Fallon, Nevada
| Fallon, Nevada | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Nickname(s): The Oasis of Nevada[1] | |
 |
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| Coordinates: 39°28′22″N 118°46′44″W / 39.47278°N 118.77889°WCoordinates: 39°28′22″N 118°46′44″W / 39.47278°N 118.77889°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Nevada |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.1 sq mi (7.9 km2) |
| • Land | 3.0 sq mi (7.9 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 3,960 ft (1,207 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 8,606 |
| • Density | 2,474.1/sq mi (955.3/km2) |
| Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP codes | 89406, 89407, 89496 |
| Area code(s) | 775 |
| FIPS code | 32-24100 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0840412 |
| Website | www.cityoffallon.com |
Fallon is a city in Churchill County, located in western part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The population was 8,600 at time of the 2010 census. Fallon is the county seat of Churchill County[2], and it is located in the Lahontan Valley.
Fallon and Churchill County are mostly agricultural areas. Although the area is arid, approximately 50,000 acres (200 km2) of its pastureland are irrigated with water from the Truckee–Carson Irrigation District. The principal crop grown here is alfalfa for livestock feed. The "Heart O' Gold" cantaloupes of Churchill County were once distributed across the U.S.A., but these are now grown mostly for consumption in Nevada.
The largest single employer in Fallon and Churchill County is the important Naval Air Station Fallon, a training airfield that has been the home of the U.S. Navy's so-called "Top Gun" air-to-air combat training program since 1996, when it was moved here from Naval Air Station Miramar what that Air Station was being transferred to the U.S. Marine Corps.
U.S. Highway 50 (US 50, east–west) is one of the two the main highways through town. The other one is US 95 (north–south), so Fallon is at the crossroads of an important pair of U.S. Numbered Highways. Fallon is one of the towns on the so-called "Loneliest Highway in America", the stretch of US 50 across most of Nevada that is known for its remoteness. Eastbound travelers from Fallon must drive 110 miles (180 km) to find the next town, Austin.
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[edit] Geography
Fallon is located at the geographic coordinates 39°28′22″N 118°46′44″W / 39.47278°N 118.77889°W (39.472792, -118.778826).[3]
According to the United States Census Bureau, this city has a total area of 3.1 square miles (8.0 km2), of which, 3.0 square miles (7.8 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) of it (0.65%) is covered by water.
[edit] Climate
The Fallon climate is warm during summer when the temperatures tend to be in the 90s (°F) and somewhat cold during the winter when temperatures tend to be in the 40s. The warmest month of the year is July with an average maximum temperature of 92.1 °F (33.4 °C), while the coldest month of the year is December with an average minimum temperature of 17.4 °F (−8.1 °C). Temperature variations between night and day tend to be relatively large due to low humidity. During summer the difference can reach 39°F, being more moderate during winter with an average difference of 28°F. The annual average precipitation in Fallon is 5.3 inches (13 cm). Rainfall is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. The wettest month of the year is May with an average rainfall of 0.71 inches (1.8 cm). Fallon gets around 7–8 in (17.8–20.3 cm) of snow annually. It also can experience heavy fog in winter, known as pogonip.
| Climate data for Fallon, Nevada | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 71 (22) |
76 (24) |
84 (29) |
90 (32) |
98 (37) |
106 (41) |
108 (42) |
105 (41) |
100 (38) |
91 (33) |
81 (27) |
72 (22) |
108 (42) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 45 (7) |
53 (12) |
59 (15) |
66 (19) |
74 (23) |
84 (29) |
92 (33) |
90 (32) |
82 (28) |
70 (21) |
56 (13) |
46 (8) |
68.1 (20.0) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 19 (−7) |
23 (−5) |
28 (−2) |
34 (1) |
41 (5) |
48 (9) |
53 (12) |
51 (11) |
43 (6) |
33 (1) |
25 (−4) |
17 (−8) |
34.6 (1.4) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −25 (−32) |
−27 (−33) |
1 (−17) |
14 (−10) |
20 (−7) |
27 (−3) |
35 (2) |
33 (1) |
21 (−6) |
12 (−11) |
0 (−18) |
−21 (−29) |
−27 (−33) |
| Source: Data is FALLON EXPERIMENT STN, NEVADA | |||||||||||||
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record Precipitation | in. | 2.98 | 2.83 | 1.76 | 2.36 | 3.38 | 3.04 | 1.53 | 1.90 | 1.47 | 1.81 | 1.68 | 2.15 |
| Average Precipitation | in. | 0.56 | 0.54 | 0.45 | 0.50 | 0.71 | 0.43 | 0.16 | 0.22 | 0.28 | 0.39 | 0.38 | 0.49 |
| Average Snowfall | in. | 2.6 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 1.5 |
| Record Snowfall | in. | 20.9 | 13.3 | 10.0 | 4.5 | 8.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 2.4 | 8.0 | 11.5 |
| Data is for Fallon Experiment Station, Nevada | |||||||||||||
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 7,536 people, 3,004 households, and 1,877 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,474.1 people per square mile (954.0/km²). There were 3,336 housing units at an average density of 1,095.2 per square mile (422.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 76.50% White, 2.00% African American, 3.00% Native American, 4.70% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 0.3% from other races, and 3.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.9% of the population.
