Interesting facts about Nevada

nevada flag

Nevada is a state in the Western, Mountain West, and Southwestern regions of the United States.

It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east.

As of August 2018, the population of Nevada was estimated to be about 3 million. It is the 33th most populous state in the United States.

Nevada is the 7th largest state in the United States in terms of total area with 286,382 square kilometers (110,577 square miles).

Carson City is the capital of the US state of Nevada. It is named after the mountain man Kit Carson. The town began as a stopover for California bound emigrants, but developed into a city with the Comstock Lode, a silver strike in the mountains to the northeast.

carson city

The Nevada landscape is represented by sandy deserts, rugged, snow covered mountains, forested mountain slopes, and grassy valleys. Located almost entirely within the Great Basin (desert area the reaches into six states), Nevada can be divided into three main land regions; the Columbia Plateau, the Sierra Nevada, and the Basin and Range Region.

Nevada ranks second in the United States by number of mountains, behind Alaska, and ahead of California, Montana, and Washington.

Boundary Peak with an elevation of 4,007 meters (13,147 feet) above sea level, is the highest natural point in the state of Nevada.

boundary peak

Nevada has 4 national park and 15 state parks.

The Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area in Nevada is an area managed by the Bureau of Land Management as part of its National Landscape Conservation System, and protected as a National Conservation Area. It is about 24 kilometers (15 miles) west of Las Vegas, and is easily seen from the Las Vegas Strip. More than two million people visit the area each year.

red rock canyon national conservation area

Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of 1,897 meters (6,225 feet), it straddles the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is 2/3 in California and 1/3 in the state of Nevada. It is the largest alpine lake in North America.

lake tahoe

Built during the Great Depression as a way to provide jobs, Hoover Dam is a marvel of modern engineering. The 221-meter (726-foot) -high dam contains Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States, and provides hydroelectric power to much of Nevada, Arizona, and California. Built on the Nevada and Arizona state line, the dam is just a 45-minute drive from the center of Las Vegas, or a short helicopter flight. You can walk out onto the dam for spectacular views over the edge, or look out over Lake Mead.

hoover dam

Las Vegas is the 28th-most populated city in the United States, the most populated city in the state of Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city, known primarily for its gambling, shopping, fine dining, entertainment, and nightlife.

las vegas

Reno is the second largest city in Nevada after Las Vegas in terms of population, but is still home to only approximately 250,000 residents. However, for a small city, it has a surprising number of impressive attractions and events for tourists. The city hosts the annual National Championship Air Races, The Great Reno Balloon Race, and the Hot August Nights car convention, along with a number of other popular annual celebrations.

reno

Bellagio is a resort, luxury hotel and casino in Las Vegas. Inspired by the Lake Como town of Bellagio in Italy, Bellagio is famed for its elegance. One of its most notable features is an 8-acre (3.2 ha) lake between the building and the Strip, which houses the Fountains of Bellagio, a large dancing water fountain synchronized to music.

bellagio

The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino is a luxury hotel and casino resort located. Designed by KlingStubbins, the hotel tower contains 36 stories and rises 145 meters (475 feet). The Venetian is owned and operated by Las Vegas Sands. The Venetian resort complex is the world’s second-largest hotel, with 4,049 rooms, 3,068 suites ranging in price from $169 to $10,000 per night and a 11,000 square-meter (120,000-square-foot) casino. Since its opening, The Venetian Macao is now the largest casino in the world, beating The Venetian, Las Vegas.

the venetian

Burning Man is an annual event in a temporary city erected in the Black Rock Desert of northwest Nevada, approximately 160 kilometers (100 miles) north-northeast of Reno. The late summer event is described as an experiment in community and art, influenced by ten main principles: “radical” inclusion, self-reliance, and self-expression, as well as community cooperation, civic responsibility, gifting, decommodification, participation, immediacy, and leaving no trace.

burning man

Archaeological evidence indicates that prehistoric Indian settlements existed in Nevada more than 15,000 years ago.

Before the arrival of Europeans, the land of Nevada was inhabited by Native American tribes including the Shoshone, the Paiute, the Washoe, and the Mohave.

The first European to arrive in the area was Spanish friar Francisco Garcés in the 1700s.

Nevada became the 36th state to join the Union on October 31, 1864.

nevada

The name “Nevada” comes from the Spanish nevada, meaning “snow-covered”, after the Sierra Nevada (“snow-covered mountain range”).

Nevada is officially known as the “Silver State” because of 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 (the words “Battle Born” also appear on the state flag)

Nevada has a reputation for its libertarian laws.

law

In 1940, with a population of just over 110,000 people, Nevada was by far the least-populated state, with less than half the population of the next least-populated state.

However, legalized gambling and lenient marriage and divorce laws transformed Nevada into a major tourist destination in the 20th century.

The tourism industry is Nevada’s largest employer, with mining continuing as a substantial sector of the
economy: Nevada is the fourth-largest producer of gold in the world.

Nevada is the largest gold-producing state in the nation. It is second in the world behind South Africa.