Elko County, Nevada

Encyclopedia : E : EL : ELK : Elko County, Nevada

Elko County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of 2000, the population was 45,291. Its county seat is Elko ⁶. The county was organized on March 5, 1869, being taken from Lander County.

Contents

1 History
2 Geography

2.1 Adjacent Counties

3 Demographics
4 Cities and towns
5 External links

History

Elko County was created out of western Lander County in 1869. Several explanations for the derivation of its name have been offered. One explanation is that Elko is an Indian word meaning either "white woman" or "beautiful." Another explanation credits railroad owner Charles Crocker with the naming of a railroad station after elk roaming in the area and adding an "O" to form "Elko."

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 17,203 mi² (44,555 km²). 17,179 mi² (44,493 km²) of it is land and 24 mi² (62 km²) of it (0.14%) is water. It is the fourth largest county in area in the United States, after San Bernardino County in California, Coconino County in Arizona, and Nye County in Nevada. Most of the county lies within the Great Basin, with areas along the northern boundary draining into the Snake River Basin. The elevation ranges from about 4,300 feet at the edge of the salt flats of Great Salt Lake, to 11,157 feet in the Ruby Mountains. The Humboldt River has its source in Elko County and is a major water source for northern Nevada.

Adjacent Counties

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 45,291 people, 15,638 households, and 11,493 families residing in the county. The population density was 3/mi² (1/km²). There were 18,456 housing units at an average density of 1/mi² (0/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 82.04% White, 0.59% Black or African American, 5.30% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 8.50% from other races, and 2.78% from two or more races. 19.73% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 15,638 households out of which 43.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.30% were married couples living together, 8.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.50% were non-families. 20.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.33.

In the county the population was spread out with 32.50% under the age of 18, 8.80% from 18 to 24, 31.50% from 25 to 44, 21.30% from 45 to 64, and 5.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 108.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $48,383, and the median income for a family was $52,206. Males had a median income of $41,322 versus $24,653 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,482. About 7.00% of families and 8.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.50% of those under age 18 and 7.60% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

External links

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