Nevada
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- This article is about the U. S. state of Nevada. For other places, see Nevada (disambiguation).
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| Official language(s) | English | ||||||||||
| Capital | Carson City | ||||||||||
| Largest city | Las Vegas | ||||||||||
| Area | Ranked 7th | ||||||||||
| - Total | 110,567 sq mi (286,367 km²) |
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| - 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) |
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| - Median income | $46,984 (16th) | ||||||||||
| Elevation | |||||||||||
| - Highest point | Boundary Peak[1] 13,140 ft (4,005 m) |
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| - Mean | 5,499 ft (1,676 m) | ||||||||||
| - Lowest point | Colorado River[1] 479 ft (146 m) |
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| Admission to Union | October 31, 1864 (36th) | ||||||||||
| Governor | Jim Gibbons (R) | ||||||||||
| U.S. Senators | Harry Reid (D) John Ensign (R) |
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| 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 legalization of gambling and prostitution (in some counties). It also has some of the country's strictest drug laws. The capital is Carson City.
Nevada's official nickname is "The Silver State". Other nicknames include "The Sagebrush State" and "The Battle-Born State", and the state's motto is "All for Our Country," and the state song is "Home Means Nevada" by Bertha Rafetto. The phrase "Battle Born" is on the state flag.
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.
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[edit] Geography
- Further information: List of Nevada counties
The state is broken up by several north-south 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.
[edit] Bordering States
- Oregon - Northwest
- Idaho - Northeast
- Utah - East
- Arizona - Southeast
- California - West
[edit] History
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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Gaming and labor
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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 6,857 |
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| 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% | |
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, 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.
[edit] Religion
The religious affiliations of the people of Nevada are:[citation needed]
- Christian – 78%
- Protestant – 34%
- Roman Catholic – 44%
- Latter-day Saint – 12%
- Other Christian – 1%
- Other Religions (Judaism; 1%) – 2%
- Non-Religious – 20%
[edit] 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 (though the latter is illegal in Clark County). Large, luxurious casinos in Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe and Reno attract visitors from around the world.
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. 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%.
[edit] 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, 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 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.
[edit] Law and government
The Governor of Nevada is Jim Gibbons (Republican). Nevada's two U.S. senators are Harry Reid (Democrat) and John Ensign (Republican).
- Further information: List of Nevada Governors
[edit] Legislature
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. There are no term limits. 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.
[edit] 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).
[edit] Liberal laws
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, 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 than in most other states:
[edit] 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, , in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that North Carolina had to give "full faith and credit" to a Nevada divorce.
[edit] 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).
[edit] 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].
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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]
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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 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 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).
In state politics, both Democrats and Republicans have gained control 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.
