Rank: 7th largest (87 percent of Nevada's land area is federally controlled) Highest elevation: Boundary Peak in Esmeralda County - 13,140 feet; Lowest elevation: On the Colorado River in Clark County - 470 feet; Nevada Nicknames. Battle-Born State; Sagebrush State; Silver State; The origin of the state's name is Spanish, meaning snow-capped. Facts About Nevada. The presence of Nevada's earliest inhabitants, beginning about 12,400 years ago, is marked by many petroglyphs and archaeological sites.