Like many areas in Nevada, Esmeralda and Nye counties are looking to diversify their economy and bring in new businesses. According to Robert Cameron, Chairman of Economic Development Authority for Esmeralda and Nye Counties (EDEN), the area has several challenges that are unique and it is also finding ways to capitalize on its assets.
The area sits on Nevada’s western border between Reno and Las Vegas, and encompasses over 18,000 square miles. Nye County is the third largest county in the United States. Cameron hastens to add that over 90% of that space is controlled by the federal government with 13,050 square miles – roughly the size of Rhode Island – taken up by the Nevada Test Site.
EDEN also runs the entire gamut of population, climate, and geography that is one of Nevada’s hallmarks. In the southern part of the area, Pahrump has become one of the fastest growing communities in the country due to the development of Clark County, while Esmeralda County is experiencing losses due to cutbacks in the mining industry and outright closures of some of its mining operations. The area also provides something for just about everyone in terms of climate and scenery – switching from the desert of southern Nevada to the mountains of the north with some of the state’s highest peaks located within its borders. The town of Beatty, located in Nye County, provides an entrance to Death Valley and elevations below sea level.
The area does represent some unique opportunities due to its remoteness and the presence of the Test Site. According to George Ormiston, Vice President of Planning and Development for the Nevada Test Site Development Corporation (NTSD), federal monies became available to the area through the Department of Energy and are being used to create high tech jobs both on and off the Test Site. Ormiston hastens to add that the Test Site is an active military site. The NTSD is a guest there, he says, and is very mindful of the security restrictions on any business that wants to be located in or near the Test Site.
That being said, Ormiston says that the area is a tremendous resource for the aerospace industry and they are actively looking for companies that want to use the area for satellite launches. The remoteness of the area is an asset to companies that work with hazardous materials, Ormiston says, relating that the NTSD recently relocated one such company from Amargosa to the Test Site area. NTSD works with companies through an incubation program, investing in the companies to help them get started or relocate to the area.
EDEN has used the Test Site area as a springboard for their science and technology corridor and recently received a federal economic development grant to assist them with developing high tech industries. Cameron says the monies will be used to hire additional staff, develop the junction of I-95 and Route 373 in Amargosa Valley, and set up communication links between the communities using the high tech center in Pahrump and the Community College of Southern Nevada (CCSN).
Cameron points out that businesses need to be aware of the fact that it’s a rural area when they look at Nye and Esmeralda counties. “What rural means is that one of the problems we have is infrastructure. When a new company looks at wanting to come into an area, they want to know about schools, housing, basic things like sewers, phone and water,” Cameron said, adding that when a lot of people talk about rural, they’re really thinking of an area that is just outside of either Las Vegas or Reno and where there is still access to all the amenities. “To them, living rural life is living on three-quarters of an acre. To us rural is rural. You have a water well and a septic tank and the high school kids get on a bus and travel an hour and a half to go to Beatty,” he said.
Nye and Esmeralda counties offer companies some benefits with interstate links that provide access to most of the western United States in less than 12 hours. In addition, Las Vegas gives businesses located in the southern part of the region access to most major markets. According to Cameron, the area has a good labor force with CCSN providing classes even in the most rural of communities. He also cites a low crime rate and excellent schools as assets for the area.
