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Esmeralda County is a
county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
in the southwestern portion of the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
. As of the 2024 estimate, the population was 720, making it the least populous county in Nevada, and the 20th least populous county in the United States. Esmeralda County does not have any incorporated communities. Its
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
is the town of Goldfield. Its 2000 census population density of was the second-lowest of any county in the contiguous United States (above Loving County, Texas). Its school district does not have a high school, so students in grades 9–12 go to school in Tonopah, in the Nye County School District. Most residents live in Goldfield or in the town of Dyer in Fish Lake Valley, near the California border. Esmeralda is the only Nevada county in the Los Angeles TV market (or any California market) as defined by The Nielsen Corporation.


History

Esmeralda County is one of the original counties in Nevada, established on November 25, 1861. When it was organized, it comprised the part of the
Nevada Territory The Territory of Nevada (N.T.) was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until October 31, 1864, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Nevada. Prior to the creation of the Neva ...
south of the 39th parallel and east of Mason Valley. ''Esmeralda'' is the Spanish and Portuguese word for "
emerald Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium.Hurlbut, Cornelius S. Jr., and Kammerling, Robert C. (1991). ''Gemology'', John Wiley & Sons, New York ...
". An early California miner from San Jose, James Manning Cory, named the Esmeralda Mining District after Esmeralda the Romani dancer from '' The Hunchback of Notre-Dame''. Just after the organization of Esmeralda County, the vast majority of the land area had yet to be explored. John C. Frémont was one of the few people who had explored parts of the county. He had crossed Big Smoky Valley in 1845. Also,
Aurora An aurora ( aurorae or auroras), also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...
and its northern corridor had been encountered. In 1862 and 1863, the area along the Reese River was explored during the Reese River excitement. The event resulted in the establishment of three mining districts in the Toiyabe Range, namely Marysville, Twin River, and Washington, and the establishment of a number of settlements and ranches in Esmeralda County. Explorers pursued south and explored the Shoshone Mountains. The mining district Union was organized after silver was found in 1863 and the settlement of Ione was founded there. The total area of Esmeralda County more than halved as Nye County was organized on February 16, 1864, entirely out of land that used to be part of Esmeralda County. Esmeralda has had three county seats:
Aurora An aurora ( aurorae or auroras), also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...
until 1883, Hawthorne from 1883 to 1907 and finally Goldfield. At one point, due to the disputed border with California, Aurora was simultaneously the
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of both Mono County, California and Esmeralda County. Samuel Clemens (
Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...
) wrote about his time as a miner in the Esmeralda District in his book '' Roughing It''. Esmeralda grew from a
gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
mining boom in the first years of the 20th century. Goldfield, a town founded in 1902, increased rapidly, and it soon became the largest town in Nevada, with about 20,000 people in 1906, but its population rapidly decreased after the Goldfield, Nevada, labor troubles of 1906–1907. The mines were largely tapped out by the end of the 1910s and the economy and population declined afterwards.


Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.2%) is water. It is the fourth-smallest county in Nevada by area. A very small part of
Death Valley National Park Death Valley National Park is a national park of the United States that straddles the California–Nevada border, east of the Sierra Nevada. The park boundaries include Death Valley, the northern section of Panamint Valley, the southern sect ...
lies in its southeast corner. The county is dominated by the Silver Peak and Monte Cristo mountain ranges. Mountains in the county include: * Boundary Peak, , the highest natural point in Nevada * Piper Peak, , the most prominent peak in Esmeralda County * Magruder Mountain * Montezuma Peak, * Emigrant Peak,


Highways

* Interstate 11 (Future) * U.S. Route 6 * U.S. Route 95 * State Route 264 * State Route 265 * State Route 266 * State Route 267 * State Route 773 * State Route 774


Adjacent counties

* Mineral County - northwest * Nye County - east *
Inyo County, California Inyo County () is a County (United States), county in the Eastern California, eastern central part of the U.S. state of California, located between the Sierra Nevada and the state of Nevada. In the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the po ...
- south *
Mono County, California Mono County ( ) is a county (United States), county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 13,195, making it the fourth-least populous county in California. T ...
- west


