Lyon County is a
countyA county is a land area of local government within a country. A county may have cities and towns within its area. Originally, in continental Europe, a county was the land under the jurisdiction of a count .Counts are called earls in post-Celtic Britain, Ireland and France—the term is from Old...
located in the
U.S. stateA U.S. state is any one of 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government . Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile...
of
NevadaNevada is a state located in the western region of the United States. The capital is Carson City and the largest city is Las Vegas. The state's nickname is Silver State, due to the large number of silver deposits that were discovered and mined there...
. As of the 2000 census, the population was 34,501. Its
county seatA county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there...
is
YeringtonYerington is a city in Lyon County, located in western Nevada, USA. The population was 2,883 at the 2000 census. It is named after Henry M. Yerington, Superintendent of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad from 1868 to 1910. It is the county seat of Lyon....
.
Lyon County was one of the nine original counties created in 1861. It was named after General
Nathaniel LyonNathaniel Lyon was the first Union general to be killed in the American Civil War and is noted for his actions in the state of Missouri at the beginning of the conflict....
who died in the
Civil WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
in
MissouriMissouri is a state in the Midwest region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. Missouri is the 18th most populous state with a 2008 estimated population of 5,911,605. It comprises 114 counties and one independent city....
in 1861. Its first
County SeatA county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there...
was
DaytonDayton is a census-designated place in Lyon County, Nevada, United States. The population was 5,907 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Dayton is located at ....
, which had just changed its name from
Nevada CityFor the seat of Nevada County, California see Nevada City, California.Nevada City is a ghost town in Churchill County, Nevada, United States....
in 1862, which had been called Chinatown before that. After the Dayton Court House burned down in 1909, the seat was moved to
YeringtonYerington is a city in Lyon County, located in western Nevada, USA. The population was 2,883 at the 2000 census. It is named after Henry M. Yerington, Superintendent of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad from 1868 to 1910. It is the county seat of Lyon....
in 1911.
Lyon County is a
countyA county is a land area of local government within a country. A county may have cities and towns within its area. Originally, in continental Europe, a county was the land under the jurisdiction of a count .Counts are called earls in post-Celtic Britain, Ireland and France—the term is from Old...
located in the
U.S. stateA U.S. state is any one of 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government . Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile...
of
NevadaNevada is a state located in the western region of the United States. The capital is Carson City and the largest city is Las Vegas. The state's nickname is Silver State, due to the large number of silver deposits that were discovered and mined there...
. As of the 2000 census, the population was 34,501. Its
county seatA county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there...
is
YeringtonYerington is a city in Lyon County, located in western Nevada, USA. The population was 2,883 at the 2000 census. It is named after Henry M. Yerington, Superintendent of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad from 1868 to 1910. It is the county seat of Lyon....
.
History
Lyon County was one of the nine original counties created in 1861. It was named after General
Nathaniel LyonNathaniel Lyon was the first Union general to be killed in the American Civil War and is noted for his actions in the state of Missouri at the beginning of the conflict....
who died in the
Civil WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
in
MissouriMissouri is a state in the Midwest region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. Missouri is the 18th most populous state with a 2008 estimated population of 5,911,605. It comprises 114 counties and one independent city....
in 1861. Its first
County SeatA county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there...
was
DaytonDayton is a census-designated place in Lyon County, Nevada, United States. The population was 5,907 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Dayton is located at ....
, which had just changed its name from
Nevada CityFor the seat of Nevada County, California see Nevada City, California.Nevada City is a ghost town in Churchill County, Nevada, United States....
in 1862, which had been called Chinatown before that. After the Dayton Court House burned down in 1909, the seat was moved to
YeringtonYerington is a city in Lyon County, located in western Nevada, USA. The population was 2,883 at the 2000 census. It is named after Henry M. Yerington, Superintendent of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad from 1868 to 1910. It is the county seat of Lyon....
in 1911. There were stories that it was named for Captain
Robert LyonRobert Lyon may refer to:* Robert Menli Lyon , early settler in Western Australia*Robert Lyon , Canadian politician in Ontario* Robert Adam Lyon , Canadian businessman and politician...
, a survivor of the
Pyramid Lake WarThe Paiute War, also known as the Paiute Indian War, the Pyramid Lake War, Washoe Indian War and the Pah Ute War, was a war between Northern Paiutes and white settlers that took place in 1860 in the vicinity of Pyramid Lake in the Utah Territory of the United States...
in 1860, but Nevada State Archives staff discovered a county seal with the picture of the Civil War general and settled the conflict.
