Nye County, Nevada
| Nye County, Nevada | |
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| County | |
| Nye County | |
Nye County Courthouse in Tonopah
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 Location in the U.S. state of Nevada |
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 Nevada's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1864 |
| Named for | James W. Nye |
| Seat | Tonopah |
| Largest community | Pahrump |
| Area | |
| • Total | 18,199 sq mi (47,135 km2) |
| • Land | 18,182 sq mi (47,091 km2) |
| • Water | 17 sq mi (44 km2), 0.1% |
| Population | |
| • (2010) | 43,946 |
| • Density | 2.4/sq mi (1/km²) |
| Congressional district | 4th |
| Time zone | Pacific: UTC-8/-7 |
| Website | nyecounty |
Nye County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2010 census, the population was 43,946. Its county seat is Tonopah. At 18,159 square miles (47,030 km2), Nye is the largest county by area in the state and the third-largest county in the contiguous United States (thus excluding the boroughs of Alaska).
Nye County comprises the Pahrump, NV Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Las Vegas-Henderson, NV-AZ Combined Statistical Area.
In 2010, the center of population of Nevada was located in southern Nye County, very near Yucca Mountain.
The Nevada Test Site and proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository are located in the southwestern part of the county, and are the focus of a great deal of political and public controversy in the state. The federal government manages 92 percent of the land in the county. A 1987 attempt to deposit the nuclear waste resulted in the creation of Bullfrog County, Nevada, which was dissolved two years later.
The county features several environmentally sensitive areas, including Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, the White River Valley, several Great Basin sky islands and a portion of Death Valley National Park. Visitors to Death Valley often stay at Beatty or Amargosa Valley.
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