Nevada

Nevada is a  located in the  of the. The capital is and the largest city is. The state's official nickname is "The Silver State", due to the large number of deposits that were discovered and mined there. In 1864, Nevada became the 36th 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.

Much of Nevada is desolate wilderness, from the in the south to the  in the north, and about 86% of the state's land is actually controlled by the  under various jurisdictions including military. As of 2006, the population of the state was about 2.6 million, with over 85% residing in the metropolitan areas around and. The state is well known for its easy and  proceedings, legalization of  and, in some counties,. It also has some of the country's strictest.

Although the name is derived from the Spanish word Nevada, which is the feminine form of "covered in snow", the local pronunciation of the state's name is not, but. 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.

Geography


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.

Much of the northern part of the state is within the, a mild desert that experiences hot temperatures in the summer and sub-freezing temperatures in the winter. Occasionally, moisture from the  will cause summer thunderstorms;  storms may blanket the area with snow. The state's highest recorded temperature was 125 °F in Laughlin (elevation of 605 ft) on.

The crosses from east to west across the northern part of the state, draining into the  near. Several rivers drain from the eastward, including the,  and  rivers.

The mountain ranges, some of which have peaks above 13000 ft, harbor lush forests high above desert plains, creating for endemic species. The valleys are often no lower in elevation than 3000 ft.

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. 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 4000 ft, creating conditions for hot summer days and cool to chilly winter nights due to.

Nevada and have by far the longest   (in respect to the cardinal directions) as a state  at just over 400 mi. This line begins in  nearly 4 mi offshore (in the direction of the boundary), and continues to the  where the Nevada, California, and Arizona boundaries merge 12 mi southwest of the.

The largest mountain range in the southern portion of the state is the, just west of Las Vegas. The state's lowest point is along the Colorado River, south of Laughlin.

Bordering States

 * - East
 * - Southeast
 * - West
 * - Northwest
 * - North

Statehood
On, , the separated from the Utah territory and adopted its current name, shortened from Sierra Nevada ( for "snowy range"). Eight days prior to the, Nevada became the 36th state in the union. Statehood was rushed to the date of - coincidentally  - to help ensure 's reelection and post-Civil War  dominance in Congress. As Nevada's mining-based economy tied it to the more industrialized, 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, when it absorbed the portion of  in the  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.

Industry
Mining shaped Nevada's economy for many years (see ). However in the late 19th century, Nevada found it increasingly more difficult to compete with states such as and  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 in 1900 is thought to have saved the state from near collapse. This was followed by strikes in and, lasting well into the 1910s and making Nevada a dominant player in mining once again.

Gaming and labor
Unregulated 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, Nevada re-legalized gambling on , , 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 near. 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, has grown in relation to the  area, and today encompasses most of the state's population.

Nuclear Testing
The, 65 mi Northwest of the City of Las Vegas, was founded on , for the testing of. The site is composed of approximately 1350 sqmi of desert and mountainous terrain. ing at the Nevada Test Site began with a one-kiloton of TNT (4 ) bomb dropped on Frenchman Flats on, 1951. The last atmospheric test was conducted on, and the underground testing of weapons continued until ,. The location is known for the highest amount of concentrated nuclear detonated weapons in the U.S.

Homesteading
Over 80% of the state's area is owned by the federal government. The primary reason for this is that 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 on the adjacent public land, which is useless for  without access to water (this pattern of  still prevails). The deficiencies in the 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
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, 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 of Nevada is located in southern.

The largest reported ancestry groups in Nevada are: (14.1%),  (12.7%),  (11%),  (10.1%),  (6.6%),  (5.2%), and  (4.8%). Nevada also has a sizable ancestry population. In Clark and Pershing Counties, a of residents are of Mexican ancestry; Nye County and Humboldt County have a plurality of German-Americans.

According to the, 16.19% of the population aged 5 and over speak at home, while 1.59% speak.

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. 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:
 * – 78%
 * – 34%
 * – 15%
 * – 6%
 * – 3%
 * Other Protestant – 11%
 * – 44%
 * – 12%
 * Other Christian – 1%
 * – 1%
 * Other Religions – 1%
 * Non-Religious – 20%

Economy
The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that Nevada's total state product in 2006 was $100 billion. Resort areas such as, Reno, , and attract visitors from around the world. Per capita personal income in 2005 was $46,108, 11th 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 people can legalize it, and those counties may choose to outlaw it if they wish. Prostitution is illegal in (where Las Vegas sits),  (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. Silver is a distant second, with 10.3 million ounces worth $69 million mined in 2004. 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 in the summer, with supplemental feed in the winter. Calves are generally shipped to out-of-state s in the fall to be fattened for market. Over 90% of Nevada's 484,000 acres of cropland is used to grow, mostly alfalfa, for livestock feed.

Nevada is also one of only a few states with no personal income tax and no corporate income tax. The state in Nevada is 6.5%. Counties can assess es 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
's  train uses the Union Pacific's original transcontinental railroad line in a daily service from to  serving, , , and. es also provide connecting service from Las Vegas to trains at, , and ; and from , to.

has some railroads in the north and in the south. provides some bus services.

passes through the southern tip of the state, serving Las Vegas and other communities. and spur route also serve the. 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,. Nevada also is served by several federal highways:, , , and. There are also 189. Nevada is one of a few states in the U.S. that does not have a continuous 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 s with three trailers&mdash;what might be called a "" in. 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 system. in Las Vegas is one of the busiest airports in the United States. The (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 is , the Governor of Nevada is limited to two (4 year terms) in office, by election, or succession (lifetime limit) by the Nevada Constitution. Nevada's two are   and.

