Sparks is a city in

Washoe County, Nevada Washoe County () is a county in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 486,492, making it Nevada's second-most populous county. Its county seat is Reno. Washoe County is included in the Reno, NV Metropolitan Sta ...

, United States. It was founded in 1904, incorporated on March 15, 1905, and is located just east of

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...

. The 2020 U.S. Census counted 108,445 residents in the city. It is the fifth most populous city in

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 ...

. It is named after John Sparks, Nevada governor (1903–1908), and a member of the

Silver Party The Silver Party was a political party in the United States active from 1892 until 1911 and most successful in Nevada which supported a platform of bimetallism and free silver. In 1892, several Silver Party candidates were elected to Nevada pu ...

. Sparks is located within the Reno–Sparks metropolitan area.

History

Euro-American settlement began in the early 1850s, and the

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

remained very low until 1904 when the

Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I Rail transport, railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was oper ...

built a switch yard and maintenance sheds there, after moving the division point from Wadsworth. In 1902, the Southern Pacific purchased a large tract of swamp-like land near its newly built railyard, and gave employees clear deed to a lot for the sum of $1. It also offered to pick up and move every house in Wadsworth and reassemble it in this new town free of charge. As the population increased, a city was established, first called Harriman, after E. H. Harriman, president of the Southern Pacific, and then renamed Sparks, after John Sparks, then

governor of Nevada A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

. Sparks remained a small town until the 1950s, when economic growth in Reno triggered a housing boom north of the railroad in the area of Sparks. During the 1970s, the area south of the railroad started to fill up with warehouses and light industry. In 1984, the tower for the Nugget Casino Resort was finished, giving Sparks its first, and currently only, high-rise

casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...

. In 1996, the redevelopment effort of the B Street business district across from the Nugget that started in the early 1980s took a step forward with the opening of a multi-screen movie complex and the construction of a plaza area. This area, now known as Victorian Square, is a pedestrian-friendly district that hosts many open-air events. Under direction of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a comprehensive dynamic water quality

computer model Computer simulation is the running of a mathematical model on a computer, the model being designed to represent the behaviour of, or the outcome of, a real-world or physical system. The reliability of some mathematical models can be determin ...

, the

DSSAM Model The DSSAM Model (Dynamic Stream Simulation and Assessment Model) is a computer simulation developed for the Truckee River to analyze water pollution, water quality impacts from land use and wastewater management decisions in the Truckee River Bas ...

, was developed (Earth Metrics, 1987) to analyze impacts of a variety of land use and

stormwater Stormwater, also written storm water, is water that originates from precipitation (storm), including heavy rain and meltwater from hail and snow. Stormwater can soak into the soil ( infiltrate) and become groundwater, be stored on depressed lan ...

management decisions throughout 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 ...

basin; this model was used to develop a set of

surface runoff Surface runoff (also known as overland flow or terrestrial runoff) is the unconfined flow of water over the ground surface, in contrast to ''channel runoff'' (or ''stream flow''). It occurs when excess rainwater, stormwater, meltwater, or other ...

stormwater management measures for Sparks in the 1980s.

Panasonic Energy is a Japanese multinational electronics manufacturer, headquartered in Kadoma, Japan. It was founded in 1918 as in Fukushima by Kōnosuke Matsushita. The company was incorporated in 1935 and renamed and changed its name to in 2008. In 2 ...

's manufacturing plant in Sparks, Gigafactory 1, produces EV batteries for Tesla. It employed about 7,000 people in 2020.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Sparks has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.47%, is water.

Climate

Sparks has a

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of se ...

