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Las Vegas History
Las
Vegas, city in southern
Nevada. The seat of Clark County, Las Vegas is located in the Las
Vegas Valley, a desert surrounded by the Spring Mountains and the
Sierra Nevada. Las Vegas serves as the center of one of the
fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the United States. Its
population has multiplied by a factor of 30 since the 1940s—more
than that of any other major American city. Las Vegas is renowned
for tourism, gaming, a dry and vigorous climate, and an assortment
of indoor and outdoor recreational activities. The city is also
booming in manufacturing and industrial employment, in the
construction of new houses, and in the creation of new service jobs.
 Bright
neon lights shine through the night in Las Vegas, Nevada,
advertising casinos, hotels, clubs, bars, and other businesses. Las
Vegas was a small town until gangster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel
changed the city’s character forever by constructing its first
lavish hotel-casino in 1945. Now known as the "Entertainment Capital
of the World," Las Vegas attracts tourists from all over the world.
LAS VEGAS AND ITS METROPOLITAN AREA
The city of Las Vegas covers a land area of 215.2 sq km (83.1 sq
mi). In addition to Las Vegas, the city’s metropolitan region
includes North Las Vegas, Boulder City, Henderson, Mesquite, and a
large number of unincorporated communities.
The
downtown area of Las Vegas, known as Glitter Gulch, is characterized
by long-established casinos. It is the site of the Fremont Street
Experience, a renovation project completed in 1995, designed to
revitalize the downtown area and attract more people to the street’s
casinos. Covering a five-block stretch of Fremont Street, this
section is a covered pedestrian mall where thousands of lights play
out animated scenes overhead. In addition to the casinos and
attractions downtown, more are located on The Strip, a 6-km (4-mi)
neon-lined portion of Las Vegas Boulevard, located slightly south of
downtown. Some of the extravagant casinos on The Strip play on epic
Hollywood themes, such as the Treasure Island Casino, while others
advertise attractions, such as an Egyptian pyramid, a medieval
castle, or an erupting volcano. Ever-grander casinos open each year,
attracting patrons with such draws as replicas of New York City
landmarks or roller-coasters atop tall towers. Outside the city lies
Hoover Dam, a massive concrete dam that was completed in 1936 as
part of a federally funded water works project.
HISTORY Native
American groups such as the Anasazi settled the area that is now Las
Vegas about 2300 years ago. The Anasazi abandoned the region in
about 1150, making way for the Paiute people. In the late 1820s
early Spanish explorers searching for water discovered an oasis in
the region that now contains the city. They named the oasis "Las
Vegas," Spanish for "the meadows." These expanses of wetlands, once
irrigated by artesian waters carried under pressure from the nearby
mountain ranges, were a main draw to southern Nevada until the
1940s.
Las Vegas was an important
stop along the Old Spanish Trail between Santa Fe, New Mexico, and
southern California for much of the 19th century because the oasis
enabled Spanish traders to shorten their route to Los Angeles by
cutting directly across the desert. Descriptions of the lush valley,
made in 1829 and widely circulated, generated much interest. In 1844
explorer John C. Frémont camped in the Las Vegas Valley and
described the fertile landscape in his journals. Missionaries from
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormon Church)
began an intermittent settlement of the Las Vegas Valley in 1855.
This settlement served as a link to California and the Pacific
Ocean. The coming of the railroad in 1905 stabilized the Las Vegas
Valley, and an era of slow growth ensued. In the early 1900s Nevada
passed laws allowing divorce after only six months’ residency in the
state. By 1931 the requirement was reduced to six weeks, and Las
Vegas gained a reputation as an easy place to get a divorce.
Population growth
accelerated in the 1930s with two innovations. In 1931 the Bureau of
Reclamation started construction of Boulder (later Hoover) Dam on
the nearby Colorado River. The Boulder was then the largest dam in
the world. Dam construction brought jobs, growth, city development,
and major federal funds to Las Vegas. That same year the state of
Nevada legalized gambling, facilitating the modern era of Las Vegas,
which began with the construction of the Flamingo Casino by gangster
Bugsy Siegel in 1945. Other lavish casinos opened soon after, most
of which were influenced or owned by criminals.
