Editing Reno, Nevada (section)

===The divorce capital of the world===
In the early twentieth century Nevada became a popular destination for [[migratory divorce]] in an era when most states had highly restrictive laws on the subject. Legislation passed in 1931 completed the gradual reduction of residency requirement from six months to six weeks, and Reno openly advertised itself as the "Divorce Capital of the World".  Nevada's laws, which were fairly progressive for the time, allowed numerous grounds for divorce and Reno's courts quickly gained a reputation for handling cases with both celerity and sympathy for those seeking to "untie the knot". From the 1930s through the 1960s Reno became synonymous with speedy divorce, often referred to colloquially as "the six week cure". During these decades the city's reputation drew thousands of divorcees annually, and they in turn became an important part of the local economy. These temporary residents flocked to hotels, [[boarding house|boardinghouses]], and [[dude ranches|hospitality ranches]], many of which catered primarily to those waiting out the six week residency requirement before their court date.<ref name=Brean>{{cite web|author=Brean, Henry|url=https://www.rgj.com/story/life/2017/09/18/rise-and-fall-renos-quickie-divorce-industry/677065001/|title=The rise and fall of Reno's quickie divorce industry|agency=[[Las Vegas Review-Journal]]|work=[[Reno Gazette-Journal]]|date=2017-09-18|access-date=2020-03-08}}</ref>

Numerous local businesses openly courted these visitors, such as [[R. Herz & Bro]], a jewelry store that offered ring resetting services to the recently divorced and the luxurious [[El Cortez (Reno)|El Cortez Hotel]], which was built in part to accommodate the more affluent among Reno's six week guests.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ad for R. Herz & Bro. Jewelers|url=http://renodivorcehistory.org/library/ad-for-r-herz-bro-jewelers/|access-date=2021-09-01|website=Reno Divorce History}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Harmon|first=Mella|title=El Cortez Hotel|url=https://renohistorical.org/items/show/5|access-date=2021-09-01|website=Reno Historical|language=en}}</ref> The majority of those who came to Reno for divorce were women as Nevada did not require both parties in a divorce case to be present in court, and men often could not take that much time off from work. Although new "residents" seeking divorce were required to swear under oath that they intended to make Nevada their permanent home, most left soon after obtaining their divorce decree, which often occurred on the same day as the initial court hearing.<ref name="Brean" />

In addition to tens of thousands of ordinary people, Reno also became a major destination for celebrities, and the very wealthy looking to end their marriages as quickly as possible. Some of the many famous personages who got divorced in Reno include [[Mary Pickford]], [[Jack Dempsey]], [[Douglas MacArthur|General Douglas MacArthur]], [[Carole Lombard]], [[Tallulah Bankhead]], [[Adlai Stevenson II]], [[Lana Turner]], [[Nelson Rockefeller]], [[Georges Simenon]], [[Rita Hayworth]], [[Gloria Vanderbilt]] and [[Cornelius Vanderbilt IV]]. The latter was married seven times and had five of his six divorces in Nevada. Mr. Vanderbilt was so taken with Reno that, unlike most migrant divorcees, he eventually settled there permanently.<ref name="Smithsonian Magazine">{{Cite web |last=Wernick |first=Robert |date=June 1996 |title=Where You Went if You Really Had to Get Unhitched |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/where-you-went-if-you-really-had-to-get-unhitched-1-41543097/#:~:text=Publicized%20in%20a%20long%20string,capital%20of%20the%20Western%20world. |access-date=2024-03-15}}</ref><ref name="Reno Divorce History">{{Cite web |date=2014 |title=Famous people divorced in Reno |url=https://renodivorcehistory.org/research/famous-people-divorced-in-reno/#:~:text=John%20Carradine%20(actor).,Nelson%20in%20Reno%20in%201937. |access-date=2024-03-15 |website=Reno Divorce History}}</ref>

In the 1939 film ''[[The Women (1939 film)|The Women]]'', Reno and its divorce culture serve as a backdrop to a significant part of the plot. [[Ernie Pyle]] once wrote in one of his columns, "All the people you saw on the streets in Reno were obviously there to get divorces." In [[Ayn Rand]]'s novel ''[[The Fountainhead]]'', published in 1943, the New York-based female protagonist tells a friend, "I am going to Reno," which was understood as declaring their intention to get a divorce.<ref name=cultureamerica>{{cite book|last= Barber |first =Alicia  |title =Reno's big gamble: image and reputation in the biggest little city|publisher =University Press of Kansas|year=2008 |isbn= 978-0-7006-1594-0 }}</ref>

The divorce business eventually died out during the 1970s, as other states began relaxing their laws, and especially with the widespread introduction of [[no fault divorce]].<ref name=Brean/>