Nevada is a state located in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of 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. The tourism industry remains Nevada's largest employer, 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.

Nevada is the largest landlocked U.S. state that does not border Canada or Mexico.

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". Many from outside the Western United States pronounce it with the vowel of "father" . Although the latter pronunciation is closer to the Spanish pronunciation, it is not the pronunciation preferred by locals. Notably, George W. Bush made this ''faux pas'' during his campaign for the 2004 US Presidential Election. Vindication later came when President Bush campaigned at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center on June 18, 2004. The president opened his talk by proclaiming that "It's great to be here in ," emphasizing the correct 'a' — the crowd roared its approval when he light-heartedly noted, "You didn't think I'd get it right, did ya?" Bush subsequently carried the state in the election. Assemblyman Harry Mortenson has proposed a bill to recognize the alternate (quasi-Spanish) pronunciation of Nevada.

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 in Laughlin (elevation of ) on June 29, 1994. The coldest recorded temperature was 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 , harbor lush forests high above desert plains, creating sky islands for endemic species. The valleys are often no lower in elevation than .

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 , 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 . This line begins in Lake Tahoe nearly offshore (in the direction of the boundary), and continues to the Colorado River where the Nevada, California, and Arizona boundaries merge 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 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.

Climate

Nevada is made up of mostly desert and semiarid climate regions, daytime summer temperatures sometimes may rise as high as and nighttime winter temperatures may reach as low as . The winter season in the southern part of the state, however, tends to be of short duration and mild. Most parts of Nevada receive scarce precipitation during the year. Most rain falls on the lee side (east and northeast slopes) of the Sierra Nevada Range. The average annual rainfall per year is about ; the wettest parts get around . Nevada's highest recorded temperature is at Laughlin on June 29, 1994 and the lowest recorded temperature is at San Jacinto on January 8, 1937. Nevada's reading is the third highest temperature recorded in the U.S. just behind Arizona's reading and California's reading.

Vegetation

Nevada contains six biotic zones: alpine, sub-alpine, "yellow pine", "pinion-juniper", "sagebrush" and "creosotebush".

Counties

Nevada is divided into political jurisdictions designated as ''counties''. Carson City is officially a consolidated municipality; however, for many purposes under state law it is considered to be a county. As of 1919 there were 17 counties in the state, ranging from . In 1969 Ormsby County was dissolved and the consolidated municipality of Carson City was created by the Legislature in its place co-terminous with the old boundaries of Ormsby County. County seat Carson CityFallon, NevadaLas Vegas, NevadaMinden, NevadaElko, NevadaGoldfield, NevadaEureka, NevadaWinnemucca, NevadaBattle Mountain, NevadaPioche, NevadaYerington, NevadaHawthorne, NevadaTonopah, NevadaLovelock, NevadaVirginia City, NevadaReno, NevadaEly, Nevada Counties: 17

NEVADA COUNTIES
County name	|	Year founded	2000 population	Percent of total	Area (mi²)	Percent of total	Population density (/mi²)
Carson City, Nevada	Carson City	|	1861	52,457	2.63 %	146	0.13 %	359.29
Churchill County, Nevada	Churchill	Fallon||	1861	23,982	1.20 %	5,023	4.54 %	4.77
Clark County, Nevada	Clark	Las Vegas||	1908	1,375,765	68.85 %	8,091	7.32 %	170.04
Douglas County, Nevada	Douglas	Minden||	1861	41,259	2.06 %	738	0.67 %	55.91
Elko County, Nevada	Elko	Elko||	1869	45,291	2.27 %	17,203	15.56 %	2.63
Esmeralda County, Nevada	Esmeralda	Goldfield||	1861	971	0.05 %	3,589	3.25 %	0.27
Eureka County, Nevada	Eureka	Eureka||	1869	1,651	0.08 %	4,180	3.78 %	0.39
Humboldt County, Nevada	Humboldt	Winnemucca||	1856/1861	16,106	0.81 %	9,658	8.74 %	1.67
Lander County, Nevada	Lander	Battle Mountain||	1861	5,794	0.29 %	5,519	4.99 %	1.05
Lincoln County, Nevada	Lincoln	Pioche||	1866	4,165	0.21 %	10,637	9.62 %	0.39
Lyon County, Nevada	Lyon	Yerington||	1861	34,501	1.73 %	2,016	1.82 %	17.11
Mineral County, Nevada	Mineral	Hawthorne||	1911	5,071	0.25 %	3,813	3.45 %	1.33
Nye County, Nevada	Nye	Tonopah||	1864	32,485	1.63 %	18,159	16.43 %	1.79
Pershing County, Nevada	Pershing	Lovelock||	1919	6,693	0.33 %	6,068	5.49 %	1.10
Storey County, Nevada	Storey	Virginia City||	1861	3,399	0.17 %	264	0.24 %	12.88
Washoe County, Nevada	Washoe	Reno||	1861	339,486	16.99 %	6,551	5.93 %	51.82
White Pine County, Nevada	White Pine	Ely||	1869	9,181	0.46 %	8,897	8.05 %	1.03
Totals	|		1,998,257		110,552		18.08

Humboldt was designated as a County in 1856 by Utah Territorial Legislature and again in 1861 by the new Nevada Legislature.

==History==

Before 1861

See History of Utah, History of Las Vegas, and the discovery of the first major U.S. deposit of silver ore in Comstock Lode under Virginia City, Nevada in 1859.

Separation from Utah Territory

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").

The 1861 southern boundary is commemorated by Nevada Historical Markers 57 and 58 in Lincoln and Nye counties.

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.

Gaming and labor

Unregulated gaming was commonplace in the early Nevada mining towns but outlawed in 1909 as part of a nation-wide anti-gaming crusade. Because of subsequent declines in mining output and the decline of the agricultural sector during the Great Depression, Nevada again legalized gaming on March 19, 1931, with approval from the legislature. At the time, the leading proponents of gaming expected that it would be a short term fix until the state's economic base widened to include less cyclical industries. However, "re-outlawing" gaming has never been seriously considered since the industry has become Nevada's primary source of revenue today.

Nuclear testing

The Nevada Test Site, 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 of desert and mountainous terrain. Nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site began with a bomb dropped on Frenchman Flat 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 having the highest concentration of nuclear-detonated weapons in the U.S.

Over 80% of the state's area 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).

Demographics

Growth

According to the Census Bureau's 2007 estimate, Nevada has an estimated population of 2,565,382 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, Nevada is the eighth fastest growing state in the nation.

The center of population of Nevada is located in southern Nye County. In this county, the unincorporated town of Pahrump, located west of Las Vegas on the California state line, has grown 26 times in size from 1980 to 2000. In the year 2006, the town may have over 50,000 permanent residents. Las Vegas was America's fastest-growing city and metropolitan area from 1960 to 2000, but has grown from a gulch of 100 people in 1900 to 10,000 by 1950 to 100,000 by 1970 to have 2.5 million in the metropolitan area in 2010.

From about the 1940s until 2003, Nevada was the fastest-growing state in the US 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 Clark County Las Vegas metropolitan area.

Henderson and North Las Vegas are among the USA's top 20 fastest-growing cities of over 100,000.

The rural community of Mesquite located northeast of Las Vegas was an example of micropolitan growth in the 1990s and 2000s. Other desert towns like Mercury and Searchlight on the outskirts of Las Vegas has grown tremendously as well.

Large numbers of new residents in the state originate from California, which led some locals to feel that their state is being "Californicated".

Human Diversity

According to the 2008 census estimates racial distribution was as follows: 65% White American, 7.1% African American, 6% Asian American (estimates placed them at 10%), 2% others (American Indians and Pacific Islanders) and the remaining 20% were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.

