Nevada is a state located in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its three largest incorporated cities. Nevada's capital is Carson City.

Nevada is largely desert and semiarid, with much of it located within the Great Basin. Areas south of the Great Basin are located within the Mojave Desert, while Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada mountains lie on the western edge. Approximately 86% of the state's land is owned by the US government under various jurisdictions, both civilian and military.

The name ''Nevada'' is derived from the nearby Sierra Nevada mountains, which means "snow-capped mountain range" in Spanish. The land comprising the modern state was inhabited by Native Americans of the Paiute, Shoshone, and Washoe tribes prior to European contact. It was subsequently claimed by Spain as a part of Alta California until the Mexican War of Independence brought it under Mexican control. The United States gained the territory in 1848 following its victory in the Mexican-American War and the area was eventually incorporated as part of Utah Territory in 1850. The discovery of silver at the Comstock Lode in 1859 led to a population boom that was an impetus to the creation of Nevada Territory out of western Utah Territory in 1861. Nevada became the 36th state on October 31, 1864.

The establishment of legalized gambling and lenient marriage and divorce proceedings in the 20th century transformed Nevada into a major tourist destination. The tourism industry remains Nevada's largest employer, with mining continuing to be a substantial sector of the economy as Nevada is the fourth largest producer of gold in the world.

Nevada is officially known as the "Silver State" due to the importance of silver to its history and economy. It is also known as the "Battle Born State" because it achieved statehood during the Civil War and the "Sagebrush State" for the native eponymous plant.

Nevada is the largest landlocked U.S. state that does not border Canada or Mexico.

Etymology and pronunciation

The name "Nevada" comes from the Spanish ''Nevada'' , meaning "snow-covered", after the Sierra Nevada ("snow-covered mountains") mountain range.

Nevadans normally pronounce the second syllable of their state name using the vowel of "bad". Many from outside the Western United States pronounce it with the vowel of "father" . Although the latter pronunciation is closer to the Spanish pronunciation, it is not the pronunciation preferred by locals. Notably, George W. Bush made this ''faux pas'' during his campaign for the 2004 US Presidential Election. Vindication later came when President Bush campaigned at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center on June 18, 2004. The president opened his talk by proclaiming that "It's great to be here in ," emphasizing the correct 'a' — the crowd roared its approval when he light-heartedly noted, "You didn't think I'd get it right, did ya?" Bush subsequently carried the state in the election. Assemblyman Harry Mortenson has proposed a bill to recognize the alternate (quasi-Spanish) pronunciation of Nevada.

Geography

Nevada is almost entirely within the Basin and Range Province, and is broken up by many north-south mountain ranges. Most of these ranges have endorheic valleys between them, which belies the image portrayed by the term Great Basin. Much of the northern part of the state is within the Great Basin, a mild desert that experiences hot temperatures in the summer and cold temperatures in the winter. Occasionally, moisture from the Arizona Monsoon will cause summer thunderstorms; Pacific storms may blanket the area with snow. The state's highest recorded temperature was in Laughlin (elevation of ) on June 29, 1994. The coldest recorded temperature was set in San Jacinto in 1972, in the northeastern portion of the state.

The Humboldt River crosses from east to west across the northern part of the state, draining into the Humboldt Sink near Lovelock. Several rivers drain from the Sierra Nevada eastward, including the Walker, Truckee and Carson rivers.

The mountain ranges, some of which have peaks above , harbor lush forests high above desert plains, creating sky islands for endemic species. The valleys are often no lower in elevation than .

The southern third of the state, where the Las Vegas area is situated, is within the Mojave Desert. The area receives less rain in the winter but is closer to the Arizona Monsoon in the summer. The terrain is also lower, mostly below , creating conditions for hot summer days and cool to chilly winter nights (due to temperature inversion). Nevada and California have by far the longest diagonal line (in respect to the cardinal directions) as a state boundary at just over . This line begins in Lake Tahoe nearly offshore (in the direction of the boundary), and continues to the Colorado River where the Nevada, California, and Arizona boundaries merge southwest of the Laughlin Bridge.

The largest mountain range in the southern portion of the state is the Spring Mountain Range, just west of Las Vegas. The state's lowest point is along the Colorado River, south of Laughlin.

Nevada has 172 mountain summits with of prominence. Nevada ranks second in the US, behind Alaska, and ahead of California, Montana, and Washington. This makes Nevada the "Most Mountainous" state in the country, at least by this measure.

Climate

Nevada is made up of mostly desert and semiarid climate regions, daytime summer temperatures sometimes may rise as high as and nighttime winter temperatures may reach as low as . The winter season in the southern part of the state, however, tends to be of short duration and mild. Most parts of Nevada receive scarce precipitation during the year. Most rain falls on the lee side (east and northeast slopes) of the Sierra Nevada Range. The average annual rainfall per year is about ; the wettest parts get around . Nevada's highest recorded temperature is at Laughlin on June 29, 1994 and the lowest recorded temperature is at San Jacinto on January 8, 1937. Nevada's reading is the third highest temperature recorded in the U.S. just behind Arizona's reading and California's reading.

Vegetation

Nevada contains six biotic zones: alpine, sub-alpine, "yellow pine", "pinion-juniper", "sagebrush" and "creosotebush".

Counties

Nevada is divided into political jurisdictions designated as ''counties''. Carson City is officially a consolidated municipality; however, for many purposes under state law it is considered to be a county. As of 1919 there were 17 counties in the state, ranging from . In 1969 Ormsby County was dissolved and the consolidated municipality of Carson City was created by the Legislature in its place co-terminous with the old boundaries of Ormsby County. County seat Carson CityFallon, NevadaLas Vegas, NevadaMinden, NevadaElko, NevadaGoldfield, NevadaEureka, NevadaWinnemucca, NevadaBattle Mountain, NevadaPioche, NevadaYerington, NevadaHawthorne, NevadaTonopah, NevadaLovelock, NevadaVirginia City, NevadaReno, NevadaEly, Nevada Counties: 17

NEVADA COUNTIES
County name	|	Year founded	2000 population	Percent of total	Area (mi²)	Percent of total	Population density (/mi²)
Carson City, Nevada	Carson City	|	1861	52,457	2.63 %	146	0.13 %	359.29
Churchill County, Nevada	Churchill	Fallon||	1861	23,982	1.20 %	5,023	4.54 %	4.77
Clark County, Nevada	Clark	Las Vegas||	1908	1,375,765	68.85 %	8,091	7.32 %	170.04
Douglas County, Nevada	Douglas	Minden||	1861	41,259	2.06 %	738	0.67 %	55.91
Elko County, Nevada	Elko	Elko||	1869	45,291	2.27 %	17,203	15.56 %	2.63
Esmeralda County, Nevada	Esmeralda	Goldfield||	1861	971	0.05 %	3,589	3.25 %	0.27
Eureka County, Nevada	Eureka	Eureka||	1869	1,651	0.08 %	4,180	3.78 %	0.39
Humboldt County, Nevada	Humboldt	Winnemucca||	1856/1861	16,106	0.81 %	9,658	8.74 %	1.67
Lander County, Nevada	Lander	Battle Mountain||	1861	5,794	0.29 %	5,519	4.99 %	1.05
Lincoln County, Nevada	Lincoln	Pioche||	1866	4,165	0.21 %	10,637	9.62 %	0.39
Lyon County, Nevada	Lyon	Yerington||	1861	34,501	1.73 %	2,016	1.82 %	17.11
Mineral County, Nevada	Mineral	Hawthorne||	1911	5,071	0.25 %	3,813	3.45 %	1.33
Nye County, Nevada	Nye	Tonopah||	1864	32,485	1.63 %	18,159	16.43 %	1.79
Pershing County, Nevada	Pershing	Lovelock||	1919	6,693	0.33 %	6,068	5.49 %	1.10
Storey County, Nevada	Storey	Virginia City||	1861	3,399	0.17 %	264	0.24 %	12.88
Washoe County, Nevada	Washoe	Reno||	1861	339,486	16.99 %	6,551	5.93 %	51.82
White Pine County, Nevada	White Pine	Ely||	1869	9,181	0.46 %	8,897	8.05 %	1.03
Totals	|		1,998,257		110,552		18.08

Humboldt was designated as a County in 1856 by Utah Territorial Legislature and again in 1861 by the new Nevada Legislature.

==History==

Before 1861

See History of Utah, History of Las Vegas, and the discovery of the first major U.S. deposit of silver ore in Comstock Lode under Virginia City, Nevada in 1859.