National protected areas

*
Death Valley National Park Death Valley National Park is a national park of the United States that straddles the California–Nevada border, east of the Sierra Nevada. The park boundaries include Death Valley, the northern section of Panamint Valley, the southern sect ...
(part) * Inyo National Forest (part) * Boundary Peak Wilderness


Demographics


2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 971 people, 455 households, and 259 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 833 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 81.98% White, 0.10% Black or African American, 5.15% Native American, 0.21% Pacific Islander, 7.62% from other races, and 4.94% from two or more races. 10.20% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 455 households 21.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.40% were married couples living together, 6.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.90% were non-families. 36.00% of households were one person and 13.20% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.79. The age distribution was 20.50% under the age of 18, 6.00% from 18 to 24, 23.40% from 25 to 44, 33.00% from 45 to 64, and 17.20% 65 or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 123.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 118.70 males. The median household income was $33,203 and the median family income was $40,917. Males had a median income of $39,327 versus $25,469 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,971. 15.30% of the population and 7.50% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 9.70% are under the age of 18 and 11.40% are 65 or older.


2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 783 people, 389 households, and 213 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 850 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 84.4% white, 4.2% American Indian, 0.4% Asian, 6.6% from other races, and 4.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 15.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 26.7% were German, 18.6% were English, 14.0% were American, 13.8% were Irish, and 8.7% were Swedish. Of the 389 households, 18.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 45.2% were non-families, and 40.6% of households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.01 and the average family size was 2.67. The median age was 52.9 years. The median household income was $39,712 and the median family income was $57,292. Males had a median income of $41,023 versus $27,019 for females. The per capita income for the county was $34,571. About 6.7% of families and 11.2% 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 ...
, including 9.8% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.


Law and government

The county seat of Esmeralda County is Goldfield since May 1, 1907. The courthouse was opened on May 1, 1908, and has been in continuous use since then. Currently, the Offices of the Assessor,
Auditor An auditor is a person or a firm appointed by a company to execute an audit.Practical Auditing, Kul Narsingh Shrestha, 2012, Nabin Prakashan, Nepal To act as an auditor, a person should be certified by the regulatory authority of accounting an ...
/Recorder,
District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...
,
Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...
/Jail, Justice of the Peace,
Treasurer A treasurer is a person responsible for the financial operations of a government, business, or other organization. Government The treasury of a country is the department responsible for the country's economy, finance and revenue. The treasure ...
,
District Court District courts are a category of courts which exists in several nations, some call them "small case court" usually as the lowest level of the hierarchy. These courts generally work under a higher court which exercises control over the lower co ...
, and Commissioner are located in the building.


Politics


Education

The Esmeralda County School District has three elementary schools that currently serve approximately 90 students. As of 2022 it sends its high school students to Tonopah High School of Nye County School District. The county is in the service area of Great Basin College.


Communities


Census-designated places

* Dyer * Goldfield (county seat) * Silver Peak


Ghost towns

*
Alkali In chemistry, an alkali (; from the Arabic word , ) is a basic salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as a base that dissolves in water. A solution of a soluble base has a pH greater than 7.0. The a ...
* Arlemont * Blair * Blair Junction * Coaldale * Columbus * Fish Lake Nevada * Gilbert * Gold Point *
Lida Lida is a city in Grodno Region, western Belarus, located west of Minsk. It serves as the administrative center of Lida District. As of 2025, it has a population of 103,262. Etymology The name ''Lida'' arises from its Lithuanian name ''Ly ...
* McLeans * Millers * Palmetto


In popular culture

Esmerelda County is mentioned in the song "The Way It Was" by Las Vegas rock band
the Killers The Killers are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After the band went through a number of short-term bas ...
, off their fourth studio album Battle Born. At the start of the song, the lyric "somewhere outside the lonely Esmerelda County line" can be heard. The lyric is a reference to the fact that Esmerelda County is the least populated county in Nevada, with a population of 783 in the 2010 census.


See also

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Esmeralda County, Nevada * USS ''Esmeraldo County'' (LST-761)


References


External links

*
Esmeralda County School District
* Aurora, Esmeralda County, Nevada Collection. Western Americana Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. {{Coord, 37.7847, -117.63237, format=dms, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-NV_source:wikidata 1861 establishments in Nevada Territory Populated places established in 1861