Beatty, Nevada

Beatty
Nickname: 
Gateway to Death Valley[1]
Location of Beatty, Nevada
Location of Beatty, Nevada
Coordinates: 36°54′34″N 116°45′16″W / 36.90944°N 116.75444°W / 36.90944; -116.75444
Country United States
State Nevada
County Nye
Founded1905; 119 years ago (1905)
Named for"Old Man" Montillus (Montillion) Murray Beatty
Area
 • Total17.70 sq mi (45.85 km2)
 • Land17.68 sq mi (45.80 km2)
 • Water0.02 sq mi (0.06 km2)
Elevation
3,307 ft (1,008 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total880
 • Density49.77/sq mi (19.22/km2)
Time zoneUTC−8 (PST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−7 (PDT)
ZIP code
89003
Area code775
FIPS code32-05100
GNIS feature ID0845356
WebsiteBeatty, Nevada
Official nameBeatty (Center of the Gold Railroads--"Chicago of the West")
Reference no.173

Beatty (/ˈbti/ BAYT-ee) is an unincorporated town[3] along the Amargosa River in Nye County, Nevada, United States. U.S. Route 95 runs through the town, which lies between Tonopah, about 90 miles (140 km) to the north and Las Vegas, about 120 miles (190 km) to the southeast. State Route 374 connects Beatty to Death Valley National Park, about 8 miles (13 km) to the west.

Before the arrival of non-indigenous people in the 19th century, the region was home to groups of Western Shoshone. Established in 1905, the community was named after Montillus (Montillion) Murray "Old Man" Beatty, who settled on a ranch in the Oasis Valley in 1896 and became Beatty's first postmaster. With the arrival of the Las Vegas and Tonopah Railroad in 1905, the town became a railway center for the Bullfrog Mining District, including mining towns such as nearby Rhyolite.[4] Starting in the 1940s, Nellis Air Force Base and other federal installations contributed to the town's economy as did tourism related to Death Valley National Park and the rise of Las Vegas as an entertainment center.

Beatty is home to the Beatty Museum and Historical Society and to businesses catering to tourist travel. The ghost town of Rhyolite and the Goldwell Open Air Museum (a sculpture park), are both about 4 miles (6 km) to the west, and Yucca Mountain and the Nevada Test Site are about 18 miles (29 km) to the east.

  1. ^ Waite, Mark (November 7, 2007). "Death Valley may choose Hafen Commercial Center for offices". Pahrump Valley Times. Archived from the original on November 8, 2007. Retrieved February 25, 2009.
  2. ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  3. ^ "2014 Estimates". Nevada State Demographer's Office. Archived from the original on July 7, 2017. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  4. ^ McCracken, History, pp. 56–59