1. Let’s start with the obvious: Nevadans love to gamble. In fact, there is one operating slot machine in Las Vegas for every 8 residents. Yeah, that’s a lot of slots, Nevada….
2. That might explain why 38.9 million people visit Las Vegas each year, which is more than the entire population of all of New England combined.
3. In fact, more than 7.5 million visitors use I-15 in Las Vegas annually.
4. But where do these tourists come from, you might ask? 45 percent of the tourists who visit Nevada are from California…Hey, California, gamble much?
5. Not all Californians have to travel too far to gamble, though. The Cal-Neva Casino in Lake Tahoe, which gained its fame when Frank Sinatra was the owner, is the only casino where you can stand in both Nevada and California at the same time.
6. When tourists do come to Las Vegas, they have plenty of really nice options of where to stay. In fact, 17 of the top 20 hotels in the world are located in Las Vegas.
7. And, if that wasn’t enough to convince you of Las Vegas’ tourist claim, read on: Las Vegas has more hotel rooms than any other place on earth.
8. Besides, Las Vegas is a land where dreams come true. Seriously. The world's largest jackpot was won in Las Vegas at the Excalibur Casino. The jackpot totaled to $39.7 million. That’s a lot of moolah.
9. And, Las Vegas gambling actually has pretty fair odds! In Nevada, it is mandatory that video slot machines pay a minimum of 75 percent back to the player. Heck yeah.
10. Plus, where else in the world can you get a marriage license on the drop of a hat? In fact, on average, approximately 230 marriage licenses are issued per day in Las Vegas.
11. And there is no brighter place in the world—the famous Las Vegas Strip has a total of over 15,000 miles of neon lights along the entirety of its three-mile length.
12. And for once all that glitters is gold, in Las Vegas. Nevada is the largest gold producing state in the United States and is second in the world only behind South Africa.
13. That might explain why the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce is the fourth largest Chamber in the United States.
14. So, yeah, Las Vegas can be pretty indulgent. For example: 60,000 pounds of shrimp are consumed per day here. To put this in perspective, the shrimp consumption in Las Vegas per day is higher than the rest of the country combined.
15. But the real Nevada isn’t found in a casino or on the strip: Nevada is officially the most mountainous state in America, with a total of 314 mountain ranges.
16. If you want to reach the highest point in Nevada, head to Boundary Peak, where you’ll be elevated to 13,145 feet high.
17. With so many snowy mountains, it’s not surprising that the name “Nevada” originates from a Spanish word that means “snow-clad.”
18. Speaking of snow, while most of this sunny state is desert, the Sierra Nevada mountain range near Reno and the Ruby Mountains near Elko have snow for over half the year.
19. In fact, the average annual snowfall in Eureka is 28.6 inches.
20. But putting all that snow aside (if you can!), Nevada can get really hot! So hot that the average Las Vegas Valley household consumes about 230,000 gallons of water a year. Gotta stay hydrated somehow, right?
21. But not all life needs water in Nevada: In Death Valley, the Kangaroo Rat can actually live its entire life without drinking even one drop of liquid.
22. Speaking of Death Valley, did you know it’s the lowest point in the western hemisphere at 282 feet below sea level? Being so low also makes it one of the hottest places on earth with ground-level temperatures that have reached 200 degrees during the summer months. Phew. Makes you wish you were a Kangaroo rat, huh?
23. But, in 2005, in a very rare, once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, it rained 6 inches in Death Valley, which resulted in a burst of plant life and wildflowers that no one expected. It has come to be known as, “The Great Bloom of 2005.”
24. In such a hot place, it’s not surprising that ice needs to be imported: The Reno Ice Pavilion, a 16,000-square-foot ice rink, was actually taken apart and then moved to Reno from Atlantic City, New Jersey.
25. Speaking of heat, Winnemucca is one of the sunniest towns in Nevada and has an average of 201 sunny days a year. That’s a helluva lot of vitamin D!
26. But not all of Nevada is “dead,” Nevada’s state tree, the Pinon Pine, covers approximately 21 percent of Nevada’s landscape.
27. And, approximately 13 percent of the state is actually underwater.
28. In fact, the Truckee River flows for approximately 100 miles in Nevada.
29. With so much to explore, it’s not surprising that Nevada has about 50,000 miles of paved road.
30. Even if some of that paved road can be quite lonely at times… In fact, the state's Highway 50 is known as the Loneliest Highway in America, where there are only a handful of road stops in the 287-mile stretch between Ely and Fernley, Nev.
31. Speaking of Ely, it is one of only 3 places in America where three US Routes converge in one place.
32. While Nevada’s U.S. routes may be lonely at times, they’re certainly not boring: due to its proximity to Area 51, Nevada’s State Route 375 is called "The Extraterrestrial Highway." It was even given a naming ceremony. Among the guests who attended the ceremony were the director and cast of the movie "Independence Day."
33. More than 85 percent of Nevada’s 110,540 square miles is actually federally owned land, including the secret Area 51 near the little town of Rachel, Nev. Way to go, U.S. government. You basically own Nevada.
34. Nevada’s got some less-than ordinary laws: it is the only state in America where prostitution is legal and, as of August 2013, there are 19 brothels in Nevada.
35. But not all of Nevada is so lax with their laws. In fact, in Nyala, Nev. a male is legally not allowed to buy drinks for more than three people. Keep it classy, Nyala.
36. Austin, Nev.’s oldest church, St. Augustine, requires that the bells in the tower be rung by pulling a rope which is located in a rather, um, unusual location: the men’s room.
37. While on the topic of churches… The ratio of bars and saloons to churches in Nevada is 7 to 1. But we don’t judge. Drink on, Nevada, drink on.
38. The bar scene isn’t the only thing that’s wild about NV. An estimated 28,000 wild horses roam free in the state.
39. And if that isn’t wild enough for ya, there is an isolated population of about 12 jaguars that live at the southern tip of Nevada. Yes, you heard me correctly, jaguars. Yikes.
40. While we’re on the topic of “wild,” the legendary man of the Wild West, Wyatt Earp, actually got his law enforcement start in the mining town of Tonopah.
41. Nevada celebrates colorful characters and entertainers. In fact, Nevada has an entire museum devoted to the life of the famous, and fabulous, entertainer Liberace.
42. While on the subject of colorful entertainers, Elvis Presley performed in 837 consecutive sold-out concerts at the Las Vegas Hilton Casino.
43. The all-time, single concert box-office record happened in Las Vegas in 1999, when Barbra Streisand’s concert, at the MGM Grand, grossed $14,694,750.00.
44. At Nevada’s famous Hoover Dam, there is actually enough concrete to pave a two-lane highway from San Francisco all the way to New York.
45. So, naturally, it makes sense that the hard hat was invented specifically for the people who worked on building the Hoover Dam. Can’t be too careful with all of the concrete and cement around!
46. Though Nevada is the seventh largest state in the U.S., Carson City is one of the smallest state capitals in America.
47. But while it may be small, it’s still unique: Carson City is one of only two U.S. capitols that borders another state.
48. Nevada has got some extraordinary views. In fact, at the Bonneville Salt Flats in West Wendover, there is a view of the actual curvature of the earth, a view that can only be seen in a handful of places around the world.
49. Nevada is ancient—the oldest human mummy in North America, who is frequently known as the Spirit Cave Man, was found in a cave in Nevada.
50. Speaking of ancient, in 1864, the longest Morse code telegram ever sent occurred in Nevada. What was so important a message that it needed to be so long? The message contained Nevada’s constitution and was sent from Carson City to Washington D.C.
Feature Image Source: Flickr user The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
