Ely, Nevada

For other uses, see Ely.

Ely, Nevada
City
Location of Ely, Nevada
Country	United States
State	Nevada
Area
• Total	7.1 sq mi (18.5 km2)
• Land	7.1 sq mi (18.5 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	6,437 ft (1,962 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	4,041
• Density	566.8/sq mi (218.9/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP codes	89301, 89315
Area code	775
FIPS code	32-23500
GNIS feature ID	0859671

Ely (Template:Pron-en, rhyming with "freely") is the largest city and county seat of White Pine County, Nevada, United States.Template:GR As of the 2000 census, the population was 4,041. The Clock of the Long Now is to be built near Ely.

History

Ely is a mining town, suffering through the boom-and-bust cycles so common in the West. Originally, Ely was home to a number of copper mining companies, Kennecott being the most famous. With a crash in the copper market in the mid 1970s, Kennecott shut down and copper mining disappeared (temporarily).

With the advent of cyanide heap leaching—a method of extracting gold from what was previously considered very low-grade ore—the next boom was on. Many companies processed the massive piles of "overburden" that had been removed from copper mines, or expanded the existing open-pit mines to extract the gold ore. Gold mines as widespread as the Robinson project near Ruth, and AmSelco's Alligator Ridge mine 65 miles (104 km) from Ely, kept the town alive during the 1980s and 1990s, until the recent revival of copper mining.

As Kennecott's smelter was demolished, copper concentrate from the mine is now shipped by rail to Seattle, where it is transported to Japan for smelting. The dramatic increase in demand for copper in 2005 has once again made Ely a copper boom town.

The now defunct BHP Nevada Railroad ran from the mining district south of Ruth through Ely to the junction with the Union Pacific at Shafter from 1996-99.

Ely street scene 1906

Attractions

Ely is a tourism center, and is home of the Nevada Northern Railway Museum. Nearby are Great Basin National Park, Cave Lake State Park, and Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park, as well as the state parks of Lincoln County, Nevada.

The railroad museum features the Ghost Train of Old Ely, a working steam engine passenger train that travels the historic tracks from Ely to the Robinson mining district.

Ely is the nearest town to the proposed site of the Clock of the Long Now on Mount Washington.

Downtown Ely, Nevada

The historic, six-story Hotel Nevada. is located in downtown Ely. Opened in 1929, it was the tallest building in Nevada well into the 1940s and was the state's first fire-proof building. It is a popular lodging, dining, gaming and tourist stop.

The long stretch of road on State Route 318 near Ely is known for the annual 90 miles (145 km) Silver State Classic Challenge course, an authorized time trial Cannonball Run-style race that attracts entries from all over the world.

The Ely Renaissance Society has financed more than twenty outdoor murals and sculptures in the downtown area. Artists from all over the world have been commissioned to create images of area history, using different art styles. They also maintain a historical village consisting of a general store and several shotgun houses which display the history of the ethnic groups that came to the area to work for the railroad and the mine.

Wildlife viewing

A rutting male Elk, (image courtesy of BLM)

File:Ely elk map.jpg

BLM map to site

The Bureau of Land Management, part of the United States Department of the Interior, operates an area supporting an elk herd south of town. The Ely Elk Viewing Area offers visitors the opportunity to see an elk community up close.

Sports

The UNLV Rebels football team conducts its summer training camp in Ely, which provides a cooler place for August practices and prepares the team for the high altitude of most Mountain West Conference road games.

Residents

Pat Nixon, the wife of Richard M. Nixon, and the former First Lady of the United States, was born in Ely on March 16, 1912.

Film history

• The climactic scene to the 2001 movie Rat Race was filmed in Ely, in and around the restored train depot of the railway museum.
• Operation Haylift (1950) by director William A. Berke, is about a historical event that took place in White Pine County. George N. Swallow was portrayed by Joe Sawyer. Sawyer was also the producer and co-screenplay writer for the film.
• Roadside Prophets (1992), an independent film directed by Abbe Wool.
• My Blueberry Nights (2007), was directed by Wong Kar Wai.
• Play Dead (2008), a film directed by Jason Wiles.
• Guncrazy (1992), starring Drew Barrymore

Geography and Climate

Ely is located at 39°15′12″N 114°52′38″W (39.253308, -114.877336).Template:GR Altitude is 6435 ft above sea level.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.1 square miles (18.5 km²), all of it land.

The Western Climate Center reports that average January temperatures are a maximum of 39.3 °F (4.1 °C) and a minimum of 10.6 °F (−11.9 °C). Average July temperatures are a maximum of 87.2 °F (30.7 °C) and a minimum of 48.3 °F (9.1 °C). High temperatures of 90°F (32°C) or higher occur on an average of 20.5 days annually. Low temperatures of 32°F (0°C) or lower occur on an average of 217.5 days annually. The record high temperature was 101 °F (38 °C) on July 18, 1998. The record low temperature was −30 °F (−34 °C) on February 6, 1989. Average annual precipitation is 9.65 inches (24.5 cm). There are an average of 69 days annually with measurable precipitation. The wettest year was 1897 with 16.16 inches (41.0 cm) and the dryest year was 1974 with 4.22 inches (10.7 cm). The most precipitation in one month was 5.52 inches (14.0 cm) in April 1900. The most precipitation in 24 hours was 2.52 inches (6.4 cm) on September 26, 1982. Average annual snowfall is 52.0 inches (132 cm). The snowiest year was 1964 with 101.3 inches (257 cm). The most snowfall in one month was 42.0 inches (107 cm)in March 1894.

Demographics

File:ElyNVbuilding.jpg

Ely, Nevada

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1890	203		—
1900	525		158.6%
1910	2,055		291.4%
1920	2,090		1.7%
1930	3,045		45.7%
1940	4,140		36.0%
1950	3,558		−14.1%
1960	4,018		12.9%
1970	4,176		3.9%
1980	4,882		16.9%
1990	4,756		−2.6%
2000	4,041		−15.0%
2007 (est.)	4,008
source:

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 4,041 people, 1,727 households, and 1,065 families residing in the city. The population density was 566.8 people per square mile (218.8/km²). There were 2,205 housing units at an average density of 309.3/sq mi (119.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.14% White, 0.32% African American, 3.12% Native American, 1.09% Asian, 0.35% Pacific Islander, 3.71% from other races, and 2.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.35% of the population.

There were 1,727 households out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.3% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $36,408, and the median income for a family was $42,168. Males had a median income of $36,016 versus $26,597 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,013. About 11.3% of families and 12.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Commercial air service is available at Ely Airport.

Major roads include:

• U.S. Route 6,
• U.S. Route 50 - Ely is the eastern end of the portion of US 50 known as "The Loneliest Road in America"
• U.S. Route 93

The historic Lincoln Highway, the first road across America, went through Ely, entering town from the north on U.S. Route 93 and departing town to the west on U.S. Route 50.

Ely is 97 miles east of Eureka, Nevada, 153 miles west of Delta, Utah, 105 miles north of Pioche, Nevada, 139 miles south of Wells, and 120 miles south of West Wendover.

External links

• Ely, Nevada website - White Pine Tourism and Recreation Board
• Official State of Nevada Tourism Site
• Exploring Nevada - Photographs of Ely and Surrounding Area
• Discoverely.com Ely-related website for travelers and vistors -- with HD video.
• Road Trip USA page about Ely