Eighty-three percent of
Nevada’s land is owned by the federal government, and federal funds
have significantly affected the development of southern Nevada. The
Las Vegas Aerial Gunnery School began the militarization of Las
Vegas. In addition, the government required vast quantities of
magnesium, a strategic metal used by the military, for its efforts
in World War II (1939-1945). In an attempt to keep those involved in
organized crime out of Nevada casinos, in 1967 the Nevada
legislature passed a law that allowed publicly held corporations to
own casinos in the state.
POPULATION
The
population of Las Vegas increased markedly from 1980 to 1990, rising
from 164,674 to 258,295. The city’s population in 1996 was 376,906.
According to the 1990 census, whites constitute 78.4 percent of the
city’s population; blacks, 11.4 percent; Asians and Pacific
Islanders, 3.6 percent; and Native Americans, 0.9 percent.
Hispanics, who may be of any race, make up 12.1 percent.
Increasingly, Las Vegas is home to people who have left California
for Nevada. California migrants constitute about one-third of the
newcomers to Las Vegas and contribute to the growth in home
construction, landscaping, residential security, and light
manufacturing in the increasingly varied Vegas economy. The
population of the metropolitan region jumped from 528,000 in 1980 to
853,000 in 1990, an increase of 62 percent. By 1995 the population
reached an estimated 1,139,000. Currently 1.5 million people
make Las Vegas their home but an astonishing 4% more move in
monthly.
And the growth continues still. The latest population prediction
in the Las Vegas Valley is 2 million people by 2006.
ECONOMY
Las Vegas
bills itself as the "Entertainment Capital of the World," and
tourism, gaming, and entertainment represent a large portion of the
city’s revenue. In addition to its renowned casinos, Las Vegas
attracts visitors to its outdoor shows, including simulated volcanic
eruptions, pirate duels on artificial lakes, and laser cannon
displays. Indoor casino shows, with world-famous entertainers, are
also popular. Annual events include the National Finals Rodeo and
the Las Vegas Invitational Golf Tournament. Las Vegas is a popular
destination for tours and conventions, including COMDEX, an annual
computer show. The Las Vegas Motor Speedway opened in 1996.
The federal government is
also a major presence in Las Vegas. Nellis Air Force Base is the
city’s largest single employer. In addition, there are a number of
military bases headquartered nearby, and a permanent nuclear waste
site at Yucca Mountain has been proposed.
Las Vegas is served by
McCarran International Airport, rail service, and several major
highways.
EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), was founded in 1957. It
is the main university in southern Nevada. The Community College of
Southern Nevada has its main campus in North Las Vegas.
Specialty museums include the Liberace Museum (a museum dedicated to
the flamboyant 20th-century Las Vegas performer) and the Guinness
World of Records Museum. Other museums in Las Vegas include the
Nevada State Museum and Historical Society, which features exhibits
on Nevada’s history from 12,000 BC to 1950; the Las Vegas Natural
History Museum, which houses wildlife and dinosaur exhibits; and the
Las Vegas Art Museum.
RECREATION
In addition
to gambling, there are many recreational opportunities available in
and near Las Vegas. The UNLV athletic teams, especially the men’s
basketball team, which was tremendously successful during the late
1980s and early 1990s, provide entertainment for sports fans. Red
Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Lake Mead National
Recreation Area, and the Grand Canyon are accessible from the city.
HOSPITALS
Las Vegas, Henderson and North Las Vegas have a combined 11
major full service hospitals currently open to the public, with one
more under construction in the far south west of the valley slated
to open in 2006. These numbers do not include drug and alcohol,
mental and rehabilitation hospitals.
GOVERNMENT
Las
Vegas has a council-manager system of government, consisting of a
mayor, six city council members, and a city manager. The mayor is
elected by the population of the entire city, while each of the
city’s six wards elects one council member. The mayor and council
appoint the city manager, who is responsible for the day-to-day
operations of the city government.
As Las Vegas keeps growing and busting at the
seems, it is impossible for us to keep up with the correct numbers.
We are providing a link to the City of Las Vegas Government web
site.
http://www.lasvegasnevada.gov
The City of North Las Vegas Official Web site
http://www.ci.north-las-vegas.nv.us
The City of Henderson Nevada Official Web site
http://www.cityofhenderson.com
The Boulder City Nevada Official Web site
http://www.ci.boulder-city.nv.us
Clark County Nevada Official Web site
http://www.co.clark.nv.us
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