Elko, Nevada: Where the recession never hit - Aug. 18, 2009. By Richard B. Stolley, contributor ELKO, Nevada (Fortune) -- At a time when local officials coast to coast are frantically slashing municipal budgets, furloughing employees, and trying to soothe recession-wounded constituents, Curtis Calder, the city manager in Elko, Nev., has a hard time coming up with much to worry about. Indeed, the economic news in this community of 19,000 is astonishingly cheerful: Housing prices are stable. Commercial building is up. Tourist events are drawing bigger crowds than last year. Unemployment is about as low as you'll find. The casinos are down only slightly. "Elko is the best place in Nevada to be," says Calder with a burst of exuberant confidence that would make any civic booster proud, "and maybe in the whole country. " What's the secret of the city's success?
The mile-high land around Elko in the barren northeastern corner of the state contains a treasure trove of invisible specks of gold. "Gold is a boom and bust industry," explains Calder. Elko Public Utilities. White Pine County Nevada. Ghost Towns of Nevada. White Pine County Visitors & Convention Bureau. Ghost Towns of Nevada - Nye County. Elko, Nevada: Where the recession never hit - Aug. 18, 2009.