Separation from Utah Territory

On March 2, 1861, the Nevada Territory separated from the Utah Territory and adopted its current name, shortened from ''Sierra Nevada'' (Spanish for "snowy range").

The 1861 southern boundary is commemorated by Nevada Historical Markers 57 and 58 in Lincoln and Nye counties.

Statehood

Eight days prior to the presidential election of 1864, Nevada became the 36th state in the union. Statehood was rushed to the date of October 31 to help ensure Abraham Lincoln's reelection on November 8 and post-Civil War Republican dominance in Congress, as Nevada's mining-based economy tied it to the more industrialized Union.

Nevada is notable for being one of only two states to significantly expand its borders after admission to the Union. Nevada achieved its current southern boundaries on May 5, 1866, when it absorbed the portion of Pah-Ute County in the Arizona Territory west of the Colorado River, essentially all of present day Nevada south of the 37th parallel. The transfer was prompted by the discovery of gold in the area, and it was thought by officials that Nevada would be better able to oversee the expected population boom. This area includes most of what is now Clark County. In 1868 another part of the western Utah Territory, whose population was seeking to avoid Mormon dominance, was added to Nevada in the eastern part of the state, setting the current eastern boundary.

Mining shaped Nevada's economy for many years (see ''Silver mining in Nevada''). When Mark Twain lived in Nevada during the period described in ''Roughing It'', mining had led to an industry of speculation and immense wealth. However, both mining and population declined in the late 19th century. However, the rich silver strike at Tonopah in 1900, followed by strikes in Goldfield and Rhyolite, again put Nevada's population on an upward trend.

Gaming and labor

Unregulated gaming was commonplace in the early Nevada mining towns but outlawed in 1909 as part of a nation-wide anti-gaming crusade. Because of subsequent declines in mining output and the decline of the agricultural sector during the Great Depression, Nevada again legalized gaming on March 19, 1931, with approval from the legislature. At the time, the leading proponents of gaming expected that it would be a short term fix until the state's economic base widened to include less cyclical industries. However, "re-outlawing" gaming has never been seriously considered since the industry has become Nevada's primary source of revenue today.

Nuclear testing

The Nevada Test Site, northwest of the city of Las Vegas, was founded on January 11, 1951, for the testing of nuclear weapons. The site is composed of approximately of desert and mountainous terrain. Nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site began with a bomb dropped on Frenchman Flat on January 27, 1951. The last atmospheric test was conducted on July 17, 1962, and the underground testing of weapons continued until September 23, 1992. The location is known for having the highest concentration of nuclear-detonated weapons in the U.S.

Over 80% of the state's area is owned by the federal government. The primary reason for this is that homesteads were not permitted in large enough sizes to be viable in the arid conditions that prevail throughout desert Nevada. Instead, early settlers would homestead land surrounding a water source, and then graze livestock on the adjacent public land, which is useless for agriculture without access to water (this pattern of ranching still prevails).

Demographics

Growth

According to the Census Bureau's 2007 estimate, Nevada has an estimated population of 2,565,382 which is an increase of 92,909, or 3.5%, from the prior year and an increase of 516,550, or 20.8%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 81,661 people (that is 170,451 births minus 88,790 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 337,043 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 66,098 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 270,945 people. According to the 2006 census estimate, Nevada is the eighth fastest growing state in the nation.

The center of population of Nevada is located in southern Nye County. In this county, the unincorporated town of Pahrump, located west of Las Vegas on the California state line, has grown 26 times in size from 1980 to 2000. In the year 2006, the town may have over 50,000 permanent residents. Las Vegas was America's fastest-growing city and metropolitan area from 1960 to 2000, but has grown from a gulch of 100 people in 1900 to 10,000 by 1950 to 100,000 by 1970 to have 2.5 million in the metropolitan area in 2010.

From about the 1940s until 2003, Nevada was the fastest-growing state in the US percentage-wise. Between 1990 and 2000, Nevada's population increased 66.3%, while the USA's population increased 13.1%. Over two thirds of the population of the state live in the Clark County Las Vegas metropolitan area.

Henderson and North Las Vegas are among the USA's top 20 fastest-growing cities of over 100,000.

The rural community of Mesquite located northeast of Las Vegas was an example of micropolitan growth in the 1990s and 2000s. Other desert towns like Mercury and Searchlight on the outskirts of Las Vegas has grown tremendously as well.

Large numbers of new residents in the state originate from California, which led some locals to feel that their state is being "Californicated".

Human Diversity

According to the 2008 census estimates racial distribution was as follows: 65% White American, 7.1% African American, 6% Asian American (estimates placed them at 10%), 2% others (American Indians and Pacific Islanders) and the remaining 20% were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.

In terms of diversity, Nevada is home to many cultures and nationalities. Las Vegas and Reno or Washoe County has evolved to become Minority majority cities and counties. Nevada also has a sizable Basque ancestry population. In Douglas, Mineral and Pershing counties, a plurality of residents are of Mexican ancestry with Clark County (Las Vegas) being home to over 200,000 Mexican Americans alone; Nye County and Humboldt County have a plurality of Germans; and Washoe County has many of Irish-Americans. Americans of English descent form pluralities in Lincoln County, Churchill County, Lyon County, White Pine County and Eureka County. Las Vegas is home to rapid-growing ethnic communities like Scandinavians, Italians, Poles, Greeks, Spaniards and Armenians.

Largely African-American sections of Las Vegas ("the Meadows") and Reno can be found. Many current African-American Nevadans are newly transplanted residents from California, the Midwest, or the East Coast.

Since the California Gold Rush of the 1850s brought thousands of Chinese miners to Washoe county, Asian Americans lived in the state. They were followed by a few hundred of Japanese farm workers in the late 19th century. By the late 20th century, many immigrants from China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines and recently from India and Vietnam, came to the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The city now has one of America's most prolific Asian-American communities, with a mostly Chinese and Taiwanese area known as "Chinatown" west of I-15 on Spring Mountain Boulevard, and an "Asiatown" shopping mall for Asian customers located at Charleston Avenue/Paradise Boulevard. Filipino Americans form the largest Asian American group in the state, with a population of more than 113,000. They comprise 56.5% of the Asian American population in Nevada and constitute about 4.3% of the entire state's population.

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 16.19% of Nevada's population aged 5 and older speak Spanish at home, while 1.59% speak Filipino and 1% speak Chinese languages.

6.8% of the state's population were reported as under 5, 26.3% under 18, and 13.6% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 50.7% of the population. Las Vegas was a major destination for immigrants from South Asia and Latin America seeking employment in the gaming and hospitality industries during the 1990s and first decade of the 21st century, but farming and construction is the biggest employer of immigrant labor.

Senior citizens (over age 65) and young children or teenagers (under age 18) form large sections of the Nevada population. The religious makeup of Nevadans include large communities of Mormons, Roman Catholics and Evangelicals, each are known for higher birth rates and a younger than national average age. American Jews represent a large porportion of the active adult retirement community.

In 2010, illegal immigrants constituted an estimated 8.8% of the population. This was the highest percentage of any state in the country.

The principal ancestries of Nevada's residents in 2008 has been surveyed to be the following:

13.2% German

10.7% Irish

9.4% English

6.4% Italian

4.1% American

4.0% Scandinavian (1.7% Norwegian, 1.5% Swedish, and 0.8% Danish).

Religion

Major religious affiliations of the people of Nevada are:

Roman Catholic – 27%

Protestant

*Mainline – 11%

*Evangelical – 13%

*Other Protestant – 2%

Latter-day Saint/ Mormon – 11%

Muslim – 2%

Jewish – 1%

Other Religions – 3%

Unaffiliated – 20%

The largest denominations by number of adherents in 2000 were the Roman Catholic Church with 331,844; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with 116,925; and the Southern Baptist Convention with 40,233. 77,100 Nevadans belong to Jewish congregations.

Economy

The economy of Nevada was "founded on mining and refounded on sin—beginning with prizefighting and easy divorce a century ago and later extending to gaming and prostitution".

The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that Nevada's total state product in 2007 was $127 billion. Resort areas such as Las Vegas, Reno, Lake Tahoe, and Laughlin attract visitors from around the nation and world. In FY08 the total of 266 casinos with gaming revenue over $1m for the year, brought in revenue of $12 billion in gaming revenue, and $13 billion in non-gaming revenue. A review of gaming statistics can be found at Nevada gaming area.

