Elko, Nevada

Elko, Nevada
City
Downtown Elko
Downtown Elko
Flag of Elko, Nevada
Flag
Official logo of Elko, Nevada
Logo
Motto: 
The Heart of Northeast Nevada
Location of Elko, Nevada
Location of Elko, Nevada
Elko, Nevada is located in Nevada
Elko, Nevada
Elko, Nevada
Location in Nevada
Elko, Nevada is located in the United States
Elko, Nevada
Elko, Nevada
Elko, Nevada (the United States)
Coordinates: 40°50′20″N 115°44′25″W / 40.83889°N 115.74028°W / 40.83889; -115.74028
Country United States
State Nevada
CountyElko
First settled1868
Designated county seat1869
Incorporated (city)1917
Government
 • MayorReece Keener
 • SenateJohn Ellison (R)
 • AssemblyBert Gurr (R)
 • U.S. CongressMark Amodei (R)
Area
 • Total
17.85 sq mi (46.22 km2)
 • Land17.85 sq mi (46.22 km2)
 • Water0 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
5,112 ft (1,558 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
20,564
 • Density1,152.3/sq mi (444.92/km2)
Time zoneUTC−08:00 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−07:00 (PDT)
ZIP Codes
89801-89803
Area code775
FIPS code32-22500
GNIS feature ID2410428
Websiteelkocity.com Edit this at Wikidata
Reference no.106

Elko is a city in and the county seat of Elko County, Nevada, United States. As of the 2020 census, Elko had a population of 20,564. Elko serves as the center of the Ruby Valley, a region with a population of over 55,000. Elko is 21 miles (34 km) from Lamoille Canyon and the Ruby Mountains, providing year-round access to recreation, including hiking, skiing, hunting, and more than 20 alpine lakes. The city straddles the Humboldt River. Spring Creek, Nevada, serves as a bedroom community 6 miles (10 km) from the city with a population of 13,805.

Elko is the principal city of the Elko Micropolitan Statistical Area, a micropolitan area that covers Elko and Eureka counties. Although a small city, Elko is the largest city for over 130 miles (210 km) in each direction until Twin Falls, Idaho; the city motto states it is "The Heart of Northeast Nevada."

Elko is home to Great Basin College, as well as to the National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, serving most of northern and central Nevada.

History

Though Elko lies along the route of the historic California Trail, its roots as a town date only back to its establishment in 1868 by settlers, when it was at the east end of the railroad tracks built by the Central Pacific Railroad (the portion of the First transcontinental railroad built from California to Utah). When the railroad crews moved on, Elko remained, serving as a center for ranching, mining, rail freight, and general supplies.

Elko is said to have been named by Charles Crocker, a superintendent of the Central Pacific Railroad. He was fond of animal names and added the letter "o" to Elk. There is no definitive evidence of this naming history, but it has become the widely accepted version.

The first Elko County Courthouse was built in 1869. Elko was officially incorporated as a city in 1917. The first church and school opened in 1870, and in 1896, Elko High School became the first county school in Nevada.

In 1925, the Kelly Act (also known as the Air Mail Act of 1925) authorized the United States Postal Service to contract with private airlines for the feeder routes that fed the main transcontinental route. The first commercial airmail flight in the United States was on the 487-mile (784 km) Airmail Route #5 from Pasco, Washington, to what would become Elko Regional Airport on April 6, 1926. The flight was piloted by Leon D. Cuddeback and included a brief stop in Boise, Idaho, to pick up more mail.

The 1910 replacement for the original courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The U.S. Post Office-Elko Main, which was built in 1933, is also listed.

The population of Elko greatly increased in the late 1960s when microscopic gold was discovered along the Carlin Unconformity. Many mining companies arrived and there was an influx of residents.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 17.6 square miles (45.7 km2), all land, though the path of the Humboldt River fills from time to time. Elko is also very close to the Ruby Mountains.

Climate

Climate chart for Elko

Elko's climate is cool semi-arid (Köppen BSk). January is normally the coldest month of the year, with a daily average temperature of 25.1 °F (−3.8 °C), and July the hottest, with a daily average of 70.2 °F (21.2 °C). There are an average of 1.8 days with 100 °F (37.8 °C) highs, 44 days of 90 °F (32.2 °C) highs, 24 days that do not top freezing, 198 nights with freezing lows, and 12 nights with sub-0 °F (−17.8 °C) lows; the growing season here is short, as the average window for freezing temperatures is September 10 through June 9. Annual precipitation averages 9.89 inches (251.2 mm), falling on an average of 81 days, while annual snowfall averages 41.5 inches or 1.1 meters. There are normally 130 sunny days each year. The highest temperature on record is 107 °F or 41.7 °C, most recently on July 4, 1981, and the lowest on record is −43 °F (−41.7 °C) on January 21, 1937.

