Fernley is a city in
Lyon County,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...
, United States, and part of the
Reno–Sparks metropolitan area
The Reno–Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties in Western Nevada, anchored by the cities of Reno and Sparks, part of Greater Reno-Tahoe- Fernley CSA. As of the ...
CSA. The city was incorporated in 2001. The population of the city was 19,368 at the
2010 census.
Fernley was home to the historic and one of the first
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential econo ...
centers in the world, which has since relocated within the metro area.
Naval Air Station (TOPGUN), the
U.S. Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...
's Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center & TOPGUN training program since 1996, was moved nearby, to Fallon, from
Naval Air Station Miramar
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (MCAS Miramar) , formerly Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Miramar and Naval Air Station (NAS) Miramar, is a United States Marine Corps installation that is home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, which is the avi ...
. The city is home to the Reno-Fernley Raceway,
Tesla’s
Gigafactory 1
Gigafactory Nevada (also known as Giga Nevada or Gigafactory 1) is a lithium-ion battery and electric vehicle component factory in Storey County, Nevada, US. The facility, located east of Reno, is owned and operated by Tesla, Inc., and suppl ...
that produces battery packs and vehicle components nearby at the
Tahoe Reno Industrial Center
The Tahoe Reno Industrial Center (TRI Center, or TRIC) is a privately owned industrial park, located in Storey County, east of Reno, Nevada and south of Interstate 80. The center is the largest in the United States (third largest in the world), ...
, and an under-construction lithium recycling plant by
American Battery Technology Company
American Battery Technology Company, formerly American Battery Metals Corporation, is a US-based battery recycling technology startup founded in 2011. It employs a hydrometallurgical process to recycle batteries and a targeted extraction system ...
.
History
![School House--Chamber of Commerce](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/School_House--Chamber_of_Commerce.jpg)
Fernley, established in 1904, developed as primarily an
agricultural and
ranching community in proximity to Reno. It is unknown why the name "Fernley" was applied to this community. It, along with the defunct settlement of Fernley, California are the only two known places in the world to have the name Fernley.
Much of the farmland in the Fernley area was developed through the Newlands Irrigation Project, which was a result of the
Newlands Reclamation Act
The Reclamation Act (also known as the Lowlands Reclamation Act or National Reclamation Act) of 1902 () is a United States federal law that funded irrigation projects for the arid lands of 20 states in the American West.
The act at first covere ...
of 1902. The project established an
irrigation
Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been devel ...
system that delivers water to an area stretching from
Derby Dam
Derby Dam is a diversion dam built from 1903 to 1905 on the Truckee River, located about east of Reno in Storey and Washoe counties in Nevada, United States. It diverts water into the Truckee Canal that would otherwise enter Pyramid Lake. T ...
, along the
Truckee River
The Truckee River is a river in the U.S. states of California and Nevada. The river flows northeasterly and is long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed October 20, 2012 Th ...
, to the
Lahontan Reservoir
Modern Lake Lahontan is a reservoir on the Carson River in northwest Nevada in the United States. It is formed by the Lahontan Dam, built in 1905 by the Bureau of Reclamation as part of the Newlands Reclamation Act and is located between Fallon, ...
near
Fallon, Nevada
Fallon is a city in Churchill County in the U.S. state of Nevada. The population was 9,327 at time of the 2020 census. Fallon is the county seat of Churchill County and is located in the Lahontan Valley.
History
The community was first populat ...
. Construction and expansion of the system took place from the inception through the 1960s. Many of the concrete irrigation headgates, still in use today, are embossed with the CCC (
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...
) stamp and date of construction. In addition to the irrigation system in the Fernley area, a drainage system was also constructed to carry away excess water and mineral salts from the farmlands. This system consists of channels ( deep) dug adjacent to fields; it eventually terminates in the
sink
A sink is a bowl-shaped plumbing fixture for washing hands, dishwashing, and other purposes. Sinks have a tap (faucet) that supply hot and cold water and may include a spray feature to be used for faster rinsing. They also include a drain t ...
northeast of Fernley. The irrigation system is administered and maintained through the
Truckee–Carson Irrigation District.
The Southern Pacific Railroad completed the
Fernley and Lassen Railway
The Fernley & Lassen was a rail line of the Southern Pacific Railroad constructed in 1912–14 between Fernley, Nevada and Westwood, California, near Susanville, a distance of approximately . The railroad was constructed to connect the Red Rive ...
in 1914. The transcontinental
Lincoln/Victory Highways was built through town in the 1920s.
In 1965, the Nevada
Cement
A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mi ...
Company started operation in a new plant built on the north side of the city between Fernley and
Wadsworth Wadsworth may refer to:
People
* Wadsworth (surname)
* Wadsworth (given name)
Places
* Wadsworth, Illinois, United States, a village
* Wadsworth, Kansas, United States
* Wadsworth, Nevada, United States, a census-designated place
* Wadswo ...
