Ely, Nevada

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For other uses, see Ely (disambiguation).
Ely
City
Downtown Ely
Downtown Ely
Location of Ely, Nevada
Location of Ely, Nevada
Ely is located in the United States
Ely
Ely
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 39°15′12″N 114°52′38″W / 39.25333°N 114.87722°W / 39.25333; -114.87722Coordinates: 39°15′12″N 114°52′38″W / 39.25333°N 114.87722°W / 39.25333; -114.87722
CountryUnited States
StateNevada
CountyWhite Pine
Government
 • MayorNathan Robertson[1][2]
Area
[3]
 • Total7.63 sq mi (19.75 km2)
 • Land7.63 sq mi (19.75 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
6,437 ft (1,962 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total3,924
 • Density514.56/sq mi (198.68/km2)
Time zoneUTC−8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−7 (PDT)
ZIP codes
89301, 89315
Area code775
FIPS code32-23500
GNIS feature ID0859671
Websitewww.cityofelynv.gov

Ely (/ˈiːli/, Ee-lee) is the largest city and county seat of White Pine County, Nevada, United States. Ely was founded as a stagecoach station along the Pony Express and Central Overland Route. In 1906 copper was discovered. Ely's mining boom came later than the other towns along US 50. The railroads connecting the transcontinental railroad to the mines in Austin, Nevada and Eureka, Nevada have long been removed, but the railroad to Ely is preserved as a heritage railway by the Nevada Northern Railway and known as the Ghost Train of Old Ely.[4][5] As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,924.

History[edit]

Ely, 1906
See also: Giroux Mining Accidents

In 1878, Vermont resident J. W. Long came to White Pine County and soon set up a camp known as "Ely", after discovering gold.[6] The name "Ely" has been credited to several possible origins: Long's hometown of Ely, Vermont;[7] a New York Congressman with the surname Ely, who sent Long as a representative according to local historians;[6] Smith Ely, a Vermont native who financed one of the city's early mineral operations;[7][8] and John Ely, an Illinois native who came to Nevada for mining.[7]

Ely was founded as a stagecoach station along the Pony Express and Central Overland Route. Ely's mining boom came later than the other towns along US 50, with the discovery of copper in 1906. This made Ely a mining town, suffering through the boom-and-bust cycles so common in the West. Originally, Ely was home to a number of copper mining companies, Kennecott Utah Copper being the most famous. With a crash in the copper market in the mid-1970s, Kennecott shut down and copper mining disappeared (temporarily).

With the advent of cyanide heap leaching—a method of extracting gold from what was previously considered very low-grade ore—the next boom was on. Many companies processed the massive piles of "overburden" that had been removed from copper mines, or expanded the existing open-pit mines to extract the gold ore. Gold mines as widespread as the Robinson project near Ruth, and AmSelco's Alligator Ridge mine 65 miles (105 km) from Ely, kept the town alive during the 1980s and 1990s, until the recent revival of copper mining.

As Kennecott's smelter was demolished, copper concentrate from the mine is now shipped by rail to Seattle, where it is transported to Japan for smelting. The dramatic increase in demand for copper in 2005 has once again made Ely a copper boom town.

The now-defunct BHP Nevada Railroad ran from the mining district south of Ruth through Ely to the junction with the Union Pacific at Shafter from 1996 to 1999.

Geography and climate[edit]

Ely is 77 miles (124 km) east of Eureka, Nevada, 153 miles (246 km) west of Delta, Utah, 105 miles (169 km) north of Pioche, Nevada, 139 miles (224 km) south of Wells, Nevada, and 120 miles (190 km) south of West Wendover, Nevada.[9]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.1 square miles (18 km2), all of it land.