The most rainfall in 24 hours was 4.13 inches (104.9 mm) on August 27, 1970, and the most water-equivalent precipitation in one month was 5.71 inches (145.0 mm) – all as snow – in January 1916. The most rainfall in one calendar year was 18.34 inches (465.8 mm) in 1983, and the least 4.35 inches (110.5 mm) in 1919, though from July 1923 to June 1924, only 3.72 inches (94.5 mm) was recorded. The most snowfall in one month was 69.0 inches or 1.8 meters in January 1890, with the most in one season being more than 91 inches or 2.3 meters from July 1889 to June 1890 (some days being missing) and the least 6.0 inches (0.15 m) from July 1939 to June 1940. The greatest depth of snow on the ground was 24 inches or 0.61 meters on February 5, 1932, though an average winter will see a maximum snow cover of 7 inches (0.18 m).

Climate data for Elko, Nevada (Elko Regional Airport), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1890–present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 65
(18)		 70
(21)		 82
(28)		 88
(31)		 97
(36)		 104
(40)		 107
(42)		 107
(42)		 102
(39)		 92
(33)		 83
(28)		 65
(18)		 107
(42)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 50.6
(10.3)		 56.0
(13.3)		 67.9
(19.9)		 77.5
(25.3)		 85.8
(29.9)		 93.8
(34.3)		 99.6
(37.6)		 97.3
(36.3)		 91.3
(32.9)		 81.1
(27.3)		 66.7
(19.3)		 52.7
(11.5)		 100.0
(37.8)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 37.9
(3.3)		 42.8
(6.0)		 53.1
(11.7)		 59.6
(15.3)		 70.0
(21.1)		 81.5
(27.5)		 91.8
(33.2)		 90.0
(32.2)		 80.1
(26.7)		 65.5
(18.6)		 49.9
(9.9)		 38.0
(3.3)		 63.4
(17.4)
Daily mean °F (°C) 27.0
(−2.8)		 31.6
(−0.2)		 39.9
(4.4)		 45.6
(7.6)		 54.2
(12.3)		 63.2
(17.3)		 71.9
(22.2)		 69.6
(20.9)		 60.3
(15.7)		 47.4
(8.6)		 35.9
(2.2)		 26.7
(−2.9)		 47.8
(8.8)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 16.0
(−8.9)		 20.5
(−6.4)		 26.8
(−2.9)		 31.5
(−0.3)		 38.5
(3.6)		 44.9
(7.2)		 52.0
(11.1)		 49.2
(9.6)		 40.5
(4.7)		 29.4
(−1.4)		 21.9
(−5.6)		 15.4
(−9.2)		 32.2
(0.1)
Mean minimum °F (°C) −5.1
(−20.6)		 −2.1
(−18.9)		 12.5
(−10.8)		 17.9
(−7.8)		 23.3
(−4.8)		 31.8
(−0.1)		 38.8
(3.8)		 35.6
(2.0)		 24.3
(−4.3)		 13.2
(−10.4)		 3.3
(−15.9)		 −4.1
(−20.1)		 −11.4
(−24.1)
Record low °F (°C) −43
(−42)		 −41
(−41)		 −15
(−26)		 −2
(−19)		 8
(−13)		 12
(−11)		 28
(−2)		 20
(−7)		 9
(−13)		 0
(−18)		 −16
(−27)		 −41
(−41)		 −43
(−42)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 1.19
(30)		 0.89
(23)		 0.97
(25)		 1.05
(27)		 1.22
(31)		 0.57
(14)		 0.36
(9.1)		 0.33
(8.4)		 0.59
(15)		 0.74
(19)		 0.88
(22)		 1.20
(30)		 9.99
(254)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 10.4
(26)		 6.8
(17)		 5.5
(14)		 3.3
(8.4)		 0.4
(1.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.5
(1.3)		 4.1
(10)		 10.2
(26)		 41.2
(105)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 9.4 8.3 8.4 9.0 8.6 4.3 3.2 3.1 3.9 5.1 6.5 9.1 78.9
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 7.7 6.4 4.8 3.3 0.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.6 3.6 7.3 34.4
Source 1: NWS
Source 2: NOAA

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18701,160—
1880752−35.2%
18907661.9%
190084910.8%
19101,67797.5%
19202,17329.6%
19303,21748.0%
19404,09427.3%
19505,39331.7%
19606,29816.8%
19707,62121.0%
19808,75814.9%
199014,73668.3%
200016,70813.4%
201018,2979.5%
202020,564[citation needed]12.4%
U.S. Decennial Census

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Elko had a population of 20,564. The median age was 32.4 years. 27.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 10.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 105.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 105.2 males age 18 and over.

98.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.7% lived in rural areas.

There were 7,915 households in Elko, of which 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 43.6% were married-couple households, 24.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 8,685 housing units, of which 8.9% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.5%.