. Due to frequent low humidity, especially in the summer, daily temperature ranges are fairly wide. The average January temperatures are a maximum of and a minimum of . Average July temperatures are a maximum of and a minimum of . There are an average of 59.5 days with highs of and an average of 140.6 days with lows of . The record high temperature was on July 11, 2002, and the record low temperature was on February 7, 1989. Average annual precipitation in Sparks is . There are an average of 45 days with measurable precipitation. The wettest year was 2017 with and the driest was 2013 with . The most precipitation in one month was in January 2017, including the most precipitation in 24 hours, which was on October 25, 2021. Average snowfall per year is . The most snow in one year was in 2016 and the most snow in one month was in February 2010. Sparks has a

cold desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

( BW) with warm to hot summers and cool to cold winters. There is a great amount of diurnal temperature variation, causing summers to go from very hot during the day to cool at night. Winter temperatures during the day go well above freezing but can go to as low as during the night.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

of 2018, there were 104,246 people, 38,056 households residing in the city. The

was . The racial makeup of the city was 76.8%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 2.5%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.5% Native American, 5.7% Asian, 0.5%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, and 5.0% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 29.3% of the population. In 2018, the population of the city was spread out, with 23.5% under the age of 18 and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. There were 50.3% females. In 2018 the estimated median income for a household in the city was $60,785 and 9.9% 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 ...

Arts and culture

Cultural events include the

Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-off The Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-off is an annual Ribs (food), rib cook-off in Sparks, Nevada, Sparks, Nevada. The competition involves St. Louis-style barbecue#Pork ribs, St. Louis-style pork Spare ribs, ribs. The event is held at Victorian Sq ...

Libraries

Sparks has two public libraries, one downtown adjacent, and another in Spanish Springs. Both are branches of the Washoe County Library System. The Sparks Library is . In 2019, the Sparks library started a Drag Queen Story Hour, despite opposition from parents and conservative groups.

Parks and recreation

The Nugget Event Center is an 8,600 seat outdoor concert amphitheater in downtown Sparks. Sparks Marina Park was established on a naturally occurring aquifer in Sparks. Aquatic activities include windsurfing, sailing, swimming, scuba diving, fishing and boating. The surrounding park includes walking paths, a dog park, volleyball courts, playgrounds, picnic areas, showers, and a concession stand. The Mustang Ranch, described as "Nevada's most infamous brothel", has operated at various locations east of Sparks since 1967. Sparks is home to two golf courses, Wildcreek and Red Hawk.

Education

Public education in Sparks is administered by the Washoe County School District. Schools located within the city district territory include: High Schools * Edward C. Reed High School * Sparks High School * Spanish Springs High School * Hug High School Middle Schools * Sky Ranch Middle School * Sparks Middle School * Mendive Middle School * Dilworth Middle School * Yvonne Shaw Middle School Elementary Schools * Robert Mitchell Elementary School * Alice Maxwell Elementary School * Florence Drake Elementary School * Greenbrae Elementary School * Lena Juniper Elementary School * Bud Beasley Elementary School * Van Gorder Elementary School * Alyce Taylor Elementary School * Jesse Hall Elementary School * Spanish Springs Elementary School * Excel Christian School – a private institution. * Katherine Dunn Elementary School *Miguel Sepulveda Elementary School * Lloyd Diedrichsen Elementary School

Infrastructure

Transportation

The Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County (RTC) operates a city bus system that serves the cities of Reno and Sparks. Sparks is served by the nearby Reno–Tahoe International Airport.

Rail

The

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

runs east–west through the center of Sparks. The Union Pacific has a significant

rail yard A rail yard, railway yard, railroad yard (US) or simply yard, is a series of Track (rail transport), tracks in a rail network for storing, sorting, or loading and unloading rail vehicles and locomotives. Yards have many tracks in parallel for k ...

south of I-80, just south and adjacent to the Nugget Hotel/Casino towers in downtown Sparks, and is a central part of the area's

industrial park An industrial park, also known as industrial estate or trading estate, is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more heavyweight version of a business park or office par ...

. Passenger rail service to the Sparks Amtrak Station ended in 2009, although service continues in neighboring Reno by the

California Zephyr The ''California Zephyr'' is a Amtrak Long Distance, long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago, Illinois, Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area (at Emeryville station, Emeryville), via Omaha, Nebraska, Omaha, Denver, Sa ...

