Esmeralda County, Nevada
Categories: Nevada counties | Esmeralda County, Nevada
| Image:Nevada map showing Esmeralda County.png Location in the state of Nevada | |
| Formed | 1861 |
| Seat | Goldfield |
| Area - Total - Water | 9,295 km² (3,589 mi²) 1 km² (0 mi²) 0.01% |
| Population - (2000) - Density | 971 >1/km² |
Esmeralda County is a county in the west of state of Nevada. As of 2000, the population is 971, making it the least populous county in the state. Its county seat is Goldfield6.
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History
Esmeralda County was one of the original counties created in 1861. Esmeralda is the Spanish word for emerald. An early Nevada miner, J. M. Corey, named the Esmeralda Mining District. It is believed that Corey may have named the district after the gypsy dancing girl, Esmeralda, from Victor Hugo's book, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Esmeralda had three county seats: Aurora until 1883, Hawthorne from 1883 to 1907 and finally Goldfield.
Esmeralda grew from a gold mining boom in the first years of the 20th century. The mines were largely tapped out by the end of the 1910s and the economy and population declined afterwards.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 9,295 km² (3,589 mi²). 9,294 km² (3,588 mi²) of it is land and 1 km² (0 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.01% water.
The county is dominated by the Silver Peak and Monte Cristo mountain ranges. Mountains in the county include:
- Boundary Peak, 13,147 feet (4,007 metres), the highest point in Nevada
- Piper Peak, 9450 feet (2,880 meters)
- Magruder Mountain 9044 feet (2,756 meters)
- Montezuma Peak, 8373 feet (2,552 meters)
- Emigrant Peak, 6790 feet (2,069 meters)
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 971 people, 455 households, and 259 families residing in the county. The population density is 0/km² (0/mi²). There are 833 housing units at an average density of 0/km² (0/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 81.98% White, 0.10% Black or African American, 5.15% Native American, 0.21% Pacific Islander, 7.62% from other races, and 4.94% from two or more races. 10.20% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 455 households out of which 21.10% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.40% are married couples living together, 6.40% have a female householder with no husband present, and 42.90% are non-families. 36.00% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.20% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.12 and the average family size is 2.79.
In the county, the population is spread out with 20.50% under the age of 18, 6.00% from 18 to 24, 23.40% from 25 to 44, 33.00% from 45 to 64, and 17.20% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 45 years. For every 100 females there are 123.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 118.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $33,203, and the median income for a family is $40,917. Males have a median income of $39,327 versus $25,469 for females. The per capita income for the county is $18,971. 15.30% of the population and 7.50% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 9.70% are under the age of 18 and 11.40% are 65 or older.
Cities and towns
Settlements include:
- Coaldale (2000 population 20)
- Dyer (2000 population 110)
- Goldfield (2000 population 500)
- Gold Point (2000 population 20)
- Lida (2000 population 0)
- Silver Peak (2000 population 200)
External link
| Nevada | Image:Flag of Nevada.svg |
|---|---|
| Regions: Great Basin | Mojave Desert | Lake Tahoe | Las Vegas Valley | |
| Largest cities: Carson City | Henderson | Las Vegas | North Las Vegas | Reno | Sparks | |
| Counties: Churchill | Clark | Douglas | Elko | Esmeralda | Eureka | Humboldt | Lander | Lincoln | Lyon | Mineral | Nye | Pershing | Storey | Washoe | White Pine | |