Social Indicators
Overview —
Located in northeastern Nevada, Eureka County was established in 1873. The county covers 4,182 square miles. Geography is typical basin and range topography, with long, mostly north-south trending, alluvium-filled valleys separated by mountain ranges. Elevations range from a high of around 10,461 feet at the Summit Mountains in the Monitor Range to about 4,000 feet elevation on the floors of several of the lower basins.
Principal communities are the county seat, Eureka, in the southern end of the county and the towns of Crescent Valley and Beowawe in the north. The Humboldt River winds through the northern part of the county. This is a major transportation corridor both historically and in the present.
Thousands traveled the emigrant trail along the Humboldt River in the nineteenth century; now the corridor holds Interstate Highway 80, as well as Union Pacific railroad tracks. U.S. Highway 50 provides access to the southern end of the county and to the county seat. Eureka County towns are relatively isolated, but County and City governments, as well as private businesses, provide a range of services to residents and visitors, as listed in Table 6-1 below.
In 1975, The Energy Research and Development Administration (formerly AEC) began a renewed search for a possible permanent repository for the nation's nuclear waste. A multiple site survey emphasizing burying the nuclear waste in salt deposits and federal nuclear facility sites was conducted in 36 states, including Nevada, but reduced in scope due to decreased funding and political opposition from states.
Voting —
As shown in Table 6-2, voter turnout in Eureka County is very high. Voter turnout in the last general election was 85.35 percent, while in Nevada as a whole the percentage of registered voters who voted was 80.79 percent. Only in 2008 did the percent of Nevada registered voters exceed the percentage of Eureka County voters participating in the election. Figure 6-1 shows the party affiliation of Eureka County voters. Since 2003, democrat voters have declined while republican and independent non-partisan voters have increased. Figure 6-2 tracks the trends in voter registration in Eureka County.
Public Safety —
The State of Nevada created a uniform crime-reporting program in 1991. The Department of Public Safety obtains crime figures from local jurisdictions in Nevada and publishes them in an annual report, Crime and Justice in Nevada. During 2010 only 26 "index" crimes were reported in Eureka County. This gives Eureka County a crime rate of 16.16 per thousand population, just under half the crime rate for the state as a whole of 34.04 (Table 6-3).
The Eureka County Sheriff's Department tracks annual jail population and the total number of reports filed annually. The Eureka County annual jail population spiked in 2007 and 2008 and then declined and leveled off from 2009 to 2012 (Figure 6-3). However, the number of reports filed with the Sheriff's Department have steadily increased since 2010 (Figure 6-4).
Traffic Crashes and Ambulance Service —
Traffic crashes in Eureka County in 2010 totaled 119, with four fatal crashes (Table 6-4). According to the Nevada Department of Transportation 2010 Nevada Traffic Crashes the top three contributing factors to traffic crashes in Eureka County were "speed too fast for conditions," "animal in roadway (deer)" and "inattentive driving."
This is consistent with the causative factors in other rural Nevada counties. Of the seven fatal crashes in Eureka County in 2010, two took place on Interstate 80; two took place on U.S. Highway 50; one took place on State Route 278; and one took place on State Route 376 north of Crescent Valley Town. Between 1998 and 2001 all fatal crashes took place either on Interstate Highway 80 or on U.S. Highway 50.
In 2002 Eureka County had 0.23 percent of the statewide total crashes. With a crash rate of 92.01 per 100,000,000 vehicle miles, Eureka County has the fifth lowest crash rate in Nevada counties, behind Esmeralda, Humboldt, Mineral and Pershing Counties. The overall Nevada statewide crash rate is 233.3.
Figure 6-5 shows ambulance calls for the Eureka and Crescent Valley areas. Ambulance calls for Eureka and Crescent Valley Volunteer Ambulance Service does not include Pine Valley, I-80 and areas north of I-80.
Health Care —
Nevada Health Centers, Inc. operates two clinics in Eureka County, one in the town of Eureka and one in Crescent Valley. The Eureka Clinic was opened in 1987, the Crescent Valley Clinic in 1999. Each clinic is staffed with one physician and one nurse practitioner. The clinics offer family medicine, women's health services, pediatrics, occupational health, urgent care, family planning, health screenings, well-child care and immunizations, STD/HIV education, lab, X-ray, prescription dispensary, prenatal and newborn care, chronic illness management, and health education.
A Medicaid Eligibility Specialist visits each clinic once a month to assist the community with available programs. For acute care, Eureka County residents visit hospitals in nearby counties including Elko General Hospital, William Bee Ririe Hospital in Ely, and Reno-area hospitals. Table 6-5 shows medical clinic visits.
References:
1. Eureka County Facilities and Services
Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, County of Eureka, State of Nevada, page 101. 30 June 2005. Mike Rebaleati. Eureka County Recorder/Auditor web page. 1 August 2006 (There is an Update every year)
2. Eureka County Voter Registration
Eureka Nevada Secretary of State - Voter Registration Figures, June 2006. 21 July 2006. Dean Heller, Secretary of State. Nevada Secretary of State web page. 1 August 2006. (Records updated monthly)
3. Eureka County Voting Statistics for 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010 General Elections
Nevada Secretary of State - Official General Elections Results. Secretary of State. Nevada Secretary of State web page. 1 (General Elections occur every 2 years) http://www.nvsos.gov/index.aspx?page=1060
4. Reported Crime in Eureka County and Nevada by Category
Crime and Justice In Nevada, 2010. Nevada Department of Public Safety
5. 2007-2011, Ambulance Calls, Eureka County EMS Coordinator, Mike Sullivan.
6. Traffic Crashes in Eureka County, Nevada Department of Transportation.
Nevada Traffic Crashes Report. Copyright 1998-2011. Nevada Department of Transportation web page. 1 August 2006
http://www.nevadadot.com/About_NDOT/NDOT_Divisions/Planning/Safety_Engineering/Traffic_Crash_Reports.aspx
7. Eureka County Medical Clinic Visits
Nevada Health Centers, Inc. - Patient Profile for 2004. Nevada Health Centers, Inc. web page. 1 August 2006. (There is an update every year)
8. Eureka County Medical Clinic Visits
Nevada Health Centers, Inc. - Patient Profile for 2004. Nevada Health Centers, Inc. web page. 1 August 2006. (There is an update every year)
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