In terms of diversity, Nevada is home to many cultures and nationalities. Las Vegas and Reno or Washoe County has evolved to become Minority majority cities and counties. Nevada also has a sizable Basque ancestry population. In Douglas, Mineral and Pershing counties, a plurality of residents are of Mexican ancestry with Clark County (Las Vegas) being home to over 200,000 Mexican Americans alone; Nye County and Humboldt County have a plurality of Germans; and Washoe County has many of Irish-Americans. Americans of English descent form pluralities in Lincoln County, Churchill County, Lyon County, White Pine County and Eureka County. Las Vegas is home to rapid-growing ethnic communities like Scandinavians, Italians, Poles, Greeks, Spaniards and Armenians.

Largely African-American sections of Las Vegas ("the Meadows") and Reno can be found. Many current African-American Nevadans are newly transplanted residents from California, the Midwest, or the East Coast.

Since the California Gold Rush of the 1850s brought thousands of Chinese miners to Washoe county, Asian Americans lived in the state. They were followed by a few hundred of Japanese farm workers in the late 19th century. By the late 20th century, many immigrants from China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines and recently from India and Vietnam, came to the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The city now has one of America's most prolific Asian-American communities, with a mostly Chinese and Taiwanese area known as "Chinatown" west of I-15 on Spring Mountain Boulevard, and an "Asiatown" shopping mall for Asian customers located at Charleston Avenue/Paradise Boulevard. Filipino Americans form the largest Asian American group in the state, with a population of more than 113,000. They comprise 56.5% of the Asian American population in Nevada and constitute about 4.3% of the entire state's population.

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 16.19% of Nevada's population aged 5 and older speak Spanish at home, while 1.59% speak Filipino and 1% speak Chinese languages.

6.8% of the state's 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. Las Vegas was a major destination for immigrants from South Asia and Latin America seeking employment in the gaming and hospitality industries during the 1990s and first decade of the 21st century, but farming and construction is the biggest employer of immigrant labor.

Senior citizens (over age 65) and young children or teenagers (under age 18) form large sections of the Nevada population. The religious makeup of Nevadans include large communities of Mormons, Roman Catholics and Evangelicals, each are known for higher birth rates and a younger than national average age. American Jews represent a large porportion of the active adult retirement community.

In 2010, illegal immigrants constituted an estimated 8.8% of the population. This was the highest percentage of any state in the country.

The principal ancestries of Nevada's residents in 2008 has been surveyed to be the following:

13.2% German

10.7% Irish

9.4% English

6.4% Italian

4.1% American

4.0% Scandinavian (1.7% Norwegian, 1.5% Swedish, and 0.8% Danish).

Religion

Major religious affiliations of the people of Nevada are:

Roman Catholic – 27%

Protestant

*Mainline – 11%

*Evangelical – 13%

*Other Protestant – 2%

Latter-day Saint/ Mormon – 11%

Muslim – 2%

Jewish – 1%

Other Religions – 3%

Unaffiliated – 20%

The largest denominations by number of adherents in 2000 were the Roman Catholic Church with 331,844; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with 116,925; and the Southern Baptist Convention with 40,233. 77,100 Nevadans belong to Jewish congregations.

Economy

The economy of Nevada was "founded on mining and refounded on sin—beginning with prizefighting and easy divorce a century ago and later extending to gaming and prostitution".

The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that Nevada's total state product in 2007 was $127 billion. Resort areas such as Las Vegas, Reno, Lake Tahoe, and Laughlin attract visitors from around the nation and world. In FY08 the total of 266 casinos with gaming revenue over $1m for the year, brought in revenue of $12 billion in gaming revenue, and $13 billion in non-gaming revenue. A review of gaming statistics can be found at Nevada gaming area.

The state's Per capita personal income in 2009 was $38,578, ranking nineteenth in the nation.

As of August 2010, the state's unemployment rate is the worst in the nation at 14.4%.

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.

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, of gold worth $2.84 billion were mined in Nevada, and the state accounted for 8.7% of world gold production (see ''Gold mining in Nevada''). Silver is a distant second, with worth $69 million mined in 2004 (see ''Silver mining in Nevada''). Other minerals mined in Nevada include construction aggregates, copper, gypsum, diatomite 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 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 of cropland is used to grow hay, mostly alfalfa, for livestock feed.

The state sales tax in Nevada is variable depending upon the county. The minimum statewide tax rate is 6.85%, with five counties (Elko, Esmeralda, Eureka, Humboldt, and Mineral) charging this minimum amount. All other counties assess various option taxes, making the combined state/county sales taxes rate in one county as high as 8.1%, which is the amount charged in Clark County. Sales tax in the other major counties: Carson at 7.475%, Washoe at 7.725%. The minimum Nevada sales tax rate changed on 1 July 2009.

Nevada has by far the most hotel rooms per capita in the United States. According to the American Hotel and Lodging Association, there were 187,301 rooms in 584 hotels (of 15 or more rooms). The state is ranked just below California, Texas, Florida, and New York in total number of rooms, but those states have much larger populations. Nevada has one hotel room for every 14 residents, far above the national average of one hotel room per 67 residents.

Prostitution is legal in parts of Nevada in licensed brothels, but only counties with populations under 400,000 residents have the option to legalize it. Although prostitution employs roughly 300 women as independent contractors, and not a major part of the Nevada economy, it is a very visible endeavor. Of the 14 counties that are permitted to legalize prostitution under state law, about 8 have chosen to legalize brothels. State law prohibits prostitution in Clark County (which contains Las Vegas), and Washoe County (which contains Reno). However, prostitution is legal in Storey County, which is part of the Reno–Sparks metropolitan area.

Transportation

The 2011 American State Litter Scorecard ranked Nevada (tied with Mississippi) as a bottom-three, "Worst" jurisdiction in the U.S., for overall effectiveness and quality of statewide public space cleanliness—from state and related litter/debris removal efforts.

Amtrak's ''California Zephyr'' train uses the Union Pacific's original transcontinental railroad line in daily service from Chicago to Emeryville, California, serving Elko, Winnemucca, Sparks, and Reno. Amtrak Thruway Motorcoaches also provide connecting service from Las Vegas to trains at Needles, California, Los Angeles, and Bakersfield, California; and from Stateline, Nevada, to Sacramento, California. Las Vegas has had no passenger train service since Amtrak's Desert Wind was discontinued in 1997, although there have been a number of proposals to re-introduce service to either Los Angeles or Southern California.

The Union Pacific Railroad has some railroads in the north and in the south. Greyhound Lines provides some bus service. Interstate 15 passes through the southern tip of the state, serving Las Vegas and other communities. I-215 and spur route I-515 also serve the Las Vegas metropolitan area. 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 two major population centers. Even the non-interstate federal highways aren't contiguous between the Las Vegas and Reno areas.

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.

RTC Transit is the public transit system in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The agency is the largest transit agency in the state and operates a network of bus service across the Las Vegas Valley, including the use of The Deuce, double-decker buses, on the Las Vegas Strip and several outlying routes. RTC RIDE operates a system of local transit bus service throughout the Reno-Sparks metropolitan area. Other transit systems in the state include Carson City's JAC. Most other counties in the state do not have public transportation at all.

Additionally, a four mile (6 km) monorail system provides public transportation in the Las Vegas area. The Las Vegas Monorail line services several casino properties and the Las Vegas Convention Center on the east side of the Las Vegas Strip, running near Paradise Road, with a possible future extension to McCarran International Airport. Several hotels also run their own monorail lines between each other, which are typically several blocks in length.

McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas is the busiest airport serving Nevada. The Reno-Tahoe International Airport (formerly known as the Reno Cannon International Airport) is the other major airport in the state.