Railroads
The
Central PacificThe Central Pacific Railroad was the California-to-Utah portion of the First Transcontinental Railroad in North America.Many proposals to build a transcontinental railroad failed because of the disputes over slavery in Washington; with the secession of the South, the modernizers in the Republican...
(the
first transcontinental railroadThe First Transcontinental Railroad is the popular name of the U.S. railroad line built between 1863 and 1869 by the Central Pacific Railroad of California and Union Pacific Railroad from Council Bluffs, Iowa/Omaha, Nebraska to Alameda, California...
) ran through the county, although a portion of the original route has been shifted for a new route south of Wadsworth in favor of Fernley. The Central Pacific later became the
Southern Pacific RailroadThe Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company , and usually simply called the Southern Pacific, was an American railroad. The railroad was founded as a land holding company in 1865, later acquiring the Central Pacific Railroad by lease...
which was merged into Union Pacific in 1996.
The
Virginia and Truckee RailroadThe Virginia and Truckee Railroad was built to serve the silver mining communities of Nevada. At its height, the railroad's route ran from Reno south to Carson City, Nevada. In Carson City, the mainline split into two branches. One branch continued south to Minden, while the other branch traveled...
ran through Mound House in western Lyon County, on its way from
Carson CityThe Consolidated Municipality of Carson City is the capital of the State of Nevada. The population was 52,457 at the 2000 census.-History:...
to
Virginia CityVirginia City is an unincorporated community that is the county seat of Storey County, Nevada, United States. It is part of the Reno–Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
.
The narrow-gauge
Carson and Colorado RailroadThe Carson and Colorado Railway was a U.S. narrow gauge railroad that ran from Mound House, Nevada, to Keeler, California. It was incorporated on May 10, 1880 as the Carson and Colorado Railroad, and construction on the railroad began on May 31, 1880. A track gauge of was chosen to reduce cost. ...
had its terminus in Mound House, where it intersected with the V&T. It traveled east through Dayton, then turned south to the Mason Valley, and east again on its way to Walker Lake. Later a branch line connected the C&C to the Southern Pacific at Hazen.
The
Eagle Salt Works RailroadThe Eagle Salt Works Railroad was a 13.5 mile shortline railroad that ran northeast from a connection with the Southern Pacific Company at Luva to Leete, Nevada. The line then branched from the old Central Pacific grade and went southeast for about 2 miles to the Eagle Salt Works.The railroad was...
ran for 13.5 miles, primarily on the original Central Pacific grade from Luva (2 miles east of Fernley) to Eagle Salt Works.
The Nevada Copper Belt Railroad ran on the west side of the Mason Valley.
Transportation
Amtrak's passenger train, the California Zephyr goes through Lyon County. The nearest Amtrak passenger stations are
SparksSparks is a city in Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The population was 66,346 at the 2000 census. As of July 1, 2008, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the population has grown to 88,602. Although Sparks was originally distinct from Reno, they have both grown toward each other to such a...
and
Winnemucca, NevadaWinnemucca is a city in and the county seat of Humboldt County, Nevada, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 7,174. Interstate 80 passes through the city, where it meets U.S. Route 95....
. The California Zephyr runs from the
San Francisco Bay AreaThe San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, or the Yay Area, is a metropolitan region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses large cities such as San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and...
to
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and with more than 2.8 million people, the 3rd largest city in the United States...
via Salt Lake City, Denver and
OmahaOmaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
. There are three known airports in Lyon County, The Yerington Airport, The Silver Springs Airport with 7200 feet long runway capable of accepting 737's, its runway lights are visible when driving down on Fir Street from Ramsey Weeks cut-off to 95A; and The Tiger Field on 95A from Fernley with a dirt runway of 2,750 feet and a paved runway of 5,600 feet.
Interstate 80Interstate 80 is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States . It connects downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, a suburb of New York City. I-80 is the interstate that most closely approximates the route of the Lincoln Highway, the first auto trail to cross the...
also passes through Lyon county.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the county has a total area of 2,016
square mileThe square mile is an imperial and US unit of measure for an area equal to the area of a square of one statute mile.
s (5,222 km²), of which, 1,994 square miles (5,164 km²) of it is land and 23 square miles (59 km²) of it (1.13%) is water.
Adjacent counties
- Washoe County, Nevada
Washoe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. The population was 339,486 at the 2000 census; 2008 Census Bureau estimates listed a population of 410,443. Its county seat is Reno....
- north
- Storey County, Nevada
Storey County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2000 census, the population was 3,399, which was estimated to have risen to 4,110 in 2006...
- northwest
- Churchill County, Nevada
Churchill County is a county located in the western U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2000 census, the population was 23,982. As of July 1, 2007, the population of Churchill County was estimated at 27,190. The county, named after Mexican-American War hero brevet Brigadier General Sylvester Churchill,...
