Nevada

Easy Marriage and Divorce

The state of Nevada has long been associated with easy divorces; in 1861, the state set the term of residence in the state before a divorce could be granted at six months, but it was not until 1906 that people from eastern states began taking advantage of the laws. The term of residency before divorce increased in 1914, and was then reduced several times to reach a residency term of six weeks. As a result, Reno, the state capital, has been known as a place out-of-state citizens can get easy divorces; and Las Vegas, the state's largest city, has a reputation as a center for quick marriages. In 2004, the divorce rate was 7.1 per 1,000 residents; 10.1 percent of households included a single parent and at least one child under the age of 18. On average, there are 2.6 people per household, only slightly more than the U.S. average.

As well as a high divorce rate, Nevada has one of the highest abortion rates in the United States, with 45 per 1,000 women aged between 15 and 44 obtaining an abortion. Per 1,000 live births, the abortion rate was 260.2.

The current population of Nevada is 2,600,167 (2008 estimate). The state has a birth rate of 16.0, the sixth highest of any U.S. state, and a fertility rate of 2.4 children per woman, the same as Texas; only four other states have higher rates. The fetal [Page 909]death rate was 7.03 per 1,000 live births, and the infant mortality rate was 6.23 per 1,000 live births. Eight percent of the children born in 2004 were low birthweight (under 2,500 grams); 74.4 percent of mothers received prenatal care beginning in the first trimester.

Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) began his career as a writer in Virginia City, Nevada. One of seven children, only he and three others survived childhood.