Nevada: Difference between revisions

Nevada is officially known as the "Silver State" because of the importance of [[silver]] to its history and economy. It is also known as the "Battle Born State" because it campaigned during its relatively brief [[Territories of the United States|territorial status]] as the [[Nevada Territory]] (1861–1864), then quickly achieved statehood during the [[American Civil War]] (1861–1865), (the words "Battle Born" also appear on [[Flag of Nevada|its state flag]]); due to the 16th [[Presidency of Abraham Lincoln|presidency]] of Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865, served 1861–1865). The federal [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] benefited immensely economically translated into military necessity from the support of newly awarded statehood as the 36th [[U.S. state|state]] by the massive infusion of the monetary support it provided of nearly $400 million dollars in rich underground geological layers of veins of [[silver ore]] generated at the time by the 1859 discovery of the legendary [[Comstock Lode]], mined beneath and around [[Virginia City, Nevada|Virginia City]] up to about 1874 /[[1920s]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/the-almanac-of-american-politics-on-nevada-and-lombardo|title=The Almanac of American Politics on Nevada and Lombardo|date=July 13, 2023 }}</ref> It is also known as the "[[Sagebrush]] State", for the native plant of the same name; and as the "[[Sage grouse|Sage-hen]] State".<ref>{{Cite Americana|wstitle= Sage-brush State}}</ref>  The state's name means "snowy" in the [[Spanish language]], referring to Nevada's small overlap with the [[Sierra Nevada]] mountain range on its western edge; however, the rest of Nevada is largely [[desert]] and [[Semi-arid climate|semi-arid]], much of it within the central [[Great Basin]] region. Areas south of the Great Basin are within the [[Mojave Desert]] shared with [[Southern California]], while the high altitude of [[Lake Tahoe]] and the Sierra Nevada lie on the western edge. In 2020, 80.1% of the state's land was managed by various jurisdictions of the [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. federal government]], both civilian and military.<ref>{{cite report |title=Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data |date=February 21, 2020 |number=R42346 |publisher=[[Congressional Research Service]] |url=https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R42346 |access-date=September 8, 2024}}</ref>

|encyclopedia= Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Nevada-state/History|access-date=2023-03-17|language=en}}</ref> At the time, Nevada's population was little more than 40,000.<ref name=HistoryChannel>{{cite web |title=The U.S. Congress admits Nevada as the 36th state |url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-u-s-congress-admits-nevada-as-the-36th-state |publisher=The History Channel |access-date=September 30, 2023 |date=October 29, 2020 }}</ref> Governor Nye was frustrated that previous attempts to send the constitution via overland mail and by sea had failed by October 24, so on October 26 the full text was sent by telegraph at a cost of $4,303.27<ref name=NationalArchives>{{cite web |title=National Archives Celebrates the 145th Anniversary of Nevada Statehood |url=https://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2009/nr09-127.html |publisher=National Archives of the United States |access-date=November 4, 2011 |date=September 23, 2009 |archive-date=October 20, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111020221208/http://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2009/nr09-127.html |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Efn|The National Archives press release states that the cost was $4,313.27, but the amount $4,303.27 is actually written on the document.}}{{snd}}the most costly telegraph on file at the time for a single dispatch, {{Inflation|US|4303.27|1864|r=2|fmt=eq}}. Finally, the response from Washington came on October 31, 1864: "the pain is over, the child is born, Nevada this day was admitted into the Union". Statehood was rushed to the date of October 31 to help ensure Abraham Lincoln's reelection on November{{spaces}}8 and post-Civil War [[United States Republican Party|Republican]] dominance in Congress,<ref>Rocha Guy, [http://dmla.clan.lib.nv.us/docs/nsla/archives/myth/myth12.htm ''Historical Myth a Month: Why Did Nevada Become A State?''] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080113222250/http://dmla.clan.lib.nv.us/docs/nsla/archives/myth/myth12.htm |date=January 13, 2008 }}</ref> as Nevada's mining-based economy tied it to the more industrialized [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]]. As it turned out, however, Lincoln and the Republicans won the election handily and did not need Nevada's help.

The top countries of origin for immigrants in Nevada were [[Mexico]] (39.5 percent of immigrants), the [[Philippines]] (14.3 percent), [[El Salvador]] (5.2 percent), [[China]] (3.1 percent), and [[Cuba]] (3 percent).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/immigrants-in-nevada|title=Immigrants in Nevada|date=June 2015|access-date=March 15, 2020|archive-date=February 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200224094155/https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/immigrants-in-nevada|url-status=live}}</ref>

On December 18, 2018, Nevada became the first in the United States with a female majority in its legislature. Women hold nine of the 21 seats in the Nevada Senate, and 23 of the 42 seats in the Nevada Assembly.<ref>{{cite news |last=Price |first=Michelle L. |url=https://www.apnews.com/8bebc3041f564d449365feff713bf7a4 |title=Nevada becomes 1st US state with female-majority Legislature |work=[[Associated Press]] |date=December 18, 2018 |access-date=December 20, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181220145235/https://apnews.com/8bebc3041f564d449365feff713bf7a4 |archive-date=December 20, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Due to heavy growth in the southern portion of the state, there is a noticeable divide between the politics of northern and southern Nevada. Historically, northern Nevada has been very [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]. The more rural counties of the north are among the most conservative regions of the state. Carson City, the state's capital, is a Republican-leaning swing city/county. Washoe County, home to Reno, has historically been strongly Republican, but now has become a fairly balanced swing county, like the state as a whole. Clark County, home to Las Vegas, has been a stronghold for the Democratic Party since it was founded in 1909, having voted Republican only six times and once for a third-party candidate.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}} Clark and Washoe counties have long dominated the state's politics. Between them, they cast 87% of Nevada's vote, and elect a substantial majority of the state legislature. The last Republican to carry Clark County was [[George H. W. Bush]] in 1988, and the last Republican to carry Washoe County was [[George W. Bush]] in 2004. The great majority of the state's elected officials are from either Las Vegas or Reno.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.leg.state.nv.us/Division/Research/Publications/PHoN/PHoN.pdf|title=Political History of Nevada}}</ref>