Las Vegas

Las Vegas
(Spanish for "The Meadows"), officially the City of Las Vegas and often known

simply as Vegas, is the 28th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in
the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas
Valley metropolitan area and is the largest city within the greater Mojave Desert.[7] Las Vegas is
an internationally renowned major resort city, known primarily for its gambling, shopping, fine
dining, entertainment, and nightlife. The Las Vegas Valley as a whole serves as the leading
financial, commercial, and cultural center for Nevada.
The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous for its mega casino-
hotels and associated activities. It is a top three destination in the United States for business
conventions and a global leader in the hospitality industry, claiming more AAA Five
Diamond hotels than any other city in the world.[8][9][10] Today, Las Vegas annually ranks as one of
the world's most visited tourist destinations.[11][12] The city's tolerance for numerous forms of adult
entertainment earned it the title of "Sin City",[13] and has made Las Vegas a popular setting for
literature, films, television programs, and music videos.
Las Vegas was settled in 1905 and officially incorporated in 1911. At the close of the 20th
century, it was the most populated American city founded within that century (a similar distinction
was earned by Chicago in the 19th century). Population growth has accelerated since the 1960s,
and between 1990 and 2000 the population nearly doubled, increasing by 85.2%. Rapid growth
has continued into the 21st century, and according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau,
the city had 651,319 residents in 2019,[14] with a metropolitan population of 2,227,053.[5]
As with most major metropolitan areas, the name of the primary city ("Las Vegas" in this case) is
often used to describe areas beyond official city limits. In the case of Las Vegas, this especially
applies to the areas on and near the Las Vegas Strip, which is actually located within the
unincorporated communities of Paradise and Winchester.[15][16]
Contents
 1History
 2Geography
o 2.1Climate
o 2.2Nearby communities
o 2.3Neighborhoods
 3Demographics
 4Economy
o 4.1Tourism
 4.1.1Downtown casinos
 4.1.2Las Vegas Strip
o 4.2Development
o 4.3Other industries
o 4.4Impact of growth on water supply
 5Culture
 6Sports
o 6.1List of teams
 6.1.1Major professional teams
 6.1.2Minor professional teams
 6.1.3Amateur teams
 6.1.4College teams
 7Parks and recreation
 8Government
o 8.1City council
 9Education
o 9.1Primary and secondary schools
o 9.2Colleges and universities
 10Media
o 10.1Newspapers
o 10.2Broadcast
o 10.3Magazines
 11Transportation
 12Notable people
 13See also
 14Notes
 15References
 16Further reading
 17External links
History
Main articles: History of Las Vegas and Timeline of Las Vegas
Southern Paiutes at Moapa wearing traditional Paiute basket hats with Paiute cradleboard and rabbit robe
Nomadic Paleo-Indians traveled to Las Vegas 10,000 years ago, leaving behind
petroglyphs. Anasazi and Paiute tribes followed at least 2,000 years ago.
A young Mexican scout named Rafael Rivera is credited as the first non-Native American to
encounter the valley, in 1829.[17][18][19][20] Trader Antonio Armijo led a 60-man party along
the Spanish Trail to Los Angeles, California in 1829.[21][18] The area was named Las Vegas, which
is Spanish for "the meadows," as it featured abundant wild grasses, as well as the desert spring
waters needed by westward travelers.[22] The year 1844 marked the arrival of John C. Frémont,
whose writings helped lure pioneers to the area. Downtown Las Vegas's Fremont Street is
named after him.
Eleven years later, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chose Las
Vegas as the site to build a fort halfway between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles, where they
would travel to gather supplies. The fort was abandoned several years afterward. The remainder
of this Old Mormon Fort can still be seen at the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and
Washington Avenue.
Las Vegas was founded as a city in 1905, when 110 acres (45 ha) of land adjacent to the Union
Pacific Railroad tracks were auctioned in what would become the downtown area. In 1911, Las
Vegas was incorporated as a city.[23]
Golden Nugget and Pioneer Club along Fremont Street in 1952
1931 was a pivotal year for Las Vegas. At that time, Nevada legalized casino gambling and
reduced residency requirements for divorce to six weeks. This year also witnessed the beginning
of construction on nearby Hoover Dam. The influx of construction workers and their families
helped Las Vegas avoid economic calamity during the Great Depression. The construction work
was completed in 1935.
In late 1941, Las Vegas Army Airfield was established. Renamed Nellis Air Force Base in 1950, it
is now home to the United States Air Force Thunderbirds aerobatic team.[24]
Following World War II, lavishly decorated hotels, gambling casinos, and big-name entertainment
became synonymous with Las Vegas.
This view of downtown Las Vegas shows a mushroom cloud in the background. Scenes such as this were
typical during the 1950s. From 1951 to 1962, the government conducted 100 atmospheric tests at the
nearby Nevada Test Site.[25]
In 1951, nuclear weapons testing began at the Nevada Test Site, 65 miles (105 km) northwest of