The state's Per capita personal income in 2009 was $38,578, ranking nineteenth in the nation.

As of August 2010, the state's unemployment rate is the worst in the nation at 14.4%.

Its agricultural outputs are cattle, hay, alfalfa, dairy products, onions, and potatoes. Its industrial outputs are tourism, mining, machinery, printing and publishing, food processing, and electric equipment.

In portions of the state outside of the Las Vegas and Reno metropolitan areas, mining and cattle ranching are the major economic activities. By value, gold is by far the most important mineral mined. In 2004, of gold worth $2.84 billion were mined in Nevada, and the state accounted for 8.7% of world gold production (see ''Gold mining in Nevada''). Silver is a distant second, with worth $69 million mined in 2004 (see ''Silver mining in Nevada''). Other minerals mined in Nevada include construction aggregates, copper, gypsum, diatomite and lithium. Despite its rich deposits, the cost of mining in Nevada is generally high, and output is very sensitive to world commodity prices.

As of January 1, 2006, there were an estimated 500,000 head of cattle and 70,000 head of sheep in Nevada. Most of these animals forage on rangeland in the summer, with supplemental feed in the winter. Calves are generally shipped to out-of-state feedlots in the fall to be fattened for market. Over 90% of Nevada's of cropland is used to grow hay, mostly alfalfa, for livestock feed.

The state sales tax in Nevada is variable depending upon the county. The minimum statewide tax rate is 6.85%, with five counties (Elko, Esmeralda, Eureka, Humboldt, and Mineral) charging this minimum amount. All other counties assess various option taxes, making the combined state/county sales taxes rate in one county as high as 8.1%, which is the amount charged in Clark County. Sales tax in the other major counties: Carson at 7.475%, Washoe at 7.725%. The minimum Nevada sales tax rate changed on 1 July 2009.

Nevada has by far the most hotel rooms per capita in the United States. According to the American Hotel and Lodging Association, there were 187,301 rooms in 584 hotels (of 15 or more rooms). The state is ranked just below California, Texas, Florida, and New York in total number of rooms, but those states have much larger populations. Nevada has one hotel room for every 14 residents, far above the national average of one hotel room per 67 residents.

Prostitution is legal in parts of Nevada in licensed brothels, but only counties with populations under 400,000 residents have the option to legalize it. Although prostitution employs roughly 300 women as independent contractors, and not a major part of the Nevada economy, it is a very visible endeavor. Of the 14 counties that are permitted to legalize prostitution under state law, about 8 have chosen to legalize brothels. State law prohibits prostitution in Clark County (which contains Las Vegas), and Washoe County (which contains Reno). However, prostitution is legal in Storey County, which is part of the Reno–Sparks metropolitan area.

Transportation

The 2011 American State Litter Scorecard ranked Nevada (tied with Mississippi) as a bottom-three, "Worst" jurisdiction in the U.S., for overall effectiveness and quality of statewide public space cleanliness—from state and related litter/debris removal efforts.

Amtrak's ''California Zephyr'' train uses the Union Pacific's original transcontinental railroad line in daily service from Chicago to Emeryville, California, serving Elko, Winnemucca, Sparks, and Reno. Amtrak Thruway Motorcoaches also provide connecting service from Las Vegas to trains at Needles, California, Los Angeles, and Bakersfield, California; and from Stateline, Nevada, to Sacramento, California. Las Vegas has had no passenger train service since Amtrak's Desert Wind was discontinued in 1997, although there have been a number of proposals to re-introduce service to either Los Angeles or Southern California.

The Union Pacific Railroad has some railroads in the north and in the south. Greyhound Lines provides some bus service. Interstate 15 passes through the southern tip of the state, serving Las Vegas and other communities. I-215 and spur route I-515 also serve the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Interstate 80 crosses through the northern part of Nevada, roughly following the path of the Humboldt River from Utah in the east and passing westward through Reno and into California. It has a spur route, I-580. Nevada also is served by several federal highways: US 6, US 50, US 93, US 95 and US 395. There are also 189 Nevada state highways. Nevada is one of a few states in the U.S. that does not have a continuous interstate highway linking its two major population centers. Even the non-interstate federal highways aren't contiguous between the Las Vegas and Reno areas.

The state is one of just a few in the country that allow semi-trailer trucks with three trailers—what might be called a "road train" in Australia. However, American versions are usually smaller, in part because they must ascend and descend some fairly steep mountain passes.

RTC Transit is the public transit system in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The agency is the largest transit agency in the state and operates a network of bus service across the Las Vegas Valley, including the use of The Deuce, double-decker buses, on the Las Vegas Strip and several outlying routes. RTC RIDE operates a system of local transit bus service throughout the Reno-Sparks metropolitan area. Other transit systems in the state include Carson City's JAC. Most other counties in the state do not have public transportation at all.

Additionally, a four mile (6 km) monorail system provides public transportation in the Las Vegas area. The Las Vegas Monorail line services several casino properties and the Las Vegas Convention Center on the east side of the Las Vegas Strip, running near Paradise Road, with a possible future extension to McCarran International Airport. Several hotels also run their own monorail lines between each other, which are typically several blocks in length.

McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas is the busiest airport serving Nevada. The Reno-Tahoe International Airport (formerly known as the Reno Cannon International Airport) is the other major airport in the state.

Law and government

The current Governor of Nevada is Brian Sandoval, a Republican; the governor of Nevada is limited by the Nevada Constitution to two four-year terms in office, by election or succession (lifetime limit). Nevada's two U.S. senators are Harry Reid (Democrat) and Dean Heller (Republican), who, by the United States Constitution, have no term limits. Reid is also the current Majority Leader in the US Senate. Nevada's U.S. Representatives are Republicans Joe Heck and Democrat Shelley Berkley. The third representative's seat is vacant.

Legislature

The Nevada Legislature is a bicameral body divided into an upper house Senate and a lower house Assembly. Members of the Senate serve for four years, and members of the Assembly serve for two years. Both houses of the Nevada Legislature will be impacted by term limits starting in 2010, as Senators and Assemblymen/women will be limited to a maximum of 12 years service in each house (by appointment or election which is a lifetime limit) – this provision in the constitution was recently upheld for legislators by the Supreme Court of Nevada in a unanimous decision (7–0), so term limits will be in effect starting in 2010. Each session of the Legislature meets for a constitutionally mandated 120 days in every odd-numbered year, or longer if the Governor calls a special session. Currently, the Senate is controlled by the Democratic Party (12 to 9 majority) and the Assembly is controlled by the Democratic Party (28 to 14 majority).

Judiciary

Nevada is one of the few U.S. states without a system of intermediate appellate courts.

The state supreme court is the Supreme Court of Nevada.

Original jurisdiction is divided between the District Courts (with general jurisdiction), and Justice Courts and Municipal Courts (both of limited jurisdiction).

Libertarian laws

In 1900, Nevada's population was the smallest of all states and was shrinking, as the difficulties of living in a "barren desert" began to outweigh the lure of silver for many early settlers. Historian Lawrence Friedman has explained what happened next:

:''"Nevada, in a burst of ingenuity, built an economy by exploiting its sovereignty. Its strategy was to legalize all sorts of things that were illegal in California ... after easy divorce came easy marriage and casino gaming. Even prostitution is legal in Nevada, in any county that decides to allow it. Quite a few of them do."'' With the advent of air conditioning for summertime use and Southern Nevada's mild winters, the fortunes of the state began to turn around, as it did for Arizona, making these two states the fastest growing in the Union.

Prostitution laws

Nevada is the only state where prostitution is legal (under the form of licensed brothels).

Prostitution is specifically illegal by state law in the state's larger jurisdictions, which include Clark County (which contains Las Vegas), Washoe County (which contains Reno), and the independent city of Carson City. Otherwise, it is legal in those counties which specifically vote to permit it.

Divorce laws

Nevada's early reputation as a "divorce haven" arose from the fact that, prior to the no-fault divorce revolution in the 1970s, divorces were quite difficult to obtain in the United States. Already having legalized gaming and prostitution, Nevada continued the trend of boosting its profile by adopting one of the most liberal divorce statutes in the nation. This resulted in ''Williams v. North Carolina'', , in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that North Carolina had to give "full faith and credit" to a Nevada divorce.

Nevada's divorce rate tops the national average.

