became a marriage, divorce, and resort centre. The principal resort areas are Las Vegas, Reno, Laughlin, and Lake Tahoe. Las Vegas attracts many tourists from southern California and foreign countries and also hosts business and professional conventions. Reno draws many pleasure seekers from the San Francisco Bay area and from the Pacific Northwest. Laughlin emerged as a tourist centre in the 1980s, and Lake Tahoe continues to serve as a fashionable playground.
Construction of Hoover Dam on the Colorado River substantially aided the economy of southern Nevada, and its cheap hydroelectric power opened the way for manufacturing. The importation of hydroelectric power from Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River and piped-in natural gas also has brought industrial development in the northwestern region.
In the 1950s the establishment of the Nevada Test Site by the federal government expanded employment opportunities and stimulated the development of technical industries within the state. Overshadowing the new industrialization, and fundamentally responsible for the current prosperity, is the diversification and expansion of the tourist trade to include not only the gaming and entertainment facilities of the Reno and Las Vegas areas but also the scenic and recreational opportunities statewide.
Roman J. Zorn
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