More than Meets the Eye

Sure, the high-rolling and hard-partying Las Vegas is what most people associate with Nevada. But go outside the shining lights of the city, and you’ll find a stark land filled with the raw power and allure of Mother Nature. Find petroglyphs among the pink and red-hued sandstone of the Valley of Fire State Park. In Red Rock Canyon State Park, hike amongst geological formations that reveal the history of our planet in their striated layers. At Lake Tahoe, you can paddleboard on crystal-clear waters or ski the snow-capped peaks, depending on the season. And once a year in Black Rock Desert, hundreds of thousands of like-minded people gather for Burning Man, a celebration of art, self-expression, and community.

Just south of Las Vegas, you’ll find Henderson, a small city with an ever-growing downtown; the city itself is close enough to Vegas if you’re feeling like a big night out but far enough removed to be its own entity. Carson City, situated on the shores of Lake Tahoe, has tons of small-town charm and very affordable houses. Luckily, the effective real estate tax rate is 0.84%, and there’s no state income tax.

Nevada is the nation’s seventh-largest state with more than 110,000 square miles. The United States government owns about 85% of that land, including former nuclear test sites and the legendary Area 51.

Nevada

Lake Tahoe, one of the world’s deepest bodies of water, is more than 2 million years old. The Rim Trail circles the lake in eight hiking segments that total nearly 170 miles.

Before 2020, around 40 million visitors vacationed every year in Las Vegas, which has over 150,000 hotel rooms, more than any other city in the world.

Climate

The iconic Hoover Dam on the Nevada-Arizona border was the world’s largest dam and greatest hydroelectric power producer when it was completed in 1935. Hard hats were invented by construction workers there.

Nevada lies in a semi-arid region and is actually the driest of all the 50 states. Winters can be cold in the northern part, with measurable snowfall in higher elevations, but temperatures are generally mild throughout the year. The Las Vegas area in the south enjoys well over 300 days of annual sunshine and comfortable winters. Still, summer daytime temperatures in the triple digits with low humidity are not unusual.