Famous for gambling and glamorous nightlife, Nevada also has a rich history and tradition, magnificent scenery, and some of the wildest desert country on the continent.

Tourism is still the lifeblood of Nevada, with some 42 million visitors a year coming for vacation or conventions. Because of its central location and lack of inventory tax on goods bound out of state, Nevada is becoming increasingly important as a warehousing center for the Western states.

Gambling (Nevadans call it "gaming") was first legalized in the Depression year of 1931, the same year residency requirements for obtaining a divorce were relaxed. Gaming is strictly controlled and regulated in Nevada, and casinos offer each bettor a fair chance to win. Taxes derived from the casinos account for nearly half of the state's revenue.

Most Nevadans feel that it is preferable to license, tax, and regulate gambling strictly than to tolerate the evils of bribery and corruption that inevitably accompany illegal gambling activities. While the state enforces numerous regulations, such as those barring criminals and prohibiting cheating, it does not control the odds on the various games.

Although Nevada has little rainfall and few rivers, water sports are popular on a few large lakes, both natural and man-made. These include Lakes Tahoe, Mead, and Lahontan; Pyramid Lake; and Walker Lake.

Mining and ranching have always been important facets of Nevada's economy. Sheep raising became important when millions of sheep were needed to feed the hungry miners working Nevada's Comstock Lode and California's Mother Lode. Most of these sheepherders were Basque. Although today's sheepherder is more likely of Peruvian or Mexican descent, the Basques are still an important influence in the state.

Because of Nevada's arid land, cattle have to roam over a wide area; therefore, ranches average more than 2,000 acres in size. Most Nevada beef cattle are shipped to California or to the Midwest for fattening prior to marketing.

Known for its precious metals, Nevada produces more than $2.6 billion worth of gold and silver a year. Eerie ghost towns still hint at the romantic early days of fabulous gold and silver strikes that made millionaires overnight and generated some of the wildest history in the world. In the southern part of the state, the deserted mining camps of Rhyolite, Berlin, Belmont, Goodsprings, and Searchlight, to name a few, still delight explorers. Industrial metals and minerals also have an impact on the economy.

The fur traders of the 1820s and 1830s, Jedediah Smith, Peter Ogden, and Joseph Walker and the Frémont expeditions, guided by Kit Carson in 1848, were the first to report on the area that is now Nevada.

The Mormons established a trading post in 1851. Now called Genoa, this was Nevada's first non-Indian settlement. Gold was found along the Carson River in Dayton Valley in May of 1850. A decade later, the fabulous Comstock Lode (silver and gold ore) was discovered. The gold rush was on, and Virginia City mushroomed into a town of 20,000. Formerly a part of Utah and New Mexico Territory, ceded by Mexico in 1848, Nevada became a territory in 1861 and a state in 1864. Before Europeans arrived, Nevada was the home of the Paiute, the Shoshone, and the Washoe, and even earlier, the Basketmakers.

Note: It is illegal to pick many types of wildflowers in Nevada, as well as to gather rocks. Tossing away lighted cigarette butts is also illegal in this dry land.