Spanish Springs is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the count ...

(CDP) in Washoe 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. It is located in the northeastern part of the

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

– Sparks

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

. The population was 15,064 at the 2010 Census.

Geography

Spanish Springs is located at (39.658301, -119.695130). 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 CDP has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.59%, is water.

History

Sky Ranch Airport, a -long dirt airstrip, was located northeast of the intersection of State Route 445 and Spanish Springs Road. This 1940s auxiliary field was the site of the first

Reno Air Races The Reno Air Races, officially known as the STIHL National Championship Air Races from 2016, is a multi-day event tailored to the aviation community that takes place each September at the Reno Stead Airport a few miles north of Reno, Nevada. ...

, in 1964 and 1965, then was the location of the headquarters of the

Rocketdyne Rocketdyne was an American rocket engine design and production company headquartered in Canoga Park, in the western San Fernando Valley of suburban Los Angeles, in southern California. The Rocketdyne Division was founded by North American Avia ...

Nevada Field Laboratory (NFL), which was used in the late 1960s and early 1970s for testing rocket engines used in the

Space Program A space program is an organized effort by a government or a company with a goal related to outer space. Lists of space programs include: * List of government space agencies * List of private spaceflight companies * List of human spaceflight prog ...

. The Sky Ranch airfield site has been covered by housing developments, which are expanding in the area as the Reno-Sparks metropolitan area expands. With the closure of Sky Ranch in 1970, another airfield was graded approximately west. Now known as Spanish Springs Airport (N86), it has been in continuous operation since 1971.

Education

As of 2013, the Washoe County School District is offering an elective course in the Paiute language at Spanish Springs High School. Washoe County is the first school district in Nevada to offer Paiute classes. Spanish Springs has a public library, a branch of the Washoe County Library.

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 2000, there were 9,018 people, 3,014 households, and 2,531 families residing in the CDP. 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 151.5 people per square mile (58.5/km). There were 3,078 housing units at an average density of 51.7 per square mile (20.0/km). The racial makeup of the CDP was 92.6%

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 ...

, 0.7%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 1.2% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.1%

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 ...

, 1.7% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 2.3% 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 of any race were 5.8% of the population. There were 3,014 households, out of which 47.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.2% were married couples living together, 5.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.0% were non-families. 9.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 1.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.20. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 31.4% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 36.9% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 4.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.3 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $69,451, and the median income for a family was $72,026. Males had a median income of $46,711 versus $32,853 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 CDP was $26,908. About 2.2% of families and 3.5% 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 2.8% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over. Its population has increased to 15,064 per the 2010 census.

References

Information on Rocketdyne NFL cleanup
{{authority control Census-designated places in Washoe County, Nevada Census-designated places in Nevada Reno, NV Metropolitan Statistical Area