ZIP Code 89431

Sparks is a city in Washoe County, Nevada, United States. It was founded in 1904, incorporated on March 15, 1905, and is located just east of Reno. The 2020 U.S. Census counted 108,445 residents in the city. It is the fifth most populous city in Nevada. The city is named after John Sparks, Nevada Governor (1903-1908), and a member of the Silver Party. Sparks has a semi-arid climate with warm to hot summers and cold winters. There is a great amount of snow in the winters. The wettest year was 2017 with 12.38 inches (314 mm) and the driest was 2013 with 3.27 inches (83 mm). The most snow in one month was in January 2017, including the most precipitation in 24 hours, which was 241 inches (61 cm) on October 25, 2021. The record high temperature was 108 °F (42 °C) on July 11, 2002, and the record low temperature was 19 °F on February 7, 1989. The average annual precipitation in Sparks is 8.38 mm (213 mm) Average snowfall per year is 6.8 inches (8.17 cm) in one year. There are an average of 59.5 days with highs of 90 °C (32 °F) and an average. of 140.6 days with lows of 32 °F. (0 °C). The average January temperatures are a maximum of 48.2 °F and a minimum of 24.7 °F [4.1 °C].

History

Sparks is the primary city name, but also Lockwood are acceptable city names or spellings, Mustang, Patrick, Tracy-Clark on the other hand no longer accepted or obsolete and are no longer used as a designation. Sparks was founded in 1902 by the Southern Pacific Railroad. It was first called Harriman, after E.H. Harrimans, president of the railroad, and then renamed Sparks, after John Sparks, then governor of Nevada. In 1984, the tower for the Nugget Casino Resort was finished, giving Sparks its first, and currently only, high-rise casino. In 1996, the redevelopment of the B Street business district took a step forward with the opening of a multi-screen movie complex and the construction of a plaza area.Panasonic Energy's manufacturing plant in Sparks, Gigafactory 1, produces EV batteries for Tesla. It employed about 7,000 people in 2020. The city is home to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's DSSAM Model to analyze impacts of a variety of land use and stormwater management decisions throughout the 3,120-square-mile (8,100 km²) Truckee River basin. This model was used to develop a set of surface runoff stormwater Management measures for Sparks in the 1980s. It is now a pedestrian-friendly district that hosts many open-air events. The town has a population of about 6,000, with the majority of its residents living in the north of the city. The area south of the railway started to fill up with warehouses and light industry in the 1970s. In the early 1980s, the area near the railroad was the site of a housing boom in the area of Sparks.

Geography

Sparks has a cold desert climate (BW) with warm to hot summers and cool to cold winters. Average annual precipitation in Sparks is 8.38 inches (213 mm) There are an average of 45 days with measurable precipitation. Stormwater surface runoff from the city drains into the Truckee River, a sensitive waterway that empties into Pyramid Lake, which has no outlet and is the habitat of two endangered species. Average snowfall per year is 6.8 inches (17 cm) and the most snow in one year was 23.3 inches (59 cm) in 2016. The most precipitation in one month was 5.17 inches (131 mm) in January 2017, including the most rainfall in 24 hours, which was 2.41 inches (61 mm) on October 25, 2021. Average January temperatures are a maximum of 48.2 °F (9.0 °C) and a minimum of 24.7°F (4.1 °C). The record high temperature was 108 °F [42 °C] on July 11, 2002, and the record low temperature was 19 °F on February 7, 1989. The wettest year was 2017 and the driest was 2013 with 3.27 inches (83 mm). There are 59.5 days with highs of 90 °F  (32 °C), and an average  of 140.6 days with lows of 32 °F. There is a great amount of diurnal temperature variation, causing summers to go from very hot during the day to cool at night.

Demographics

As of the American Community Survey of 2018, there were 104,246 people, 38,056 households residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 76.8% White, 2.5% African American, 1.5%, Native American, 5.7% Asian, 0.5%. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 29.3%. In 2018 the estimated median income for a household was $60,785 and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line. In 2018, the population was spread out, with 23.5 per cent under the age of 18 and 15.3 per cent who were 65 years of age or older. There were 50.3% females and 50.8 per cent males in 2018. The city is located on the banks of the San Francisco Bay, which was once the site of the World Trade Center. The San Francisco River runs through the city, and the city is on the shore of the Potomac River, which once was the source of the Red River. The Red River is a tributary of the Little Red River, and was once a source of water for the city's water supply. It is also on the shores of the Allegheny River, where it is possible to see the city from a distance of up to 20 miles. The City of San Francisco is the largest city in the state, with a population of more than 100,000 people. It was the location of the U.S. Civil War Battle of Gettysburg.

