Facts About the City of Las Vegas

Education

Facts About the City of Las Vegas

Updated April 7, 2012

5 minute read

The city of Las Vegas, is situated in Clarke County, Nevada, which is part of the vast and arid Mojave Desert.

The first historical sighting of an oasis in the area was in 1829.

The name Las Vegas is Spanish, and means The Meadows.

During the 1800's when Nevada was still part of Mexico, the area was a lush and green valley, made so by way of underground artesian wells, which the local Spanish speaking people called, Las Vegas.

From the late 1800's the area became a staging point for local mining communities and a stop-over along the pioneer trail.

At this time the valley was populated by gold and opal miners and Mormon farmers.

The town received city status in 1911 with the town's 800 population voting for their first mayor Chicago born, real estate entrepreneur Peter Buol.

The building of the nearby Hoover Dam and Lake Mead between 1931 - 1935, resulted in further growth and development of the city along with the neighbouring township of Boulder City, built to accommodate construction workers at the dam.

The city received a further influx of inhabitants in 1941 with the arrival of the Nellis Air Force Base, a U.S military training facility.

The gambling empires which made the city famous throughout the world, grew up in the 1950's, funded by money from the Mob.

This new gambling empire saw yet another influx of people moving to the city looking for work at the military base, casinos and hotels.

During the 1960's industrialist and businessman Howard Hughes began to buy up hotels and casinos in the city, succeeded in running out the mob and therefore made legitimate corporations in and around the city.

With the success of the gambling empire and the work that it generated, the city saw one last influx of population, along with a building boom of cheap housing in the 1990's.

Today the metropolis of greater Las Vegas now has a population of just under 2 million people and is classifieed as the 38th largest city in the U.S.A.

The inner core or city of Las Vegas now has a resident population of around 400,000 people, and it is here that the world famous, iconic Las Vegas Strip is situated, a wide boulevard 4.2 miles long,located between Freemont Street and Interstate 215.

Thirty three of the largest resort hotels and casinos in the world are situated along this route, which have a total of 67,000 hotel rooms between them.

THE EXCALIBUR HOTEL.

Whatever your views on Las Vegas as a tourist destination, the lifestyle and culture that it encourages or it's extortianate use of electricity and water, one can not deny the architectural brilliance and magnificence of the city.

Las Vegas is not just about gambling, there is also a thriving out of town tourist industry centred around the local area, that includes such natural splendours as the Valley of Death, The Valley of Fire, Nevada State Park and The Grand Canyon, the engineering masterpieces of the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead, and seven historic former mining towns that are now classified as ghost towns.

LAKE MEAD HOOVER DAM.

Cultural venues within the city include the area's oldest building, an adobe fort built in 1855 by the city's earliest Mormon settlers, 29 golf courses, a myriad of various types of musical entertainment venues that cater to everything from heavy metal to ballet, as well as the obligatory shopping malls, beauty parlours and swimming pools.

The city is also known as the wedding capital of the world where it houses 35 wedding chapels as well as 16 churches and 3 synagogues.

Because of the ease and cheapness of a wedding license in Las Vegas, it is reported that a staggering 2.5 million marriages are performed every year in the city.

As well as being known as the Wedding Capital of the World, the city is also known as Entertainment Capital of the World and Sin City.

LAS VEGAS STRIP BY NIGHT.

( IMAGE COURTESY OF LASVEGASLOVER, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)

The city is the home of the World Series Poker tournament, held in the city every year and the city is also reputed to have at least 7 trade shows a day happening at any one time throughout the year.

LAS VEGAS FACTFILE.

Oldest building; The Mormon Fort circa 1855.

Tallest building; The Stratosphere Tower at 1,149 feet.

Read Joe Dorish's article about Vegas's largest buildings tallest-buildings-and-structures-in-las-vegas

Oldest casino still in operation; The Golden Gate opened in 1906.

First resort hotel; The Mirage built in 1989 with 3,044 rooms.

The largest hotel; The MGM Grand with 5,000 rooms.

First casino ever built; The Pair o Dice built in 1931 .Demolished.

First hotel ever built; The El Rancho Vegas in 1941. Destroyed by fire 1960.

THE DESERT AND MOUNTAINS SURROUNDING LAS VEGAS.

The first settlement in the city was by puritan Mormon farmers.

36.7 million tourists visit the city every year.

Gambling in the city generates $ 9 billion worth of revenue.

15,000 miles of neon tube lighting is used in and around the city.

5,586 mega watts of electricity is used a day.

The only time the lights of Las Vegas were ever dimmed, was when American singer / actor Dean Martin died, on 25th December 1995.

The iconic welcome to Las Vegas town sign was erected in 1959.

More Hawaiins live in Las Vegas than in Hawaii.

Construction workers hard hats were invented for use at the construction of nearby Hoover Dam.

The city's international McCarran Airport is fitted with banks of one armed bandits.

Las Vegas Strip is home to 19 of the world's largest hotels.

Many of the city's hotels are themed hotels depicting other cities around the world.

Owing to the high calibre of entertainment the Las Vegas Hard Rock hotel generates, it is the only hotel in the city that does NOT make a profit from gambling.

Drinking water for the city is tapped from nearby Lake Mead and the Colorado River.

The city has a serious water problem, with the city in fear of becoming a draught area within a decade.