- east
- Douglas County, Nevada
Douglas County is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of 2000, the population was 41,259. As of 2007, the population was estimated to be 52,386.- History :...
- west
- Carson City, Nevada
The Consolidated Municipality of Carson City is the capital of the State of Nevada. The population was 52,457 at the 2000 census.-History:...
- west
- Mineral County, Nevada
Mineral County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2000 census, the population was 5,071. Its county seat is Hawthorne.-History:...
- southeast
- Mono County, California
Mono County is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of California, to the east of the Sierra Nevada between Yosemite National Park and Nevada. As of 2000 the population was 12,853. The county seat is Bridgeport....
- southwest
Demographics
As of the
censusA "census" is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 34,501 people, 13,007 households, and 9,443 families residing in the county. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
was 17 people per square mile (7/km²). There were 14,279 housing units at an average density of 7 per square mile (3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.62%
WhiteRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.65%
BlackRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or
African AmericanRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 2.45%
Native AmericanRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.61%
AsianRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.14%
Pacific IslanderRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 4.59% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.94% from two or more races. 10.97% of the population were
HispanicRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or
LatinoRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
There were 13,007 households out of which 33.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.40% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 9.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.40% were non-families. 21.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the county the population was spread out with 27.10% under the age of 18, 6.60% from 18 to 24, 27.30% from 25 to 44, 25.20% from 45 to 64, and 13.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 102.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $40,699, and the median income for a family was $44,887. Males had a median income of $34,034 versus $25,914 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
for the county was $18,543. About 7.20% of families and 10.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.10% of those under age 18 and 7.10% of those age 65 or over.
From 2000 until 2008, Lyon County was one of the fastest growing counties in the United States.
http://money.cnn.com/2006/03/15/real_estate/fastest_growing_US_counties/ However, its growth rate collapsed during 2008.
http://www.census.gov/popest/counties/tables/CO-EST2008-03-32.xls
Cities and towns
- Dayton
Dayton is a census-designated place in Lyon County, Nevada, United States. The population was 5,907 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Dayton is located at ....
- Fernley
Fernley is a city in Lyon County, Nevada, United States. The city incorporated in 2001, including land in Lyon and Washoe County; prior to that it was a census-designated place...
- Mason
Yerington is a city in Lyon County, located in western Nevada, USA. The population was 2,883 at the 2000 census. It is named after Henry M. Yerington, Superintendent of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad from 1868 to 1910. It is the county seat of Lyon....
- Mound House
- Silver City
Silver City is a town in Lyon County, Nevada, USA, near the Lyon/Carson border. The population as of the 2000 census was 170....
- Silver Springs
Silver Springs is a census-designated place in Lyon County, Nevada, United States near historic Fort Churchill. The population was 4,708 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Silver Springs is located at ....
- Simpson
- Smith Valley
Smith Valley is a census-designated place in Lyon County, Nevada, United States. The population was 1,425 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Smith Valley is located at ....
- Stagecoach
- Weed Heights
Yerington is a city in Lyon County, located in western Nevada, USA. The population was 2,883 at the 2000 census. It is named after Henry M. Yerington, Superintendent of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad from 1868 to 1910. It is the county seat of Lyon....
- Wellington
Wellington is an unincorporated community in southwestern Lyon County, Nevada, United States. It lies along State Route 208 and southwest of the city of Yerington, the county seat of Lyon County. Its elevation is 4,836 feet , and it is located at about...
- Yerington
Yerington is a city in Lyon County, located in western Nevada, USA. The population was 2,883 at the 2000 census. It is named after Henry M. Yerington, Superintendent of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad from 1868 to 1910. It is the county seat of Lyon....
Entertainment
ProstitutionProstitution is the act or practice of engaging in sex acts for hire. In most cultures, prostitution is viewed by many as a deviant profession, either illegal or socially discouraged...
is licensed and legalized in Lyon county. Open
ranchesRanch is a common name used to describe a brothel, especially in western areas of the United States.- Origin :This usage dates back to the original Chicken Ranch near the town of LaGrange in Texas, an old brothel that is no longer open which accepted chickens as payment during the Great...
include:
- Moonlite Bunny Ranch
The Moonlite BunnyRanch is a legal, licensed brothel in Mound House, Nevada, United States, some east of Carson City. The ranch, is owned and operated by Dennis Hof...
(which is located near the Lyon/Carson border)
- Sagebrush Ranch
The Sagebrush Ranch is a legal, licensed brothel located about 7 miles east of Carson City, Nevada in the unincorporated town of Mound House, in Lyon County, at 50 Kit Kat Drive....