Tax laws

Nevada's tax laws also draw new residents and businesses to the state. Nevada has no personal income tax or corporate income tax. Since Nevada does not collect income data it cannot share such information with the federal government, the IRS

Nevada's state sales tax rate is 6.85 percent. Counties may impose additional rates via voter approval or through approval of the Legislature; therefore, the applicable sales tax will vary by county from 6.85 percent to 8.1 percent in Clark County. Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, imposes four separate county option taxes in addition to the statewide rate – 0.25 percent for flood control, 0.50 percent for mass transit, 0.25 percent to fund the Southern Nevada Water Authority, and 0.25 percent for the addition of police officers in that county. In Washoe County (which includes Reno), the sales tax rate is 7.725 percent, due to county option rates for flood control, the ReTRAC train trench project, mass transit, and an additional county rate approved under the Local Government Tax Act of 1991.

The lodging tax rate in unincorporated Clark County, which includes the Las Vegas Strip, is 12%. Within the boundaries of the cities of Las Vegas and Henderson, the lodging tax rate is 13%.

Incorporation laws

Nevada also provides friendly environment for the formation of corporations, and many (especially California) businesspeople have incorporated their businesses in Nevada to take advantage of the benefits of the Nevada statute. Nevada corporations offer great flexibility to the Board of Directors and simplify or avoid many of the rules that are cumbersome to business managers in some other states. In addition, Nevada has no franchise tax.

Financial institutions

Similarly, many U.S. states have usury laws limiting the amount of interest a lender can charge, but federal law allows corporations to 'import' these laws from their home state.

Drug and alcohol laws

Non-alcohol drug laws are a notable exception to Nevada's otherwise libertarian principles. It is notable for having the harshest penalties for drug offenders in the country. Nevada remains the only state to still use mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines for marijuana possession. However, it is now a misdemeanor for possession of less than one ounce but only for persons age 21 and older. In 2006, voters in Nevada defeated attempts to allow possession of 1 ounce of marijuana (for personal use) without being criminally prosecuted, (55% against legalization, 45% in favor of legalization). However, Nevada is one of the states that allows for use of marijuana for medical reasons (though this remains illegal under federal law).

Nevada has very liberal alcohol laws. Bars are permitted to remain open 24 hours, with no "last call". Liquor stores, convenience stores and supermarkets may also sell alcohol 24 hours per day, and may sell beer, wine and spirits.

Smoking

Nevada voters enacted a smoking ban ("the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act") in November 2006 that became effective on December 8, 2006. It outlaws smoking in most workplaces and public places. Smoking is permitted in bars, but only if the bar serves no food, or the bar is inside a larger casino. Smoking is also permitted in casinos, hotel rooms, tobacco shops, and brothels. However, some businesses do not obey this law and the government tends not to enforce it. Yet, in one case, they did prosecute an establishment called "Bilbo's." As of 2008, the trial was still pending.

Crime

Nevada has been ranked as the most dangerous state in the U.S. for five years in a row, just ahead of Louisiana In 2006, the crime rate in Nevada was approximately 24% higher than the national average rate. Property crimes accounted for approximately 84.6% of the crime rate in Nevada which was 21% higher than the national rate. The remaining 20.3% were violent crimes and were approximately 45% higher than other states. In 2008, Nevada had the third highest murder rate, and the highest rate of robbery and motor vehicle theft. It should be noted that many of these statistics may not totally be attributed to the citizens of Nevada themselves, but partially to the high rate of visitors entering and leaving the state as well. In addition, the state's most populous county, Clark (accounting for 75% of the state's total population), skews the crime rate for the balance of the state.

Politics

+ Presidential elections results
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{| class=wikitable ! colspan = 6 | Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of June 2010 |- ! colspan = 2 | Party ! Active Voters ! Inactive Voters ! Total Voters ! Percentage | Democratic | style="text-align:center;"| 456,672 | style="text-align:center;"| 126,158 | style="text-align:center;"| 580,393 | style="text-align:center;"| 43.10% | Republican | style="text-align:center;"| 398,898 | style="text-align:center;"| 79,414 | style="text-align:center;"| 475,764 | style="text-align:center;"| 35.33% | Unaffiliated | style="text-align:center;"| 163,816 | style="text-align:center;"| 49,731 | style="text-align:center;"| 213,329 | style="text-align:center;"| 15.84% | Minor Parties | style="text-align:center;"| 57,984 | style="text-align:center;"| 19,352 | style="text-align:center;"| 77,079 | style="text-align:center;"| 5.72% |- ! colspan = 2 | Total ! style="text-align:center;"| 1,077,370 ! style="text-align:center;"| 274,655 ! style="text-align:center;"| 1,346,565 ! style="text-align:center;"| 100% |}

State politics

Due to heavy growth in the southern portion of the state, there is a noticeable divide between politics of northern and southern Nevada. The north has long maintained control of key positions in state government, even while the population of southern Nevada is larger than the rest of the state combined. The north sees the high population south becoming more influential and perhaps commanding majority rule. The south sees the north as the "old guard" trying to rule as an oligarchy. This has fostered some resentment, however, due to a term limit amendment passed by Nevada voters in 1994, and again in 1996, some of the north's hold over key positions will soon be forfeited to the south, leaving Northern Nevada with less power.

Clark and Washoe counties—home to Las Vegas and Reno, respectively—have long dominated the state's politics. Between them, they cast 87 percent of Nevada's vote, and elect a substantial majority of the state legislature. The great majority of the state's elected officials are either from Las Vegas or Reno.

National politics

Nevada has voted for the winner in every presidential election since 1912, except in 1976 when it voted for Gerald Ford over Jimmy Carter. This gives the state status as a political bellwether.

Nevada supported Democrat Bill Clinton in the 1992 and 1996 presidential elections, Republican George W. Bush won in 2000 and 2004, and Democrat Barack Obama won the state in 2008.

The state's U. S. Senators are Democrat Harry Reid, the Senate Majority Leader, and Republican Dean Heller. The Governorship is held by Brian Sandoval, a Republican from Reno.

State government

State departments and agencies:

Department of Secretary of State

Department of Taxation

Commission on Tourism

Department of Transportation

Nevada State Treasurer

Universities and Community Colleges of Nevada

Nevada Office of Veterans' Services

Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education

Nevada Department of Wildlife

Local government

Incorporated towns in Nevada, known as cities, are given the authority to legislate anything not prohibited by law. A recent movement has begun to permit home rule in incorporated Nevada cities to give them more flexibility and fewer restrictions from the Legislature.

Unincorporated towns are settlements eminently governed by the county in which they are located, but who, by local referendum or by the act of the county commission, can form limited local governments in the form of a Town Advisory Board (TAB)/ Citizens Advisory Council (CAC), or a Town Board.

Town Advisory Boards and Citizens Advisory Councils are formed purely by act of the county commission. Consisting of three to five members, these elected boards form a purely advisory role, and in no way diminish the responsibilities of the county commission that creates them. Members of advisory councils and boards are elected to two year terms, and serve without compensation. The councils and boards, themselves, are provided no revenue, and oversee no budget.

Town Boards are limited local governments created by either the local county commission, or by referendum. The board consists of five members elected to four-year terms. Half the board is required to be up for election in each election. The board elects from within its ranks a town chairperson and town clerk. While more powerful than Town Advisory Boards and Citizens Advisory Councils, they also serve a largely advisory role, with their funding provided by their local county commission. The local county commission has the power to put before residents of the town a vote on whether to keep or dissolve a town board at any general election. Town boards have the ability to appoint a town manager if they choose to do so.

Significant cities and towns

{| |- |valign=top| 591,536 align=left>Henderson, Nevada align=left align=left align=left align=left align=left align=left align=left align=left

Rank	City !! Population withincity limits !! Land Area sq. miles !! PopulationDensity per sq mi !! County
1	align=left	|	131.3	4,217.8	Clark County, Nevada>Clark
2	Henderson ||	265,790	79.7	2,200.8	Clark County, Nevada>Clark
3	North Las Vegas ||	216,672	78.5	1,471.0	Clark County, Nevada>Clark
4	Reno ||	214,853	69.1	2,611.4	Washoe County, Nevada>Washoe
5	Sunrise Manor ||	195,727	38.2	4,081.8	Clark County, Nevada>Clark
6	Paradise ||	186,070	47.1	3,947.3	Clark County, Nevada>Clark
7	Spring Valley ||	175,581	33.4	3,519.4	Clark County, Nevada>Clark
8	Sparks ||	88,518	23.9	2,773.6	Washoe County, Nevada>Washoe
9	Carson City ||	58,350	143.4	366	Carson City
10	Pahrump ||	44,614	297.9	82.7	Nye County>Nye

|}

Paradise, Sunrise Manor, and Spring Valley are unincorporated towns in the Las Vegas metropolitan area.

