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| Washoe County, Nevada | ||
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 Location in the state of Nevada | ||
 Nevada's location in the U.S. | ||
| Founded | 1861 | |
|---|---|---|
| Seat | Reno | |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
6,551 sq mi (16,967 km²) 6,342 sq mi (16,426 km²) 209 sq mi (541 km²), 3.19% | |
| Population - (2020) - Density |
486,492 67/sq mi (25.7/km²) | |
| Time zone | Pacific: UTC-8/-7 | |
| Website | www.washoecounty.us | |
Washoe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. The population was 486,492 at the 2020 census. Its county seat is Reno.[1] Washoe County includes the Reno-Sparks metropolitan area.
History[]
Washoe County was created in 1861 as one of the original nine counties of the Nevada Territory. It is named after the Washoe people who originally inhabited the area. It was consolidated with Roop County in 1864. Washoe City was the first county seat in 1861 and was replaced by Reno in 1871.
In 1911 a small group of Bannock under a leader named "Shoshone Mike" killed four ranchers in Washoe County.[2] A posse was formed, and on February 26, 1911, they caught up with the band, and eight of them were killed, along with one member of the posse, Ed Hogle.[3] Three children and a woman who survived the battle were captured. The remains of some of the members of the band were repatriated from the Smithsonian Institution to the Fort Hall Idaho Shoshone-Bannock Tribe in 1994.[4]
Geography[]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 6,551 square miles (16,970 km2), of which, 6,342 square miles (16,430 km2) of it is land and 209 square miles (540 km2) of it is water, 3.19% of the total area.
The county is notable for sharing a border with thirteen other counties, more than any other county in the United States.
There are two incorporated cities within the county, namely Reno and Sparks. In 2010, there was a ballot question asking whether the Reno city government and the Washoe County government should become one combined governmental body.[5] According to unofficial results the day after the election, 54% of voters approved of the ballot measure to consolidate the governments.[6]
Major highways[]
Interstate 80- U.S. Route 395
- State Route 445
- State Route 447
Adjacent counties[]
- Humboldt County - east
- Pershing County - east
- Churchill County - east
- Lyon County - southeast
- Storey County - south
- Carson City - south
- Placer County, California - southwest
- Nevada County, California - west
- Sierra County, California - west
- Lassen County, California - west
- Modoc County, California - west
- Lake County, Oregon - north
- Harney County, Oregon - northeast
National protected areas[]
- Anaho Island National Wildlife Refuge
- Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area (part)
- Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge (part)
- Toiyabe National Forest (part)
Demographics[]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1870 | 3,091 | ||
| 1880 | 5,664 | 83.2% | |
| 1890 | 6,437 | 13.6% | |
| 1900 | 9,141 | 42.0% | |
| 1910 | 17,434 | 90.7% | |
| 1920 | 18,627 | 6.8% | |
| 1930 | 27,158 | 45.8% | |
| 1940 | 32,476 | 19.6% | |
| 1950 | 50,205 | 54.6% | |
| 1960 | 84,743 | 68.8% | |
| 1970 | 121,068 | 42.9% | |
| 1980 | 193,623 | 59.9% | |
| 1990 | 254,667 | 31.5% | |
| 2000 | 339,486 | 33.3% | |
| 2010 | 421,407 | 24.1% | |
As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 339,486 people, 132,084 households, and 83,741 families residing in the county. The population density was 54 people per square mile (21/km²). There were 143,908 housing units at an average density of 23 per square mile (9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 80.41% White, 2.09% Black or African American, 1.82% Native American, 4.28% Asian, 0.46% Pacific Islander, 7.67% from other races, and 3.28% from two or more races. 16.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 132,084 households out of which 31.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.90% were married couples living together, 10.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.60% were non-families. 27.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the county the population was spread out with 24.90% under the age of 18, 9.80% from 18 to 24, 31.00% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 10.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 102.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $45,815, and the median income for a family was $54,283. Males had a median income of $36,226 versus $27,953 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,277. About 6.70% of families and 10.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.20% of those under age 18 and 6.20% of those age 65 or over.
Politics[]
Washoe County was a Republican stronghold throughout the late twentieth century, having only voted for the Democratic candidate once between 1944 and 2004 (in the 1964 Democratic landslide). Since the 1990s, it has become more competitive, going from a 22-point win for George H. W. Bush in 1988 to only a three-point win for Bush in 1992. From 1996 to 2004, the Republican candidate tallied a margin greater than four points. Barack Obama won it by a 12-point margin in 2008, and since then, it has always voted Democratic in presidential elections, albeit by relatively narrow margins. However, Republicans still hold the majority of the county's seats in the state legislature. Democratic strength is concentrated in Reno and Sparks, while the rest of the county is much more Republican.
