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Nye County, Nevada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Nye County, Nevada | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Nevada |
|
 Nevada's location in the USA |
|
| Statistics | |
| Founded | 1864 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Tonopah |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
18,159 sq mi (47,032 km²) 18,147 sq mi (47,001 km²) 12 sq mi (31 km²), 0.07% |
| Population - (2006) - Density |
44,795 3/sq mi (1/km²) |
| Website: www.nyecounty.net | |
Nye County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2000 census, the population was 32,485. In 2006 its population was estimated at 44,795. Nye is the third largest county in terms of area in the contiguous United States. Its county seat is Tonopah6. The center of population of Nevada is located in Nye County, very near Yucca Mountain [1]. The largest city in Nye County is Pahrump.
The Nevada Test Site and proposed nuclear waste repository Yucca Mountain is located in the southwestern part of the county and is the focus of a great deal of political and public controversy in the state. The U.S. federal government also owns 92% of the land in the county. This is also a controversial subject for the county and for the state.
A portion of Death Valley National Park is in Nye County, and visitors often stay at Beatty or Amargosa Valley. Ash Meadows National Wildlife Preserve is located here as well. The county has no incorporated towns.
Contents |
Nye County was created in 1864 and named in honor of James W. Nye, who served as governor of the Nevada Territory and later as a U.S. Senator from the state. The first county seat was Ione in 1864, followed by Belmont in 1867, and finally by Tonopah in 1905. There is currently popular talk of moving the county seat south to Pahrump, and/or splitting off the southern portion of the county, but neither of these ideas appears to have sufficient support at the county or state government level[citation needed].
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 47,031 km² (18,159 sq mi). 47,000 km² (18,147 sq mi) of it is land and 31 km² (12 sq mi) of it (0.07%) is water.
Nye County is located in south central Nevada and is shaped, ironically given its nuclear history, somewhat like a lopsided mushroom cloud. Nye is the largest county in Nevada and is the third largest county in the continental United States, after San Bernardino County in California and Coconino County in Arizona. With a land area of 11,560,960 acres (46,786 km²), Nye County is larger than the combined total area of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Delaware. Of this vast land area, only 822,711 acres (3,329 km²), or just over seven percent of the total, is private land; the majority of the county's land is owned by the federal government. According to the United States Census Bureau the county's Census Tract 9805, with a land area of 10,943.7745 km² (4,225.415 sq mi), comprising the Nevada Test Site and Nye County's portion of the Nevada Test and Training Range, is the largest census tract in the United States that has absolutely no resident population (as of the 2000 census). Las Vegas, in Clark County, is 100 miles southeast of Yucca Mountain.
- Churchill County, Nevada - northwest
- Lander County, Nevada - north
- Eureka County, Nevada - north
- White Pine County, Nevada - northeast
- Lincoln County, Nevada - east
- Clark County, Nevada - east
- Esmeralda County, Nevada - west
- Mineral County, Nevada - west
- Inyo County, California - south
As of the census² of 2000, there were 32,485 people, 13,309 households, and 9,063 families residing in the county. The population density was 1/km² (2/sq mi). There were 15,934 housing units at an average density of 0/km² (1/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 89.63% White, 1.18% Black or African American, 1.96% Native American, 0.78% Asian, 0.32% Pacific Islander, 2.98% from other races, and 3.15% from two or more races. 8.35% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
In 2006 there were 42,693 people living in Nye County, representing a growth of 31.3% since 2000. This was slightly faster than Clark County, where Las Vegas is, was growing.
Even though especially the south of Nye County in and around Pahrump was receiving population influx from Las Vegas, the racial makeup of Nye County was very different than that in Clark County. Non-Hispanic whites now constituted 82.7% of the county population. African-Americans were now 1.7% of the population, which meant actual increase of the number of African Americans residing in the county was over 50%. Native Americans were only 1.8% of the population now. Asians were a full one percent of the population. Pacific Islanders were 0.5% of the population and Latinos made up 11.0% of the population.[1]
In 2000 there were 13,309 households out of which 26.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.30% were married couples living together, 7.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.90% were non-families. 25.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the county the population was spread out with 23.70% under the age of 18, 5.40% from 18 to 24, 24.00% from 25 to 44, 28.50% from 45 to 64, and 18.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 105.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $36,024, and the median income for a family was $41,642. Males had a median income of $37,276 versus $22,394 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,962. About 7.30% of families and 10.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.10% of those under age 18 and 8.30% of those age 65 or over.
The county also suffers the country's highest per-capita suicide rate.[citation needed] Nevada has a suicide rate of 21.3 per 100,000 people per year, while Nye County averages about 30 per 100,000 per year.
- Amargosa Valley
- Beatty
- Carvers
- Crystal
- Currant
- Duckwater
- Gabbs
- Hadley
- Lockes
- Manhattan
- Mercury
- Pahrump
- Scotty's Junction
- Sunnyside
- Round Mtn.
- Tonopah
- Yomba
- Nye County is nicknamed "The Kingdom of Nye" from the radio program Coast to Coast AM, hosted by Pahrump resident Art Bell.
- Nye County was a featured location in two episodes of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.
- Nye County and Census Tract 9805, Nye County, Nevada United States Census Bureau
