High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! White Pine County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. The 2000 census recorded its population to be 9,181; a 2006 estimate placed its population at 9,542. Its county seat is Ely. It is the home of Great Basin National Park. The name "White Pine" is an old name for the Limber Pine, a common tree in the county's mountains. White Pine County was created in 1869 out of eastern Lander County and was named for the heavy growth of pine trees in the area, thought to be white pine. Hamilton was the first county seat from 1869 to 1887 when it was replaced after a fire by Ely.