Founded 1861 Largest city Fallon Time zone Pacific: UTC-8/-7 Area 13,012 km² Local time Friday 3:59 AM | Named for Sylvester Churchill Congressional district 2nd Website churchillcounty.org Population 24,063 (2013) County seat Fallon | |
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Weather -2°C, Wind S at 3 km/h, 54% Humidity | ||
Churchill County is a county located in the western U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2010 census, the population was 24,877. Its county seat is Fallon. The county, named after Mexican-American War hero brevet Brigadier General Sylvester Churchill, was formed in 1861.
Contents
- Map of Churchill County NV USA
- History
- Railroads
- Geography
- Adjacent counties
- National protected areas
- 2000 census
- 2010 census
- References
Map of Churchill County, NV, USA
Churchill County comprises the Fallon, NV Micropolitan Statistical Area. It is located in northwestern Nevada.
Churchill County is noteworthy in that it owns and operates the local telephone carrier, Churchill County Communications.
History
Churchill County was established in 1861 and named after Fort Churchill (which is now in Lyon County), which was named after General Sylvester Churchill, a Mexican-American War hero who was Inspector General of the U.S. Army in 1861. Churchill County was not organized until 1864, and its county seats were Bucklands (1861–64) which is now in Lyon County, La Plata (1864–68), Stillwater (1868–1904) and Fallon (1904–present). In the 19th century there were several attempts to eliminate Churchill County because of its small population, but Assemblyman Lemuel Allen was able to stop it on all occasions including convincing the Governor to veto the bill after it had been passed by both houses in 1875.
Railroads
The Eagle Salt Works Railroad ran for 13.5 miles (21.7 km), primarily on the original Central Pacific grade from Luva (2 miles (3.2 km) east of Fernley) to Eagle Salt Works.
The Central Pacific (the first transcontinental railroad) also 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 Railroad which was merged into Union Pacific in 1996.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 5,024 square miles (13,010 km2), of which 4,930 square miles (12,800 km2) is land and 94 square miles (240 km2) (1.9%) is water. The highest point is Desatoya Peak at 9,977 ft (3,041 m), while the most topograhically prominent peak is Mount Augusta.
Adjacent counties
National protected areas
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 23,982 people, 8,912 households, and 6,461 families residing in the county. The population density was 5 people per square mile (2/km²). There were 9,732 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 84.20% White, 1.60% Black or African American, 4.78% Native American, 2.71% Asian, 0.23% Pacific Islander, 3.22% from other races, and 3.27% from two or more races. 8.66% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 8,912 households out of which 37.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.70% were married couples living together, 10.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.50% were non-families. 22.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the county, the population was spread out with 28.90% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 28.70% from 25 to 44, 22.30% from 45 to 64, and 11.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 100.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $40,808, and the median income for a family was $46,624. Males had a median income of $36,478 versus $25,000 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,264. About 6.20% of families and 8.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.80% of those under age 18 and 7.00% of those age 65 or over.
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 24,877 people, 9,671 households, and 6,631 families residing in the county. The population density was 5.0 inhabitants per square mile (1.9/km2). There were 10,826 housing units at an average density of 2.2 per square mile (0.85/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 82.0% white, 4.5% American Indian, 2.7% Asian, 1.6% black or African American, 0.2% Pacific islander, 4.8% from other races, and 4.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 12.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 19.2% were English, 18.8% were German, 13.6% were Irish, 6.5% were Italian, and 5.9% were American.
Of the 9,671 households, 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.4% were non-families, and 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.01. The median age was 39.0 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $51,597 and the median income for a family was $63,599. Males had a median income of $45,057 versus $32,550 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,997. About 6.8% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.3% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.