Roads

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one of the ori ...

runs east–west through Sparks. State Route 445 (Pyramid Way), El Rancho Drive, Sullivan Lane, Rock Boulevard, Sparks Boulevard, Vista Boulevard, and State Route 659 (McCarran Blvd) are the city's major north–south thoroughfares. Pyramid Way runs from Nugget Avenue in downtown Sparks to Pyramid Lake, about 35 miles north of the city, and has been designated a Nevada Scenic Byway. Sparks is connected directly to south Reno by the Southeast Connector. It is a northerly extension of Veterans Parkway to the Sparks Boulevard at Greg Street. It serves as an expressway, with only 2 signaled intersections along its 5.5 mile stretch (one at Pembroke Drive and one at Mira Loma Drive), and constitutes a major arterial connection between Reno and Sparks. It provides an alternative route to existing, overcrowded routes such as the US-395/I-580 freeway, Rock Boulevard, and McCarran Boulevard. Construction began in late 2013, and was completed in July 2018. Sparks also is gearing up for the record of decision on a major, $1.1 billion (estimated) arterial road project, one that will turn a large portion of Pyramid Highway through nearby Spanish Springs into a controlled access, high speed arterial road that connects directly with the US 395 freeway via a complex interchange at the current Parr Boulevard connection. This will directly connect Spanish Springs, a major population center (parts of which are annexed with the city of Sparks), located in the valley just north of Sparks, with the existing Reno/Sparks freeway system which consists currently of Interstate 80 and US 395. This project will also offer more direct freeway system and inter-valley connections to and from Sun Valley, another major population center of the Reno/Sparks metropolitan statistical area. Sun Valley is located just north of Reno and just west of Spanish Springs, and is home to just over 20,000 residents as of 2020.

Notable people

* Mädchen Amick (b. 1970), actress on ''

Twin Peaks ''Twin Peaks'' is an American Surrealist cinema, surrealist Mystery film, mystery-Horror film, horror Drama (film and television), drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It Pilot (Twin Peaks), premiered on American Broad ...

'' and '' Witches of East End'', born in Sparks * T. J. Bell (b. 1980), motorsport driver, grew up in Sparks * Bruce Breslow (b. 1956), former mayor of Sparks * Scott Cousins (b. 1985), professional baseball player * Brian Crane, syndicated cartoonist of ''

Pickles Pickle, pickled or Pickles may refer to: Food * Pickle, a food that has undergone pickling * Pickled cucumber * Pickle, a sweet, vinegary pickled chutney popular in Britain, such as Branston Pickle, also known as "sweet pickle" or "ploughman's ...

'' * Jacob Dalton (b. 1991), Olympic gymnast * Jim Gibbons (b. 1944), former

* David S. Loeb (1924–2003), businessman, co-founder of Countrywide and IndyMac * Jena Malone (b. 1984), actress, ''

The Hunger Games ''The Hunger Games'' are a series of Young adult fiction, young adult Dystopian fiction, dystopian novels written by American author Suzanne Collins. The series consists of a trilogy that follows teenage protagonist Katniss Everdeen, and two ...

'', '' Pride & Prejudice'' * Jake McGee (b. 1986), professional baseball player * Steve Portenga (b. 1970), racing driver *

Brian Retterer Brian Retterer (born 1972) is a retired American swimmer specialising in freestyle and backstroke Backstroke or back crawl is one of the four Swimming (sport), swimming styles used in competitive events regulated by FINA, and the only one ...

(b. 1972), NCAA champion swimmer *

Karl Rove Karl Christian Rove (born December 25, 1950) is an American Republican political consultant, policy advisor, and lobbyist. He was Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff during the George W. Bush administration until his resignation on August ...

(b. 1950), political activist, lobbyist, pundit, and Deputy White House Chief of Staff * Dan Serafini (b. 1974), professional baseball player with Naranjeros de Hermosillo * Josh Weston (1973–2012), adult film star * Vernon White (b. 1971), mixed martial artist

References

External links

*
Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control Cities in Nevada Cities in Washoe County, Nevada Populated places established in 1904 1904 establishments in the United States Reno, NV Metropolitan Statistical Area