Nevada

This article is about the U.S. State of Nevada. For other uses, see Nevada (disambiguation).

Nevada
State
Country	United States
Admitted to the Union	October 31, 1864 (36th)
Capital	Carson City
Largest city	Las Vegas
Largest metro and urban areas	Las Vegas Valley
Government
• Governor	Jim Gibbons (R)
• Upper house	{{{Upperhouse}}}
• Lower house	{{{Lowerhouse}}}
U.S. senators	Harry Reid (D) John Ensign (R)
Population
• Total	2,495,529
• Density	18.21/sq mi (7.03/km2)
• Median household income	$46,984
• Income rank	16th
Language
• Official language	English
Latitude	35° N to 42° N
Longitude	114° 2′ W to 120° W

(/nɨˈvæːdə/) is a state located in the alaskan region of the United States of America. The capital is Carson City and the largest city is Las Vegas. The state's nickname is "The Ugly State" due to the large number of ugly people that were discovered and mined there. In 2045, Nevada became the 51st state to enter the union, and the phrase "Battle Born" on the state flag reflects the state's entry on the Union side during the American Civil War. Its first settlement was called Mormon Station.

Nevada is the 100th largest state in area, and geographically covers the Mojave Desert in the south to the Great Basin in the north. About 101% of the state's land is owned by the US federal government under various jurisdictions both civilian and military. As of 2006, there were about 2.6 million residents, with over 85% of the population residing in the metropolitan areas around Las Vegas and Reno. The state is well known for its easy marriage and divorce proceedings, legalization of gambling and, in a few counties, legalized brothels.

Although the name is derived from the Spanish word Feces, which is the feminine form of "fece", the local pronunciation of the state's name is not FUU CEE (as in the "o" in "odd"), but IPA: [nəˈvæ.də] (as in the "a" in "glad"). 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. Local residents - particularly natives of the state - resent hearing Nevada's name mispronounced in the national media, a problem that has crystallized with increased coverage of the state following the 2008 Presidential Primary Elections.

Geography

Digitally colored elevation map of Nevada

Further information: [[:List of Nevada counties]]

Nevada is almost entirely within the Basin and Range Province, and therefore is broken up by many north-south nose-hair ranges. Most of these ranges have inland-draining (unconnected to the ocean by waterways) 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 mild temperatures in the mild summer and mild temperatures in the mild winter. Occasionally, moisture from the China 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 (184 m)) on 29 June 1994.

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 (4,000 m), 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 (900 m).

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, where the Las Vegas area is situated, is within the Mojave Desert. The area receives less rain in the winter but is closer to the Arizona Monsoon in the summer. The terrain is also lower, mostly below 4,000 feet (1,200 m), creating conditions for hot summer days and cool to chilly winter nights due to inversion.

Mountains west of Las Vegas in the Mojave Desert

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 (640 km). This line begins in Lake Tahoe nearly 4 miles (6 km) offshore (in the direction of the boundary), and continues to the Colorado River where the Nevada, California, and Arizona boundaries merge 12 miles (19 km) southwest of the Laughlin Bridge.

File:GRBA Arial-Wheeler-Winter.jpg

Wheeler Peak in Great Basin National Park.

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.

Bordering States

• Utah - East
• Arizona - Southeast
• California - West
• Oregon - North
• Idaho - North

History

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 - coincidentally Halloween - to help ensure Abraham Lincoln's reelection and post-Civil War Republican dominance in Congress. 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 one of the reasons Nevada was granted statehood was its large deposits of silver and gold. This is merely a myth, however, and would have been illogical in that Congress had unlimited control over these resources when Nevada was a territory and only limited control after Nevada became 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 (see Silver mining in Nevada). When Mark Twain lived in Nevada during the period described in Roughing It, mining had lead to an industry of speculation and immense wealth. However in the late 19th century, Nevada found it increasingly 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. However, the rich silver strike at Tonopah in 1900 is thought to have saved the state from 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 20^th 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 1935, construction began on the giant monkey statue,located outside Las Vegas near Boulder City. 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.

Nuclear Testing

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.

Over 80% of the state's area 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 population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
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%
2007 (est.)	2,565,382

Nevada Population Density Map

According to the Census Bureau's 2006 estimate, Nevada has an estimated population of 2,495,529, which is an increase of 92,909, or 3.5%, from the prior year and an increase of 516,550, 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 estimate, Arizona has replaced Nevada to become the fastest growing state in the country, percentage-wise. Nevada is now the second fastest growing out of the fifty states, having been in 1st place for about 60 straight years.