. This was the first significant non-agricultural/ranching business to come to Fernley, aside from the railroad. Primary employment in Fernley began a steady transition to an industrial and commuter base. Beginning in the 1970s, parts of the formerly agricultural and ranching-based lands were transitioning to
housing subdivision
Subdivisions are the act of dividing land into pieces that are easier to sell or otherwise develop, usually via a plat. The former single piece as a whole is then known as a subdivision. Subdivisions may be simple, involving only a single sell ...
s to support the growing population, much of which was spilling over from rapid growth in the Reno-Sparks area. Close proximity to Interstate 80 and abundant land for housing made Fernley an attractive alternative to the increasingly congested and expensive
Truckee Meadows
The Truckee Meadows is a valley in Northern Nevada, named for the Truckee River, which collects and drains all water in the valley. Truckee Meadows is also colloquially used as a name for the Reno–Tahoe-Fernley CSA area, even though the metro a ...
housing market. Beginning near the established parts of the town, growth moved to the Fremont Street area in the mid to late 1970s, nearer farming areas in the 1980s, and has continued along the Farm District Road areas to the present. Numerous subdivisions were built along the Farm District Road, including an 18-hole golf course and a new elementary school.
In 1999,
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential econo ...
opened a order fulfillment center in the industrial park located in the northeast side of the city, following major initiatives and investments by investors from
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
. Stanley Works had previously used the facility; Amazon.com moved west to Reno, NV and has redesigned the interior systems and greatly expanded the capacity in the years since. The investment has provided thousands of new jobs for the city and invigorated the economy in the metropolitan area. Since that time, more companies have opened facilities in the park, including Trex Inc., Allied Signal, UPS Worldwide Logistics (Honeywell), ARE Campers, Johns Manville. Sherwin Williams Paint and the newly constructed Polaris are part of the newer industrial area on the north east side of town, with more companies interested in relocating to the area.
On July 1, 2001, the city of Fernley was incorporated.
Fernley was one of the worst hit towns in the
2008 financial crash
8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9.
In mathematics
8 is:
* a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2.
* a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...
.
On January 5, 2008, a
levee along the Truckee Canal broke, forcing the rescue and evacuation of 3,500 people from the town as of water filled houses. A 2021 lawsuit seeks to block the
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation from lining the bottom of the Truckee Canal with concrete, on the grounds that Fernley's municipal water supply depends on seepage from the canal for
groundwater recharge
Groundwater recharge or deep drainage or deep percolation is a hydrologic process, where water moves downward from surface water to groundwater. Recharge is the primary method through which water enters an aquifer. This process usually occurs ...
.
Geography
Fernley is located at the intersection of
Interstate 80,
U.S. Route 50 Alternate and
U.S. Route 95 Alternate (US 95A). Although it originally spanned the Lyon/Washoe County line, a county boundary change in 2005 left it entirely in Lyon County.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 5.22%, is water.
Climate
Fernley's climate is typical of high desert environments. The winter may bring cold temperatures and some snow, but nothing extreme is normally experienced. Summers are generally hot and very dry. Fernley's average annual rainfall is .
Demographics
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
of 2010, there were 19,368 people, 7,048 households, and 5,206 families residing in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...
was 158.6 people per square mile (61.2/km). There were 7,975 housing units at an average density of 65.3 per square mile (25.2/km). The racial makeup of the city was 84.5%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 1.0%
Black or African American, 1.8%
Native American, 6.0%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.4%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 5.7%
some other race, and 4.6% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 14.4% of the population.
There were 7,048 households, out of which 38.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were headed by
married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.1% were non-families. 19.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.7% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74, and the average family size was 3.13.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.7% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.4 males.
For the period 2007–2011, the estimated median annual income for a household in the city was $52,572, and the median income for a family was $55,188. Male full-time workers had a median income of $51,081 versus $36,720 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the city was $22,851. About 6.6% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 13.2% of those under age 18 and 2.8% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Fernley is home to
Fernley High School
Fernley High School (also known as FHS or Fernley School) is a coeducational, secondary school located in Fernley, Nevada, United States, eastside of the Reno metropolitan area. It is the largest school in the Lyon County School District. The sch ...
.
Welcome to Fernley High School
Fernley High has extensive athletic programs, program centers and student clubs. It has a broad array of educational facilities including Fernley Adult Education Center. The school has drawn hundreds of international students since the 1990s.
The school has built a considerable number of sports facilities, including a football stadium, baseball field, track and field, basketball indoor arena, gymnasium, fitness center, etc. It has an extensive student meal program, dining hall and catering facilities.
Fernley High School was founded in the late 1950s. Its original buildings were located on the block now occupied by the In-Town Park, near the old downtown area between US 95A and Center Street; these were demolished in the early 1960s. Then until 1980, the high school was located at the current Fernley Intermediate School on Hardie Lane. Fernley High currently is located off US 95A on the south side of town.
Fernley is also home to Western Nevada College
Western Nevada College (WNC) is a public college with its main campus in Carson City, Nevada and additional campuses in Fallon and Minden. There are also WNC centers in Dayton, Fernley, Hawthorne, Lake Tahoe, Lovelock, Smith Valley and Ye ...
's satellite campus, providing vocational & college-level education.
Cemeteries
Since 1990, Fernley has been the home of one of the two Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemeteries, the Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery; with the other being the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery located in Boulder City
Boulder City is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States. It is approximately southeast of Las Vegas. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population of Boulder City was 14,885. The city took its name from Boulder Canyon ( ...
.
See also
* Fernley Hills
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
1904 establishments in Nevada
Cities in Lyon County, Nevada
Former census-designated places in Nevada
Populated places established in 1904
Cities in Nevada