There were 3,004 households out of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.7% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.4% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,935, and the median income for a family was $41,433. Males had a median income of $35,356 versus $22,818 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,919. About 9.5% of families and 12.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.6% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Politics
The Paiute-Shoshone Tribe of the Fallon Reservation and Colony is headquartered in Fallon.[5]
U.S. Representative Martin Heinrich was born in Fallon.
[edit] Nuclear weapons testing
Los Alamos National Laboratory, in conjunction with the Department of Defense, conducted an underground nuclear test 28 miles southeast of Fallon, at 5 p.m. on October 26, 1963.
Named Project Shoal, the 12.5 kiloton detonation was part of the Vela Uniform program. The device exploded at a depth of 1,205 feet below ground surface.[6] The site is located in Gote Flat in the Sand Springs Range.
Access to the Project Shoal Area is unrestricted.[7] Access to the area is by Highway 50, Nevada Highway 839, then to an improved gravel road to the site.
[edit] Grimes Point
Seven miles east of Fallon, adjacent to Highway 50, is the Grimes Point Petroglyph Trail.[8] The Trail features rocks with carvings as much as eight thousand years old, created by native peoples who were drawn to the shores of ancient Lake Lahontan. The Trail is approximately one-half mile long on a level path. Free brochures explaining the native art are available. There is also a cave where bats dwell. The path begins to rise as it goes from the now level lake bottom to the once higher bank where inhabited with caves.
The Grimes Point site is a part of a much larger archaeological complex, which includes a wide variety of materials, caves, shelters, and other archaeological sites. The site is located on what was once a shoreline of Pleistocene Lake Lahontan and is best known for the cupules, which are small pits dug out of the rock surface and found on hundreds of boulders in the area.
This site was the primary locality used by archaeologists Robert Heizer and Martin Baumhoff to define the “Pit and Groove Style” of rock art, which is thought by many to be the oldest type of rock art found in Nevada. It does share certain characteristics with other Great Basin rock art known to be of great antiquity called Great Basin Carved Abstract. Specifically, the depth of engraving and the width of the engraved lines are much greater than other rock art types that appear to be of more recent manufacture, a characteristic also noted elsewhere.
Archaeologist Karen Nissen included Grimes Point in her analyses of rock art sites in western Nevada and concluded that rock art was generally associated with hunting locales, an idea popular at that time but somewhat less so today.
Grimes had been very badly abused prior to its listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1972, though the Bureau of Land Management began restoration and development for public exploration by the late 1970s and 1980s. The site is located off U.S. 50 east of Fallon and open to the public year-round.[9]
[edit] In popular culture
- According to the Home Improvement episode "A Sew Sew Evening", Al was stationed in Fallon when he served in the Navy, which was a disappointment to him since he wanted to see the world. Interestingly, he used the native pronunciation of "Nevada", which is unusual for an outsider, especially someone in the midwest.
- Films such as Top Gun and Kerosene Cowboys have been shot there and at Naval Air Station Fallon.
- The Wizard, starring Fred Savage and Beau Bridges, was shot in and around Fallon as well.
- The Go-Getter, starring Zooey Deschanel and Jena Malone, mentions Fallon many times and even brings up Fallon's annual Heart 'O Gold Cantaloupe Festival. Malone's character lives in Fallon and parts of the movie were filmed in and around Fallon.[10]
[edit] Notes
- ^ City of Fallon
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Nevada Tribes." 500 Nations. 2009 (retrieved 8 December 2009)
- ^ "Remediation Project Shoal Area, Nevada Division of Environmental Protection". http://ndep.nv.gov/shoal/SHOAL1.HTM.
- ^ "Remediation Project Shoal Area, Nevada Division of Environmental Protection". http://ndep.nv.gov/shoal/SHOAL1.HTM.
- ^ nv.blm.gov
- ^ Woody, Alanah. "Grimes Point". Online Nevada Encyclopedia. http://www.onlinenevada.org/Grimes_Point. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
- ^ imdb.com
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Steinmaus C, Lu M, Todd RL, Smith AH. Probability estimates for the unique childhood leukemia cluster in Fallon, Nevada, and risks near other U.S. military aviation facilities. Environmental Health Perspectives. 112(6): 766-771. May 2004.
[edit] External links
- CityofFallon.com
- FallonNV.com
- FallonChamber.com
- Grimes Point web page, with pictures of the carvings
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