1,715,337 align=left>Washoe County, Nevada align=left align=left align=left align=left align=left align=left align=left align=left

Rank	County !! Population withincounty limits !! Land Area sq. miles !! PopulationDensity per sq mi !! Largest city
1	align=left	|	7,910	174	Las Vegas, Nevada>Las Vegas
2	Washoe ||	383,453	6,342	54	Reno, Nevada>Reno
3	Carson City ||	56,146	155.7	366	Carson City, Nevada>Carson City
4	Douglas ||	47,803	710	58	Gardnerville Ranchos, Nevada>Gardnerville Ranchos
5	Elko ||	46,499	17,179	3	Elko, Nevada>Elko
6	Lyon ||	44,646	1,994	17	Fernley, Nevada>Fernley
7	Nye ||	38,181	18,147	2	Pahrump, Nevada>Pahrump
8	Churchill ||	26,106	4,929	5	Fallon, Nevada>Fallon
9	Humboldt ||	17,129	9,648	2	Winnemucca, Nevada>Winnemucca
10	White Pine ||	8,966	8,876	1	Ely, Nevada>Ely

''Note: table was compiled using Nevada State estimates from 2004 for population and Census 2000 for area and density''

10 richest places in Nevada

Ranked by per capita income align=right>$52,521 align=left align=left align=left align=left align=left align=left align=left align=left align=left

Rank	Place !! GDP !! County
1	align=left	|align=right | Washoe
2	Kingsbury ||	$41,421	align=right
3	Mount Charleston ||	$38,821	align=right
4	Verdi-Mogul ||	$38,233	Washoe
5	Zephyr Cove-Round Hill Village ||	$37,218	Douglas
6	Summerlin South ||	$33,017	Clark
7	Blue Diamond ||	$30,479	Clark
8	Minden ||	$30,405	Douglas
9	Boulder City ||	$29,770	Clark
10	Spanish Springs ||	$26,908	Washoe

Education

Colleges and universities

Nevada System of Higher Education

*University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV)

*University of Nevada, Reno (UNR)

*Nevada State College

*Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC)

*Great Basin College

*College of Southern Nevada (CSN)

*Western Nevada College (WNC)

Sierra Nevada College

Touro University Nevada

University of Southern Nevada

Research institutes

Desert Research Institute

Parks and recreation areas

Recreation areas maintained by the National Park Service

Northern Nevada

California National Historic Trail

Death Valley National Park

Great Basin National Park near Baker

Old Spanish National Historic Trail

Pony Express National Historic Trail

Southern Nevada

Ash Meadows National Wildlife Preserve

Bootleg Canyon Mountain Bike Park

Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest

Mount Charleston and the Mount Charleston Wilderness

Spring Mountains and the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area

Lake Mead National Recreation Area

Wilderness

There are 68 designated wilderness areas in Nevada, protecting some under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management.

State parks

See: ''List of Nevada state parks''.

Sports

Nevada is not well known for its professional sports, but the state takes pride in college sports, most notably the Nevada Wolf Pack (representing the University of Nevada, Reno) of the Western Athletic Conference and the UNLV Rebels of the Mountain West Conference. In 2012, Nevada will join its cross-state rival in the MWC.

UNLV is most remembered for its men's basketball program, which experienced its height of supremacy in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Coached by Jerry Tarkanian, the Runnin' Rebels became one of the most elite programs in the country. In 1990, UNLV won the Men's Division I Championship by defeating Duke 103–73, which set tournament records for most points scored by a team and largest margin of victory in the national title game. In 1991, UNLV finished the regular season undefeated. Forward Larry Johnson won several awards, including the Naismith Award. UNLV reached the Final Four yet again, but lost their national semifinal against Duke 79–77, and is referred to as one of the biggest upsets in the NCAA Tournament. The Runnin' Rebels were the Associated Press pre-season #1 back to back (1989–90, 1990–91). North Carolina is the only other team to accomplish that (2007–08, 2008–09).

The state is also home to one of the most famous tennis players of all time, Andre Agassi.

Nevada sports teams

Professional

Las Vegas Locomotives, United Football League

Las Vegas 51s, Minor League Baseball (AAA)

Las Vegas Wranglers, ECHL

Reno Aces, Minor League Baseball (AAA)

Reno Bighorns, NBA D-League

Nevada Pumas, QuickHit Football League

College

Nevada Wolf Pack, UNR

UNLV Rebels

The state is also home to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and NASCAR event and the National Rodeo.

Military

Several United States Navy ships have been named USS ''Nevada'' in honor of the state. They include:

USS Nevada

USS Nevada (BM-8)

USS Nevada (BB-36)

USS Nevada (SSBN-733)

Area 51 is located near Groom Lake, a dry salt lake bed. The much smaller Creech Air Force Base is located in Indian Springs, Nevada; Naval Air Station Fallon in Fallon; Hawthorne Army Depot in Hawthorne; and the Tonopah Test Range near Tonopah.

These bases host a number of activities including the Joint Unmanned Aerial Systems Center of Excellence, the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center, Nevada Test and Training Range, Red Flag, the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, the United States Air Force Warfare Center, the United States Air Force Weapons School, and the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School.

Songs about Nevada

"Silver State Fanfare" – the Official State March by Gerald G. Willis. Codified by the Nevada Legislature in 2001 at NRS 235.035

"Sands of Nevada" from Mark Knopfler's 2000 release ''Sailing to Philadelphia''

"Sin City" from Limbeck's 2005 release ''Let Me Come Home''

"Home Means Nevada", the state song of Nevada, by Bertha Rafetto

"Nevada" by Riders in the Sky from the album ''Best of the West''

"Night Time In Nevada" by Dulmage/Clint/Pascoe, 1931

"Nevada's Grace" by Atreyu, twelfth track off 2004's ''The Curse''

Future issues

Nevada enjoys many economic advantages, and the southern portion of the state enjoys mild winter weather, but rapid growth has led to some overcrowded roads and schools. Nevada has the nation's 5th largest school district in the Clark County School District (projected fall 2007 enrollment is 314,000 students grades K-12). While the state was recently one of the fastest growing in the country, population growth slowed down to a halt in 2008.

In 2008, the "American State Litter Scorecard," presented at the American Society for Public Administration national conference, positioned Nevada next to Mississippi and Louisiana as one of the worst states for removing litter from public roadways and properties.

In August 2008, it was announced that Boyd Gaming would halt construction on a 4.2 billion dollar project called Echelon, which was to replace the old Stardust Resort & Casino. The reason cited for this is lack of funding/credit from banks.

Coyote Springs is a proposed community for 240,000 inhabitants in Clark and Lincoln counties. It would be Nevada's largest planned city. The town is being developed by Harvey Whittemore and has generated some controversy because of environmental concerns and allegations of political favoritism.

State symbols

State animal: Desert Bighorn Sheep

State artifact: Tule Duck Decoy

State bird: Mountain Bluebird

State colors: silver and blue

State fish: Lahontan cutthroat trout

State flower: Sagebrush (''Artemisia tridentata'')

State fossil: Ichthyosaur

State grass: Indian ricegrass

State march: "Silver State Fanfare" by Gerald Willis

State metal: Silver (Ag)

State mottos: "Battle Born" and "All For Our Country"

State precious gemstone: Virgin Valley black fire opal

State semiprecious gemstone: Nevada turquoise

State slogan: "The Battle Born State"

State song: "Home Means Nevada" by Bertha Raffetto

State reptile: Desert Tortoise

State rock: Sandstone

State soil: Orovada (soil) series

State tartan: A particular tartan designed for Nevada by Richard Zygmunt Pawlowski

State trees: Single-leaf Pinyon pine and Bristlecone pine (''Pinus longaeva'')

See also

Great Basin

List of National Register of Historic Places in Nevada

List of people from Nevada

U.S. state

References

External links

Official state website

Nevada State Databases – Annotated list of searchable databases produced by Nevada state agencies and compiled by the Government Documents Roundtable of the American Library Association.