The county is governed by an elected five-member Board of County Commissioners and an appointed county manager.[8] The commissioners serve staggered four-year terms - three are elected during midterm elections and two during presidential elections.
| District | Commissioner | Party | First elected | Last elected | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexis Hill | Democratic | 2020 | 2020 | |
| 2 | Bob Lucey | Republican | 2014 | 2018 | Chair |
| 3 | Kitty Jung | Democratic | 20071) | 2018 | |
| 4 | Vaughn Hartung | Republican | 2012 | 2020 | Vice-chair |
| 5 | Jeanne Herman | Republican | 2014 | 2018 |
1) Appointed by Governor Jim Gibbons.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 116,760 | 46.31% | 128,128 | 50.82% | 7,254 | 2.88% |
| 2016 | 94,758 | 45.14% | 97,379 | 46.39% | 17,772 | 8.47% |
| 2012 | 88,453 | 47.09% | 95,409 | 50.79% | 3,993 | 2.13% |
| 2008 | 76,880 | 42.61% | 99,671 | 55.25% | 3,863 | 2.14% |
| 2004 | 81,545 | 51.26% | 74,841 | 47.05% | 2,693 | 1.69% |
| 2000 | 63,640 | 52.04% | 52,097 | 42.60% | 6,564 | 5.37% |
| 1996 | 49,477 | 45.28% | 44,915 | 41.11% | 14,874 | 13.61% |
| 1992 | 42,636 | 37.18% | 39,500 | 34.45% | 32,535 | 28.37% |
| 1988 | 52,654 | 59.34% | 32,902 | 37.08% | 3,172 | 3.57% |
| 1984 | 50,418 | 67.67% | 22,321 | 29.96% | 1,772 | 2.38% |
| 1980 | 41,276 | 63.54% | 15,621 | 24.05% | 8,059 | 12.41% |
| 1976 | 29,264 | 54.98% | 21,687 | 40.74% | 2,276 | 4.28% |
| 1972 | 33,539 | 66.22% | 17,106 | 33.78% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 23,492 | 54.65% | 14,560 | 33.87% | 4,936 | 11.48% |
| 1964 | 18,350 | 47.64% | 20,170 | 52.36% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 18,833 | 55.21% | 15,280 | 44.79% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 18,865 | 66.45% | 9,525 | 33.55% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 19,044 | 68.18% | 8,888 | 31.82% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 11,323 | 56.09% | 8,365 | 41.44% | 500 | 2.48% |
| 1944 | 9,024 | 51.84% | 8,384 | 48.16% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 8,062 | 46.59% | 9,243 | 53.41% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 4,358 | 31.42% | 9,514 | 68.58% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 4,333 | 34.74% | 8,141 | 65.26% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1928 | 5,767 | 59.34% | 3,952 | 40.66% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 3,549 | 45.70% | 1,669 | 21.49% | 2,548 | 32.81% |
| 1920 | 4,189 | 61.02% | 2,357 | 34.33% | 319 | 4.65% |
| 1916 | 3,225 | 45.44% | 3,341 | 47.07% | 532 | 7.50% |
| 1912 | 644 | 17.88% | 1,446 | 40.14% | 1,512 | 41.98% |
| 1908 | 2,053 | 50.01% | 1,745 | 42.51% | 307 | 7.48% |
| 1904 | 1,517 | 59.44% | 721 | 28.25% | 314 | 12.30% |
| 1900 | 919 | 47.77% | 1,005 | 52.23% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1896 | 513 | 30.52% | 1,168 | 69.48% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1892 | 530 | 32.56% | 235 | 14.43% | 863 | 53.01% |
| 1888 | 902 | 57.42% | 655 | 41.69% | 14 | 0.89% |
| 1884 | 716 | 59.22% | 493 | 40.78% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1880 | 755 | 47.69% | 828 | 52.31% | 0 | 0.00% |
- Nevada Senate districts
- 13th (central Reno and Sparks)
- 14th (northern Washoe County)
- 15th (Cold Springs, Mogul, Verdi)
- 16th (Incline Village, Washoe Valley)
Communities[]
Cities[]
- Reno
- Sparks
Census-designated places[]
Ranching in Washoe County
- Cold Springs
- Gerlach-Empire
- Incline Village-Crystal Bay
- Lemmon Valley-Golden Valley
- Nixon
- Spanish Springs
- Stead
- Sun Valley
- Sutcliffe
- Verdi-Mogul
- Wadsworth
Other communities[]
- Border Town
- Copperfield
- Damonte Ranch
- Flanigan
- Franktown
- Galena
- Grand View Terrace
- Hidden Valley
- Lawton
- New Washoe City
- North Valleys
- Northeast Reno
- Northwest Reno
- Panther Valley
- Patrick
- Poeville
- Pleasant Valley
- Raleigh Heights
- Red Rock
- Steamboat
- Vya
- Washoe City
See also[]
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Washoe County, Nevada
- Reno 911!, a parody cop show set in Washoe County
- Washoe Zephyr, a regional wind referenced by Mark Twain.
References[]
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ America's Last Indian Battle
- ^ Ed Hogle memorial
- ^ NMNH - Repatriation Office - Reports - Great Basin - Nevada
- ^ Voyles, Susan (October 24, 2010). "Combining local governments is questioned on ballot issue". Reno Gazette-Journal. http://www.rgj.com/article/20101024/NEWS19/10240345/1321/news.
- ^ "Election Results: Nevada". The New York Times. http://elections.nytimes.com/2010/results/nevada. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Organization Chart" (in en). https://washoecounty.us/mgrsoff/about/Organizational%20Chart.php.
- ^ "Board of County Commissioners" (in en). https://washoecounty.us/bcc/profile/index.php.
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS.
External links[]
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Lake County, Oregon | Harney County, Oregon |
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| Nevada County, California; Sierra County, California, California; Lassen County, California; and Modoc County, California | 
|
Humboldt County; Pershing County; and Churchill County | ||
   Washoe County, Nevada | ||||
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| Placer County, California | Storey County and City of Carson City | Lyon County |
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| This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Washoe County, Nevada. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License. |