Yerington is a city in Lyon County, Nevada, United States. The population was 3,121 at the 2020 census. It is the current county seat of Lyon County, with the first county seat having been established at Dayton on November 29, 1861. It is named after Henry M. Yerington, superintendent of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad from 1868 to 1910.

History

Native people

The Yerington Paiute Tribe of the Yerington Colony and Campbell Ranch is headquartered in Yerington. The people, known as Numu (human beings) in their own language, have lived in the Smith and Mason Valleys in Northwestern Nevada, since around 1000 A.D.

City

The community was formerly named Greenfield, Mason Valley, and Pizen Switch (irreverent nickname from the time when Yerington was a transfer - or switch - stop, and the local whiskey was so bad that it was called "poison". "Poison" came out sounding like "pizen" because of local vernacular, and the name "Pizen Switch" stuck.)

It was founded on August 6, 1871. The city was incorporated on March 17, 1907. The ranchers, not knowing what it was, attempted to notify the authorities by mail, but did not receive a response until after they cut it up and used it as a hay tarp.

Geography

Yerington is located at the intersection of US 95A and Nevada State Route 208. It is south of Silver Springs and U.S. Route 50, 47 miles (76 km) south of Fernley and Interstate 80, west of Schurz and U.S. Route 95, and northeast of Smith Valley.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. The Walker River is formed in southern Lyon County, south of Yerington, by the confluence of the East Walker and West Walker rivers. It flows into the Mason Valley where Yerington is located, and is used for irrigation.

Climate

Yerington experiences a cool desert climate. Yerington is noticeably more arid than areas even marginally closer to the Sierra Nevada – it receives only half as much precipitation as Carson City, a third as much as South Lake Tahoe and only one-eighth as much as Nevada City, California on the western Sierra slopes. Because the drying effect of the Pine Nut Mountains is most pronounced in the winter, Yerington receives very little snow in most years, although in the very cold and snowy month of January 1916 as much as fell and that season saw a total of . January 2017 proved the first month to exceed of precipitation when it totaled .

|source 2 = National Weather Service

Demographics

thumb|right|Watering an alfalfa field in Yerington

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Yerington had a population of 3,121. The median age was 44.7 years. 22.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 25.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.8 males age 18 and over.

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

There were 1,394 households in Yerington, of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 34.6% were married-couple households, 23.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 38.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 22.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. basic statistics show there were 3,048 people, 1,302 households, and 747 families residing in the city. The population density was 1792.9 people per square mile. There were 1,507 housing units at an average density of 886.5 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 80.20% White, 0.60% African American, 6.80% Native American, 0.60% Asian, 8.90% from other races, and 3.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.80% of the population.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 2,883 people, 1,203 households, and 729 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,698.4 people per square mile. There were 1,359 housing units at an average density of 800.6 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 84.53% White, 0.17% African American, 6.24% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 5.79% from other races, and 2.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.44% of the population.

There were 1,203 households, out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.4% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29, and the average family size was 2.97.

Notable people

  • Nevada Barr, (1952– ) mystery writer, created the Anna Pigeon series
  • Jesse Brinkley, (1976– ) professional boxer, contestant on season one of The Contender
  • Joe Dini, (1929–2014) long time member of the Nevada Assembly
  • Wovoka, (1856–1932) also known as Jack Wilson. Paiute religious leader

See also

  • Anaconda Copper Mine (Nevada)

References

  • City of Yerington official website