CHAPTER 18 - HAWAII

     Nevada is the farthest thing from Hawaii in terms of characteristics. Hawaii has multiple islands, many active volcanoes, and a rich cultural diversity. One thing Nevada has going for it that it can relate to the state of Hawaii is that there is a substantial ranching economy on many of the drier portions of the islands. Ranches in Hawaii are similar to that of Nevada where thousands of acres of land are dedicated for ranching.



Hawaii is a major tourist destination, offering beautiful weather year round, exotic land views, and unique beaches. Not to mention their volcanoes.

     Nevada can't offer this type of tropical paradise, but tourism isn't so bad there either. With many mountains, lakes, and yes, Las Vegas, it may not be the ideal vacation spot, but it is still a place where people like to get away.

Source: United States and Canada, 7th Edition (Our textbook)

CHAPTER 16 - The North Pacific Coast

 When you think of the North Pacific Coast, what do you think of? Rain, wet, mountains, and cool air. Compare this to Nevada: Little/No Rain, Dry, many mountains, and warm air. The North Pacific Coast is also famous for its luscious trees.Isn't that picture on the left beautiful? Now compare this to what Nevada is mostly considered below.

Here is a picture of Mount St. Helens. With an elevation of 8,365 feet, it is located in Skamania County, Washington, and it is an active stratovolcano.

Nevada has many mountains and I will list a few of them on here: King Peak, Mount Fitzgerald, and Mount Washington. The elevation of Nevada makes it the 5th highest state in the country with a mean altitude of 5,500 feet.

 

 Here is a picture of Mount Fitzgerald. 

  

Here is a picture of King Peak

Source:  http://www.netstate.com/states/geography/mapcom/nv_mapscom.htm

CHAPTER 15 - California

 

      Nevada's neighbor in state, California, where many people consider the most desirable place of American living. Its beach-oriented land of surfers, comes second to its great diversity of people and environments in the state (Stephen S. Birdsall). Even with all the glitz and glamor that California has to offer, it comes with a price. The freeway system is considered the worst in the country.

Compare that to Nevada, it is much better. That again has to do with the scarcity of people living all throughout Nevada. Much of it is desert land, so there are going to be many open highways.

 

The picture above is of interstate highway 15.

Nevada is also known to have earthquakes. Being a neighbor of California this comes as no surprise.

The largest earthquake to strike Nevada was back in 1915 when it occurred along a fault on the eastern side of Pleasant Valley, which lies North-center in Nevada. Magnitude was a 7.1. Here's a picture where Pleasant Valley is on the map of Nevada, identified by a star emblem. 

 

Source:  http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/events/1915_10_03.php

CHAPTER 14 - The Southwest Border Area

The Southwest Border Area is a culture region defined by Spanish American, American Indian, and whites. It makes sense that there would be many people of Spanish descent in this region due to the border with Mexico and the early settlement history. American Indians, who were living across the states before settlers moved West, were forced to move in parts of the land where whites deemed undesirable. In Nevada, with a total population of 2.63 million (data from 2010), whites make up 57% of the population, African Americans make up 8% of the population, American Indians make up 2% of the population, Asian Americans make up 8%, and people of Latino/Hispanic descent make up 25%

 

 Nevada: Population Distribution by Race/Ethnicity, states (2009-2010), U.S. (2010) 

Compare Nevada to:

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Population Distribution by Race/Ethnicity, states (2009-2010), U.S. (2010)View 50-State Comparison
	NV #	NV %	NV % of US Total	US #	US %	US % of US Total
White	1,487,000	57%	<1%	196,784,000	64%	100%
Black	203,100	8%	<1%	37,024,600	12%	100%
Hispanic	649,600	25%	1%	49,881,300	16%	100%
Other	289,300	11%	1%	21,501,300	7%	100%
Total	2,628,900	100%	<1%	305,191,100	100%	100%

 

Source: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/profileind.jsp?ind=6&cat=1&rgn=30

CHAPTER 13 - The Empty Interior

The Empty Interior is defined as places having sparse populations in large areas.As you can see from the map, Nevada falls in the area known as the empty interior. Nevada's land area is 110,000+ square miles, however the population is far from taking advantage of this land mass. That's why irrigated agriculture and ranching are important in Nevada. In the book, it explains that the empty interior is an area where lumber, tourism, and mining dominate.

In Nevada there are multiple wildlife parks that are dedicated to preserving and viewing wildlife. There are hundreds of species of birds, bears, fish, lions, deer, elk, coyotes, rabbits, squirrels, bighorn sheep, cows, toads, lizards, snakes, and many more!


