Gaming still No 1 in Nevada but mining only game in Elko

Gaming is still Nevada’s largest industry and probably always will be. But it’s certainly not the mainstay of Elko anymore where legalized gambling began nearly a half century ago.

Several new gold mining projects in the nearby Carlin belt by Newmont Gold Company and American Barrick Resources (TSE) have brought new prosperity to Elko and contributed to a serious housing shortage and escalating prices for living accommodation and hard goods.

Newmont in particular has been forced to spent several million dollars in Elko for housing to accommodate new employees. The company’s employment roster at last count included over 1,500 employees and several hundred more will be needed in the next few years to meet future production demands.

The housing shortage has also created headaches for the Bureau of Land Management which has been forced to contend with illegal squatters around mine sites. Campers and trailers are common place on the banks of the Humboldt River which meanders its way westerly beside Interstate 80 to the small community of Carlin and beyond.

These nomadic-type laborers and trades people are allowed to squat for a few weeks by the BLM before they are evicted. Then they simply move elsewhere and the same process is repeated.

The success of Nevada’s gold mining industry has also increased demands for higher taxation. Indeed, one lobby group has called for a special tax on mining which the industry has been resisting strongly. Pressure put on local infrastructure (schools, housing etc) by mining companies is believed to be responsible for such demands. However, many companies have contributed funds for new schools, increased policing, and other services to alleviate the financial burden on communities.