Lander County has the most UFO sightings in Nevada — why?

Want to become a UFO hunter? You should probably try going to Lander County.

For those of you who haven’t studied Nevada geography in a while, Lander is the county at the center of the state, with a population of 5,844. The county has the most sightings of UFOs per person, according to FindTheBest.

Lander County has a ratio of 188 sightings per 100,000 people, while Clark County sees about 19 sightings per 100,000 people. So while Clark County gets a higher number of reported sightings because of its just over 2 million residents, Lander County clearly has more sightings per person.

So, what makes Lander County such a friendly place for little green men? It’s not Area 51: That’s in Lincoln County — nowhere near Lander.

Battle Mountain and Austin, Nevada — named for Austin, Texas — are the two most populous towns in Lander County, at 3,635 and 192, respectively. Both offer an attraction of some sort, although it doesn’t seem like there’s anything UFO-centric, like the Little A’Le’Inn on the Extraterrestrial Highway in Rachel.

The last entry on the self-reported National UFO Reporting Center’s State Report Index from Lander County was from August, and was a flash reportedly seen for 10 minutes, with the comment, “Would stop on a dime, move in circles, am sorry, but no man-made aircraft can physically do that.”

According to their website, Lander County is mostly public land managed by federal agencies, with a population density of .99 per square mile. Their economy still relies on mining, but they claim fame to their many festivals.

Is whatever’s in Area 51 escaping and going up north? Was Lander previously inhabited by other worldly beings and people are starting to notice? Someone call Scully and Mulder.

Contact Kristen DeSilva at 702-477-3895 or kdesilva@reviewjournal.com. Find her on Twitter: @kristendesilva