Twenty years ago to the day, Sheriff Sid Smith hired me to be a patrol Deputy in the Mason Valley area. Since that day, I have seen parts of Lyon County grow exponentially. Fernley and Dayton are expected to expand even more drastically in the next ten years, with some estimates of 40,000 + residents in Fernley and 25,000+ residents in Dayton over that time period.
Census data provides a snapshot of the growth in Lyon County over the past 20 years:
2000 Census:
Dayton 9682
Fernley 8596
Silver Springs 6691
Yerington 7968 (Includes SV)
Total Population 32,937
Median Age: 40.9 years.
Median Household Income: $48,433.
Poverty Rate: 12.8% of the population was below the poverty line.
Most recent population numbers:
Dayton 15,873
Fernley 25,508
Silver Springs 5,117
Yerington 8,231 (Includes SV)
Median Age: 42.9 years.
Median Household Income: $73,460.
Poverty Rate: 11% of the population was below the poverty line.
*Numbers are approximate due to census records and other data
In the 2000 census, the areas of Lyon County had approximately the same number of residents, but that is clearly not the case today. The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office has adjusted its staffing to meet the growth, particularly in the Dayton and Fernley areas. Currently, the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office has 86 sworn personnel, including me. My goal is to expand that number to 100 sworn personnel in the near future, to maintain a high level of law enforcement services within Lyon County.
Respectfully,
Sheriff Brad Pope
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