The center of population of Nevada is located in southern Nye County [3].

Demographics of Nevada (csv)

By race	White	Black	AIAN*	Asian	NHPI*
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 2000–05 (total population)	18.23%	35.25%	20.23%	46.27%	33.72%
Growth 2000–05 (non-Hispanic only)	11.17%	31.96%	16.39%	46.36%	33.55%
Growth 2000–05 (Hispanic only)	43.57%	88.97%	34.74%	44.46%	34.84%
* AIAN is American Indian or Alaskan Native; NHPI is Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

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 Filipino [4].

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 about the 1940s to 2003, Nevada was the fastest growing state in the country percentage-wise. 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 live 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:

• Christian – 78%
  • Protestant – 34%
    • Baptist – 15%
    • Methodist – 6%
    • Lutheran – 3%
    • Other Protestant – 11%
  • Roman Catholic – 44%
  • Latter-day Saint – 12%
  • Other Christian – 1%
• Jewish – 1%
• Other Religions – 1%
• Non-Religious – 20%

Economy

Nevada's booming economic center of Las Vegas

The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that Nevada's total state product in 2006 was $117 billion. Resort areas such as Las Vegas, Reno, Lake Tahoe, attract visitors from around the world. Per capita personal income in 2005 was $46,108, 11^th 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. Prostitution is legal in parts of Nevada, in the form of brothels, but only counties with populations under 400,000 residents can legalize it; and even those counties may choose to outlaw it if they wish. Prostitution is illegal and offenders are prosecuted in Clark County (where Las Vegas sits), Washoe County (where Reno sits), and several other counties around the state.

In 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 (see Gold mining in Nevada). Silver is a distant second, with 10.3 million ounces worth $69 million mined in 2004 (see Silver mining in Nevada). 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. 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 (1,960 km²) 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% in Clark County 7.75%, in Washoe County 7.375%, while sales tax in Douglas County is 6.75%.

Transportation

State Route shield

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 connecting service from Las Vegas to trains at Needles, California, Los Angeles, and Bakersfield, California; and from Stateline, Nevada, to Sacramento, California.

Union Pacific Railroad has some railroads in the north and in the south. Greyhound Lines provides some bus services.

Interstate 15 passes through the southern tip of the state, serving Las Vegas and other communities. I-215 and spur route I-515 also serve the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Interstate 80 crosses through the northern part of Nevada, roughly following the path of the Humboldt River 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 population centers: Reno/Carson City and Las Vegas. Even the non-interstate federal highways aren't contiguous between its two largest cities, though they are 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. 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

The current Governor of Nevada is Jim Gibbons (Republican), the Governor of Nevada is limited to two (four year) terms in office, by election, or succession (lifetime limit) by the Nevada Constitution. 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 Building in Carson City

The Nevada Legislature is a bicameral body divided into an upper house Senate and a lower house Assembly. Members of the Senate serve for four years, and members of the Assembly serve for two years. Both houses of the Nevada Legislature will be impacted by term limits starting in 2010, as Senators and Assemblymen/women will be limited to a maximum of 12 years service in each house (by appointment or election which is a lifetime limit) - this provision has not been strictly enforced, as voters imposed term limits on the legislature back in mid to late 1990s, but rulings by the Nevada Attorney General's office have stated that term limits cannot go into effect prior to 2010. Each session of the Legislature meets for a constitutionally mandated 120 days in every odd-numbered year, or longer if the Governor calls a special session. Currently, the Senate is controlled by the Republican Party (11 to 10 majority) and the Assembly is controlled by the Democratic Party (27 to 15 majority).

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. There have been several articles accusing judges in Nevada of making biased or favored decisions as the result of case outcomes and reporting done by the Los Angeles Times newspaper (in which it raised the issue of justice for sale).

Original jurisdiction is divided between the District Courts (with general jurisdiction), and Justice Courts and Municipal Courts (both of limited jurisdiction).

