Nevada

B

Mining

Mining was long the most important industry, and the state was world-famous for its rich gold and silver output. In the 1960s gold mining was revived, and in the 1990s Nevada was the nation’s leading producer of gold, the state’s chief mineral, and silver. In 1997 the state supplied 68 percent of the nation’s gold and 42 percent of its silver. In the same year Nevada provided eight percent of the nation’s total nonfuel mineral production value, ranking second among the states behind only Arizona.

In 1859 the Comstock Lode was discovered at a site near Virginia City, and this vein of ore, which yielded both gold and silver, gave its name to the booming Comstock Era of the next 20 years. The mineral wealth of this area was vast enough to lead to Nevada’s admission to the Union as a state in 1864, despite its small population. So sizable was the Comstock boom that the Lake Tahoe basin was virtually stripped of trees, which went to make mine support timbers, charcoal, and houses. Production from the Comstock Lode declined in the latter part of the l9th century, because of falling silver prices and the exhaustion of the finest-grade ore. Silver, lead, and zinc had been found at Pioche, and lead and silver were discovered at Eureka at the time Nevada was admitted to the Union. Subsequently other mineral discoveries were made in Nevada. Silver mines were opened at Tonopah, and gold mines at Goldfield and Rhyolite after 1900. Some of the old mines in the vicinity of Virginia City still produce gold and silver because of modern, more efficient refining techniques.

In the late 1970s, important deposits of disseminated, microscopically-fine gold were discovered near Elko. These deposits, known as the Carlin Trend, are the largest source of gold found in the United States since California’s Gold Rush in the late 1840s. Six Nevada counties are heavily involved in its production, which is possible primarily through a technological process known as heap-leaching. For most of the 20th century copper was the most important mineral in Nevada’s economy, accounting for as much as one-third of total national output. However, falling copper prices forced several large mines to close in the late 1970s.

In 1975, with the opening of the McDermitt mine in Humboldt County, Nevada became the nation’s leading producer of mercury. In tungsten output, Nevada ranks third among the states. Tungsten is mined near Winnemucca and Tempiute. Low-grade iron ore, found especially in the western counties, is also mined. Lithium and magnesite are also extracted.

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Nevada leads the nation in the production of barite, which is used as a pigment, and is second in the mining of diatomite, a chalky stone formed from the fossilized skeletons of diatoms and often used as an abrasive or as a material for filtering water. Other nonmetals produced include clays, sand and gravel, cement, gypsum, stone, lime, perlite, salt, fluorspar, and gemstones. Small amounts of petroleum are also produced.

C

Manufacturing

Manufacturing is heavily concentrated around the Las Vegas area and in the Reno-Sparks area. The most important industries are those engaged in printing and publishing; firms making products for the construction industry, such as cement; food processing, particularly the makers of candy and frozen desserts; manufacturers of plastic items; the makers of industrial machinery, such as machines for service industries and refrigeration units; and firms making instruments. Although manufacturing employment grew significantly during the 1990s, the sector still provides a relatively small portion of Nevada’s gross product.

D

Electricity

Of the electricity generated in 2005 in Nevada 93 percent was produced by steam-driven power plants burning fossil fuels, mainly coal or natural gas. The rest was produced in hydroelectric power plants. The state’s southern portion is supplied by power plants at Hoover and Davis dams on the Colorado River, and the Reno area receives electricity chiefly from nearby power plants and other plants in California.

E

Nuclear Research

An important boost to Nevada’s economy came from the research and testing operations conducted originally by the United States Atomic Energy Commission and then by the United States Department of Energy. On its Nevada Test Site, northwest of Las Vegas, experiments were conducted in the detonation of nuclear weapons, detonation of conventional high explosives, and operation of nuclear rocket-propulsion systems. These tests ceased in the late 1980s, but the effects of accidental irradiation from escaped gases and above-ground test detonations have developed in populations east of the test site. Only in the 1990s did the government begin to acknowledge the effects on the so-called “down-winders.” Yucca Mountain in Nevada is also a candidate for a storage site for nuclear waste and spent nuclear fuel from around the nation, although the proposal has met opposition from many Nevada residents. The Department of Energy also operates the Tonopah Test Range, at which smaller weapons are tested. Nellis Air Force Base and a secret Air Force test facility sometimes known as Area 51 are also located in Nevada.

F

Tourist Industry

Tourism is the state’s most important economic activity, generating $20 billion each year in revenue for Nevada’s economy. Major tourist attractions are legalized casino gambling and many nightclubs, which are centered in the resort areas of Las Vegas, Reno, and Lake Tahoe. The Lake Tahoe region also has a number of popular ski resorts.