Ely experiences a semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk), and extreme day-night temperature differences year-round. Ely's nighttime temperatures account for it being listed as one of the coldest places in the contiguous United States, with an average of 214.9 nights per year with a minimum temperature of 32 °F (0 °C) or less, 15.7 nights reaching 0 °F (−17.8 °C) or less, and 21.7 days when the high does not top freezing. On average, the first and last dates of freezing temperatures are September 8 and June 18, respectively, allowing a growing season of only 79 days. Frosts have occurred in every month, even July. The diurnal temperature range of Ely is so great due to its elevation, dry air, clear skies, and location in a valley, allowing for intense radiative cooling at sunset, even after hot summer days. The monthly mean temperature ranges from 26.7 °F (−2.9 °C) in January to 69.3 °F (20.7 °C) in July. High temperatures of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher occur on an average of 29.2 days annually, but, due to the elevation and aridity, the low very rarely manages to stay at or above 60 °F or 16 °C. Extreme temperatures ranged from 101 °F (38.3 °C) on July 18, 1998 down to −30 °F (−34.4 °C) on February 6, 1989.

On average, annual precipitation is 9.41 inches (239 mm), with 72.9 days of measurable precipitation annually. The wettest calendar year is 1897 with 17.20 inches (436.9 mm) and the driest 1974 with 4.22 inches (107.2 mm), though as much as 18.20 inches or 462.3 millimetres fell from July 1982 to June 1983. The most precipitation in one month was 5.52 inches (140.2 mm) in April 1900, and the most in 24 hours was 2.52 inches (64.0 mm) on September 26, 1982. Average annual snowfall is 54.1 inches (1.37 m), while the most snowfall in one month was 42.0 inches (1.07 m) in March 1894, and the greatest depth of snow on the ground 24 inches or 0.61 metres on January 23, 2010 – though data from neighboring Elko suggest greater depths in the winters of 1889/1890, 1915/1916 and 1931/1932. An average winter will see a maximum snow cover of 9 inches or 0.23 metres, though the severe winter of 1951/1952 had fifty days with snow cover over 10 inches or 0.25 metres. The most snowfall in a season has been 110.4 inches (2.80 m) from July 2010 to June 2011 and the least 12.1 inches (0.31 m) from July 1950 to June 1951.[citation needed]