Las Vegas. During this time, the city was nicknamed the "Atomic City". Residents and visitors
were able to witness the mushroom clouds (and were exposed to the fallout) until 1963, when
the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty required that nuclear tests be moved underground.[25]
In 1955, the Moulin Rouge Hotel opened and became the first racially integrated casino-hotel in
Las Vegas.
The iconic "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign, which has never been located within municipal limits,
was created in 1959 by Betty Willis.[26]
Fremont Street in the late 1960s

During the 1960s, corporations and business tycoons such as Howard Hughes were building and
buying hotel-casino properties. Gambling was referred to as "gaming", which transitioned it into a
legitimate business.
The year 1995 marked the opening of the Fremont Street Experience, in Las Vegas's downtown
area. This canopied five-block area features 12.5 million LED lights and 550,000 watts of sound
from dusk until midnight during shows held at the top of each hour.
Due to the realization of many revitalization efforts, 2012 was dubbed "The Year of Downtown."
Projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars made their debut at this time, including the Smith
Center for the Performing Arts, the DISCOVERY Children's Museum, the Mob Museum,
the Neon Museum, a new City Hall complex, and renovations for a new Zappos.com corporate
headquarters in the old City Hall building.[22][27]
Geography
Astronaut photograph of Las Vegas at night
Downtown Las Vegas with Red Rock Canyon in the background
Las Vegas is situated within Clark County, in a basin on the floor of the Mojave Desert,[28] and is
surrounded by mountain ranges on all sides. Much of the landscape is rocky and arid, with desert
vegetation and wildlife. It can be subjected to torrential flash floods, although much has been
done to mitigate the effects of flash floods through improved drainage systems.[29]
The peaks surrounding Las Vegas reach elevations of over 10,000 feet (3,000 m), and act as
barriers to the strong flow of moisture from the surrounding area. The elevation is approximately
2,030 ft (620 m) above sea level. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a
total area of 135.86 sq mi (351.9 km2), of which 135.81 sq mi (351.7 km2) is land and 0.05 sq mi
(0.13 km2) (0.03%) is water.
After Alaska and California, Nevada is the third most seismically active state in the U.S. It has
been estimated by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) that over the next 50 years,
there is a 10–20% chance of a M6.0 or greater earthquake occurring within 50 km (31 mi) of Las
Vegas.[30]
Within the city, there are many lawns, trees and other greenery. Due to water resource issues,
there has been a movement to encourage xeriscapes. Another part of conservation efforts is
scheduled watering days for residential landscaping. A U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency grant in 2008 funded a program that analyzed and forecast growth and environmental
impacts through the year 2019.
Climate
Desert scene at the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area in the Las Vegas area
Spring flowers at the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area in the Las Vegas area
Las Vegas has a subtropical hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification: BWh), typical of

the Mojave Desert in which it lies. This climate is typified by long, extremely hot summers; warm
transitional seasons; and short winters with mild days and cool nights. There is abundant
sunshine throughout the year, with an average of 310 sunny days and bright sunshine during
86% of all daylight hours.[31] Rainfall is scarce, with an average of 4.2 in (110 mm) dispersed
between roughly 26 to 27 total rainy days per year.[32] Las Vegas is among the sunniest, driest,
and least humid locations in North America,with exceptionally low dew points and humidity that
sometimes remain below 10%.[33]

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Las Vegas

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Las Vegas

(Spanish for "The Meadows"), officially the City of Las Vegas and often known

In 1951, nuclear weapons testing began at the Nevada Test Site, 65 miles (105 km) northwest of

Fremont Street in the late 1960s

Astronaut photograph of Las Vegas at night

Downtown Las Vegas with Red Rock Canyon in the background

Las Vegas has a subtropical hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification: BWh), typical of

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