Law and government

The current Governor of Nevada is Brian Sandoval, a Republican; the governor of Nevada is limited by the Nevada Constitution to two four-year terms in office, by election or succession (lifetime limit). Nevada's two U.S. senators are Harry Reid (Democrat) and Dean Heller (Republican), who, by the United States Constitution, have no term limits. Reid is also the current Majority Leader in the US Senate. Nevada's U.S. Representatives are Republicans Joe Heck and Democrat Shelley Berkley. The third representative's seat is vacant.

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. 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 in the constitution was recently upheld for legislators by the Supreme Court of Nevada in a unanimous decision (7–0), so term limits will be in effect starting in 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 Democratic Party (12 to 9 majority) and the Assembly is controlled by the Democratic Party (28 to 14 majority).

Judiciary

Nevada is one of the few U.S. states without a system of intermediate appellate courts.

The state supreme court is the Supreme Court of Nevada.

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 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 gaming. Even prostitution is legal in Nevada, in any county that decides to allow it. Quite a few of them do."'' With the advent of air conditioning for summertime use and Southern Nevada's mild winters, the fortunes of the state began to turn around, as it did for Arizona, making these two states the fastest growing in the Union.

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.

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. Already having legalized gaming and prostitution, Nevada continued the trend of boosting its profile by adopting 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.

Nevada's divorce rate tops the national average.

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. Since Nevada does not collect income data it cannot share such information with the federal government, the IRS

Nevada's state sales tax rate is 6.85 percent. Counties may impose additional rates via voter approval or through approval of the Legislature; therefore, the applicable sales tax will vary by county from 6.85 percent to 8.1 percent in Clark County. Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, imposes four separate county option taxes in addition to the statewide rate – 0.25 percent for flood control, 0.50 percent for mass transit, 0.25 percent to fund the Southern Nevada Water Authority, and 0.25 percent for the addition of police officers in that county. In Washoe County (which includes Reno), the sales tax rate is 7.725 percent, due to county option rates for flood control, the ReTRAC train trench project, mass transit, and an additional county rate approved under the Local Government Tax Act of 1991.

The lodging tax rate in unincorporated Clark County, which includes the Las Vegas Strip, is 12%. Within the boundaries of the cities of Las Vegas and Henderson, the lodging tax rate is 13%.

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.

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.

Drug and alcohol laws

Non-alcohol drug laws are 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. However, it is now a misdemeanor for possession of less than one ounce but only for persons age 21 and older. In 2006, voters in Nevada defeated attempts to allow possession of 1 ounce of marijuana (for personal use) without being criminally prosecuted, (55% against legalization, 45% in favor of legalization). However, Nevada is one of the states that allows for use of marijuana for medical reasons (though this remains illegal under federal law).

Nevada has very liberal alcohol laws. Bars are permitted to remain open 24 hours, with no "last call". Liquor stores, convenience stores and supermarkets 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 that became effective on December 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 casinos, hotel rooms, tobacco shops, and brothels. However, some businesses do not obey this law and the government tends not to enforce it. Yet, in one case, they did prosecute an establishment called "Bilbo's." As of 2008, the trial was still pending.

Crime

Nevada has been ranked as the most dangerous state in the U.S. for five years in a row, just ahead of Louisiana In 2006, the crime rate in Nevada was approximately 24% higher than the national average rate. Property crimes accounted for approximately 84.6% of the crime rate in Nevada which was 21% higher than the national rate. The remaining 20.3% were violent crimes and were approximately 45% higher than other states. In 2008, Nevada had the third highest murder rate, and the highest rate of robbery and motor vehicle theft. It should be noted that many of these statistics may not totally be attributed to the citizens of Nevada themselves, but partially to the high rate of visitors entering and leaving the state as well. In addition, the state's most populous county, Clark (accounting for 75% of the state's total population), skews the crime rate for the balance of the state.

Politics

+ Presidential elections results
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{| class=wikitable ! colspan = 6 | Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of June 2010 |- ! colspan = 2 | Party ! Active Voters ! Inactive Voters ! Total Voters ! Percentage | Democratic | style="text-align:center;"| 456,672 | style="text-align:center;"| 126,158 | style="text-align:center;"| 580,393 | style="text-align:center;"| 43.10% | Republican | style="text-align:center;"| 398,898 | style="text-align:center;"| 79,414 | style="text-align:center;"| 475,764 | style="text-align:center;"| 35.33% | Unaffiliated | style="text-align:center;"| 163,816 | style="text-align:center;"| 49,731 | style="text-align:center;"| 213,329 | style="text-align:center;"| 15.84% | Minor Parties | style="text-align:center;"| 57,984 | style="text-align:center;"| 19,352 | style="text-align:center;"| 77,079 | style="text-align:center;"| 5.72% |- ! colspan = 2 | Total ! style="text-align:center;"| 1,077,370 ! style="text-align:center;"| 274,655 ! style="text-align:center;"| 1,346,565 ! style="text-align:center;"| 100% |}

State politics

Due to heavy growth in the southern portion of the state, there is a noticeable divide between politics of northern and southern Nevada. The north has long maintained control of key positions in state government, even while the population of southern Nevada is larger than the rest of the state combined. The north sees the high population south becoming more influential and perhaps commanding majority rule. The south sees the north as the "old guard" trying to rule as an oligarchy. This has fostered some resentment, 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.

Clark and Washoe counties—home to Las Vegas and Reno, respectively—have long dominated the state's politics. Between them, they cast 87 percent of Nevada's vote, and elect a substantial majority of the state legislature. The great majority of the state's elected officials are either from Las Vegas or Reno.

National politics

Nevada has voted for the winner in every presidential election since 1912, except in 1976 when it voted for Gerald Ford over Jimmy Carter. This gives the state status as a political bellwether.

Nevada supported Democrat Bill Clinton in the 1992 and 1996 presidential elections, Republican George W. Bush won in 2000 and 2004, and Democrat Barack Obama won the state in 2008.

The state's U. S. Senators are Democrat Harry Reid, the Senate Majority Leader, and Republican Dean Heller. The Governorship is held by Brian Sandoval, a Republican from Reno.

State government

State departments and agencies:

Department of Secretary of State

Department of Taxation

Commission on Tourism

Department of Transportation

Nevada State Treasurer

Universities and Community Colleges of Nevada

Nevada Office of Veterans' Services

Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education

Nevada Department of Wildlife

Local government

Incorporated towns in Nevada, known as cities, are given the authority to legislate anything not prohibited by law. A recent movement has begun to permit home rule in incorporated Nevada cities to give them more flexibility and fewer restrictions from the Legislature.

Unincorporated towns are settlements eminently governed by the county in which they are located, but who, by local referendum 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 compensation. 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 referendum. 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.

