Churchill County is a county in Nevada, United States, in the Lahontan Valley of the state’s west-central desert. It had a population of 25,516 at the 2020 census and covers 5,024 square miles (13,010 km2), centred near 39°36′N 118°20′W.
Fallon is the county seat, and its postal code is 89406. The county has one incorporated city, one census-designated place, and roughly twenty smaller unincorporated communities and rural place names. Churchill County observes Pacific time and carries FIPS code 32001.
Towns & Villages in Churchill County
Fallon is the only incorporated city and the seat of government. Fallon Station, adjoining the naval air station, is a census-designated place. The rest of the county’s named settlements are unincorporated — a mix of small ranching hamlets, rail sidings, and former mining camps scattered across the desert basin.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fallon | City · seat | — | 89406 |
| Fallon Station | CDP | — | 89406 |
| Hazen | Unincorp. | — | 89424 |
| Stillwater | Unincorp. | — | 89406 |
| Dixie Valley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Middlegate | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Eastgate | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cold Springs | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Frenchman | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Salt Wells | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Boyer | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cressid | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dixie | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Huxley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Jessup | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Massie | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Miriam | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Newpass | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ocala | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Parran | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Saint Clair | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Trinity | Unincorp. | — | — |
Several of these names — Boyer, Cressid, Massie, Newpass, Ocala, Parran — mark former rail sidings or mining camps along the old Nevada Central and Southern Pacific lines rather than present-day inhabited places; they persist on maps and in local usage even where no year-round population remains.
ZIP Codes
- 89406 — Fallon (post office town, also serves Fallon Station and Stillwater)
- 89424 — Hazen
The county’s remaining rural communities receive mail through Fallon’s rural routes rather than a ZIP code of their own.
Geography
Churchill County sits in the Lahontan Valley, a low desert basin fed by the Carson and Humboldt rivers and irrigated through the Newlands Project’s Lahontan Reservoir. The Stillwater Range and Clan Alpine Mountains rise along the county’s eastern side, and the Carson Sink, a large seasonal wetland, spreads across its northern reaches. Of the county’s 5,024 square miles, about 94 square miles (240 km2) is water. Churchill County borders Lyon County to the west, Washoe County to the northwest, Pershing County to the north, Lander County to the east, Nye County to the southeast, and Mineral County to the south.
Demographics
The 2020 census counted 25,516 residents. Fallon and Fallon Station together hold the large majority of that population, with the rest spread thinly across the county’s ranching and desert communities. Median household income runs below the Nevada median of $76,364, reflecting the county’s rural, agriculture- and military-dependent economy. Population density is roughly five people per square mile, one of the lower figures among western Nevada counties.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture and the military anchor the local economy. Irrigated fields fed by the Newlands Project grow alfalfa hay, garlic, and Fallon’s well-known Hearts O’ Gold cantaloupes, celebrated each August at the Fallon Cantaloupe Festival. Naval Air Station Fallon, home to the Navy’s Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program (widely known by its earlier name, TOPGUN), is the county’s largest single employer and drives much of Fallon’s retail and housing demand. Geothermal power plants near Stillwater and Soda Lake also contribute to the county’s energy sector.
History
Churchill County was created by the Nevada Territorial Legislature on November 25, 1861, one of the territory’s original nine counties, and organized for government in 1864. It takes its name from Fort Churchill, an Army post established in 1860 along the Carson River (now within neighboring Lyon County), itself named for Brevet Brigadier General Sylvester Churchill, a Mexican-American War veteran and U.S. Army inspector general. The county seat sat first at Bucklands Station and then Stillwater before moving to Fallon in 1904, once the federal Newlands Reclamation Project began delivering irrigation water and drew farmers and merchants into the newly platted town.
Getting There
U.S. Route 50 and U.S. Route 95 cross at Fallon, the county’s transportation hub; Route 50 across Churchill County carries the “Loneliest Road in America” designation as it heads east toward Austin.
- Reno — 60 miles west
- Carson City — 55 miles west
- Lovelock — 45 miles north
- Hawthorne — 90 miles south
Reno-Tahoe International Airport, about an hour’s drive west via US 50, is the nearest commercial airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Churchill County?
It is in west-central Nevada, in the Lahontan Valley about 60 miles east of Reno.
What is the population of Churchill County?
25,516 people, at the 2020 census.
How big is Churchill County?
5,024 square miles (13,010 km2), including 94 square miles of water.
What is the Churchill County seat?
Fallon, the county’s only incorporated city.
How many towns are in Churchill County?
One incorporated city, one census-designated place, and about twenty unincorporated rural communities.
What ZIP codes are in Churchill County?
89406 for Fallon and most of the county; 89424 for Hazen.
What is Churchill County known for?
Naval Air Station Fallon’s Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor (TOPGUN) program and Fallon’s Hearts O’ Gold cantaloupes, grown on Newlands Project irrigated farmland.