The National Preservation Atlas (NPA) announces the launch of the Nevada Preservation Atlas, the first public, interactive resource to comprehensively visualize the state’s historic places and the legal protections they receive. People can use the map to learn more about the historic significance of individual properties, see if they are eligible for financial incentives for rehabilitation, and determine whether a historic place might be protected by local, state and/or federal regulatory review processes.

The Nevada Preservation Atlas gathers insights about properties designated as historic by the federal government, state government and local governments. Key statistics include:

Nevada has over 500 designated historic properties spanning tens of thousands of acres, with many properties associated with the mining industry, rail, and mid-twentieth-century roadside and entertainment architecture.

Only a fraction of Nevada’s land–less than one percent–has been designated historic, leaving many resources unprotected.

Of Nevada’s 35 local governments, only 12 exercise their authority to regulate changes (such as alteration or demolition) to historic properties or designate sites on a local register of historic places.

Most (80%) of Nevada’s designated historic places are buildings, not archaeological sites, structures (like bridges or canals), or objects (like shipwrecks or monuments).

The number of properties designated historic has grown steadily since the 1970s, with designations on the National Register far outpacing (and outnumbering) designations on state or local registers.

“The Nevada Preservation Atlas illuminates the breadth of the state’s rich history while also identifying opportunities to protect that history,” said Sara C. Bronin, founder of the National Preservation Atlas. “We invite Nevadans to use this resource to find new ways to connect with their past.”

A presentation and reception for the launch of the Nevada Preservation Atlas was held on May 27.

More information can be found on the online interactive map and the Preservation Snapshots at http://www.preservationatlas.org/nevada.