Nevada's vast regions (previously part of Mexico) were opened up by explorer John C. Fremont's 1848 expedition with legendary scout Kit Carson. The first permanent settlement was founded in 1851 with the establishment of a Mormon trading post (later called Genoa) in the Carson Valley.

Nevada is named from the Spanish, meaning snow-capped. It is one of several states carved out of the Utah Territory, which was itself formed as a result of the Missouri Compromise of 1850. A group of Mormon settlers built a fort in 1855 near what is now downtown Las Vegas.

In 1857, relations between the federal government and the Mormon Church became tense and Brigham Young, head of the church, called his followers, including those in Nevada, back to Salt Lake City.

Gold and silver were discovered two years later on the south edge of Sun Mountain, near what is now Virginia City. The discovery of the Comstock Lode was the first of Nevada's many mining booms and attracted thousands of new people to the state.

The Territory of Nevada was created by an Act of Congress on March 2, 1861. Later, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Nevada's admission to the Union as the 36th state on October 31, 1864.

Nevada legalized gambling in 1931 as a steady resource for raising tax revenues and stabilizing the state's economy. Today, tourism and gaming generate more than $15 billion annually, while directly supporting nearly half of Nevada's employment.

Nevada sends two senators and three representatives to the United States Congress in Washington DC. The two senators are republican John Ensign and democrat Harry Reid. The next election in Nevada for the U.S. Senate is in 2006. Elections for all three representatives are held every two years. Districts are reapportioned after each national census.

At the state level, Nevada has three branches of government: executive, legislative and judicial. The executive branch is led by the governor, who serves a four-year term. The current governor is Kenny C. Guinn. The second-ranking elected official is the Secretary of State, who also serves four years. The Secretary of State is Dean Heller. The Secretary of State is elected in the same general election as the President of the United States; the Governor in the alternate general election.

Nevada's Department of Education is headed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, presently Dr. Keith Rheault. The Superintendent of Public Instruction is elected statewide, but does not control either the budget for education or legislative mandates.

The Nevada Department of Transportation consists of a seven-member board of directors that controls highway construction and maintenance funds. The Nevada Board of Accountancy is responsible for licensing and regulating Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) and Public Accountants (PAs) throughout the state.

Nevada has 17 counties. Carson City is Nevada's state capital, maintaining its own county. The county of Carson City is by far the smallest county with a land area of only 143 square miles, but has a population of 54,225. Nye County is the largest in size at 18,147 square miles and the least densely populated with 1.8 persons per square mile. With a population of 1,464,653 and a land area of 7,910 square miles, Clark County is home to over half of Nevada's total population. Clark County is heavily populated due its "entertainment capital of the world", Las Vegas. Washoe County is a moderately large county with an ever-increasing population, currently 353,336. Washoe County's seat is Reno.

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