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State NEVADA
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 more regional information about Nevada
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Tourism & Travel Guide: Nevada
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NEVADA is without doubt the most desolate
state in the US, consisting largely of endless
tracts of bleak, empty desert. Its flat sagebrush plains are
cut intermittently by angular mountain ranges, and the lack of
rainfall or fertile soil has ensured its maintenance as untouched
wilderness. Apart from the huge acreages given over to mining
and to grazing cattle and sheep, much of Nevada is under the
control of the military , who use it to test aircraft and weapons
systems, including Stealth fighters and atomic bombs. Dozens
of intriguing small communities are scattered around the state,
some showing signs of strong Basque influence. Many more are
decrepit roadside ghost towns, often little more than a gas-station-cum-general-store,
flanked by a saloon and perhaps a brothel - Nevada is the only
US state not to have outlawed prostitution , though it is illegal
in Las
Vegas.
Though millions of people
pass through on their way to and from California, there's only one real reason
why anyone ever visits Nevada, and that is to gamble : as soon
as you cross the state border, you'll be attacked by a 24-hour
onslaught of neon signs and gimmicky architecture, each advertising
the best odds and biggest jackpots, nowhere more than in the
surreal oasis of Las Vegas . Even the smaller and more down-to-earth
settlements of Reno and state capital Carson
City revolve around
the casino trade. At least the casinos' energetic pursuit of
passing trade keeps rooms and especially food inexpensive, so
the towns make good places to break a long journey - and, with
Nevada's relaxed marriage and divorce laws, make or break a relationship.
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