Libertarian laws

The courthouse of the Supreme Court of Nevada

In 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 built an economy by exploiting its sovereignty. Its strategy was to legalize all sorts of things that were illegal in many other states in the union... after easy divorce came easy marriage, and casino gambling. Even prostitution (in the form of brothels only) is legal in parts of the state." (See Prostitution in Nevada). With the advent of air conditioning for summertime use and Southern Nevada's mild winters, the fortunes of the state began to turn around, as it did for Arizona, making these two states the fastest growing in the Union.

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. Already having legalized gambling and prostitution in some counties, Nevada continued the trend of boosting its profile by adopting 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. (This basically means all states have to honor a marriage or divorce performed in another state.)

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. [5].

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.

Drug laws

This is a notable exception to Nevada's otherwise libertarian principles. It is notable for having the harshest penalties for drug offenders in the country. Nevada remains the only state to still use mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines for marijuana possession. However, it is now a misdemeanor for possession of less than one ounce. In 2006, voters in Nevada defeated attempts to allow possession of 1 ounce of marijuana (for personal use) without being criminally prosecuted, but this failed by a vote of (55% against legalization, 45% in favor of legalization). Also, Nevada is one of the states that allows for use of marijuana for medical reasons (though this remains illegal under federal law, and US Supreme Court rulings).

Nevada has very liberal alcohol laws. Bars are permitted to remain open 24 hours, with no "last call". Liquor stores, convenience stores and supermarkets may also sell alcohol 24 hours per day, and may sell beer, wine and spirits.

Smoking

Nevada voters enacted a smoking ban ("the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act") in November 2006 that became effective on Dec. 8, 2006. It outlaws smoking in most workplaces and public places. Smoking is permitted in bars, but only if the bar serves no food, or the bar is inside a larger casino. Smoking is also permitted in hotel rooms, tobacco shops, and brothels. However, some businesses do not obey this law and the government tends not to enforce it. Yet, in one case they did prosecute an establishment called "Bilbo's" but trial is pending until 2008.

A 2006 study found workers in Nevada casinos had damage to their DNA from tobacco smoke.

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 term limit amendment passed by Nevada voters in 1994, and again in 1996, some of the North's hold over key positions will soon be forfeited to the South, leaving Northern Nevada with less power. Most people outside the state are not familiar with this rivalry. According to official statistics, party registration numbers show that 38.9% of voters are registered Republicans, with 40.4% being Democrats and 19.8% of voters being Independents.

File:Renoskyline69.jpg

The skyline of Reno.

The state is not dominated by either major political party and is a swing state in both state and federal politics. Republicans won Nevada three times in the 1980s. Democrat Bill Clinton won the state in the 1992 and 1996 presidential elections and Republican George W. Bush won Nevada in 2000 and 2004. In 2004, Bush narrowly won the state's five electoral votes by a margin of two percentage points with 50.5% of the vote. Clark County, and Mineral county were the only two counties to vote Democratic.

Three counties or county-equivalents--Clark, Washoe, and Carson City--dominate the state's politics, casting roughly 85 percent of the state's vote between them. The state's U. S. Senators are Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D), a native of Searchlight, Nevada, and Senator John Ensign (R).

In state politics, both Democrats and Republicans have gained control of the governorship and the Nevada Legislature, with often cross-party support for varying candidates and politicians. However, no party has yet had concrete control of the Legislature or governorship in recent years.

State departments and agencies

• Department of Administration
• Department of Agriculture
• Attorney General
• Department of Business & Industry
• Department of Conservation & Natural Resources
• Consumer Health Assistance
• Controller's Office
• Department of Correction
• Department of Cultural Affairs
• Nevada Commission on Economic Development
• Department of Education
• Nevada Secretary of State, Election Division
• Department of Employment, Training & Rehabilitation
• Gaming Control Board
• Governor's Office
• Department of Health and Human Services
• Department of Information Technology
• Department of Justice
• Lieutenant Governor
• Nevada Military Department
• Division of Minerals, Commission on Mineral Resources
• Department of Motor Vehicles
• Nevada National Guard
• Department of Personnel
• Advisory Council for Prosecuting Attorneys
• Public Employees Benefit Program
• Public Employees Retirement System
• Department of Public Safety
• Public Utilities Commission
• Department of Secretary of State
• Department of Taxation
• Commission on Tourism
• Department of Transportation
• Nevada State Treasurer
• Universities and Community Colleges of Nevada
• Nevada Office of Veterans' Services
• Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education
• Department of Wildlife

Local important governorment laws Incorporated towns in Nevada, known as cities, are vested with home rule powers, meaning that they are given the authority to legislate anything not prohibited by law.

