ELKO

The high price of gold has created a troublesome cycle in Elko. With gold hitting $600 an ounce in April and holding strong at more than $650, the incentive to suck the gold from the ground is strong. So salaries at the mines are high, and jobs are plentiful.

This is good.

But there aren't enough places to live.

That is bad.

The obvious answer: Build more places to live. But construction workers come here, realize they can make more money at the mines and switch to mining jobs. Frustrated contractors are left without workers.

It's the curse of prosperity.

When Don Newman left Las Vegas one year ago to take the job as executive director of the Elko Convention Authority, he rented a house sight unseen. His sister-in-law, a hairstylist, was doing a woman's hair and heard about a house suddenly on the market. Newman snapped it up without hesitation, delighted to have a place in town. He didn't want to be living in a motel as so many workers do.

Newman, 51, spent most of his life in Las Vegas. Before leaving, he was a senior account manager at GES Exposition Services, which puts on trade shows and has a $40 million-a-year budget. Now he is happier as executive director of the Elko Convention Authority with its $2 million annual budget.

He had lived in Elko for about five years in the mid-1980s as manager of the Red Lion Inn and Casino, so life in the mining and ranching town, now with a population of more than 16,000, wasn't a surprise. But memories of the grandiose beauty of Elko County and the awesome Ruby Mountains, the Alps of Nevada, had faded. "I'm still getting used to seeing the stars at night and the sky so blue," he said.

This past weekend, the Ruby Mountains were covered with snow. Bright sunshine crafted breathtaking views. Elko County is a haven for hiking, hunting, fishing, horseback riding, mountain biking, rock climbing, skiing, scenic ghost towns and, for the more sedentary, scenic drives. Newman encouraged people to check out www.exploreelko.com.

"It's a trip everyone in the state should make at least once," Newman said. From Las Vegas, the drive is 450 miles. It's 85 percent Republican, so for conservatives, Elko County is a political nirvana.

What does he miss about Las Vegas? "I don't really miss anything. Las Vegas is always home, but having just gone back for a week, I didn't miss the growth. Traffic that used to be bad between 7 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. now is bad all day long. Urban sprawl is everywhere."

So he and his family have chosen to slow down and enjoy life. "Elko's a throwback to another era," Newman said. "For those who remember Fremont Street in its glory days, that's what Elko is today."

Chris Chrystal, media relations manager for the Nevada Commission on Tourism, said Elko "is a real Western town in a real Western setting, with an air of honesty about it. It's not trying to be something it's not, and not much has changed downtown since the 1950s." While mining is causing the current population boom, ranching is the mainstay. "As long as we have a beef industry, we'll have an Elko," Chrystal said.

Lamoille Canyon in the Ruby Mountains is one of the county's most scenic spots for visitors. Afterward, stopping for coffee in tiny Lamoille, I chatted with a cowboy at the bar. He had lived all over the world before settling in Lamoille, and he shed some light on small-town living. He talked about squabbles over water rights and living in a town where busybodies know your business. "You want to start a rumor? Say something right here," he said, referring to the bar and restaurant where a super-sized Bloody Mary was the noontime drink of choice.

But he also said there's a sense of accountability there. If you're not upfront and honest in how you deal with people, it doesn't take long before everybody knows it.

Accountability in Las Vegas would improve all our lives.

Jane Ann Morrison's column appears Monday, Thursday and Saturday. E-mail her at Jane@reviewjournal.com or call 383-0275.