Rachel, Nevada facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rachel, Nevada
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 Rachel, Nevada
Location in Nevada
Rachel, Nevada
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Nevada |
| County | Lincoln |
| Named for | Rachel Jones |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.34 sq mi (11.24 km2) |
| • Land | 4.34 sq mi (11.24 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 4,794 ft (1,461 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 48 |
| • Density | 11.07/sq mi (4.27/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code |
89001
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| Area code(s) | 775 |
| FIPS code | 32-58820 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2583953 |
Rachel is a small community in Lincoln County, Nevada, United States. It's called a census-designated place (CDP) because it's a group of people living together but not officially a city. In 2020, only 48 people lived there.
Rachel is famous because it's the closest town to Area 51. This secret government site is part of the Nellis Air Force Range. Because of this, Rachel is a popular spot for people who love airplanes and those interested in UFOs.
Contents
Exploring Rachel, Nevada
Rachel is located over 100 miles (160 km) north of Las Vegas. It sits in the Great Basin Desert along Nevada Highway 375. This highway is also known as the "Extraterrestrial Highway" because of its connection to Area 51.
Even though it's tiny, Rachel gets many visitors and tourists. The town has a small gift shop, a motel with 12 rooms, and a restaurant called the Little A'Le'Inn. This restaurant has an alien theme.
Some unpaved roads near Rachel lead from Highway 375 to the edge of Area 51. Most people living in Rachel live in mobile homes. They often work in ranching. Rachel has never had its own post office. Children living in Rachel travel about 50 miles (80 km) by bus to Alamo for school.
The Story of Rachel
How Rachel Started
Rachel was founded in May 1973 by a farmer named D.C. Day. He grew alfalfa in the area. The community was first known as Tempiute Village. Later, it was called Sand Springs.
On February 15, 1978, the town was renamed Rachel. This was in honor of the first baby born in the valley, Rachel Jones. She was born in 1978 but sadly passed away in 1980. To remember her, the people of Rachel created a cemetery and a memorial park. Rachel Jones herself was not buried there.
Electricity came to Rachel on March 22, 1978. The Penoyer Valley Electric Cooperative supplied power to the area.
In 1980, the Rachel Baptist Mission opened. It was Rachel's only church and started in a mobile home that was given to them. Since then, a part-time pastor visits Rachel every Sunday morning for church services.
Recent Events in Rachel
In 1995, the Rachel Baptist Mission moved into a permanent building. It was built on the same spot where the mobile home church used to be.
In 2006, the fast-food company KFC made a huge company logo on the ground near Rachel. They said it was the first logo that could be seen from space. It took six days to put together 65,000 colored tiles. The logo covered a huge area of 87,500 square feet (8,130 m2) of flat desert. The logo also had a secret message. It showed a fake Colonel Sanders holding a sign that said "Finger Lickin' Good." The logo was removed in mid-2007.
Rachel has been shown in TV shows and video games. It was featured in an episode of Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends about UFOs. It was also mentioned in two episodes of The X-Files called "Dreamland". In the game BlackSite: Area 51, Rachel is an important place.
In 1996, the people who made the movie Independence Day gave Rachel a time capsule. It is placed near the inn and is planned to be opened in 2050.
On September 19, 2019, many people came to Rachel. They camped around the town to get ready for the "Area 51 Raid" event.
People of Rachel
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 2010 | 54 | — | |
| 2020 | 48 | −11.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2010, there were 54 people living in Rachel. They lived in 32 homes, and 14 of these were families. Most of the people (94.44%) were White. About 3.70% were Asian, and 1.85% were from other backgrounds. About 11.11% of the people were Hispanic or Latino.
Only a few homes (6.25%) had children under 18. About 25% of the homes had married couples. Most homes (56.25%) had only one person living there. About 9.38% of homes had someone living alone who was 65 or older.
The average age of people in Rachel was 52.5 years. Most residents (59.26%) were male, and 40.74% were female.
Weather in Rachel
Rachel has a cold desert climate. This means it has cold winters and warm summers. The temperature can change a lot between day and night.
The average high temperature for the year is about 68.6°F (20.3°C). The average low temperature is about 32.6°F (0.3°C). July is usually the warmest month, with an average high of 91.7°F (33.2°C). December is the coldest, with an average low of 14.2°F (-9.9°C). The hottest temperature ever recorded was 104°F (40°C) in July. The coldest was -21°F (-29°C) in January.