Significant cities and towns

{| |- |valign=top| 591,536 align=left>Henderson, Nevada align=left align=left align=left align=left align=left align=left align=left align=left

Rank	City !! Population withincity limits !! Land Area sq. miles !! PopulationDensity per sq mi !! County
1	align=left	|	131.3	4,217.8	Clark County, Nevada>Clark
2	Henderson ||	265,790	79.7	2,200.8	Clark County, Nevada>Clark
3	North Las Vegas ||	216,672	78.5	1,471.0	Clark County, Nevada>Clark
4	Reno ||	214,853	69.1	2,611.4	Washoe County, Nevada>Washoe
5	Sunrise Manor ||	195,727	38.2	4,081.8	Clark County, Nevada>Clark
6	Paradise ||	186,070	47.1	3,947.3	Clark County, Nevada>Clark
7	Spring Valley ||	175,581	33.4	3,519.4	Clark County, Nevada>Clark
8	Sparks ||	88,518	23.9	2,773.6	Washoe County, Nevada>Washoe
9	Carson City ||	58,350	143.4	366	Carson City
10	Pahrump ||	44,614	297.9	82.7	Nye County>Nye

|}

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

1,715,337 align=left>Washoe County, Nevada align=left align=left align=left align=left align=left align=left align=left align=left

Rank	County !! Population withincounty limits !! Land Area sq. miles !! PopulationDensity per sq mi !! Largest city
1	align=left	|	7,910	174	Las Vegas, Nevada>Las Vegas
2	Washoe ||	383,453	6,342	54	Reno, Nevada>Reno
3	Carson City ||	56,146	155.7	366	Carson City, Nevada>Carson City
4	Douglas ||	47,803	710	58	Gardnerville Ranchos, Nevada>Gardnerville Ranchos
5	Elko ||	46,499	17,179	3	Elko, Nevada>Elko
6	Lyon ||	44,646	1,994	17	Fernley, Nevada>Fernley
7	Nye ||	38,181	18,147	2	Pahrump, Nevada>Pahrump
8	Churchill ||	26,106	4,929	5	Fallon, Nevada>Fallon
9	Humboldt ||	17,129	9,648	2	Winnemucca, Nevada>Winnemucca
10	White Pine ||	8,966	8,876	1	Ely, Nevada>Ely

''Note: table was compiled using Nevada State estimates from 2004 for population and Census 2000 for area and density''

10 richest places in Nevada

Ranked by per capita income align=right>$52,521 align=left align=left align=left align=left align=left align=left align=left align=left align=left

Rank	Place !! GDP !! County
1	align=left	|align=right | Washoe
2	Kingsbury ||	$41,421	align=right
3	Mount Charleston ||	$38,821	align=right
4	Verdi-Mogul ||	$38,233	Washoe
5	Zephyr Cove-Round Hill Village ||	$37,218	Douglas
6	Summerlin South ||	$33,017	Clark
7	Blue Diamond ||	$30,479	Clark
8	Minden ||	$30,405	Douglas
9	Boulder City ||	$29,770	Clark
10	Spanish Springs ||	$26,908	Washoe

Education

Colleges and universities

Nevada System of Higher Education

*University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV)

*University of Nevada, Reno (UNR)

*Nevada State College

*Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC)

*Great Basin College

*College of Southern Nevada (CSN)

*Western Nevada College (WNC)

Sierra Nevada College

Touro University Nevada

University of Southern Nevada

Research institutes

Desert Research Institute

Parks and recreation areas

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 under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management.

State parks

See: ''List of Nevada state parks''.

Sports

Nevada is not well known for its professional sports, but the state takes pride in college sports, most notably the Nevada Wolf Pack (representing the University of Nevada, Reno) of the Western Athletic Conference and the UNLV Rebels of the Mountain West Conference. In 2012, Nevada will join its cross-state rival in the MWC.

UNLV is most remembered for its men's basketball program, which experienced its height of supremacy in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Coached by Jerry Tarkanian, the Runnin' Rebels became one of the most elite programs in the country. In 1990, UNLV won the Men's Division I Championship by defeating Duke 103–73, which set tournament records for most points scored by a team and largest margin of victory in the national title game. In 1991, UNLV finished the regular season undefeated. Forward Larry Johnson won several awards, including the Naismith Award. UNLV reached the Final Four yet again, but lost their national semifinal against Duke 79–77, and is referred to as one of the biggest upsets in the NCAA Tournament. The Runnin' Rebels were the Associated Press pre-season #1 back to back (1989–90, 1990–91). North Carolina is the only other team to accomplish that (2007–08, 2008–09).

The state is also home to one of the most famous tennis players of all time, Andre Agassi.

Nevada sports teams

Professional

Las Vegas Locomotives, United Football League

Las Vegas 51s, Minor League Baseball (AAA)

Las Vegas Wranglers, ECHL

Reno Aces, Minor League Baseball (AAA)

Reno Bighorns, NBA D-League

Nevada Pumas, QuickHit Football League

College

Nevada Wolf Pack, UNR

UNLV Rebels

The state is also home to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and NASCAR event and the National Rodeo.

Military

Several United States Navy ships have been named USS ''Nevada'' in honor of the state. They include:

USS Nevada

USS Nevada (BM-8)

USS Nevada (BB-36)

USS Nevada (SSBN-733)

Area 51 is located near Groom Lake, a dry salt lake bed. The much smaller Creech Air Force Base is located in Indian Springs, Nevada; Naval Air Station Fallon in Fallon; Hawthorne Army Depot in Hawthorne; and the Tonopah Test Range near Tonopah.

These bases host a number of activities including the Joint Unmanned Aerial Systems Center of Excellence, the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center, Nevada Test and Training Range, Red Flag, the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, the United States Air Force Warfare Center, the United States Air Force Weapons School, and the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School.

Songs about Nevada

"Silver State Fanfare" – the Official State March by Gerald G. Willis. Codified by the Nevada Legislature in 2001 at NRS 235.035

"Sands of Nevada" from Mark Knopfler's 2000 release ''Sailing to Philadelphia''

"Sin City" from Limbeck's 2005 release ''Let Me Come Home''

"Home Means Nevada", the state song of Nevada, by Bertha Rafetto

"Nevada" by Riders in the Sky from the album ''Best of the West''

"Night Time In Nevada" by Dulmage/Clint/Pascoe, 1931

"Nevada's Grace" by Atreyu, twelfth track off 2004's ''The Curse''

Future issues

Nevada enjoys many economic advantages, and the southern portion of the state enjoys mild winter weather, but rapid growth has led to some overcrowded roads and schools. Nevada has the nation's 5th largest school district in the Clark County School District (projected fall 2007 enrollment is 314,000 students grades K-12). While the state was recently one of the fastest growing in the country, population growth slowed down to a halt in 2008.

In 2008, the "American State Litter Scorecard," presented at the American Society for Public Administration national conference, positioned Nevada next to Mississippi and Louisiana as one of the worst states for removing litter from public roadways and properties.

In August 2008, it was announced that Boyd Gaming would halt construction on a 4.2 billion dollar project called Echelon, which was to replace the old Stardust Resort & Casino. The reason cited for this is lack of funding/credit from banks.

Coyote Springs is a proposed community for 240,000 inhabitants in Clark and Lincoln counties. It would be Nevada's largest planned city. The town is being developed by Harvey Whittemore and has generated some controversy because of environmental concerns and allegations of political favoritism.

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'')

See also

Great Basin

List of National Register of Historic Places in Nevada

List of people from Nevada

U.S. state

References

External links

Official state website

Nevada State Databases – Annotated list of searchable databases produced by Nevada state agencies and compiled by the Government Documents Roundtable of the American Library Association.

State Tourism website

Nevada state symbols

Secretary of State of Nevada

Nevada Classifieds

Nevada State Library and Archives

Energy Profile for Nevada

USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of Nevada

US Census Bureau

County Maps of Nevada Full color maps. List of cities, towns and county seats

Nevada State Facts

Pronunciation Guide: Nevada

Forgotten Nevada – Ghost Towns and Mining Camps of Nevada

Nevada's Historical Markers

Category:States of the United States Category:Former Spanish colonies Category:States and territories established in 1864 Category:Western United States

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Official name	Reno
Settlement type	City
Nickname	The Biggest Little City in the World
Image seal
Map caption	Location of Reno in Washoe County, Nevada
Pushpin map	USA Nevada
Pushpin map caption	Location in Nevada
Coordinates display	inline,title
Coordinates region	US-NV
Subdivision type	Country
Subdivision name	United States
Subdivision type1	State
Subdivision name1	Nevada
Subdivision type2	County
Subdivision name2	Washoe
Leader title	Mayor
Leader name	Bob Cashell (R)
Established date
Unit pref	Imperial
Area total km2	179.6
Area land km2	179.0
Area water km2	0.6
Area total sq mi	69.3
Area land sq mi	69.1
Area water sq mi	0.2
Population as of	2010
Population total	225,221
Population metro	694,960
Population density km2	1008.3
Population density sq mi	2611.4
Timezone	Pacific (PST)
Utc offset	−8
Timezone dst	PDT
Utc offset dst	−7
Elevation m	1373
Elevation ft	4505
Postal code type	ZIP codes
Postal code	89500-89599
Area code	775
Blank name	FIPS code
Blank info	32-60600
Blank1 name	GNIS feature ID
Blank1 info	0861100
Website	http://reno.gov/
Footnotes	}}

Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area. It sits in a high desert valley at the foot of the Sierra Nevada.

