Fallon is a city in Churchill County in the U.S. state of Nevada. The population was 9,327 at time of the 2020 census. Fallon is the county seat of Churchill County and is located in the Lahontan Valley. Fallon is known for being home to Naval Air Station Fallon, located southeast of town.

History

The community was first populated during the California Gold Rush, because multiple would-be Forty-niners stopped after crossing the Carson River.

The town and post office were established on July 24, 1896, in a little shack belonging to Michael Fallon and Eliza Fallon, who operated a ranch at the site. Shortly afterwards, Jim Richards later operated a store near the post office.

The town was officially incorporated in 1908.

Geography

Fallon is located in western Churchill County at the geographic coordinates (39.472792, −118.778826). It is in the Lahontan Valley, a former lakebed into which flows the Carson River, which passes north of the city.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Fallon has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.49%, is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Fallon had a population of 9,327. The median age was 35.1 years. 23.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.7 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 3,939 households in Fallon, of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 35.1% were married-couple households, 24.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 31.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 35.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2000, there were 7,536 people, 3,004 households, and 1,877 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,336 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 76.5% White, 2.0% African American, 3.0% Native American, 4.7% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 0.3% from other races, and 3.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.9% of the population.

There were 3,004 households, out of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.7% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.4% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,935, and the median income for a family was $41,433. Males had a median income of $35,356 versus $22,818 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,919. About 9.5% of families and 12.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.6% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.

Public health

Between 1997 and 2003, the Fallon community experienced an unusually high incidence of childhood leukemia. In response, the U.S. Senate held the Field Hearing Before the Committee on Environment and Public Works during the winter of 2001. Nevada Assemblywoman Merle A. Berman was a participant. According to the minutes of that hearing, on February 14, Berman pressed for answers to ascertain why certain individuals, but not others were selected for the panel of experts chosen to investigate the leukemia clusters and "why the Federal Government was not involved in the testing." And on April 12, Berman obtained this testimony from one of the medical experts in attendance:

<blockquote>Dr. Thomas Sinks, the associate director for science at the National Center for Environmental Health at the Centers for Disease Control clarified that nobody ever developed cancer because of chances. There was always a cause, and the challenge in Fallon would be to discover the common denominator among the 11 children. The unifying cause was not yet known, but eventually science would identify the commonality. The probability of the Fallon cluster being a chance event was described by Dr. Sinks as being unlikely.</blockquote>

In 2011, epidemiologists at the University of California, Berkeley theorized that the "space-time patterning" of the leukemia cluster was "consistent with the involvement of an infectious disease," and that a "possible mode of transmission" was "by means of a vector" since mosquitoes were "abundant in Churchill County outside of the urban area of Fallon."

Education

The city is served by the Churchill County School District. Churchill County High School is the main high school and also caters to students in rural areas outside the city. Western Nevada College has a campus in Fallon.

There is a charter school, Oasis Academy.

Fallon has a public library, the Churchill County Library.

Climate

Fallon experiences a cold desert climate, with hot summers and cold winters. Due to Fallon's elevation and aridity, the diurnal temperature variation is quite substantial, especially in the summer months. Fallon's climate is quite dry, due to its location in the Rain Shadow of the Sierra Nevada. Summer days can be hot, but temperatures are cooler than in deserts such as the Mojave, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan deserts, due to Fallon's altitude and higher latitude north of the equator. In the winter, daytime temperatures are usually above freezing, but nights can be bitterly cold. Fallon can experience heavy fog in winter, known as pogonip.

Nuclear weapons testing

Los Alamos National Laboratory, in conjunction with the Department of Defense, conducted an underground nuclear test southeast of Fallon at 5 p.m. on October 26, 1963. Named Project Shoal, the 12.5-kiloton detonation was part of the Vela Uniform program. The device exploded at a depth of below ground surface. The site is located in Gote Flat in the Sand Springs Range.

Access to the Project Shoal Area is unrestricted.

Notable people

  • John C. Carpenter, rancher, businessman, and politician, was born in Fallon
  • Harvey Dahl, St. Louis Rams a former offensive lineman, was born in Fallon
  • Luella Kirkbride Drumm, former member of the Nevada Assembly
  • Wuzzie George, Northern Paiute craftswoman and recorder of indigenous lifeways
  • Martin Heinrich, U.S. senator for New Mexico
  • Meaghan Martin, actress
  • Joshua Mauga, a Fallon native, played for the Kansas City Chiefs

Twin towns

Fallon is twinned with the following towns:

  • Vani, Georgia

See also

  • Fallon Municipal Airport
  • Salmon Creek Railroad
  • Spirit Cave mummy
  • Federal Building and Post Office (Fallon, Nevada)

Notes

References

  • Steinmaus, C., M. Lu, R.L. Todd, A.H. Smith. Probability estimates for the unique childhood leukemia cluster in Fallon, Nevada, and risks near other U.S. military aviation facilities. Environmental Health Perspectives. 112(6): 766–771. May 2004.
  • City of Fallon official website
  • Fallon Chamber of Commerce
  • Fallon business
  • Grimes Point Trail (Bureau of Land Management), with pictures of the carvings