Arts and culture

Tourist attractions include the Great Basin Brewing Company, Nugget Casino Resort, and Scheels The World's Largest All-Sports Store. Sparks has two public libraries, one downtown adjacent, and another in Spanish Springs. The Sparks Library is 23,000 square feet (2,100 m2). In 2019, the Sparks library started a drag queen story hour, despite opposition from parents and conservative groups. Sparks is home to the Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-off, which is one of the world's largest rib cook-off events. It is also the home of the Nevada State Museum, which features an indoor ferris wheel, two giant aquariums one can walk through/under, and other exhibits. It also has the largest all-sports store in the world, with multiple indoor displays and exhibits, including an indoor Ferris wheel and a giant aquarium. The city is located on the Nevada-Nevada border, and is located in the eastern part of the state. It has a population of 2,000,000 (as of October 1, 2013). It is the largest city in the Washoe County Library System, and the second largest in the state in terms of square miles (3,000 m2) The city's library system is made up of three branches: Sparks, Spanish Springs, and Nevada City. The library system has a budget of $1.2 billion (or $2.4 billion in today's dollars) and serves more than 100,000 people.

Parks and recreation

Golf courses, swimming pools and public parks have been built in the area since the 1960s. The area is known as the "Golf City" and is home to several golf courses. The city also has a number of public parks, which are open to the public, including a public swimming pool and a public beach. The town's name comes from the town of the same name, which is located in the north of the city. It is also known as "The Golf City" because of its location near the town's golf course. The name is derived from the word "golf", which means "to play" or "to swim" in English. It also means to "play the game" which is a popular sport in the town. It was named after the town where the first golf course was built, which was in the early 1960s, and is called "The golf city" The town also has its own version of the Golf City, which has been around since the 1800s, called "the golf town" The city's name is also derived from "the Golf Town" which was founded in the late 19th century, and was named "The Golfing Town" It is located on the banks of the Red River, which runs through the city's downtown area. The Golf Club was established in the mid-19th century and is known for its large number of golf courses, many of which are located in and around the city of Los Angeles.

Education

Public education in Sparks is administered by the Washoe County School District. Schools located within the city district territory include: Edward C. Reed High School, Spanish Springs High School and Sky Ranch Middle School. Excel Christian School is a private institution in the city. The city is home to the Nevada Center for the Arts, which was established in the 1970s. The Sparks High School football team won the state championship in 2008. The school's football team finished second in the 2008-09 season behind the Reno-Sparks High School team, which won the title in 2007-08. The high school football team also won the 2010-11 state championship, beating the Reno team in the final game of the season, which ended in a loss to Nevada State College. The district's baseball team finished third in the 2009-10 season, winning the state title in 2008-10. The football team's winning streak in the 2007-2008 season ended in the season's final game, when the team lost to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The team's record in the 2006-2009 season was 2-1. The 2007-2009 school year was the district's worst in the history of the district, with a record of 1-7-1 (out of a possible 2-10-1 record). The school district has a history of winning the national championship in the 1980s and 1990s, with the exception of two years when it won the national title in the 1990s.

Infrastructure

Sparks is served by the nearby RenoTahoe International Airport. State Route 445 (Pyramid Way), El Rancho Drive, Sullivan Lane, Rock Boulevard, Sparks Boulevard, Vista Boulevard, and State Route 659 (McCarran Blvd) are the city's major northsouth thoroughfares. The Union Pacific Railroad runs eastwest through the center of Sparks. Passenger rail service to the Sparks Amtrak Station ended in 2009, although service continues in neighboring Reno by the California Zephyr. The Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County (RTC) operates a city bus system that services the cities of Reno and Sparks. The city has a significant rail yard south of I-80, just south and adjacent to the Nugget Hotel/Casino towers in downtown Sparks, and is a central part of the area's industrial park. A $1.1 billion road project will turn a large portion of Pyramid Highway through nearby Spanish Springs into a controlled access, high speed arterial road. This project will also offer more direct freeway system and inter-valley connections to and from Sun Valley, another major population center. Sun Valley is located just north of Reno, and just west of Spanish Springs, and will be home to just over 20,000 residents as of 2020. It is the largest city in the Reno/Spark's metropolitan statistical area, with a population of over 1.5 million. The area is home to the University of Nevada, Reno, which has an enrollment of about 1.2 million.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Sparks, Washoe County, Nevada = 77. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 40. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 90. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Sparks = 5.1 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 108,445 individuals with a median age of 36 age the population grows by 34.93% in Sparks, Washoe County, Nevada population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 2,971.83 residents per square mile of area (1,147.42/km²). There are average 2.74 people per household in the 32,462 households with an average household income of $57,116 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 12.10% of the available work force and has dropped -6.89% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 14.12%. The number of physicians in Sparks per 100,000 population = 243.8.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Sparks = 7.7 inches and the annual snowfall = 4.6 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 48. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 253. 91 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 23.9 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 77, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Sparks, Washoe County, Nevada which are owned by the occupant = 58.72%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 22 years with median home cost = $152,360 and home appreciation of -21.31%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $8.73 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,627 per student. There are 19.9 students for each teacher in the school, 2406 students for each Librarian and 413 students for each Counselor. 7.61% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 14.15% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 5.84% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).