Reno, known as ''The Biggest Little City in the World'', is famous for its casinos, and is the birthplace of the gaming corporation Harrah's Entertainment. City residents are called ''Renoites''. Reno is bordered to the east by the city of Sparks. The Reno-Sparks metropolitan area is informally called the Truckee Meadows, and consists of about 400,000 residents.

History

Archaeological finds place the eastern border for the prehistoric Martis people in the Reno area.

As early as the 1850s a few pioneers settled in the Truckee Meadows, a relatively fertile valley through which the Truckee River made its way from Lake Tahoe to Pyramid Lake. In addition to subsistence farming, these early residents could pick up business from travelers along the California Trail, which followed the Truckee westward, before branching off towards Donner Lake, where the formidable obstacle of the Sierra began.

Gold was discovered in the vicinity of Virginia City in 1850 and a modest mining community developed, but the discovery of silver in 1859 at the Comstock Lode led to a mining rush.

To provide the necessary connection between Virginia City and the California Trail, Charles W. Fuller built a log toll bridge across the Truckee River in 1859. A small community that would serve to service travelers soon grew up near the bridge. After two years, Fuller sold the bridge to Myron C. Lake, who continued to develop the community with the addition of a grist mill, kiln, and livery stable to the hotel and eating house. He renamed it ''Lake's Crossing''. In 1864, Washoe County was consolidated with Roop County; Lake's Crossing became the largest town in the county. Lake had earned himself the title "founder of Reno."

By January 1863, the Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR) had begun laying tracks east from Sacramento, California, eventually connecting with the Union Pacific Railroad at Promontory, Utah to form the first transcontinental railroad. Lake deeded land to the CPRR in exchange for its promise to build a depot at Lake's Crossing. Once the railroad station was established, the town of Reno officially came into being on May 9, 1868. CPRR construction superintendent Charles Crocker named the community after Major General Jesse Lee Reno, a Union officer killed in the American Civil War at the Battle of South Mountain.

In 1871 Reno became the county seat of the newly expanded Washoe County, replacing the previous county seat, located in Washoe City. However, political power in Nevada remained with the mining communities, first Virginia City and later Tonopah and Goldfield.

The extension of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad to Reno in 1872 provided a boost to the new city's economy. In the following decades, Reno continued to grow and prosper as a business and agricultural center and became the principal settlement on the transcontinental railroad between Sacramento and Salt Lake City.

As the mining boom waned early in the 20th century, Nevada's centers of political and business activity shifted to the non-mining communities, especially Reno and Las Vegas, and today the former mining metropolises stand as little more than ghost towns. Despite this, Nevada is still the third-largest gold producer in the world, after South Africa and Australia; the state yielded 6.9 percent of the world's supply in 2005 world gold production.

The "Reno Arch" was erected on Virginia Street in 1926 to promote the upcoming Transcontinental Highways Exposition of 1927, the arch included the words "Nevada's Transcontinental Highways Exposition" and the dates of the exposition. After the exposition, the Reno City Council decided to keep the arch as a permanent downtown gateway, and Mayor E.E. Roberts asked the citizens of Reno to suggest a slogan for the arch. No acceptable slogan was received until a $100 prize was offered, and G.A. Burns of Sacramento was declared the winner on March 14, 1929 with "Reno, The Biggest Little City in the World".

Nevada's legalization of casino gambling in 1931 and the passage of liberal divorce laws created another boom for Reno. Ernie Pyle once wrote in one of his columns "All the people you saw on the streets in Reno were obviously there to get divorces." In Ayn Rand's novel ''The Fountainhead'', published in 1943, the New-York-based female protagonist tells a friend "I am going to Reno," which is taken as a different way of saying "I am going to divorce my husband." Among others, the Belgian-French writer Georges Simenon, at the time living in the US, came to Reno in 1949 in order to divorce his first wife.

The divorce business eventually died as the other states fell in line by passing their own laws easing the requirements for divorce, but gambling continued as a major Reno industry. Beginning in the 1950s, the need for economic diversification beyond gaming fueled a movement for more lenient business taxation.

One of the worst disasters in the history of the region occurred on the afternoon of February 5, 1957 when an explosion ripped through the heart of downtown. At 1:03 pm, two explosions, caused by natural gas leaking into the maze of pipes and ditches under the city, and an ensuing fire destroyed five buildings in the vicinity of Sierra and First streets along the Truckee River. Forty-nine people were injured in the disaster and two were killed. The first explosion hit under the block of shops on the west side of Sierra Street (now the site of the Century Riverside), the second, across Sierra Street, now the site of the Palladio.

The presence of a main east-west rail line, the emerging interstate highway system, favorable tax climate and relatively inexpensive land created good conditions for warehousing and distribution of goods to the growing population in the surrounding eleven western states.

Reno has experienced a growing economy which has resulted in new home construction around the metro area. A direct result of this growth and the "housing bubble" has been a large increase in housing prices in the area, Reno-Sparks being named the 44th most overvalued housing market in the nation in 2006. As of January 2007 Reno’s housing market has fallen by 7% bringing the median home price down to $315,000. The Nevada economy overall, while taking the unemployment rate into consideration, ranks very low in comparison to all other states. On the other hand, the state recently ranked the nations fastest growing in population (2010). Major new construction projects have been completed in the Reno & Sparks areas. A few new luxury communities were recently built in Truckee, CA, approximately 28 miles west of Reno on Interstate 80. Reno also is an outdoor recreation destination, due to close proximity to the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, Lake Tahoe, and numerous ski resorts in the region, including Northstar-at-Tahoe. Almost all of the ski resorts on the north end of Lake Tahoe have constructed new ski lodges and made other facility improvements to cater to visitors in all seasons. Squaw Valley offers Squaw Village, a walk through village experience. Diamond Peak in Incline Village, NV just completed a newly constructed large ski lodge. The Tahoe Donner community in Truckee, CA also has made improvements to its ski resort and other facilities. Recently, Tahoe Donner Ski Resort opened Candyland Terrain Park. Squaw Valley now offers a Half Pipe and they host national events there. These ski Resorts are only a short drive from Reno.

In more recent years, the city has gained some notoriety as the subject of the comedy series ''Reno 911!'' (which is not, however, filmed in the city).

Environmental factors

Wetlands are an important part of the Reno/Tahoe area. They act as a natural filter for the solids that come out of the water treatment plant. Plant roots absorb nutrients from the water and naturally filter it. Wetlands are home for over 75% of the species in the Great Basin. However, the area's wetlands are at risk of being destroyed due to development around the city. While developers build on top of the wetlands they fill them with dirt destroying the habitat they create for the plants and animals. Washoe county has devised a plan that will help protect these ecosystems: Mitigation. In the future, when developers try to build over a wetland, they will be responsible for creating another wetland near Washoe Lake.

