Nye County | |
|---|---|
 Nye County Courthouse in Tonopah | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Nevada | |
 Nevada's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 38°03′N 116°27′W / 38.05°N 116.45°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Nevada |
| Founded | 1864 |
| Named for | James W. Nye |
| Seat | Tonopah |
| Largest community | Pahrump |
| Area | |
| • Total | 18,199 sq mi (47,140 km2) |
| • Land | 18,182 sq mi (47,090 km2) |
| • Water | 17 sq mi (40 km2) 0.1% |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 51,591 |
| • Estimate (2023)[1] | 55,720  |
| • Density | 2.8/sq mi (1.1/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (Pacific) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (PDT) |
| Congressional district | 4th |
| Website | nyecounty |
Nye County is a county in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 51,591.[2] Its county seat is Tonopah.[3] At 18,159 square miles (47,030 km2), Nye is Nevada's largest county by area and the third-largest county in the contiguous United States, behind Coconino County of Arizona and San Bernardino County of California.
Nye County comprises the Pahrump micropolitan statistical area, which is included in the Las Vegas-Henderson combined statistical area.
In 2010, Nevada's center of population was in southern Nye County, near Yucca Mountain.[4]
The Nevada Test Site and proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository are in southwestern Nye County, and are the focus of a great deal of controversy. The federal government manages 92% of the county's land. A 1987 attempt to stop the nuclear waste site resulted in the creation of Bullfrog County, Nevada, which was dissolved two years later.
The county has several environmentally sensitive areas, including Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, the White River Valley, several Great Basin sky islands, and part of Death Valley National Park. Visitors to Death Valley often stay at Beatty or Amargosa Valley.
Nye County is one of 10 Nevada counties where prostitution is legal. The county has no incorporated cities. The seat of government in Tonopah is 160 miles (260 km) from Pahrump, where about 86% of the county's population resides.
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
- ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Nye County, Nevada". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
- ^ "County Explorer". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "Download the Centers of Population by State: 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 3, 2014. Retrieved December 20, 2014.