Source: http://travelnevada.com/things-to-do/wildlife/

CHAPTER 12 - The Great Plains and Prairies

The Great Plains is an area where weather is extreme. Periods of extreme drought are then followed by periods of heavy rain, and other various violent storms/natural disasters.


The middle of the country is where the great plains is defined. As you can see from this map, Nevada is probably the driest state in terms of rainfall, averaging less than 5 inches per year.



Tornadoes, thunderstorms, hail, and droughts all occur throughout the great plains consistently. Very cold winters and very hot summers are common through the great plains. In Nevada, much is the same. Very hot summers and quite cool winters, but without all the extreme weather.

Here is a map showing the average wind speeds throughout the states. As you can see, weather in Nevada is pretty dull, but consistent. In the great plains, up to down from Texas to Minnesota, you can see that there is a wide variety of wind speed.

CHAPTER 11 - Agricultural Core

Agriculture is very important for the state of Nevada. Because of the states irrigated land, it grows alfalfa hay, which is the leading crop of the state. This is then sold to neighboring states primarily those with dairy operations. They also produce primarily potatoes, wheat, and barley. The Hoover Dam was also built along the Colorado River, and it now produces power for the state. Due to the vast amount of land, cattle and sheep ranching are also big. Nevada's ranches rank 3rd in the country in terms of size, with an estimated 3,500 acres of ranches. The land is irrigated where crops can grow, even though Nevada's climate is very dry

 

 

 Source: http://agri.nv.gov/AgInNevada.htm

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Chapter 10 - Economy and Resources

Nevada's Economy is primarily based on tourism. Although its population is growing at a rate faster than any other state, the population is sparsely separated because of how big the state is. The state could thank the gambling and resort industries that are centered in Las Vegas for most of its economy. Reno and Lake Tahoe are two other places that offer many things for tourists, but gambling is the number one source of revenue for the state, especially because of the taxes. Aside from gambling, Nevada leads the industries in copper mining, the production of gold, silver, and mercury.



Sources: http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/us/A0859936.html

The Changing South

          This section is about the states and people whom make up the south. History tells us that slavery made up the southern states, mainly made up of Africans. The damage done by keeping blacks secluded in the south has now caused racial segregation.



How does this relate to Nevada you might ask? Well, in the 1860 presidential election, Abraham Lincoln was campaigning against slavery. Since the south didn't want to abolish slavery this led to the Civil War. The U.S. knew that in order to officially abolish slavery, the U.S. Constitution needed to be revised. This would be allowed with 3/4 of the States. The initiation of Nevada as a state made it finally possible to do this!

Source:  http://www.buzzle.com/articles/history-of-the-state-of-nevada.html

Appalachia and the Ozarks

          The Appalachian Mountains played a major role in the settlement history of the United States. It is said to have acted as a barrier to overland travel from the Atlantic Coast. Although Nevada isn't part of the Appalachian Mountains and Ozark regions, the Sierra Nevada regions could be compared to the Appalachian Mountain and Ozark regions. The Sierra Nevada mountains are so highly elevated, that it too acts like a barrier that sits in front of the state of Nevada, that faces California. The Appalachian mountains are known for mining coal, and the Sierra Nevada region is known for mining gold and silver.



A map showing the Appalachia regions



A map showing the location of the Sierra Nevada region that goes from California and connects to parts of Nevada.

The Bypassed East

The Bypassed East is an area that encompassed the upper northeastern portion of North America. This includes the likes of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. They use the ocean mainly for fishing as its resource and for transportation of goods across places. Mineral production is another characteristic these places have. These places in the Bypassed East have low density populations, with cold and damp weather. When compared to Nevada, it is not near the ocean, and the climate is far from cold and damp. Its climate is hot and dry during the summer months, and cold to freezing during the winter months.

The North American Manufacturing Core

          Agriculturally, potatoes, onions, and cattle are most important in terms of revenue for the state. With the vast amount of land in Nevada, farmers take full advantage for herding cattle and selling them to other local states such as California and Idaho. The most important crop in Nevada is hay, and this is because this is the main source of food for the animals. Mining is also very important in the state of Nevada. Gold is the most valued mined product. In fact, 75% of gold produced in the United States is done in Nevada. They also lead in the production of the second most valued mined product, silver! The first Transcontinental Railroad was built in the mid 19th century that extended from Sacramento to the Sierra Nevada region, and to the Great Basin region that would connect to the rail lines from the East.