Climate data for Ely, Nevada (Ely Airport), 1991-2020 normals, extremes 1893-present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 68
(20) 		67
(19) 		76
(24) 		83
(28) 		95
(35) 		99
(37) 		101
(38) 		98
(37) 		97
(36) 		86
(30) 		78
(26) 		67
(19) 		101
(38)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 54.5
(12.5) 		57.3
(14.1) 		66.9
(19.4) 		74.8
(23.8) 		83.2
(28.4) 		91.4
(33.0) 		96.5
(35.8) 		93.3
(34.1) 		87.9
(31.1) 		78.2
(25.7) 		67.1
(19.5) 		56.0
(13.3) 		96.7
(35.9)
Average high °F (°C) 41.0
(5.0) 		43.8
(6.6) 		52.4
(11.3) 		58.9
(14.9) 		68.9
(20.5) 		81.1
(27.3) 		89.4
(31.9) 		87.3
(30.7) 		78.0
(25.6) 		64.5
(18.1) 		50.9
(10.5) 		40.8
(4.9) 		63.1
(17.3)
Daily mean °F (°C) 26.7
(−2.9) 		30.
(−1) 		37.7
(3.2) 		43.2
(6.2) 		51.5
(10.8) 		61.3
(16.3) 		69.3
(20.7) 		67.5
(19.7) 		58.4
(14.7) 		46.4
(8.0) 		35.1
(1.7) 		26.2
(−3.2) 		46.1
(7.9)
Average low °F (°C) 12.4
(−10.9) 		16.2
(−8.8) 		22.9
(−5.1) 		27.5
(−2.5) 		34.0
(1.1) 		41.4
(5.2) 		49.1
(9.5) 		47.6
(8.7) 		38.8
(3.8) 		28.3
(−2.1) 		19.2
(−7.1) 		11.7
(−11.3) 		29.1
(−1.6)
Mean minimum °F (°C) −9.6
(−23.1) 		−5.7
(−20.9) 		4.7
(−15.2) 		12.2
(−11.0) 		20.6
(−6.3) 		28.4
(−2.0) 		38.5
(3.6) 		36.8
(2.7) 		24.9
(−3.9) 		12.2
(−11.0) 		0.5
(−17.5) 		−9.3
(−22.9) 		−14.9
(−26.1)
Record low °F (°C) −27
(−33) 		−30
(−34) 		−13
(−25) 		−5
(−21) 		7
(−14) 		18
(−8) 		28
(−2) 		24
(−4) 		15
(−9) 		−7
(−22) 		−20
(−29) 		−29
(−34) 		−30
(−34)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.75
(19) 		0.84
(21) 		0.98
(25) 		1.07
(27) 		1.05
(27) 		0.56
(14) 		0.63
(16) 		0.79
(20) 		0.64
(16) 		0.80
(20) 		0.63
(16) 		0.67
(17) 		9.41
(238)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 10.5
(27) 		9.1
(23) 		9.5
(24) 		5.6
(14) 		2.0
(5.1) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.2
(0.51) 		2.0
(5.1) 		5.9
(15) 		9.6
(24) 		54.4
(137.71)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 7.1 7.0 6.5 8.4 7.6 4.2 5.4 5.8 4.7 4.8 5.0 6.6 73.1
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 5.9 5.9 5.2 4.4 1.4 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.1 3.7 6.0 33.7
Average relative humidity (%) 65.3 64.5 59.4 51.8 47.0 39.8 35.2 38.7 42.4 50.5 59.6 64.3 51.5
Mean monthly sunshine hours 215.0 211.0 265.0 286.8 329.3 362.8 365.3 335.8 309.1 266.5 199.6 197.8 3,344
Percent possible sunshine 71 70 71 72 74 81 81 79 83 77 66 68 75
Source 1: NOAA (sun and relative humidity 1961–1990)[10][11][12]
Source 2: Weather Channel (extremes)[13]

Demographics[edit]

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1890203—
1900525158.6%
19102,055291.4%
19202,0901.7%
19303,04545.7%
19404,14036.0%
19503,558−14.1%
19604,01812.9%
19704,1763.9%
19804,88216.9%
19904,756−2.6%
20004,041−15.0%
20104,2555.3%
20203,924−7.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[14]

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,041 people, 1,727 households, and 1,065 families residing in the city. The population density was 566.8 people per square mile (218.8/km2). There were 2,205 housing units at an average density of 309.3 per square mile (119.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 89.14% White, 0.32% African American, 3.12% Native American, 1.09% Asian, 0.35% Pacific Islander, 3.71% from other races, and 2.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.35% of the population.[15]

There were 1,727 households, out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.3% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.94.[15]

In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.7% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.0 males.[15]

The median income for a household in the city was $36,408, and the median income for a family was $42,168. Males had a median income of $36,016 versus $26,597 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,013. About 11.3% of families and 12.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those aged 65 or over.[15]

Economy[edit]

Tourism[edit]

Ely in 2003

Ely is a tourism center, and is home of the Nevada Northern Railway Museum. The railroad museum features the Ghost Train of Old Ely, a working steam-engine passenger train that travels the historic tracks from Ely to the Robinson mining district.

Ely is the nearest city to the proposed site of the Clock of the Long Now on Mount Washington.[16]

The historic six-story Hotel Nevada and Gambling Hall[17] is in downtown Ely. Opened in 1929, it was the tallest building in Nevada until 1931 and was the state's first fire-proof building. It is a popular lodging, dining, gaming, and tourist stop.

The long stretch of road on State Route 318 near Ely is known for the annual 90 miles (140 km) Silver State Classic Challenge course, an authorized time-trial Cannonball Run-style race that attracts entries from all over the world.

