I didn’t know Esmeralda was sick

Douglas County is the healthiest county in Nevada. Mineral County is the unhealthiest. That according to a website in Wisconsin.

Take or leave the ratings. The most noteworthy part of the list is that poor little Esmeralda County gets rated an "NR". Not rated? Even for health? That's peculiar.

The over-'n-under for population in Esmeralda is (and I'm guessing here) is 750 hearty souls ... and trending downward. Perhaps it's too small for a rating. Or maybe it was just too much work to track down the health records of the county's bustling towns of Goldfield, Gold Point, Fish Lake Valley and Silver Peak. Heck, maybe nobody keeps health records because if Old Bill gets sick, everybody in the county sends flowers.

Whatever it is, in sickness or in health, life in Esmeralda County goes on unchanged this morning. As the county's official website says:

"Esmeralda County, NV located halfway between Reno and Las Vegas, is the home to many mining communities and ghost towns. Surrounded by rugged mountain wilderness, vast open basins and rich mines. Esmeralda County offers a variety of spectacular scenery, a comfortable lifestyle and an excellent business climate. Goldfield, the principal city of Esmeralda County, is in fact a gold field of opportunity for businesses."