Rachel gets about 5.47 inches (139 mm) of rain each year. It is a very dry place, like the rest of the Great Basin. July is the wettest month, with about 0.81 inches (21 mm) of rain. September is the driest, with about 0.29 inches (7.4 mm). Rachel also gets a few inches of snow every winter.
| Climate data for Rachel, Nevada (elevation 4,840ft) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 67 (19) |
71 (22) |
79 (26) |
84 (29) |
94 (34) |
103 (39) |
104 (40) |
100 (38) |
97 (36) |
88 (31) |
76 (24) |
66 (19) |
104 (40) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 46.0 (7.8) |
52.2 (11.2) |
59.6 (15.3) |
65.3 (18.5) |
76.6 (24.8) |
84.9 (29.4) |
91.7 (33.2) |
89.7 (32.1) |
82.8 (28.2) |
70.6 (21.4) |
56.8 (13.8) |
46.7 (8.2) |
68.6 (20.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 14.4 (−9.8) |
20.1 (−6.6) |
25.3 (−3.7) |
31.2 (−0.4) |
39.9 (4.4) |
47.4 (8.6) |
53.7 (12.1) |
51.4 (10.8) |
41.6 (5.3) |
30.6 (−0.8) |
21.3 (−5.9) |
14.2 (−9.9) |
32.6 (0.3) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −21 (−29) |
−17 (−27) |
7 (−14) |
11 (−12) |
20 (−7) |
27 (−3) |
36 (2) |
35 (2) |
24 (−4) |
11 (−12) |
−1 (−18) |
−18 (−28) |
−21 (−29) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.33 (8.4) |
0.76 (19) |
0.40 (10) |
0.51 (13) |
0.31 (7.9) |
0.35 (8.9) |
0.81 (21) |
0.46 (12) |
0.29 (7.4) |
0.43 (11) |
0.47 (12) |
0.36 (9.1) |
5.47 (139) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 2.4 (6.1) |
1.2 (3.0) |
1.0 (2.5) |
0.5 (1.3) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.2 (0.51) |
0.2 (0.51) |
0.8 (2.0) |
6.3 (16) |
| Source: The Western Regional Climate Center | |||||||||||||
Rachel's Economy
Rachel used to have a tungsten mine. When it was open, over 500 people lived in the community. But after the mine closed in 1988, the number of people living there quickly dropped.
D.C. Day, who founded Rachel, passed away on July 25, 1997. His wife, Fay Day, passed away on March 13, 2011. She was buried in the Rachel Cemetery.
The Area 51 Research Center was a small shop selling UFO souvenirs. It closed in 2001 but later reopened inside the Little A'Le'Inn. The town's only gas station closed in 2006-2007. It reopened in October 2020 with gas and a store called Alien Cowpoke.
Alien Cowpoke Shop
The Alien Cowpoke is a special shop in Rachel, Nevada. It's located on the Extraterrestrial Highway, right in the heart of Area 51. The shop opened in 2020. It is run by people who are very interested in UFOs, UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena), and aliens.
The Alien Cowpoke offers gas, snacks, and a clean bathroom. It also has a fun collection of Area 51 clothes and souvenirs. These items are designed and made only for the Alien Cowpoke. You can find Area 51 T-shirts, hats, pillows, blankets, books, security passes, shot glasses, coffee mugs, holiday ornaments, and many other unique items. Visitors can also check out their website at www.aliencowpoke.com.
The Little A'Le'Inn
The Little A'Le'Inn is a small bar, restaurant, and motel in Rachel. It's located along the Extraterrestrial Highway. This business has been open for over 20 years. Many visitors to the nearby Area 51 stop here.
The inn sells many items related to Area 51 and UFOs. You can buy maps of the area, posters, postcards, and toys. They also serve a special "Alien Burger."
The inn first opened around 1989. The original owners were Joe and Pat Travis. In 1991, they wanted a unique name for their place. A customer named Bruce Hooker suggested "A'Le'Inn," which sounds like "alien." This name won a contest. Today, Pat and her daughter Connie own the Little A'Le'Inn.
See also
In Spanish: Rachel (Nevada) para niños