The Ely Renaissance Society is responsible for more than 20 outdoor murals and sculptures in the downtown area. Artists from all over the world have been commissioned to create images of area history, using different art styles. They also maintain a historical village consisting of a general store and several shotgun houses which display the history of the people that came to the area to work for the railroad and the mine.[18]

Ely is also home to regional offices of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, and Nevada Department of Wildlife, all of which have information and staff to help visitors enjoy the rich natural resources of the area.

Outdoors and recreation[edit]

Nearby are Great Basin National Park, Cave Lake State Park, the Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park, and the state parks of Lincoln County, Nevada.

The vast open spaces around Ely are popular with hikers, mountain bikers and cross country skiers.

Ely was the host of the 2016 National Speleological Society's annual convention.[19][20] The Bureau of Land Management, operates an area supporting an elk herd south of town. The Ely Elk Viewing Area offers visitors the opportunity to see an elk community up close.[21]

Mining[edit]

Geologic structure map showing mining operations west of Ely. Hatched area indicates traces of copper while the shaded area indicates traces of gold

Starting in 1867, iron-rich gossans were mined for precious metals in Lane Valley west of Ely. The Aultman and Saxton Mines were operating by the 1870s. The Chainman Mine was developed by the 1890s and became the most productive in the area. Starting in 1903, copper was mined by the Giroux Consolidated Mining Company and by the Nevada Consolidated Copper Company in 1904. In 1913, Consolidated Copper Mines Company took over Giroux.

In 1936, Fulton and Smith first described magnesite, yet by 1942, when deposits were first studied no magnesite mining existed.[22]

In 1943, Kennecott Copper Corporation took over Nevada Consolidated and by 1958 had consolidated all of the properties in the district.[23]

KGHM International Ltd. owns a large copper mine, formerly owned by Quadra FNX, employing 510 people near Ely.[24]

Sports[edit]

From 2006 through 2014, the UNLV Rebels football team of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas held training camp in Ely.[25][26][27]

Infrastructure[edit]

Air[edit]

Commercial air service was available at Ely Airport until March 31, 2013. In 2011, the Ely Airport was frequently cited as one of the rural airports receiving federal subsidies through the Essential Air Service program.[28]

Roads[edit]

The historic Lincoln Highway, the first road across America, went through Ely, entering town from the north on U.S. Route 93 and departing town to the west on U.S. Route 50.

Education[edit]

Ely has a public library, a branch of the White Pine County Library.[29] Ely is part of the White Pine County School District.[30]

Media[edit]

Ely's local newspaper is The Ely Times.[31] Ely has two local radio stations: KDSS (92.7 FM) and KELY (1230 AM). KELY is heard across much of rural Nevada as the flagship of the Nevada Talk Network. Salt Lake City's KSFI radio station is also broadcast in Ely, at 95.3 FM.[32]

Notable people[edit]

  • Helen Delich Bentley - born to Yugoslavian parents and graduating from Ely High School, she was appointed by Richard Nixon to lead the Federal Maritime Regulatory Agency in 1969. She served as a representative for Maryland in the US Congress from 1985 to 1995. [34]
  • Patricia Nixon - Former first lady of the United States was born in Ely. Her father was a miner in the area and the family left when Patricia was two years old. Pat and her husband Richard Nixon visited the area during his 1952 vice-presidential campaign. [35]

In popular culture[edit]

See also[edit]


References[edit]