The Truckee River serves as Reno's primary source of drinking water. It supplies Reno with of water a day during the summer, and of water per day in the winter. Before the water goes to the homes around the Reno area, it must go to one of two water treatment plants, Chalk Bluff or Glendale Water Treatment Plant. As an attempt to save water, golf courses in Reno, like Arrow Creek Golf Course, have been using treated effluent water instead of treated water from one of Reno's water plants.

The Reno-Sparks wastewater treatment plant discharges tertiary treated effluent to the Truckee River. In the 1990s this capacity was increased from 20 to 30 million U.S. gallons (70 to 110 million liters) per day. While treated, the effluent contains suspended solids, nitrogen, and phosphorus, aggravating water quality concerns of the river and its receiving waters of Pyramid Lake. Local agencies working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have developed a number of watershed management strategies to accommodate this expanded effluent discharge; to accomplish this successful outcome, the DSSAM Model was developed and calibrated for the Truckee River in order to analyze the most cost effective available management strategy set. The resulting management strategies included a package of measures such as land use controls in the Lake Tahoe basin, urban runoff controls in Reno and Sparks and best management practices for wastewater discharge.

Geology

Reno is situated just east of the Sierra Nevada on the western edge of the Great Basin at an elevation of about above sea level. Numerous faults exist throughout the region. Most of these are normal (vertical motion) faults associated with the uplift of the various mountain ranges, including the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

In February 2008, an unusual earthquake swarm began to occur with some quakes registering between 4 and 4.5 on the Richter magnitude scale. The earthquakes were centered in an unnamed zone in the western suburbs of Reno in the area of Mogul and Verdi. Many homes in these areas were damaged.

Climate

Reno sits in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. Annual rainfall averages . Despite this low amount of rainfall per year, Reno features a steppe climate due to its low evapotranspiration. Annual precipitation has ranged from in 1947 to in 1983. The most precipitation in one month was in December 1955 and the most precipitation in 24 hours was on January 21, 1943. Winter has snowfall which is usually light to moderate but can be heavy some days, averaging annually. Snowfall varies with the lowest amounts (roughly 19–23 inches annually) at the lowest part of the valley at and east of the Reno/Tahoe International airport at 4404 feet, while the foothills of the Carson range to the west ranging from 4700 to 5600 just a few miles west of downtown can receive up to 2–3 times as much annual snowfall. The mountains of the Virginia range to the east can receive more summer thunderstorms and precipitation, and around twice as much annual snowfall above 5500 feet. However, Snowfall increases up in the Virginia Range are less dramatic as elevation climbs than the Carson Range to the West because the Virginia Range is well within the Rain Shadow of the Sierra Nevada and Carson range. The most snowfall in one year was in 1971 and the most snowfall in one month was in March 1952. Most rainfall occurs in winter and spring. The city has 300 days of sunshine per year. Summer thunderstorms can occur between April and October. The eastern side of town and the mountains east of Reno tend to be prone to thunderstorms more often and these storms may be severe because an afternoon downslope west wind, called a "Washoe Zephyr", can develop in the Sierra Nevada, causing air to be pulled down in the Sierra Nevada and Reno, destroying or preventing thunderstorms but the same wind can push air upwards against the Virginia range and other mountain ranges east of Reno, creating powerful thunderstorms. Nevada's climate is unpredictable at times.

Summer highs are in the low to mid 90s °F (32–36 °C), but temperatures above occur. The July high daytime temperature peaks at an averages ; the night low ; while January high daytime temperatures average and low night temperatures average . The record high temperature was on July 10 and 11, 2002. The record low temperature was on January 8, 1890. In addition, the region is windy throughout the year; observers such as Mark Twain have commented about the "Washoe Zephyr", northwestern Nevada's distinctive wind.

Government

Reno has a basic democratic municipal government. The city council is the core of the government, with seven members. Five of these council people represent districts of Reno, and are vetted in the primary by the citizens of each district.

In general, the top two vote earners in each ward make the ballot for the city-wide election.

The other two members are the at-large, who represent the entire city, and the mayor, who is elected by the people of the city. The council has several duties, including setting priorities for the city, promoting communication with the public, planning development, and redevelopment.

There is an elected city attorney who is responsible for civil and criminal cases. The City Attorney represents the city government in court, and prosecutes misdemeanors.

The city's charter calls for a council-manager form of government, meaning that the council appoints only two positions, the city manager, who implements and enforces the policies and programs the council approves, and the city clerk.

The city manager in charge of the budget and workforce for all city programs. The city clerk, who records the proceedings of the council, makes appointments for the council, and makes sure efficient copying and printing services are available.

In 2010, there was a ballot question asking whether the Reno city government and the Washoe County government should become one combined governmental body. According to unofficial results the day after the election, 54% of voters approved of the ballot measure to consolidate the governments.

Education

Universities and colleges

The University of Nevada, Reno is the oldest university in the state of Nevada and Nevada System of Higher Education. In 1886, the state university, previously only a college preparatory school, moved from Elko in remote northeastern Nevada to a site north of downtown Reno, where it became a full-fledged state college. The university grew slowly over the decades, but has begun to expand rapidly along with the rest of the state and currently has an enrollment of approximately 17,000, with most students hailing from within Nevada. Among its specialties are mining engineering, agriculture, journalism, business, and one of only two Basque Studies programs in the nation. It houses the National Judicial College. The university was also named one of the top 200 colleges in the nation in the most recent U.S. News and World Report National Universities category index.

Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) is a regionally accredited, two year institution which is part of the Nevada System of Higher Education. The college has an enrollment of approximately 13,000 students attending classes at a primary campus and four satellite centers. The college offers a wide range of academic and university transfer programs, occupational training, career enhancement workshops, and classes just for fun. TMCC offers associate of arts, associate of science, associate of applied science or associate of general studies degrees, one-year certificates, or certificates of completion in more than 50 career fields, including architecture, auto/diesel mechanics, criminal justice, dental hygiene, graphic design, nursing, and welding.

The Nevada School of Law at Old College located in Reno was the first law school established in the state of Nevada. Its doors were open from 1981–1988.

Career College of Northern Nevada (CCNN) is a nationally accredited trade school that trains students in technical fields that support fast growing industries. The college is locally owned and operated. Employer advisory boards direct the college in order to provide skill training that is relevant to industry needs.

University of Phoenix – Northern Nevada Campus is located in south Reno. The university faculty is a collection business and academic professionals from the local Reno area.

Morrison University is located in the south side of Reno.

Public schools

Public education is provided by the Washoe County School District. Reno has eleven public high schools: Damonte Ranch, Galena, Hug, McQueen, North Valleys, Regional Technical Institute (RTI), Reno, Truckee Meadows Community College High School, Washoe, and Wooster.

There are three public high schools in neighboring Sparks, attended by many students who live in Reno: Reed, Spanish Springs, and Sparks High School.

Reno-Sparks has 13 middle schools: Billinghurst, Clayton, Cold Springs, DePoali, Dilworth, Mendive, O'Brien, Pine, Shaw (Spanish Springs),Sparks, Swope, Trainer, Vaughn.

