Guidebook Nevada
Lake Tahoe
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Nevada is a state located in the
western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States.
With an area of 110,561 square miles (286,350 km2) and a population of
about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state.
Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan
area, which contains its three largest incorporated cities. Nevada's
capital is Carson City.
Nevada is largely desert and semiarid,
with much of it located within the Great Basin. Areas south of the Great
Basin are located within the Mojave Desert, while Lake Tahoe and the
Sierra Nevada mountains lie on the western edge. Approximately 86% of
the state's land is owned by the US government under various
jurisdictions, both civilian and military.
The name Nevada is derived from the
nearby Sierra Nevada mountains, which means "snow-capped mountain range"
in Spanish. The land comprising the modern state was inhabited by Native
Americans of the Paiute, Shoshone, and Washoe tribes prior to European
contact. It was subsequently claimed by Spain as a part of Alta
California until the Mexican War of Independence brought it under
Mexican control. The United States gained the territory in 1848
following its victory in the Mexican-American War and the area was
eventually incorporated as part of Utah Territory in 1850. The discovery
of silver at the Comstock Lode in 1859 led to a population boom that was
an impetus to the creation of Nevada Territory out of western Utah
Territory in 1861. Nevada became the 36th state on October 31, 1864.
The establishment of legalized
gambling and lenient marriage and divorce proceedings in the 20th
century transformed Nevada into a major tourist destination.[8][9] The
tourism industry remains Nevada's largest employer,[10] with mining
continuing to be a substantial sector of the economy as Nevada is the
fourth largest producer of gold in the world.
Nevada is officially known as the
"Silver State" due to the importance of silver to its history and
economy. It is also known as the "Battle Born State" because it achieved
statehood during the Civil War and the "Sagebrush State" for the native
eponymous plant.
Etymology and pronunciation
The name "Nevada" comes from the
Spanish Nevada, meaning "snow-covered", after the Sierra Nevada
("snow-covered mountains") mountain range.
Nevadans normally pronounce the second
syllable of their state name using the vowel of "bad".
Geography
Nevada is almost entirely within the
Basin and Range Province, and is broken up by many north-south mountain
ranges. Most of these ranges have endorheic 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, a mild desert that experiences hot
temperatures in the summer and cold 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 / 184 metres) on June 29, 1994. The coldest
recorded temperature was −52 °F (−47 °C) set in San Jacinto in 1972, in
the northeastern portion of the state.
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 (910 m).
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 temperature 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 (640 km). This line begins in Lake Tahoe
nearly 4 miles (6.4 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.
The largest mountain range in the
southern portion of the state is the Spring Mountain Range, just west of
Las Vegas. The state's lowest point is along the Colorado River, south
of Laughlin.
Nevada has 172 mountain summits with
2,000 feet (610 m) of prominence. Nevada ranks second in the US, behind
Alaska, and ahead of California, Montana, and Washington. This makes
Nevada the "Most Mountainous" state in the country, at least by this
measure.
Statehood
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 on November 8 and post-Civil War Republican dominance in
Congress, as Nevada's mining-based economy tied it to the more
industrialized Union.
Nevada is notable for being one of
only two states to significantly expand its borders after admission to
the Union. Nevada achieved its current southern 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. In 1868 another
part of the western Utah Territory, whose population was seeking to
avoid Mormon dominance, was added to Nevada in the eastern part of the
state, setting the current eastern boundary.
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 led to an
industry of speculation and immense wealth. However, both mining and
population declined in the late 19th century. However, the rich silver
strike at Tonopah in 1900, followed by strikes in Goldfield and Rhyolite,
again put Nevada's population on an upward trend.
Gambling and labor
Unregulated gambling was commonplace
in the early Nevada mining towns but was outlawed in 1909 as part of a
nation-wide anti-gambling crusade. Because of subsequent declines in
mining output and the decline of the agricultural sector during the
Great Depression, Nevada again 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 the
industry has become Nevada's primary source of revenue today.
Prostitution laws
Nevada is the only state where
prostitution is legal (under the form of licensed brothels).
Prostitution is specifically illegal
by state law in the state's larger jurisdictions, which include Clark
County (which contains Las Vegas), Washoe County (which contains Reno),
and the independent city of Carson City. Otherwise, it is legal in those
counties which specifically vote to permit it.
Recreation areas maintained by the
National Park Service
Northern Nevada
California National Historic Trail
Death Valley National Park
Great Basin National Park near Baker
Old Spanish National Historic Trail
Pony Express National Historic Trail
Southern Nevada
Ash Meadows National Wildlife Preserve
Bootleg Canyon Mountain Bike Park
Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest
Mount Charleston and the Mount Charleston Wilderness
Spring Mountains and the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Wilderness
There are 68 designated wilderness
areas in Nevada, protecting some 6,579,014 acres (2,662,433 ha) under
the jurisdiction of the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, and
Bureau of Land Management.
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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 mottos: "Battle Born" and "All For Our Country"
State precious gemstone: Virgin Valley black fire opal
State semiprecious gemstone: Nevada turquoise
State slogan: "The Battle Born State"
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)
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