Source: http://www.netstate.com/economy/nv_economy.htm

Megalopolis

          The French geographer Jean Gottmann is known to have created the term Megalopolis. Megalopolis means a very large, heavily populated city or urban complex. It originally formed along the northeastern coast of the United States. States include Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and parts of Virginia, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania.

Nevada, although growing in population steadily, is not considered a member of Megalopolis. However, the Megalopolis regions in Southern California does include the city of Las Vegas.

With a low population density throughout the state, Megalopolis is not a possibility. There are far too many areas across Nevada where populations are scarce simply because cities have yet to be developed. It also doesn't help that the economy along with the housing crisis is making it even less attractive for people interested in moving to the state of Nevada.

Foundations of Human Activity

The earliest recordings of human habitants in Nevada were that of the Paiute tribe as shown here below


These people were fishermen, hunters, food gatherers and they settled along the Great Basin. The Great Basin is a region known for its famous lakes and large game. Not till the late 18th century is where we first hear about the first white explorers entering the state. The first person to enter the State is said to be Francisco Garces, who was a spanish priest. With him, came his religious beliefs of Catholicism. He built missions in the area around the Mojave Desert (where Las Vegas is eventually founded), but they failed. The reason was that the soldiers were given the power of the administration and not the friars. This lead to soldiers abusing the Native Americans and eventual clash. Soon after, Mormons from Utah settled in Nevada and tried to spread their religion, but that too failed. Settlers from the East continued to pour into Nevada and the other Western states in the mid-19th century. The discovery of silvery in Nevada, made it become a hot spot for mining. To help jumpstart Nevada's economy, people were encouraged to mine by incresing the value of silver. California had its Gold Rush, but Nevada had its Silver Rush!



A statue of Father Francisco Garces



Mining for silver in the early years of the states history

Source: http://www.city-data.com/states/Nevada-History.html

Geographic Pattern of the Physical Environment

          When it comes to Nevada's physical environments, it is quite special. The different regions of Nevada, as mentioned in my previous post, all carry a unique physiology. The Southern Region where the Mojave Desert extends from California (includes cities such as Las Vegas) is an area of harsh climate. Having an elevation of 2-5 thousand feet above sea level, this area receives no more than 1 foot of rainfall a year. It has two extremes of temperatures throughout the seasons. During ther winter, temperatures at night fall could reach 0 degrees Fahrenheit, and during the summer temperatures can reach as high as 130 degrees Fahreheit! No wonder few people occupy this area.

The Sierra Nevada region's elevation varies. It ranges from 5,000 to 9,000 feet, the higher areas being further up North, where Lake Tahoe is. Mountains with elevations this high mean they receive ample snowfall during the winter months. Temperatures are fairly moderate during the summer months which make vacation spots like Lake Tahoe very popular all year around!



This is a picture of the Sierra Nevada mountains


Lake Tahoe during the winter months

Regions and Themes

          When people think about the state of Nevada, I'm sure most of them have the thought of Las Vegas pop up in their mind. However, Nevada has so much more to offer than that of a region where you go to blow your hard earned money away! Situated between California and Utah, Nevada has an elevation of about 5,500 ft. The total population in the state is roughly 2.7 million. The state is divided into 4 distinct regions, them being the Mojave Desert (south side), Sierra Nevada where Lake Tahoe is situated (West Side), the Columbia Plateau where the Humboldt and Snake River lie (Northern Nevada), and my personal favorite, the Great Basin, situated in the center of Nevada, also known as the "heart" of Nevada!

          The picture above is The Great Basin National Park. This area is one of the most popular places for tourists. There are a lot of fun activities you can do here! You can go fishing, mountain climbing, and river rafting. There are a lot of camp grounds to meet the demand of tourists who stop by here. The area is an estimated 10,000 square miles long, and it extends into The Great Salt Lakes in Utah.

          How can I forget to mention this place? Beautiful Las Vegas! An area that carries the slogan "What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas!" Las Vegas is known as the capital of the gambling world. Interestingly, Nevada is ranked 12th out of the 50 states in terms of gambling revenue. The reason being is because they don't have a state lottery! The city didn't become famous until the 1950s, when the Mob began funding the city money to begin building hotels and casinos in order to attract tourists across the country.
Source: http://united-states-canada.factoidz.com/facts-about-the-city-of-las-vegas/

Introduction

Hello all. I will be blogging about the state of Nevada throughout the semester. I look forward to reading through your blogs as well. This should be a lot of fun! :-)