HAPPY NEVADA DAY!

Here in Nevada, we celebrate our state's birthday in a big way. While most of the celebrations happen up north in the state capitol of Carson City, we have many celebrations here down south in the Las Vegas area as well. Nevada became a state on October 31st 1864, but the event is always celebrated on the last Friday in October and throughout the following weekend.

I never thought I'd fall in love with my adopted state, but the wild beauty of the deserts and the high mountains has captured my heart as well as the independent wild west American spirit of the people.

So Happy Birthday Nevada, may you hold onto and celebrate your freedom and spirit of the Wild West for many years to come! - Michele

Here are a few NEVADA FUN FACTS you may not know:

Nevada takes its name from the Spanish word meaning snow-clad.

A 1910 law made it illegal to gamble in Las Vegas. In 1931, a gambling bill was approved that made gambling legal again.

Nevada is the only state to possess a complete skeleton - approximately 55 feet long - of an ichthyosaur, an extinct marine reptile.

Nevada is the largest gold-producing state is the nation. It is second in the world behind South Africa.

In 1899 Charles Fey invented a slot machine named the Liberty Bell. The device became the model for all the slots to follow.

Wyatt Earp started his career as a law man as sheriff of Tonopah.

The first recorded white men in the Elko area were fur trappers who trapped beaver in the area starting in 1828.

Bugsy Siegel named his Las Vegas casino "The Flamingo" for the long legs of his showgirl sweetheart, Virginia Hill.

Shrimp consumption in Las Vegas is more than 60,000 pounds per day - higher than the rest of the country combined.

Approximately 150 couples get married in Las Vegas each day.

Las Vegas has more hotel rooms than any other place on earth.

The only Nevada Lake with an outlet to the sea, Lake Mead, is man-made.

The Stratosphere is the tallest, free-standing, observation tower in the US and the tallest structure west of the Mississippi.

Over 38.9 million people visit Las Vegas each year.

17 of the 20 biggest hotels in the US are located in Las Vegas.

Nevada has a total of 315 counted mountain ranges, making Nevada the most mountainous state in the US.

Nevada has more open space than any other place in the lower 48 states. Over 80% of Nevada's land is designated for public and recreational use.

Locals use terms like The Sagebrush State, The Silver State, and The Battle Born State as nicknames for Nevada.

Frank Sinatra once owned the Cal-Neva at Lake Tahoe's Crystal Bay. It is possible to stand in both California and Nevada inside Cal-Neva's building.

Nevada tribes include Shoshone, Washo, and Paiute. Tribal lands have been used in such films as "Misery" and "The Greatest Story Ever Told".

The gross gaming revenue of Las Vegas is estimated to be over 7.4 billion dollars.

Nevada was made famous by the discovery of the Comstock Lode, the richest known US silver deposit, in 1859.