State Tourism website

Nevada state symbols

Secretary of State of Nevada

Nevada Classifieds

Nevada State Library and Archives

Energy Profile for Nevada

USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of Nevada

US Census Bureau

County Maps of Nevada Full color maps. List of cities, towns and county seats

Nevada State Facts

Pronunciation Guide: Nevada

Forgotten Nevada – Ghost Towns and Mining Camps of Nevada

Nevada's Historical Markers

Category:States of the United States Category:Former Spanish colonies Category:States and territories established in 1864 Category:Western United States

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Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
name	Hello Hurricane
type	studio
artist	Switchfoot
cover	Hellohurricane.jpg
released
recorded	2007–09Spot X Studio
genre	Alternative rock, post-grunge, hard rock
length	49:03
label	lowercase people records/Atlantic
producer	Charlie PeacockKen AndrewsMike ElizondoRob CavalloSwitchfoot
last album	''The Best Yet''(2008)
this album	''Hello Hurricane''(2009)
next album	''iTunes Session''(2010)
misc	}}

''Hello Hurricane'' is the seventh studio album by American alternative rock band Switchfoot. On February 13, 2011, the album won the award for Best Rock Gospel Album at the 53rd Grammy Awards. It was co-produced by the band and Mike Elizondo, after initially self-producing their work, as well as test runs with producers such as Ken Andrews and Charlie Peacock. The album was recorded mainly in the band's Spot X Studio in their hometown of San Diego, California. It was originally to be released on October 6, 2009, but was pushed back to a November 10, 2009 release on their independent record label, the Atlantic-distributed lowercase people records.

On December 1, 2010, ''Hello Hurricane'' was nominated for the Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album award for the 53rd Grammy Awards. On February 13, 2011, the album was awarded the Grammy.

Recording and production

Recording sessions with Charlie Peacock

Pre-production for ''Hello Hurricane'' began during the first week of August 2007. That week, the band recorded 13 songs at Big Fish Studio under the guidance of producer Charlie Peacock, who was the founder of the band's first independent label, Re:Think Records. As an experiment, the band "set up all in one room" and tracked the songs live. These new song ideas were then indefinitely shelved when the band embarked on their fall Appetite for Construction Tour with Relient K, with drummer Chad Butler later calling the sessions a "failed experiment".

The band does credit Peacock with encouraging them throughout that time period, positing that the band was "reaching for a horizon that's much larger" than anything they'd done before. The band walked away from their time with Peacock determined to keep "pushing for something we hadn't felt yet...just that desire to go back in and keep writing and keep pushing and looking".

Major label independence

After the Peacock sessions, the band revealed on August 9 that they had left their Major record label, Columbia/SonyBMG, and intended to independently release their follow-up to 2006's ''Oh! Gravity.''

To usher in this new period of label independence, the band began construction of a recording studio in San Diego on October 12, 2007. Soon after, it was announced that they had founded an independent record label imprint called lowercase people records, under which proceeding projects, including the as-yet-untitled new studio album, would be released.

In May 2008, Switchfoot moved into their new studio which they called Spot X, and recording for the record was kicked into high gear in June, with the band proceeding without a producer. "I feel like we've got a fairly firm grip on what we want to do and I feel like we can get there on our own", Switchfoot singer Jon Foreman said at the time. Progress was halted briefly when the band embarked on the Music Builds Tour in August, but was resumed soon after.

Sessions resume with Mike Elizondo and Darrell Thorp

On October 30, it was revealed that Grammy Award-winning engineer Darrell Thorp, who has worked with the likes of Radiohead and Outkast, had been working with Switchfoot in the studio for the new record, and later, producer Mike Elizondo was brought on board for the last few months of recording.

Work on the record was once more halted in January 2009 when Foreman embarked on a national tour with Fiction Family, a side project band involving Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek. No further news was heard from Switchfoot again until late February, when the band announced they had finished selecting the final song list.

In March, the band tracked a few sessions with engineer Ryan Petersen and drummer Chad Butler reported they were "rounding 3rd base" on the album and that it was near completion.

Final mixing began on April 7, and later on, the band announced that during the sessions, they had actually been at work on 4 albums-worth of material. The album's title was announced on the 24th, and on May 30, Switchfoot sent out an email saying that "''Hello Hurricane''" was finished.

Rob Cavallo and Atlantic Records

After its completion, the album found its way into the hands of Rob Cavallo, newly appointed as Chief Creative Officer with Warner Music Group and Atlantic Records. Cavallo liked what he heard and contacted Switchfoot, eventually signing them on to a 360 Deal to distribute ''Hello Hurricane'' through Atlantic Records.

"We tracked the whole record completely on our own dime and basically just our own opinions what the record should be", said Jon Foreman. "And then Atlantic chased us down".

Shortly after signing on, the band held several sessions with Cavallo to rework some of the songs for radio.

Musical and lyrical content

The album from the outset was described to be different from any previous work the band has done. "We wanted to start with a clean slate because the last couple of records felt kind of compromised", said Foreman concerning the period the band had with Columbia Records after 2003's ''The Beautiful Letdown''. He describes the time period with their former label as one filled with personnel turnover, which eventually led to their departure from Sony because "we wanted to create an environment where we were going to be with the same people for a long time and trust is established."

During the early stages of production, Foreman said that the record was going to sound different sonically, initially "shaping up to be more acoustic AND more electronic". "You know, it’s one of those things where you get to a point where you kind of want to shock yourself again", said Foreman.

Later in August, Foreman said that "there are so many different directions we can go in. One of the songs has a (Led) Zeppelin feel. One of them has more of a Devo feel... I feel like the headspace we're in now, the glass ceiling's been shattered."

In January 2009, Foreman said that the sonic direction had been taken in three directions, with some songs being more "beat driven", some "punchy," and others "a little bit broader, ethereal," with the band ultimately deciding to go with an amalgam of the three elements.

The overall writing for the record was also varied, with shifts in style and production. Foreman attributes this to Thorp's input, crediting the engineer with creating a landscape in which "the darks are darker and the lights are brighter and the lows are lower and the highs are higher". The enlisting of Hip-hop/R&B producer Mike Elizondo late in the process brought a "new synergy" to the sessions, with drummer Chad Butler describing Elizondo as "someone who's got such a rhythmic sensibility".

With all the artistic freedom came increasingly large amounts of material in what bassist Tim Foreman calls "a very prolific season for us." The challenge for Switchfoot became a question of "how do you define yourself?" according to Butler. "You’ve got all these different songs and different styles and different musical experimentations. It becomes a big mess..." It quickly became clear that very few of the experimental tracks were going to make the record, with producer Elizondo telling the band to not "be afraid of what you've done for the past six records". In the end, the band decided to go in the direction of making "a statement" and defining who they are in an independent era, "and that’s when it came down to what are the songs saying and which ones mean the most to us."

Elizondo asked the band, "What are the songs that only you can bring? What are the songs that only Switchfoot can deliver?" And it was with that lens that the band chose the final track listing for ''Hello Hurricane''. The inspiration for the album title comes from the story of a woman the band worked with during post-Hurricane Katrina who had lost her leg during the evacuation. "Her statement was, 'I walked out of my old house, I'm gonna walk into this new one,'" recalls Butler.

Studio webcam and Twitter

As in the ''Oh! Gravity.'' sessions, the band installed a webcam in the studio to give fans a "fly-on-the-wall" view of their progress. Instead of the refresh-still-images camera that was utilized for the ''Gravity'' sessions, this version of the webcam featured real-time video streaming. It was launched for the first time on July 1, 2008, and was chronicled periodically on the fan-made Switchfoot Webcam Blog 2008.

Later, the band switched over to their Twitter account to update fans on the final stages of production for the album.

Release

Promotion

The song "Hello Hurricane" was first debuted at a May 8, 2009 concert in Visalia, California when the band played a preview of the album version of the song through the PA system for fans to hear. One fan recorded the song and posted it online, providing listeners with the first taste of the band's new material.

Switchfoot began unveiling the new material throughout the Summer Festival tour season, beginning with "Mess of Me", which was played live for the first time on June 18 at the Big Ticket Festival in Michigan. "Hello Hurricane," "Bullet Soul," "Needle and Haystack Life," and "The Sound (John M. Perkins' Blues)" were all debuted throughout the season as well.

Switchfoot also occasional listening parties across the United States to give fans a chance to hear the album in its entirety. Entrusting a master copy of the record to the YouTube online video content provider, Corey Vidal, fans got rare opportunities to hear ''Hello Hurricane'' during certain stops on Vidal's "Youtube Road Trip".

In September, Switchfoot released a music video for the lead single, "Mess of Me", to YouTube. The band also played a short string of radio shows to promote the upcoming record, debuting a stripped version of "Free" at a 99x radio session on September 9. The next day, Switchfoot performed "Always" at a show in the Ft. Lauderdale Culture Room in Florida.