Reno-Sparks has 64 elementary schools: Allen, Anderson, Beasley, Jesse Beck, Bennett, Booth, Brown, Cannan, Caughlin Ranch, Corbett, Desert Heights, Diedrichsen, Dodson, Donner Springs, Double Diamond, Drake, Duncan, Dunn, Elmcrest, Gomes, Grace Warner, Greenbrae, Hidden Valley, Huffaker, Hunsberger, Hunter Lake, Jesse Hall, Johnson, Juniper, Lemmon Valley, Elizabeth Lenz, Lincoln Park, Echo Loder, Mathews, Maxwell, Melton, Mitchell, Moss, Mount Rose, Natchez, Palmer, Peavine, Picollo Special Education School, Pleasant Valley, Risley, Roy Gomm, Sepulveda, Sierra Vista, Silver Lake, Alice Smith, Kate Smith, Smithridge, Spanish Springs, Stead, Sun Valley, Taylor, Towles, Van Gorder, Verdi [pronounced VUR-die], Veterans Memorial, Warner, Westergard, Whitehead and Sarah Winnemucca. (some schools included on this list are in Sparks)

Public charter schools

Reno has many charter schools, which include: Academy for Career Education, serving grades 10–12, opened 2002. Bailey Charter Elementary School, serving grades K-6, opened 2001. Coral Academy of Science, serving grades K-12, opened 2000. Davidson Academy, serving grades 6–12, opened 2006. High Desert Montessori School, serving grades PreK-7, opened 2002. I Can Do Anything Charter School, serving grades 9–12, opened 2000. Rainshadow Community Charter High School, serving grades 9–12, opened 2003. Sierra Nevada Academy Charter School, serving grades PreK-8, opened 1999. TEAM A (Together Everyone Achieves More Academy), serving grades 9–12, opened 2004. Alpine Academy Charter High School, serving grades 9–12, opened 2009.

Private schools

Reno has a few private elementary schools such as Legacy Christian School, Excel Christian School, and Lamplight Christian School as well as private high schools, the largest of which are Bishop Manogue High School and Sage Ridge School (SRS).

Libraries

Washoe County Library System has locations throughout Reno and its surrounding communities.

Economy

Before the late 1950s, Reno was the gambling capital of the United States, but in the last twenty years Las Vegas' rapid growth, American Airlines' 2000 buyout of Reno Air and the growth of Indian gambling gaming in California have somewhat reduced its business. Older casinos were either torn down (Mapes Hotel, Fitzgerald's Nevada Club, Primadonna, Horseshoe Club, Harold's Club, Palace Club) and smaller casinos like the Comstock, Sundowner, Golden Phoenix, Kings Inn, Money Tree, Virginian, and Riverboat closed, and some converted to condos.

Because of geographical proximity, Reno has traditionally drawn the majority of its California tourists and gamblers from the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento, while Las Vegas has historically served more tourists from Southern California and the Phoenix area.

Several local large hotel casinos have shown significant growth and have moved gaming further away from the Virginia Street core. These larger hotel casinos are the Atlantis, the Peppermill and the Grand Sierra Resort. The Peppermill was chosen as the most outstanding Reno gaming/hotel property by Casino Player and Nevada magazines. In 2005, the Peppermill Hotel Casino began a $300 million dollar Tuscan-themed expansion.

In an effort to bring more tourism to the area, Reno holds several events throughout the year, most of which have been extremely successful. They include Hot August Nights (a classic car convention), Street Vibrations (a motorcycle fan gathering and rally), The Great Reno Balloon Race, the Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-off (held in Sparks), a Cinco de Mayo celebration, bowling tournaments (held in the National Bowling Stadium), and the Reno Air Races.

Several large commercial developments were constructed during the mid-2000s boom, such as The Summit in 2007 and Legends at Sparks Marina in 2008.

Reno is the location of the corporate headquarters for numerous companies, including Braeburn Capital, Hamilton, Port of Subs, PC-Doctor, and International Game Technology, which manufactures slot machines. Bally Technologies and GameTech have development and manufacturing presence in Reno.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 180,480 people, 73,904 households, and 41,681 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,008.3 per square mile (2,611.4/km²). There were 79,453 housing units at an average density of 1,149.6 per square mile (443.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.5% White, 2.6% African American, 1.3% Native American, 5.3% Asian, 0.6% Pacific Islander, 9.3% from other races, and 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.2% of the population. Mexican Americans made up 29.0% of the city's population.

There were 73,904 households out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.5% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.6% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.2% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 104.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $40,530, and the median income for a family was $49,582. Males had a median income of $33,204 versus $26,763 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,520. About 8.3% of families and 12.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.3% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

The population was 180,480 at the 2000 census; in 2008, its population was estimated at 217,016, making it the fourth-largest city in the state after Las Vegas, Henderson and North Las Vegas, and the largest outside of Clark County. Reno lies north of the Nevada state capital, Carson City, and northeast of Lake Tahoe in a shrub-steppe. Reno shares its eastern border with the city of Sparks and is the larger of the principal cities of the Reno-Sparks, Nevada Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), a metropolitan area that covers Storey and Washoe counties. The MSA had a combined population of 342,885 at the 2000 census. The MSA is combined with the Fernley Micropolitan Statistical Area to form the Reno-Sparks-Fernley Combined Statistical Area, which had a total population of 377,386 at the 2000 census.

Transportation

Roads

Reno was historically served by the Victory Highway and a branch of the Lincoln Highway. After the formation of U.S. Highways, U.S. Route 40 was historically routed along 4th street through downtown Reno, before being replaced with Interstate 80. The primary north-south highway through Reno is U.S. Route 395.

Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County (RTC) has a bus system that provides intracity buses, intercity buses to Carson City, and an on-demand shuttle service for disabled persons. The bus system has its main terminal on 4th Street in downtown Reno and secondary terminals in Sparks and at Meadowood Mall in south Reno.

Numerous shuttle and excursion services are offered connecting the Reno-Tahoe International Airport to various destinations:

South Tahoe Express provides connecting shuttle service to South Lake Tahoe Resorts.

Eastern Sierra Transit Authority provides shuttles to destinations south along the U.S. Route 395 corridor in California, such as Mammoth Mountain and Lancaster

Modoc Sage Stage provides shuttles to Alturas and Susanville, along the northern US 395 corridor.

Railroads

Reno was historically a stopover along the First Transcontinental Railroad, the modern Overland Route continues to run through Reno. Reno was historically the southern terminus of the Nevada-California-Oregon Railway (NCO) and the northern terminus of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad. Using the NCO depot and right of way, the Western Pacific Railroad historically provided rail service to Reno. Downtown Reno has two historic train depots, the inactive Nevada-California-Oregon Railroad Depot and the still active Amtrak depot, originally built by the Southern Pacific Railroad.

Amtrak provides daily passenger service to Reno via the ''California Zephyr'' and multiple Amtrak Thruway Motorcoaches connecting to trains departing from Sacramento, California.

Air

The city is served by Reno/Tahoe International Airport, with general aviation traffic handled by Reno Stead Airport. Reno/Tahoe International Airport is the second busiest commercial airport in the state of Nevada after McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. Reno was the hub and headquarters of the defunct airline Reno Air.

Utilities

Potable water for the City of Reno is provided by the Truckee Meadows Water Authority. The Truckee River is the primary water source, with the purification being done at two plants, Chalk Bluff and Glendale. The Chalk Bluff plant main intakes are west of Reno in Verdi, with the water flowing through a series of flumes and ditches to the plant itself. Alternative intakes are located below the plant along the banks of the Truckee River itself. The Glendale plant is sited alongside the river, and is fed by a rock and concrete rubble diversion dam a short distance upstream.

Sewage treatment for the majority of the Truckee Meadows takes place at the Truckee Meadows Water Reclamation Facility at the eastern edge of the valley. Treated effluent returns to the Truckee River by way of Steamboat Creek.

Electrical power and natural gas are provided by NV Energy, formerly Sierra Pacific. Power comes from multiple sources, including Tracy-Clark Station to the east, and the Steamboat Springs binary cycle power plants at the southern end of town.

Sports

Reno is home to the Reno Aces, the minor league baseball Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and plays in Aces Ballpark, a downtown ballpark opened in 2009. Reno has hosted multiple semi-professional baseball teams in the past, most under the Reno Silver Sox name. The Reno Astros, a semi-pro unaffiliated baseball team plays at Moana Stadium.

