Whereas every state thinks it’s the best and most unique, the fact remains that Nevada is, hands down, the blackest of the black sheep in the U.S. (and I’m not saying it because I live here.) There are just certain, shall we say, quirks about the Silver State. Take a look at these 20 ways Nevada is the black sheep of the country—and why we love it that way.
1. We love our guns and respect the Second Amendment. In fact, Nevada has among the most lenient gun laws in the country. It is an open carry state where no permits or registration are required to purchase/own firearms. The only restriction is for a concealed weapon.
2. We love to gamble. Probably not as much as tourists, but still. According to a 2017 report by the Nevada Gaming Board, there are 334 casinos in the state, with (no surprise) 172 of them in Clark County, where Las Vegas is located.
3. Did I mention we (and our beloved tourists) love to gamble? In addition to the thousands of slot machines in casinos, restaurants, grocery stores, airports, and pretty much everywhere else, there are thousands of blackjack, poker, roulette, baccarat, and other table games scattered throughout the state as well.
5. Las Vegas panders, I mean caters to celebrity chefs. In fact, it is the U.S. city with the most celebrity chef restaurants in the entire country. Everyone who's anyone in the culinary world has a restaurant (or five) here: Gordon Ramsay, Bobby Flay, Mario Batali, Emeril Lagasse, Guy Savoy, Joel Robuchon, Wolfgang Puck, Giada de Laurentiis, and then some. With nearly 43 million visitors and 575,000 residents, why wouldn't a celebrity chef want to open a restaurant in Sin City?
8. Along with a love of hiking, the sheer volume national and state parks (and mountains) makes Nevada among the top states for rock climbing enthusiasts as well.
10. For being a landlocked state, you can get a shrimp cocktail virtually anywhere. And for the best shrimp cocktails in the entire state, check out my previous article here .
11. Nevada has five of the world's ten most expensive hotel/casino properties ever built: Bellagio, Venetian, Encore, Wynn, and City Center. And the building never stops.
13. And with all of the weddings taking place in Nevada, there are many, many attorneys to clean up the mess when a marriage sours. In fact, Nevada is home to nearly 7,000 lawyers.
14. Despite being the U.S.'s largest producer of gold (and one of the world's largest gold producers), Nevada is lovingly nicknamed the Silver State. Go figure.
15. Nevada is the home to many of the country's haunted locations. From Virginia City and Goldfield to Rhyolite to areas of Las Vegas and Boulder City to abandoned gold mines, Nevada is chock-full of ghosts and other paranormal activity.
16. If you want cheap eats, Nevada is the place to be. Practically every hotel & casino has its own very inexpensive, around-the-clock menu, and we love that.
17. Nevada is home to more extraterrestrial aliens than any other state. At least we think so. Gaining unauthorized access to Area 51 is highly frowned upon.
There you have it. While many people immediately think “Las Vegas” when they hear “Nevada,” the Silver State has a number of unique qualities that make it America’s black sheep. Whereas some think being dubbed a black sheep is an insult, we Nevadans are totally fine with that! Please share your thoughts about Nevada’s uniqueness below.
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