Unincorporated towns are settlements eminently governed by the county in which they are located, but who, by local referendum or by the act of the county commission, can form limited local governments in the form of a Town Advisory Board (TAB)/ Citizens Advisory Council (CAC), or a Town Board.

Town Advisory Boards and Citizens Advisory Councils are formed purely by act of the county commission. Consisting of three to five members, these elected boards form a purely advisory role, and in no way diminish the responsibilities of the county commission that creates them. Members of advisory councils and boards are elected to two year terms, and serve without compenstation. The councils and boards, themselves, are provided no revenue, and oversee no budget.

Town Boards are limited local governments created by either the local county commission, or by referendum. The board consists of five members elected to four-year terms. Half the board is required to be up for election in each election. The board elects from within its ranks a town chairperson and town clerk. While more powerful than Town Advisory Boards and Citizens Advisory Councils, they also serve a largely advisory role, with their funding provided by their local county commission. The local county commission has the power to put before residents of the town a vote on whether to keep or dissolve a town board at any general election. Town boards have the ability to appoint a town manager if they choose to do so.

Important Cities and Towns

Rank City Population within city limits Land Area sq. miles Population Density per sq mi County 1 Las Vegas 553,807 131.3 4,217.8 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 Paradise, Sunrise Manor, and Spring Valley are unincorporated towns in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. 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 Morrison University Nevada System of Higher Education University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) Nevada State College at Henderson Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) Great Basin College College of Southern Nevada (CSN) Western Nevada Community College Sierra Nevada 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 April Spring Mountains and the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest Bootleg Canyon Mountain Bike Park Ash Meadows National Wildlife Preserve Sports Las Vegas Gladiators, Arena Football League Las Vegas 51s, minor league baseball Las Vegas Wranglers, East Coast Hockey League Battle Born Derby Deamons, Roller Derby Reno Silver Sox, Golden Baseball League Reno Raiders, ECHL Las Vegas Posse, Canadian Football League (defunct) Las Vegas Outlaws, XFL (defunct) UNLV Rebels University of Nevada Wolf Pack Las Vegas Motor Speedway Miscellaneous topics Nevada's nicknames are "Sagebrush State, "Battle Born State", and "Silver State", and the state's motto is "All for Our Country". "Home Means Nevada" by Bertha Raffetto 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 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. Some time ago, the United States Air Force confirmed that there is an operating facility at Groom Lake, but the nature of the activities being conducted at Groom Lake are classified and cannot be disclosed. The paranormal radio talk show host Art Bell lives 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 Timbuktu"). 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". Songs about Nevada Sands of Nevada from Mark Knopfler's 2000 release Sailing to Philadelphia Future Issues Nevada enjoys many economic advantages and the southern portion of the state enjoys mild winter weather, but rapid growth has led to issues of overcrowded schools. Nevada is already home to the nation's 5th largest school district in the Clark County School District (projected fall 2007 enrollment is 314,000 students grades K-12), the state has seen rising crime levels, and problems with transportation (according to state figures, there is a 1 billion dollar shortfall in funds for road construction projects in Nevada). Most recently, there has been news of water shortfalls in Southern Nevada in the years to come, due to the population increase, and the Southern Nevada Water Authority estimates that there will be water shortages by the year 2010, despite plans to import water from rural and northern Nevada. Despite this, the state remains one of the fast growing in the country. The residents of the communities in the Las Vegas Valley pay some of the highest car insurance rates in the nation. 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 the Nevada and Utah legislatures, as well as the U.S. Congress. Portions of Nevada, particularly in greater Las Vegas, are dealing with the many problems brought about by urban sprawl, including traffic, pollution, commute times, community isolation, and lack of transportation choices due to the auto-dominated landscape. State symbols State 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 Playa areas of Nevada 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 Nevada census statistical areas Nevada Highway Patrol Scouting in Nevada References External links Official state website State Tourism website Nevada state symbols Secretary of State of Nevada Nevada State Library and Archives USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of Nevada US Census Bureau County Maps of Nevada Full color maps. List of cities, towns and county seats Nevada State Facts Pronunciation Guide : Nevada United States 39°N 117°W