A list of famous things about Nevada could go on for days. Much of the state's fame derives from Las Vegas and the personalities who became iconic celebrities while working in the town. Wayne Newton, Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra and an endless line other entertainers come to mind at the mere mention of this city in the desert---not to mention some unsavory gangster types from long ago. But there are other reasons aside from the people who made their names in Nevada that make the state famous.
It's impossible to ignore what Nevada is most famous for. It is the gambling capital of the United States and arguably the top center of gambling in the world. The casinos along the Vegas Strip, Fremont Street and in Reno have made this state enjoy a prosperous run as one of the world's favorite destinations.
Nevada legalized gambling in 1931 because of concerns about how the success of illegal gambling in the region was corrupting law enforcement. It had also become obvious that Prohibition was impossible to enforce. Today, Nevada gaming revenue exceeds $10 billion annually, according to the American Gaming Association.
Fortunes are won and lost every day in Nevada, and the lure of riches keeps people coming back time and time again. It is the only place in America where a gambler can legally bet on various sporting events outside of horse racing, and the other games of chance here run day and night---ever day, all year long.
Thirty miles southeast of Las Vegas at the Nevada-Arizona state line, the Hoover Dam is among the most famous sites in all of Nevada. Approximately 1 million tourists take a tour of the dam each year, and millions more drive across it, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
Construction on the Hoover Dam began in 1931 as six of the country's largest construction companies teamed up to build this massive structure. The dam was built to irrigate the low-lying desert plains without flooding. The U.S. government determined that the Colorado River was the best source of this kind of irrigation.
The dam separates the Colorado River from Lake Mead and stands 726 feet tall, providing awe-inspiring views of the surrounding landscape. The dam is constructed of enough concrete to build a two-lane highway from Seattle to Miami and is 660-feet thick at its base, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
The power supplied by the 17 Hoover Dam generators is enough to supply a city of 750,000 people with all of their electrical needs.
Known as possibly the most significant mining discovery in American history, the Comstock Lode was the first discovery of silver in the United States. The area produced ore that consisted of more than half of silver, along with significant amounts of gold and other minerals and metals. The 1859 discovery caused a gold and silver rush that pushed Nevada into statehood sooner than it otherwise would have been considered.
From 1859 to 1865, an estimated that $50 million in silver, gold and other metals were taken from this area, according to Online Nevada.
The Nevada Test Site, originally known as the Nevada Proving Grounds, is a 1,375-square-mile area in the Nevada Desert about an hour's drive north of Las Vegas. This area is famous for the nuclear testing that began there in the 1950s.
The U.S. Department of Energy tested nuclear bombs on this secure piece of land throughout most of the latter half of the 20th century. The Nevada Test Site is also home to the government facility nicknamed Area 51 where many conspiracy theorists believe the U.S. government keeps secrets about UFOs and alien life.
