Travel Oracles 50 States: Nevada
As part of my summer series - Travel Oracles 50 States - I am revisiting each os the fifty American states as an overview on travel culture and history. Today: Nevada
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Joined: Nevada became the 36th state on October 31, 1864, after telegraphing the Constitution of Nevada to the Congress days before the November 8 presidential election (the largest and costliest transmission ever by telegraph). During the civil war it became known as the “Battle Born State” as a result of when it achieved statehood.
Original Indigenous Peoples: Paiute (Northern and Southern)
First Settlers: The first European to arrive in the area was Spanish friar Francisco Garcés in the 1700s. Few more Europeans ventured into the region until the 1800s. In 1827, fur trapper and explorer Jedediah Smith passed through the Las Vegas Valley on his way to California. He mapped out much of the area for future travelers.
History moment: Nevada was the first state to ratify the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which gave African-American men the right to vote, on March 1, 1869. Although legal between 1869 and 1910, gambling was banned in Nevada in October 1910. Much like the national prohibition on alcohol that soon followed, the law was largely ignored as machines, wheels and tables simply moved to more discreet locations. On March 19, 1931, in the midst of the Great Depression, gambling was re-legalized.
Known for: Its desert landscapes, large casinos & vibrant nightlife in Las Vegas & Reno, Area 51, the Silver State is also home to the Valley of Fire State Park, Lake Tahoe, as well as prominent gold and silver mines. Also home to the Hoover Dam, which was the single largest public works project in the history of the United States, and Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the country.
Places: Las Vegas, Reno, Carson City, Lake Tahoe
Movie setting: The Misfits, Honeymoon in Vegas, Showgirls, Leaving Los Vegas, Fear & Loathing, Hangover and many, many more set in Las Vegas specifically
Musicians from: Wayne Newton, Ne-Yo, Brandon Flowers
Surprising facts: Located in a remote desert northwest of Las Vegas, Area 51 was established in 1955 by the Central Intelligence Agency to develop and test covert military projects (ne of those projects resulted in the Archangel-12 (A-12) stealth plane). Nevada is the fourth-largest producer of gold in the world following China, Australia and South Africa, and supplies three-quarters of all gold mined in the United States. The federal government owns nearly 85 percent of all land within Nevada
Nevada is much more than Las Vegas, and has been booming with new residents over the past decade. Nevada is a vast state with most of its population clustered in a certain Sin City in the southwest corner, where more than 40 million people visit annually. Stark desert beauty and a bit of the Wild West is found in much of the rest of Nevada, particularly in Great Basin National Park, where high desert meets alpine forest. Straddling the California/Nevada state line is the Sierra Nevada resort region of Lake Tahoe and Reno, which beckons naturalists, campers, boaters, and those looking for similar action to Las Vegas in a more local setting. Let’s travel to Nevada
My Experience: I have been to Vegas more than a few times, but have also roadtripped and enjoyed outdoor adventures around the state - the landscape is very cool
Las Vegas & Reno: There are self explanatory, so instead of repeating things, here is a list of favorite things to do across the state
Nature: There are four national park service sites in Nevada. Two of these sites, Death Valley National Park and Lake Mead National Recreation Area, are shared with California and Arizona, respectively. Lake Tahoe is a beautiful stop as well.
Ranking in US: Per the annual US News report, Nevada is currently ranked #37 out of 50 in 2021 and 2019.