Racial composition as of the 2020 census
RaceNumberPercent
White13,79667.1%
Black or African American3201.6%
American Indian and Alaska Native7213.5%
Asian3531.7%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander330.2%
Some other race2,83413.8%
Two or more races2,50712.2%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)6,29730.6%

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 16,708 people, 6,200 households, and 4,216 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,153.3 inhabitants per square mile (445.3/km2). There were 6,948 housing units at an average density of 479.6 per square mile (185.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 83.16% White, 0.37% Black, 2.66% Native American, 1.12% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 9.63% from other races, and 2.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 21.12% of the population.

There were 6,200 households, out of which 39.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.5% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.24.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 30.3% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 7.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $48,608, and the median income for a family was $52,754. Males had a median income of $43,397 versus $27,366 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,101. About 6.1% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.9% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Elko's economy is based heavily on gold mining, with ranching, tourism and the casino industry providing additional jobs. The city is considered the capital of Nevada's goldbelt. The state of Nevada produces more gold than all but four countries, and most of the gold from Nevada is mined near Elko. This has caused the town to have a boom and bust economy consistent with the rises and declines in the price of gold. The town is surrounded by hundreds of abandoned mining camps, and viewing them is a popular local activity. A gold boom in the 1980s that ended in a bust in the late 1990s left the town with large numbers of abandoned homes and left the local governments struggling to survive on reduced tax revenues. With a new gold boom starting in 2009, city officials have been reluctant to hire new employees and have decided to build a reserve in the city budget to prepare for the next bust.

Elko has struggled to bring in other industries, mostly because of its isolation and the surrounding harsh desert environment. Hunter S. Thompson quipped that in Elko, "The federal government owns 90% of this land, and most of it is useless for anything except weapons testing and poison-gas experiments." However, no experiments have been conducted in Elko or Elko County, but were famously carried out at the Nevada Test Site near Rachel, in Southern Nevada.

Arts, culture and tourist attractions

Annual cultural events

Elko has been the home of the annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering since 1985. This festival is held each January and is a week-long celebration of life in the rural West, featuring poetry, music, stories, gear, film, photography, and food. A notable regular attendee was Canadian country musician Ian Tyson.

Every July, since 1963, Elko is host to the National Basque Festival. In 2013 they were scheduled to celebrate their 50th anniversary. Humorously referred to as the "Basquo Fiasco", it is a celebration of traditional Basque culture and its ties to the Elko community. The festival includes strongman competitions, handball, a running of the bulls, traditional food and wine, and Basque dancing.

Museums and other points of interest

Elko is the home of the Western Folklife Center, a regional nonprofit organization that works to expand understanding of the everyday traditions of people who live and work in the American West. The Western Folklife Center is downtown in the old Pioneer Hotel.

A number of casinos are located in Elko, including Stockmen's Casino and Hotel, the Commercial Casino, the High Desert Casino, Gold Dust West, The Maverick Casino, and the Gold Country Inn and Casino. The Commercial Casino is notable for having a stuffed 10-foot-tall (3.0 m) polar bear on display. For many years the Red Lion brought gamblers to Elko from many parts of the country through flights on Casino Express. The flights to Elko ended in February 2006.

Elko is also home to legal prostitutes and contains active brothels. Under Nevada law, any county with a population of less than 400,000 is allowed to license brothels if it so chooses.

Several geothermal features can be found in Elko, the largest of which is the Elko Hot Hole. Hot springs were used by travelers on the California Trail and subsequently by settlers.

Notable attractions in the Elko region include the Ruby Mountains, in which is the popular Lamoille Canyon. To the north, the Jarbidge Wilderness is among the least visited and cleanest wilderness areas in the United States.

Education

Elko is served by the Elko County School District; the district only has one high school within the city limits, Elko High School.

Great Basin College is located in Elko.

Elko also has a public library, Elko Mybrary, a branch of the Elko-Lander-Eureka County Library System.

Media

Newspapers

Television

Radio

Global One Media:

Elko Broadcasting Company:

Transportation

Major highways

Elko is the largest city between Salt Lake City and Reno, located along Interstate 80. Nevada State Route 225 (Mountain City Highway) connects Elko to Owyhee and southern Idaho, while Nevada State Route 227 (Lamoille Highway) extends southeast to Spring Creek and Lamoille. State Route 535, an I-80 business route and US Route 40's former route, runs through the city south of I-80. It is a bypass of I-80 that starts and ends in Elko.

Public Transportation

Passenger bus service to Elko is available on Greyhound Lines, while Amtrak's daily California Zephyr provides train passenger service via Elko station.

Aviation

SkyWest Airlines, operating as Delta Connection, serves Elko Regional Airport (EKO) with regional jet service nonstop to the Delta Air Lines hub in Salt Lake City (SLC). It is the only airport open year-round in Northeastern Nevada. Additionally, Elko Regional Airport is the closest commercial airport to the Ruby Mountains that have many recreational activities.

