Lyon County, Nevada facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lyon County
County
Lyon County Courthouse in Yerington
Flag
Location within the U.S. state of Nevada
Nevada's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Nevada
Founded	1861; 163 years ago (1861)
Named for	Nathaniel Lyon
Seat	Yerington
Largest city	Fernley
Area
• Total	2,024 sq mi (5,240 km2)
• Land	2,001 sq mi (5,180 km2)
• Water	23 sq mi (60 km2)  1.1%
Population  (2020)
• Total	59,235
• Density	29.266/sq mi (11.2998/km2)
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
Congressional districts	2nd, 4th

Ruins at Fort Churchill State Historic Park

Dini's Lucky Club in Yerington

Lyon County is a county in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 59,235. Lyon County comprises the Fernley, NV Micropolitan Statistical Area which is part of the Reno-Carson City-Fernley, NV Combined Statistical Area.

History

Lyon County was one of the nine original counties created in 1861. It was named after Nathaniel Lyon, the first Union General to be killed in the Civil War. Its first county seat was established at Dayton on November 29, 1861, which had just changed its name from Nevada City in 1862, and which had been called Chinatown before that. After the Dayton Court House burned down in 1909, the seat was moved to Yerington in 1911. There were stories that it was named for Captain Robert Lyon, a survivor of the Pyramid Lake War in 1860, but Nevada State Archives staff discovered a county seal with the picture of the Civil War general, settling the conflict.

Railroads

The Central Pacific (the first transcontinental railroad) 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.

The Virginia and Truckee Railroad runs through Mound House in western Lyon County, on its way from Carson City to Virginia City.

The narrow-gauge Carson and Colorado Railroad 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 Railroad 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.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,024 square miles (5,240 km²), of which 2,001 square miles (5,180 km²) is land and 23 square miles (60 km²) (1.1%) is water. It is the third-smallest county in Nevada by area. The highest point is approximately 10,565 feet (3,220 m) on the northeast ridge of Middle Sister, who's peak is in adjacent Mono County, California, while the highest independent mountain completely within Lyon County is the nearby East Sister. The most topographically prominent peak in Lyon County is Bald Mountain.

Part of the Toiyabe National Forest is located within Lyon County.

Major highways

Adjacent counties and city

• Washoe County - north
• Storey County - northwest
• Churchill County - east
• Douglas County - west
• Carson City - west
• Mineral County - southeast
• Mono County, California - southwest

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 51,980 people, 19,808 households, and 14,137 families living in the county. The population density was 26.0 inhabitants per square mile (10.0/km²). There were 22,547 housing units at an average density of 11.3 per square mile (4.4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 85.0% white, 2.5% American Indian, 1.4% Asian, 0.8% black or African American, 0.3% Pacific islander, 6.4% from other races, and 3.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 14.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 20.0% were German, 18.5% were English, 15.5% were Irish, 5.9% were Italian, and 5.3% were American.

Of the 19,808 households, 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.6% were non-families, and 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.02. The median age was 40.9 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $48,433 and the median income for a family was $56,106. Males had a median income of $45,319 versus $31,536 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,041. About 8.7% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

"Republic of Molossia", near Dayton

Cities

• Fernley
• Yerington (county seat)

Census-designated places

• Dayton
• Silver City
• Silver Springs
• Smith Valley
• Stagecoach

Other unincorporated places

Education

Lyon County has sixteen schools provided by the Lyon County School District.

Transportation

Air

There are three public airports in Lyon County:

• Yerington Municipal Airport, with a 5,800-foot-long runway.
• Silver Springs Airport, with a 7,200-foot-long runway capable of accepting 737s (its runway lights are visible when driving down on Fir Street from Ramsey Weeks cut-off to 95A).
• Tiger Field on US 95A about three miles from Fernley, with a gravel runway of 2,750 feet and a paved runway of 5,600 feet.

Railroads

The Central Pacific (the first transcontinental railroad) 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.

The Virginia and Truckee Railroad runs through Mound House in western Lyon County, on its way from Carson City to Virginia City.

The narrow-gauge Carson and Colorado Railroad 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. While the line west of Silver Springs was removed, the line from Hazen to Walker Lake (now standard gauge) is still in place, and used several times each week by the Union Pacific to service the NV Energy Fort Churchill Generating Station, near Yerington.

The Eagle Salt Works Railroad ran for 13.5 miles, primarily on the original Central Pacific grade from Luva (two miles east of Fernley) to Eagle Salt Works Railroad.

The Nevada Copper Belt Railroad ran on the west side of the Mason Valley.

Train

Amtrak's California Zephyr passenger train passes through, but does not stop in Lyon County. The nearest Amtrak passenger stations are located in Reno and Winnemucca. The California Zephyr runs from the San Francisco Bay Area to Chicago via Salt Lake City, Denver and Omaha.

Entertainment

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Several gambling casinos are located in various parts of Lyon County, as are numerous restaurants, clubs, saloons, etc.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Lyon (Nevada) para niños