Gas prices rise in Northern Nevada, drop elsewhere

Northern Nevada is among the handful of areas defying a nationwide trend of falling gasoline prices, according to a car club survey.

Regular unleaded gas was going for an average of $1.78 a gallon in Carson City and $1.81 in Reno, compared to a national average of $1.58 and a Nevada average of $1.76, according to the survey results released Tuesday by AAA.

While gas prices have fallen dramatically in the Midwest since early July, Nevada, California and the Northeast continue to keep the nationwide average at high levels, according to the survey.

The California average was $1.76, up a dime from June and 30 cents from a year ago.

Prices in the New England area averaged $1.67, while those in the Mid-Atlantic states averaged $1.63. But the $1.58 national average was down 5.7 cents from a month earlier after prices in the Midwest fell from close to $2 a gallon.

"Summer travel demands and high oil prices continue to push up retail prices in Nevada," said AAA Nevada spokesman Bob Brown.