Songs from "Hello Hurricane" were featured in 2009 College Football games on ESPN, with "Needle and Haystack Life", "The Sound", and "Bullet Soul" regularly playing before commercial breaks.

On October 16, before the American League Championship Series Game 1 broadcast, a montage of baseball highlights was shown interspersed with live clips of Switchfoot and the song "Free" playing in the background.

On November 3, 2009, the album was premiered in streaming format on the popular social networking site MySpace, giving fans a chance to listen to the new record a week before its release.

"Bullet Soul" was utilized as the theme song for WWE's "TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs" pay-per-view. and aired on ESPN broadcasts throughout the 2010 college football season along with "The Sound."

The band also played a string of late-night television shows after the album's release. They played "Mess of Me" on ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' November 12 and on ''The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien'' on December 2. Switchfoot then opened 2010 by performing "Always" on ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' on January 4, 2010. They also made appearances on ''Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'' and ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' The band was also tapped as one of two acts (the other being The Goo Goo Dolls) to play the ESPN National Championship Tailgate at the Rose Bowl stadium before the BCS National Championship Game on January 7, 2010. Switchfoot continued to receive promotion for the album from the sports world, performing as the house band during the 2010 ESPY Awards pre-show. A few weeks later, they played a concert on the ESPN campus in Bristol, CT.

''Hello Hurricane'' also has gotten some TV show airplay. One Tree Hill played "Your Love Is A Song" during the ending of the episode "You Know I Love You, Don't You", on November 30, 2009 and "Enough to Let Me Go" was played on "Every Picture Tells A Story", on April 26, 2010. "Always" was used for an episode of Grey's Anatomy titled "The Time Warp" on February 18, 2010. The song "Yet" appeared on an a episode of The Vampire Diaries on November 5, 2009.

Distribution

Upon completion of ''Hello Hurricane,'' the band had concluded a season of independence and artistic freedom that hadn't been experienced since the band recorded ''The Beautiful Letdown'' independently. Once this season was concluded, the band began shopping around for a distribution label, "looking for the best partner to give these songs a large platform that is respectful to the people that listen to our music." On August 7, 2009, Switchfoot announced that their independently-owned label, lowercase people records, would be partnering with Atlantic Records to distribute ''Hello Hurricane'' globally. EMI CMG would meanwhile retain the rights to release Switchfoot's material to the Christian market.

Formats

''Hello Hurricane'' was distributed in several different formats and packages, as announced on switchfoot.com. Official pre-sales for the packages began on September 16, 2009.

Digital Download

Standard CD Edition

Vinyl (with physical CD)

Deluxe CD/DVD Edition

Collector's Deluxe Edition (includes CD/DVD/Bonus disc, a hardbound 84-page photo book, an exclusive poster, and extra bonus content)

There is also an iTunes deluxe package available, with exclusive acoustic versions and other tracks.

Reception

''Hello Hurricane'' has received generally favorable reviews, with reviews aggregation website Metacritic calculating an average rating of 74 out of 100. ''Alternative Press'' rated the album 3.5 of 5 stars, calling it "an uplifting, hope-giving affirmation of resurgence from a band who might have been down at one point but were definitely never out." ''Relevant Magazine'' hailed it as "one of the best albums of Switchfoot’s career." Allmusic was also favorable, calling the album Switchfoot's "most natural, effortless outing to date," while ''Billboard'' said ''Hello Hurricane'' is "a sleekly presented modern-rock album with no shortage of bruising guitars or catchy choruses." AbsolutePunk reviewer Gregory Robson was lukewarm in his assessment, giving the record a 77% rating, observing that it "flows with potential and disappointment, promise and filler, which makes for an entirely frustrating listen." But the Times of India's reviewer Nigel Britto was more optimistic. "Hello Hurricane presents a renewed optimism and vigour and a lot more musical experimentation."

''Hello Hurricane'' debuted at number 13 on the Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 39,000 copies. It has sold over 230,000 copies in the United States to date.

Track listing

:''All songs written by Jon Foreman and Tim Foreman, except for "Needle and Haystack Life", "Always", and "Free" by Jon Foreman, and "Your Love Is a Song" by Jon Foreman and Mike Elizondo.'' #"Needle and Haystack Life" – 3:49 #"Mess of Me" – 3:27 #"Your Love Is a Song" – 4:22 #"The Sound (John M. Perkins' Blues)" – 3:47 #"Enough to Let Me Go" – 3:52 #"Free" – 4:03 #"Hello Hurricane" – 4:04 #"Always" – 4:20 #"Bullet Soul" – 3:24 #"Yet" – 3:53 #"Sing It Out" – 5:17 #"Red Eyes" – 4:50

iTunes bonus tracks

#"Mess of Me (Acoustic)" – 3:22 #"Always (Alternate Acoustic Version)" – 4:22 #"Stitches" – 3:07 #*''From the ''Eastern Hymns for Western Shores'' EP.'' #"The Sound (John M. Perkins' Blues)" – 4:47 #*Music video

Japan bonus tracks

"Lucky Man (The Verve Cover)" - 3:14

"The Sound (John M. Perkins' Blues) [Acoustic]" - 3:47

Charts

{|class="wikitable sortable" !Chart (2009) !Peak position |- |Billboard 200 |align="center"|13 |- |''Billboard'' Alternative Albums |align="center"|3 |- |''Billboard'' Christian Albums |align="center"|2 |- |''Billboard'' Rock Albums |align="center"|4 |- | New Zealand RIANZ Albums Chart |align="center"|13 |}

Year-end charts

!End of year chart (2010)	!Position
''Billboard'' Christian Albums

Personnel

Mike Elizondo – producer

Adam Hawkins – engineer, mixing

Ted Jensen – mastering

Darrell Thorp – engineer

Alan Sanderson – engineer

Shane D. Wilson – engineer

Craig Zarkos – engineer

Ryan Petersen - engineer

''Building a Hurricane''

{{infobox album | name	Building a Hurricane | Type compilation | Artist Switchfoot | Cover | Released November 10, 2009 | Recorded 2005–09 | Genre Alternative rock| Length 58:00 | Label lowercase people records | Producer Switchfoot | Reviews

The collector's deluxe edition of ''Hello Hurricane'' came packaged with a B-sides album called ''Building a Hurricane''. It features alternate versions of the album tracks, as well as outtakes and demos culled from the studio sessions for ''Hello Hurricane''. This was available via pre-orders only. This deluxe edition was nominated for a Dove Award for Recorded Music Packaging of the Year at the 42nd GMA Dove Awards.

Track listing

#"Needle (Writing Sessions, San Diego, Spring '08)" – 1:50 #"Needle (July '08 – Take 7)" – 4:16 #"Mess of Me (Charlie Peacock Sessions, Aug. '07)" – 3:05 #"Red Eyes (Jan. 12, 2009 – Take 1)" – 3:24 #"Sing It Out (Writing Session, Raleigh, NC, Fall '08)" – 0:44 #"Sing It Out (Dark Version, Nov. 22 '08 – Take 6)" – 1:46 #"The-Voice-Inside-Your-Head Interlude" – 0:06 #"Your Love Is a Gun (Bullet Soul Early Version)" – 3:31 #"Enough Reprise" – 0:32 #"Yet (Dressing Room Demo, Fall '07)" – 1:36 #"Yet (Nov. 4 '08 – Take 07)" – 3:53 #"Tambo-Cave-at-Gmail-Dot-Com Interlude" – 0:14 #"Sing It Out (Demo, Oct. '09, Prog Drums)" – 4:35 #"Red Eyes (Demo, Early '05)" – 2:15 #"Always Yours (Nov. 13, '08 – Take 9)" – 4:22 #"Always Yours, Tim's Unused Bridge" – 0:50 #"Mess of Me (Demo, Aug. '08 – Take 2, Full Band)" – 3:49 #"Nicaraguan-Maracas Interlude" – 0:25 #"Mess of Me (Early Demos)" – 2:01 #"Your Love Is A Gun (Bullet Soul Laptop Demo)" – 3:25 #"Hello Hurricane (Early Demos)" – 2:22 #"Distortion Interlude" – 0:06 #"Needle (Nov. 18, '08 – Take 12)" – 3:33 #"Sing It Out (Mar. 19, '09)" – 5:29

References

Category:2009 albums Category:Switchfoot albums Category:Lowercase People Records albums Category:Atlantic Records albums Category:2009 compilation albums Category:Albums produced by Rob Cavallo Category:Albums produced by Mike Elizondo

pt:Hello Hurricane

Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
name	Jim Ed Brown
background	solo_singer
birth name	James Edward Brown
birth date	April 01, 1934
origin	Sparkman, Arkansas
instrument	guitar
genre	country
occupation	singer, radio and TV host
years active	1954–present
label	RCA Victor
associated acts	The BrownsHelen Cornelius
website	}}

Jim Ed Brown (born James Edward Brown, April 1, 1934, Sparkman, Arkansas) is an American country music singer who achieved fame in the 1950s with his two sisters as a member of The Browns. He later had a successful solo career from 1965 to 1974, followed by a string of major duet hits with Helen Cornelius through 1981. Brown is currently the host of the ''Country Music Greats Radio Show'', a syndicated country music program from Nashville, Tennessee.