In basketball, the Reno Bighorns, a 2008 expansion of the NBA Development League, plays at the Reno Events Center.

Reno is host to both amateur and professional combat sporting events such as mixed-martial arts and boxing. The "Fight of the Century" between Jack Johnson and James J. Jeffries was held in Reno in 1910. Boxer Ray Mancini fought four of his last five fights in Reno against Bobby Chacon, Livingstone Bramble, Hector Camacho, and Greg Haugen.

Reno is expected to be the future home of an ECHL ice hockey team, currently named the Reno Raiders, but construction on a suitable arena has yet to begin as of the 2010–2011 season. The franchise has been dormant since 1998, when it was named the Reno Rage, and earlier the Reno Renegades, and played in the now defunct West Coast Hockey League (WCHL).

The Reno-Tahoe Open is northern Nevada’s only PGA TOUR event, held at Montrêux Golf & Country Club in Reno. As part of the FedEx Cup, the tournament follows 132 PGA TOUR professionals competing for a share of the event’s $3 million purse. The Reno-Tahoe Open Foundation has donated more than $1.8 Million to local charities.

Reno has a college sports scene, with the Nevada Wolf Pack appearing in football bowl games and an Associated Press Top Ten ranking in basketball in 2007.

thumb|Reno Whitewater Festival at the whitewater park in Reno

In 2004, the city completed a $1.5 million whitewater park on the Truckee River in downtown Reno which hosts whitewater events throughout the year. The course runs Class 2 and 3 rapids with year-round public access. The north channel features more aggressive rapids, drop pools and "holes" for rodeo kayak-type maneuvers. The milder south channel is set up as a kayak slalom course and a beginner area.

Reno is home to two roller derby teams, the Battle Born Derby Demons and the Reno Roller Girls. The Battle Born Derby Demons compete on flat tracks locally and nationally. They are the only Derby team locally to compete in a national Derby league.

Reno is the home of the National Bowling Stadium, which hosts the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Open Championships every three years.

2022 Winter Olympics bid

The resort region around Lake Tahoe on the California-Nevada borders have formed the Reno-Tahoe Winter Games Coalition to make a bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics. They cited the airport, close mountains, and compact geographic area in which the games could be held. Squaw Valley Ski Resort, which hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics, is considered a major advantage to the bid.

Recreation

Reno is home to a variety of recreation activities including both seasonal and year-round. In the summer, Reno locals can be found near three major bodies of water: Lake Tahoe, the Truckee River, and Pyramid Lake. The Truckee River originates at Lake Tahoe and flows west to east through the center of downtown Reno before terminating at Pyramid Lake to the north. The river is a major part of Artown, held in the summer at Wingfield Park. Washoe Lake is a popular kite and windsurf location because of its high wind speeds during the summer.

Skiing and snowboarding are among the most popular winter sports and draw in many tourists. There are 18 ski resorts (8 major resorts), including Northstar-at-Tahoe, Sierra-at-Tahoe, Alpine Meadows, Squaw Valley Ski Resort, Sugar Bowl, Diamond Peak, Heavenly Mountain Resort, and Mount Rose Ski Resort located as close as eleven miles (18 km) and as far as ninety-eight miles from the Reno-Tahoe International Airport. Other popular Reno winter activities include snowshoeing, ice skating, and snowmobiling. There are many bike paths to ride in the summer time. International bike competitions are held in Lake Tahoe over the summer time.

Culture

Artown

National Automobile Museum

Nevada Museum of Art

Nevada Shakespeare Company

Pioneer Center For Performing Arts

Reno Philharmonic Orchestra

Reno Pops Orchestra

University of Nevada, Reno Arboretum

Wilbur D. May Arboretum and Botanical Garden

Notable residents

Mädchen Amick – Actress

Chris Ault – Hall of Fame NCAA Football coach, currently coaches the Wolf Pack football team.

Luke Babbitt – Basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers

Shannon Bahrke – silver medalist 2002 Winter Olympics, bronze medalist 2010 Winter Olympics, and 2003 World Cup champion

Brent Boyd – Offensive lineman for the Minnesota Vikings

Chris Carr – kick returner and nickleback for the Baltimore Ravens.

Chino XL – Rapper; owns a residence in Reno

Walter Van Tilburg Clark – Author of ''The Ox-Bow Incident''

Doug Clifford – Creedence Clearwater Revival drummer.

Joe Flanigan – Actor.

Rudy Galindo – Figure skater

Bud Gaugh – Drummer of the Band Sublime

Jim Gibbons – Governor and member of the United States House of Representatives from Nevada.

Curtis Hanson – Producer-director of ''8 Mile'', ''L.A. Confidential'', ''The Hand That Rocks the Cradle'', and others.

Jennifer Harman – American professional poker player.

Wilder W. Hartley (1901–70), Los Angeles City Council member, 1939–41, born in Reno

Terri Ivens – Soap opera actress on ''All My Children''

Armon Johnson – Basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers

Mark Kotsay – Professional baseball player

Mills Lane – Former boxing referee and District Judge and a television personality on Judge Mills Lane.

Paul Laxalt – Governor and U.S. Senator from Nevada

Greg London – Multiple award winning entertainer. Greg London Day July 30, 2009 Proclamation by Reno Mayor, Bob Cashell.

Dana MacDuff – film producer, Oakdale Pictures

April Meservy – Singer-songwriter

Rich Marotta – Boxing commentator, Los Angeles radio personality

Randy Messenger – Professional Baseball Player.

Chuck Ruff – Edgar Winter Group drummer

Jason-Shane Scott – Soap actor

Shannyn Sossamon – Actress of ''A Knight's Tale'' and ''40 Days and 40 Nights''.

Sharon Stone – Actress

Willy Vlautin – author and musician

J. Buzz Von Ornsteiner – Forensic Psychologist/Television personality

Dawn Wells – Miss Nevada 1959 – Actress on TV series ''Gilligan's Island''.

Kristi Yamaguchi – Figure skater and Olympic Gold Medalist Albertville 1992

Kimberley Conrad – Playboy's Playmate of the year (1989) and Hugh Hefner's ex-wife.

Reno in media

Movies filmed in Reno include:

''The Cooler'' ''Magnolia'' ''Hard Eight'' ''Charley Varrick'' ''Desert Hearts'' ''The Wizard'' ''Jinxed!'' ''The Misfits'' ''Kingpin''

''...All the Marbles'' ''Pink Cadillac'' ''Diamonds'' ''Sister Act'' ''Father's Day'' ''Waking Up in Reno'' ''Austin Powers in Goldmember'' ''Jane Austen's Mafia!'' ''40 Pounds of Trouble''

''California Split'' ''Up Close & Personal'' ''The Pledge'' ''Kill Me Again'' ''The Last Don'' ''Double Down'' ''Ocean's Eleven (Original)''

''Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble'' ''Blind Fury'' ''Melvin and Howard'' ''Mr. Belvedere Goes to College'' ''Scarecrow'' ''Wild Is the Wind'' ''Born to Kill (1947 film)'' ''Kickassia''

Sister cities

Reno has six sister cities: Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada Hatzor, Israel Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain Udonthani, Thailand Taichung, Taiwan, Republic of China Shenzhen, People's Republic of China Nalchik, Russia

Wanganui, New Zealand was a sister city from 1974 to 2009.

References

External links

City of Reno

Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority (RSCVA)

Reno Category:County seats in Nevada Category:Reno, Nevada Category:Gambling in the United States Category:Reno–Sparks metropolitan area Category:Populated places established in 1850 Category:Populated places in Washoe County, Nevada

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