Legislature
The is a  body divided into an   and a. 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, the , 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 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
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 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 came easy, and  . Even  (in the form of brothels only) is legal in parts of the state." (See ).

Divorce laws
Nevada's early reputation as a "divorce haven" arose from the fact that prior to the revolution in the 1970s, s 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 ,, in which the ruled that  had to give "" to a Nevada divorce.

Tax laws
Nevada's tax laws also draw new residents and businesses to the state. Nevada has no or. .

Incorporation laws
Nevada also provides friendly environment for the formation of, and many (especially California) businesspeople have incorporated their businesses in Nevada to take advantage of the benefits of the Nevada statute. s offer great flexibility to the and simplify or avoid many of the rules that are cumbersome to business managers in some other states. In addition, Nevada has no.

Financial institutions
Similarly, many U.S. states have laws limiting the amount of  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 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 sentencing guidelines for  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 laws. Bars are permitted (but not required) to remain open 24 hours, with no "". s, s and s 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; effective 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 s. However most businesses do not obey this law and the government tends not to enforce it. However in one case they did prosecute a place called "Bilbo's" but this will not go to trial 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 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. 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 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 in both state and federal politics. Republicans won Nevada three times in the 1980s. Democrat won the state in the  and  presidential elections and Republican  won Nevada in  and. 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 U. S. Senators are newly-elevated Senate Majority Leader (D), a native of the town of Searchlight, and Senator  (R).

In state politics, both Democrats and Republicans have gained control of the governorship and the, 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
 * Consumer Health Assistance
 * Controller's Office
 * Department of Cultural Affairs
 * Nevada Commission on Economic Development
 * Nevada Secretary of State, Election Division
 * Department of Employment, Training & Rehabilitation
 * Governor's Office
 * Department of Health and Human Services
 * Department of Information Technology
 * Department of Justice
 * Nevada Military Department
 * Division of Minerals, Commission on Mineral Resources
 * Department of Motor Vehicles
 * Department of Personnel
 * Advisory Council for Prosecuting Attorneys
 * Public Employees Benefit Program
 * Public Employees Retirement System
 * Public Utilities Commission
 * Department of Secretary of State
 * Department of Taxation 
 * Commission on Tourism
 * Universities and Community Colleges of Nevada
 * Nevada Office of Veterans' Services
 * Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education
 * Public Utilities Commission
 * Department of Secretary of State
 * Department of Taxation 
 * Commission on Tourism
 * Universities and Community Colleges of Nevada
 * Nevada Office of Veterans' Services
 * Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education
 * Nevada Office of Veterans' Services
 * Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education

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

are settlements governed by the  in which they are located, but who, by local  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. 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
{|
 * valign=top|
 * valign=top|

Paradise, Sunrise Manor, and Spring Valley are unincorporated towns in the Las Vegas metropolitan area.

Note: table was compiled using Nevada State estimates from 2004 for population and for area and density

10 richest places in Nevada
Ranked by


 * 1) $52,521
 * 2) $41,451
 * 3) $38,821
 * 4) $38,233
 * 5) $37,218
 * 6) $33,017
 * 7) $30,479
 * 8) $30,405
 * 9) $29,770
 * 10) $26,908

Colleges and universities

 * (UNR)
 * (UNLV)
 * (TMCC)
 * (CSN)
 * (TMCC)
 * (CSN)
 * (CSN)
 * (CSN)

Recreation areas maintained by the National Park Service

 * near
 * near
 * near

Southern Nevada

 * and the [[Image:Charleston peak.JPG|right|thumb| as seen from the North Loop Trail, late April]]


 * and the
 * Mountain Bike Park
 * Mountain Bike Park

Sports

 * , (defunct)
 * , (defunct)
 * Wolf Pack
 * , (defunct)
 * , (defunct)
 * Wolf Pack
 * , (defunct)
 * , (defunct)
 * Wolf Pack
 * Wolf Pack

Miscellaneous topics
Nevada's nicknames are "Sagebrush State, "Battle Born State", and "Silver State", and the state's motto is "All for Our Country". "" by  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.

Although the name is derived from the Spanish word Nevada meaning "snowy", the local pronunciation of the state's name is not, but. Residents use the state name as a 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 ships have been named  in honor of the state.

Nevada is home to, a major testing and training base of the. Nellis is reputedly the home of, 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 lives in.

In 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 's 2000 release

Future Issues
Nevada enjoys many economic advantages and the southern portion of the state (where Las Vegas is) 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, which would be merged with. This deal will require the permission of the Nevada and legislatures, as well as the U.S. Congress.

State symbols

 * State artifact: Tule Duck
 * State colors: and
 * State march: "Silver State Fanfare" by Gerald Willis
 * State metal: (Ag)
 * "All for our country"
 * Virgin Valley black fire
 * Nevada
 * "" by Bertha Raffetto
 * series
 * State tartan: A particular designed for Nevada by Richard Zygmunt Pawlowski
 * s: pine and  (Pinus longaeva)
 * Virgin Valley black fire
 * Nevada
 * "" by Bertha Raffetto
 * series
 * State tartan: A particular designed for Nevada by Richard Zygmunt Pawlowski
 * s: pine and  (Pinus longaeva)
 * State tartan: A particular designed for Nevada by Richard Zygmunt Pawlowski
 * s: pine and  (Pinus longaeva)

A fictional history (with a great deal of fact) titled  was written by.