  1. ^ Roberts-McMurray, Kay Lynn (June 7, 2019). "Robertson wins mayor seat in Ely city elections". The Ely Times. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  2. ^ Micheals, Shadrach (September 27, 2019). "Mayor talks to future voters". The Ely Times. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  3. ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  4. ^ "Ely, Nevada". Nevada Commission on Tourism. Archived from the original on 2008-12-18. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
  5. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  6. ^ a b Hudgins, Houlder (December 25, 1906). "Pen Sketch of Ely's History Glorifies the Pioneer Band". The White Pine News. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  7. ^ a b c Shaputis, June (1996). "How Ely, Nevada Got Its Name, ... Maybe". White Pine Historical and Archaeological Society. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  8. ^ "Ely-Nevada Ghost Town". www.ghosttowns.com. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  9. ^ "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  10. ^ "NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  11. ^ "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved on September 13, 2022.
  12. ^ "WMO Climate Normals for Ely/Yelland, NV 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  13. ^ "Monthly Averages for Ely, NV (89315)". The Weather Channel. Archived from the original on 2014-07-04. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  14. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  15. ^ a b c d "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  16. ^ "Prototype 1–10,000 Year Clock". The Long Now Foundation. December 31, 1999. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
  17. ^ "Hotel Nevada – The Heart of Ely, Nevada". www.hotelnevada.com. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  18. ^ "Ely Art Bank". www.elyrenaissance.com. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  19. ^ Brean, Henry (July 19, 2016). "Cavers descend on Ely for national convention almost too big for rural Nevada town". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  20. ^ "Ely Art Bank to host cave photo exhibit". The Ely Times. July 15, 2016. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  21. ^ "Ely Elk Viewing Area". Bureau of Land Management. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  22. ^ Vitaliano, Charles J. (1951). "Magnesium-Mineral Resources of the Currant Creek District, Nevada" (PDF). Contributions to Economic Geology, 1951 Geological Survey Bulletin 978-A. United States Government Printing Office. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  23. ^ Laurence P. James (1990). Gold in the Ely (Robinson) Copper District, White Pine County, Nevada in USGS Bulletin 1857 Gold in Copper Porphyry Copper Systems. United States Government Printing Office. p. E28-E29.
  24. ^ Quadra FNX Archived 2011-08-19 at the Wayback Machine
  25. ^ "UNLV Rebels football squad practicing in Ely". The Ely Times. August 18, 2006. Retrieved January 16, 2019 – via NewsLibrary.
  26. ^ "UNLV coach thanks Ely for hospitality as Rebels wrap up sixth training camp here". The Ely Times. August 26, 2011. Retrieved January 16, 2019 – via NewsLibrary.
  27. ^ Anderson, Mark (November 22, 2014). "UNLV ends bad year with big rivals". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  28. ^ Demirjian, Karoun (22 July 2011). "1 Nevada FAA worker furloughed in squabble over aviation subsidies". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  29. ^ "Nevada Public Libraries". PublicLibraries.com. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  30. ^ "Services". White Pine County School District. 2022. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  31. ^ Glionna, John M. (April 16, 2016). "Who's in trouble in Ely? Check the police blotter". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  32. ^ Ulibarri, Devin (December 16, 2016). "White Pine TV District: Serving White Pine County with television since the 60's". The Ely Times. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  33. ^ Biographical Sketch (PDF), United States Coast Guard, June 1967, archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-02-02, retrieved 2021-02-16
  34. ^ "Helen Delich Bentley, journalist-turned-politician who promoted Baltimore port, dies at 92 - The Washington Post".
  35. ^ Ely Public Library
  36. ^ "Movie Company Starts Work Filming 'Operation Haylift'". Nevada State Journal. January 12, 1950. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  37. ^ Pasquet, Trinda (July 16, 1985). "Hollywood comes to struggling Ely". Reno Gazette-Journal. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  38. ^ a b c d e f Herndon, Rudy (November 24, 2006). "Film crew finishes Ely movie; another next week". The Ely Times. Retrieved May 10, 2017 – via NewsBank.
  39. ^ Cling, Carol (October 2, 2000). "'Rat Race' trades glitter of Sin City for quiet climes in Ely". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on November 13, 2002.
  40. ^ La Gorce, Tammy. "South of the South Review". AllMusic. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  41. ^ Lim, Dennis (November 19, 2006). "The Master of Time: Wong Kar-wai in America". The New York Times. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  42. ^ "Spotlight on the Music of My Blueberry Nights". Spin. April 2008. p. 110. Retrieved May 10, 2017.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ely, Nevada.

Ely travel guide from Wikivoyage

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