Biography

Brown and his sisters, Maxine and Bonnie, moved to Pine Bluff, Arkansas as children. They formed a singing group in the early 1950s and also sang individually until 1954, when Jim Ed and Maxine signed a record contract as a duo. They earned national recognition and a guest spot on Ernest Tubb's radio show for their humorous song "Looking Back To See", which hit the top ten and stayed on the charts through the summer of 1954.

The Browns

Jim Ed and Maxine were joined in 1955 by 18-year-old Bonnie, and The Browns began performing on ''Louisiana Hayride'' in Shreveport, Louisiana. By the end of 1955, the trio was appearing on KWTO-AM in Springfield, Missouri, and had another top ten hit with "Here Today and Gone Tomorrow", which got a boost by their national appearances on ABC-TV's ''Ozark Jubilee''. They signed with RCA Victor in 1956, and soon had two major hits, "I Take the Chance" and "I Heard the Bluebirds Sing". When Jim Ed was drafted in 1957, the group continued to record while he was on leave, and sister Norma filled in for him on tours. He was stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado.

In 1959, The Browns scored their biggest hit when their folk-pop single "The Three Bells" reached No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 pop and country charts. The song also peaked at No. 10 on ''Billboard's'' Rhythm and Blues listing. The trio had moderate successes on the country music charts. In 1963, they joined the Grand Ole Opry and in 1967 the group disbanded.

Solo career

Brown continued to record for RCA and had a number of country hits, starting in 1965 while still with his sisters. In 1967, he released his first solo top ten hit, "Pop a Top", which became his signature song. In 1970, he gained a crossover hit with "Morning" which went to No. 4 on the country charts and No. 47 on the pop charts. Other hits included "Angel's Sunday" (1971), "Southern Loving" (1973), "Sometime Sunshine" (1974) and "It's That Time Of Night" (1974).

Beginning in 1976, Brown released a string of major duet hits with Helen Cornelius starting with the No. 1 hit, "I Don't Want to Have to Marry You". Other hits for the duo included "Saying Hello, Saying I Love You, Saying Goodbye" (1977), "Born Believer" (1977), "I'll Never Be Free" (1978), "If the World Ran Out of Love Tonight" (1978), "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" (a cover of the then-recent Neil Diamond-Barbra Streisand hit) (1979), "Lying In Love With You" (1979), "Fools" (1979), "Morning Comes Too Early" (1980) and "Don't Bother to Knock" (1981).

Brown hosted the syndicated country radio show ''Jim Ed Brown's Country Place'' and the television show ''Nashville On The Road''. He also hosted The Nashville Network programs, ''You Can Be A Star'' (a talent show), and ''Going Our Way,'' which featured Brown and his wife traveling the U.S. in an RV.

Radio host

Brown currently hosts two nationally-syndicated country music radio shows, the weekly two-hour ''Country Music Greats Radio Show'' and the weekday short-form vignette, ''Country Music Greats Radio Minute''. Both are broadcast by over 300 radio stations to a weekly audience exceeding three million, as well as on the Internet. Recorded at the Hard Scuffle Studios in Nashville, the ''Country Music Greats Radio Show'' blends music from the 1940s through the 1990s with an interview archive of country stars past and present. Brown also tells tales of living and working in the country music industry.

He remains an active and popular member of the Grand Ole Opry, and lives in the south Nashville suburb of Brentwood, Tennessee with his wife Becky.

Discography

References

External links

Official Jim Ed Brown Website

[ Allmusic Jim Ed Brown]

Jim Ed Brown's artist profile at Countrypolitian.com

''Country Music Greats Radio Show'' with Jim Ed Brown

Category:1934 births Category:Living people Category:American country singers Category:American male singers Category:People from Dallas County, Arkansas Category:Grand Ole Opry members

de:Jim Ed Brown

Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
name	Helen Cornelius
background	solo_singer
birth name	Helen Lorene Johnson
birth date	December 06, 1941
origin	Monroe City, Missouri
genre	Country
occupation	Singer-songwriter
years active	1975-present
label	DotRCA VictorMCA
associated acts	Jim Ed Brown
website	www.helencornelius.com/ }}

Helen Cornelius (b. Helen Lorene Johnson, Dec. 6, 1941, Monroe City, Missouri) is an American country singer-songwriter and actress, best remembered for a series of hit duets with Jim Ed Brown, many of which reached the U.S. country singles top ten during the late 1970s and early '80s.

Biography

Cornelius grew up on a farm in Missouri; her older brothers played in country bands, and she formed a singing trio with sisters Judy and Sharon, who toured locally with the blessing of their father. Subsequently, Helen began touring on her own with a backup band called The Crossroads.

After completing high school, Cornelius wed and became employed as a secretary. She began touring again at the end of the 1960s and signed with Screen Gems Music as a songwriter in 1970. When the company went under, she sent a demo tape to Jerry Crutchfield, who offered her a contract with MCA Records; eventually she signed with Columbia Records, with whom she released two singles. In 1975, she signed with RCA Records; two further singles followed with little recognition.

In 1976, she recorded a duet, "I Don't Want to Have to Marry You" with Jim Ed Brown; it was a major success in America. Further solo singles failed to take off, but her next duet with Brown, "Saying Hello, Saying I Love You, Saying Goodbye", was another smash, and the pair began playing on the TV show ''Nashville on the Road''. She continued to record with Brown, releasing the hits "I'll Never Be Free", "If the World Ran Out of Love Tonight", "Don't Bother to Knock", "Lying in Love with You", and finally notching a solo hit with "Whatcha Doin' After Midnight Baby". In 1981, after topping the U.S. country charts one last time with Brown with "Morning Comes too Early", Cornelius separated with Brown, and enjoyed moderate success as a solo artist, touring with The Statler Brothers and performing in an ''Annie Get Your Gun'' road show. In 1988, she and Brown reunited for a nationwide tour.

Cornelius opened Nashville South in Gatlinburg, Tennessee in the 1990s, where she performed with a house band nightly. Early in the 2000s, she took a regular gig at the Jim Stafford Theater in Branson, Missouri. Most recently, Cornelius has appeared in the Country's Family Reunion series.

Discography

Albums

! Year	! Album	! Label
1975	''Helen Cornelius''	Dot
1985	''Helen Cornelius''	MCA

Albums with Jim Ed Brown

Year	Album	Chart Positions		Label
		! width="50"	CAN Country
1976	''I Don't Want to Have to Marry You''
1977	''Born Believer''
1978	''I'll Never Be Free''
1979	''You Don't Bring Me Flowers''
1980	''One Man, One Woman''
1981	''Greatest Hits''

Singles

Year	Single	Chart Positions		Album
		! width="50"	CAN Country
1976	"There's Always a Goodbye"			''I Don't Want to Have to Marry You''
1978	"Whatcha Doin' After Midnight, Baby"
1979	"It Started with a Smile"
1981	"Love Never Comes Easy"
1983	"If Your Heart's a Rollin' Stone"

Singles with Jim Ed Brown

Year	Single	Chart Positions		Album
		US Country	CAN Country
	"I Don't Want to Have to Marry You"
"Saying Hello, Saying I Love You, Saying Goodbye"
	"Born Believer"
"If It Ain't Love by Now"
"Fall Softly Snow"			Single only
	"I'll Never Be Free"			''I'll Never Be Free''
"If the World Ran Out of Love Tonight"
	"Lying in Love with You"
"Fools"
	"Morning Comes Too Early"
"The Bedroom"
1981	"Don't Bother to Knock"

References

[ Helen Cornelius] at Allmusic

External links

Category:1941 births Category:American country singers Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Missouri

de:Helen Cornelius