As a part of the Great Basin, Nevada is a high-desert region that receives little rainfall: It's the driest state in the U.S. Most of the state is either desert or rangeland, interrupted by dozens of mountain ranges. The Sierra Nevada Mountains touch on the state's western border, creating a high alpine environment.
Although Nevada is often a harsh landscape in which to live, it has a rich Native American legacy. The most notable tribes included the Stillwater Piutes, Toidikadi, Toi Ticutta of northern Nevada and the Yuman-speaking tribes that trace their origins from Spirit Mountain, 20 mi/32 km south of Las Vegas. The hills around Las Vegas are filled with priceless petroglyphs and other evidence of the area's early inhabitants. Spirit Cave Man, one of the oldest human remains in the continent, was found buried in a cave a few miles/kilometers from the Stillwater marshes. Archaeologists estimate that he was alive about 9,400 years ago and lived in the area. His diet consisted of plants and animals that grew by the marsh, and his burial costume included remarkably well-preserved matting made with marsh plants, a rabbit-skin robe and fur moccasins.
Early inhabitants of the Great Basin (which includes much of modern-day Nevada) were in some respects the least complex of all Native American cultures. They survived by migrating through the area, gathering wild plants and seeds and hunting rabbits and antelope. Their nomadic traditions changed little in 5,000 years. But when they gained the use of horses in the late 1600s, the native people of Nevada underwent a dramatic change in lifestyle, becoming more predatory and dependent on bison hunting.
Although Father Francisco Garces, the Spanish Catholic missionary and explorer, may have visited parts of Nevada as early as 1776, it wasn't until the 1840s that Capt. John C. Fremont made the first real explorations on behalf of the U.S. (which had acquired the territory after the Mexican-American War). The Mormons, in their long quest for a home free from religious intolerance, were the first to settle a town, now known as Genoa.
But the "booms" made the state. In 1859, the discovery of gold at the Comstock Lode near Virginia City set off one of the many mining free-for-alls. Thousands of new settlers went west by stagecoach along the Pony Express route. In 1861, the boundaries of the new Nevada Territory were carved out of the larger Utah Territory. Statehood followed in 1864, after Nevada ratified the 13th Amendment that outlawed slavery. Its mineral wealth aided the Union victory in the Civil War and generated Nevada's nickname, "The Silver State."
Though many of the rich mineral strikes of the 1800s quickly played out, new discoveries created new booms in the early 1900s. Gambling was legalized in the 1930s, and that, along with the electricity created by the new Hoover Dam, led to the rise of Las Vegas, beginning in the 1940s. In 1951, there was another kind of boom: The U.S. military chose Nevada's desert for a series of thermonuclear-weapons tests. The armed forces continue to maintain a strong presence in Nevada. Huge portions of the state are devoted to military use and are therefore off-limits to civilians. Nevada's mammoth tourism industry drives the state's economy, with an essential boost from mining and construction.
Nevada's main attractions include Las Vegas, casinos, fishing, skiing, big-name entertainment, deserts, snowboarding, ghost towns, big-game hunting, rock climbing, spring wildflowers, Hoover Dam, Lake Tahoe, Reno, rockhounding and Western Americana.
Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Great Basin National Park, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Valley of Fire State Park and Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge are just a few of the places that offer outdoor recreation opportunities from bird-watching to camping to spectacular outdoor photography.
Anyone who's interested in gambling, outdoor recreation and Western history will have a good time in Nevada. Those who would be put off by the glitzy atmosphere of Las Vegas or who don't like very high summer temperatures should think twice about going there or should take advantage of northern Nevada's more temperate environment.
The rivers flowing into the Great Basin never reach the sea. Instead, they form lakes, go underground or simply end—evaporating in the desert.
In most of the casino-hotels in Las Vegas, it's impossible to travel from your room to the street without passing the gaming areas.
Nevada is home to the real Top Gun, a naval air station in Fallon and the topic of the 1986 film Top Gun.
Because of all the military aviation training that takes place in Nevada, you may cross paths with a practicing jet fighter, especially if you travel off the main roads. While hiking on a mountain near Fallon, we had a jet scream by us so close that we could make out the silhouette of the pilot.
The elaborate baskets woven by the Shoshone tribes were used for collecting and processing wild seeds and grasses. Though the tribes' culture was quite simple in many respects, they made some sophisticated items from native fibers, including fishing weirs, rabbit nets, clothing and mats.
More than 500 movies and several TV programs have been filmed in Nevada. Popular filming spots include Elko, Carson City, Las Vegas, Laughlin, Goldfield, Ely, Austin, Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, Valley of Fire State Park, Reno, Lake Tahoe, Virginia City and parts of the desert.
Nevada leads the nation in the number of square feet of warehouse space.
You can gamble almost from the moment you step off the plane—there are slot machines throughout the airports.
The name Nevada is from the Spanish and means "snow-capped."