Elko was once the home base of a jet air carrier, Casino Express Airlines, which operated Boeing 737-200 jetliners to many cities in the U.S. on a scheduled charter basis in support of the local casino industry. Casino Express changed its name to Xtra Airways and relocated its headquarters in June 2010 to Boise, Idaho, and again in May 2015 to Coral Gables, Florida.

Elko was also previously served by United Airlines with scheduled passenger jet service during the 1970s and early 1980s. According to Official Airline Guide (OAG) flight schedules as well as the airline's system timetables, United operated Boeing 737-200 jetliners into the Elko Regional Airport on a year-round basis with a daily round trip routing of San Francisco (SFO)-Reno (RNO)-Elko (EKO)-Ely (ELY)-Salt Lake City (SLC). United eventually discontinued all flights into Elko after serving the airport for over 50 years.

Notable people

References

  1. ↑ "Welcome to the City of Elko". Ci.elko.nv.us. Archived from the original on February 6, 2011. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Welcome to City of Elko, Nevada". Archived from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  3. ↑ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  4. 1 2 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Elko, Nevada
  5. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  6. 1 2 "Profile for Elko, Nevada, NV". ePodunk. Archived from the original on November 5, 2015. Retrieved September 26, 2012.
  7. ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
  8. 1 2 "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Elko city, Nevada". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved February 16, 2016.[dead link]
  9. ↑ MICROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS AND COMPONENTS Archived June 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Office of Management and Budget, 2007-05-11. Accessed 2008-07-27.
  10. 1 2 Hickson, Howard (Fall 1983). "Elko, Nevada: 1868-1968". Northeastern Nevada Historical Society Quarterly. 83 (4).
  11. ↑ Federal Writers' Project (1941). Origin of Place Names: Nevada (PDF). W.P.A. p. 24. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 9, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Elko: The First 100 Years". gbcnv.edu. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  13. ↑ Hickson, Howard (Fall 1970). "Dirt Runways: Elko Airport - The Early Years (1919-1926)". Northeastern Nevada Historical Society Quarterly. 1 (2).
  14. ↑ "Elko, Elko County". nvexpeditions.com. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Climate information for Elko - Nevada". climate-zone.com. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  16. 1 2 "NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  17. ↑ "ELKO WB AIRPORT, NEVADA - Climate Summary". wrcc.dri.edu. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
  18. ↑ "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on August 3, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  20. 1 2 3 "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
  21. 1 2 "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
  22. ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
  23. ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  24. 1 2 Ashley Powers (September 20, 2011). "Elko, Nev., takes the gold boom with a grain of doubt". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  25. ↑ "Western Folklife Center - National Cowboy Poetry Gathering Home Page". westernfolklife.org. Archived from the original on March 17, 2010. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
  26. ↑ "The gift: What Ian Tyson left us". The Sprawl. December 31, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  27. ↑ "Elko Convention and Visitors Authority, Elko Nevada". elkocva.com. Archived from the original on January 11, 2010. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
  28. ↑ "Western Folklife Center - Home". westernfolklife.org. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
  29. ↑ "NRS: CHAPTER 244 - COUNTIES: GOVERNMENT". leg.state.nv.us. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
  30. ↑ "Elko Hot Springs". University of Nevada-Reno. Archived from the original on July 14, 2007. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  31. ↑ "Library". Eureka County. Retrieved January 20, 2026. - Links to Mybrary which is the website for the system.
    "Elko Mybrary". Mybrary (Elko-Lander-Eureka County Library System). Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  32. ↑ Press, Elko Daily Free. "elkodaily.com | Read Elko, NV and Nevada breaking news. Get latest news, events and information on Nevada sports, weather, entertainment and lifestyles". Elko Daily Free Press.
  33. ↑ "Rock 101 FM – Coyote Rock".
  34. ↑ "Overdrive 100.5 – Rock'n The High Plains". November 9, 2025. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  35. ↑ "Elko Regional Airport". mountainwestaviation.com. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  36. ↑ Smith, Cam (September 15, 2014). "High school kicker drills 68-yard field goal ... in practice". USA Today Highschool Sports. USA Today. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  37. ↑ "Nevada Governor Lewis Rice Bradley". National Governors Association. Retrieved September 26, 2012.
  38. ↑ "Tim Gilligan". StatsCrew.com. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
  39. ↑ Myles, Myrtle Tate (1972). Nevada's governors: From territorial days to the present, 1861-1971. Sparks, NV: Western Printing & Publishing Co. p. 310.
  40. ↑ Larry Rodgers "DJ diary Valley radio legend Dave Pratt's new autobiography has charitable spin." The Arizona Republic. Nov. 18, 2008.