Nevada
- For other uses, see Nevada (disambiguation).
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| State nickname: Silver State, Battle Born State (official) | |||||
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| Other U.S. States | |||||
| Capital |
Carson City | ||||
| Largest City |
Las Vegas | ||||
| Governor | |||||
| Official languages |
None | ||||
| Area - Total | Ranked 7th | ||||
| Population - 2000 Census | Ranked 35th 1,998,257 | ||||
| Population density - 2000 Census | Ranked {Template:DensityRank} {Template:2000Density} /km² | ||||
| Admittance into Union - Order | 36th | ||||
| Time zone | Pacific: UTC-8/-7 Mountain: UTC-7/-6 All but 5 locations (Duck Valley Indian Reservation, Jackpot, Mountain City, Owyhee, and West Wendover) is in Pacific | ||||
| Latitude | 35°N to 42°N | ||||
| Longitude | 114°W to 120°W | ||||
| Width Length | 519 km 788 km | ||||
| ISO 3166-2 | US-NV | ||||
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Nevada is a state located in the western United States. The population, as of 2000, is 1,998,257. Nevada is the fastest growing state in the country. 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%.
Nevada's nickname is "The Silver State" and the state's motto is "All for Our Country". The state song is "Home Means Nevada" by Bertha Rafetto. 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.
Despite the name's derivation from the Spanish word nevada meaning "snowy", the local pronunciation of the state's name is not "Ne-vah-da"; the middle syllable has a short "a" sound as in "cat" or "hat". (Residents often regard the pronunciation as a test of whether visitors such as presidential candidates, have informed themselves about the state.)
Several United States Navy ships have been named USS Nevada in honor of the state.
History
In 1850, the U.S. Congress established the Utah territory which included the present day states of Utah, Idaho and Nevada. 1859 saw the discovery of the Comstock Lode, a rich outcropping of gold and silver, and Virginia City sprang up. This discovery brought a flood of miners, prospectors, merchants and others hoping to strike it rich.
On March 2, 1861, Nevada separated from the Utah territory and adopted its current name, shortened from Sierra Nevada (Spanish for "snowy range"). On October 31, 1864, just eight days prior to the presidential election, Nevada became the 36th state in the union. Statehood was rushed through despite Nevada's tiny population 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 politically reliable (as opposed to the more agrarian and Confederate-sympathizing California).
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. The transfer was prompted by the discovery of gold in the area, and it was thought that Nevada would be better able to oversee the expected population boom. This area includes most of what is now Clark County, Nevada.
Negotiations are currently underway for Nevada to annex 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.
Despite Nevada being the third oldest western state, it is referred to as the "Permanent Colony" as over 87% of the land 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 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.
Gambling was common in the early Nevada mining towns, but was outlawed in 1909 as part of a nation-wide anti-gaming crusade. Due to a sharp decline in mining output in the 1920s and the decline of the agricultural sector during the Great Depression, Nevada re-legalized gambling in 1931. 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.
A fictional history (with a great deal of fact) titled Nevada was written by Clint McCullough.
Law and Government
Nevada's capital is Carson City and its governor is Kenny Guinn (Republican). Nevada's two U.S. senators are Harry Reid (Democrat) and John Ensign (Republican). See List of Nevada Governors
Due to the tremendous growth of Las Vegas in recent years, there is a noticeable divide between politics of Northern Nevada and Southern Nevada. The north has long maintained control of key positions in the state government even while the Las Vegas area is many times larger than Washoe County. 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. Most outside the state are not familiar with this rivalry.
Geography
Nevada has borders with Oregon and Idaho to the north, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast and Utah to the east. The border with Arizona includes the Colorado River and Hoover Dam.
It is in a mountain region that includes semiarid grasslands and sandy deserts, and is the most arid (dry) state in the nation. Nevada is a land of rugged, snow-capped mountains, grassy valleys and sandy deserts. The northern and central portions of Nevada are mostly within the Great Basin Desert, while portions of the southern tip are within the Mojave Desert. See also list of mountain ranges of Nevada.
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Economy
Nevada's total gross state product for 1999 was $69 billion placing it 32nd in the nation. Its 2000 Per Capita Personal Income was $30,529 or 14th in the nation. Its agricultural outputs are cattle, hay, dairy products, and potatoes. Its industrial outputs are tourism, mining, machinery, printing and publishing, food processing, and electric equipment. It is well-known for gambling and nightlife. Large, luxurious casinos in Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe and Reno attract visitors from around the world.
Nevada is the only state with legalized prostitution: see prostitution in Nevada.
Demographics
As of the 2000 census, the population of Nevada is 1,711,263. Its population grew 8.4% (132,846) from its 1990 levels. According to the 2000 census:
- 89.6% (1,533,261) identified themselves as White,
- 65.2% (1,303,001) identified themselves as non-Hispanic white,
- 19.7% (393,970) as Hispanic or Latino,
- 4% (68,541) as black,
- 1.3% (21,931) as Asian,
- 0.9% (14,896) as American Indian or Alaska Native,
- 0.05% (836) as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander,
- 2.8% (47,845) as other, and
- 1.4% (23,953) identified themselves as belonging to two or more races.
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.
Important cities and towns
National-atlas-nevada.png
The largest city is Las Vegas.
Nevada is also the home of Area 51, the top-secret installation the Government has always denied existed. Area 51 is supposedly located in Groom Lake, near Nellis Air Force Base.
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
- State fossil: Ichthyosaur
- State grass: Indian Ricegrass
- State march: "Silver State Fanfare" by Gerald Wills
- State metal: Silver (Ag)
- 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 series
- State trees: Single-leaf Piņon and Bristlecone_pine
Education
Colleges and universities
- Sierra Nevada College
- University and Community College System of Nevada
- University of Nevada, Las Vegas
- University of Nevada, Reno
- Nevada State College at Henderson
- Community College of Southern Nevada
- Great Basin College
- Truckee Meadows Community College
- Western Nevada Community College
Professional sports teams
- Las Vegas Gladiators, Arena Football League
- Las Vegas 51s, minor league baseball
- Las Vegas Wranglers, East Coast Hockey League
Famous Nevadans
- Andre Agassi tennis player
- Jack Kramer tennis player
- Paul Laxalt politician
- Pat Nixon First Lady
- Edna Purviance actress
External links
- Official web site of Nevada: http://www.state.nv.us
- Nevada State Library and Archives - Why Did Nevada Become a State?: http://dmla.clan.lib.nv.us/docs/nsla/archives/myth/myth12.htm
- Photos of Nevada - Terra Galleria (http://www.terragalleria.com/america/nevada/)
| Political divisions of the United States | 
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bg:Невада
da:Nevada
de:Nevada
es:Nevada
eo:Nevado
fr:Nevada
id:Nevada
it:Nevada
he:נבדה
la:Nivata
nl:Nevada
ja:ネバダ州
no:Nevada
pl:Nevada
sr:Невада
fi:Nevada
sv:Nevada
uk:Невада
zh-cn:内华达州