Everything about Las Vegas Nevada totally explained
Las Vegas is the most populous
city in the state of
Nevada, the seat of
Clark County, and an internationally renowned major
resort city for the
gaming industry,
shopping, and
entertainment. Las Vegas, billed as
The Entertainment Capital of the World, is famous for massive and lavish
casino resorts, the unrestricted availability of
alcoholic beverages (as is true throughout Nevada), and
adult entertainment. Once officially referred to as
Sin City, this image has made Las Vegas a popular setting for
films and
television programs.
Established in 1905, Las Vegas officially became a city in 1911. With the growth that followed, at the close of the century Las Vegas was the most populous American city founded in the 20th century (a distinction held by
Chicago in the 19th century). As the
28th most populous city in the United States, Las Vegas is one of the most populous cities in the
American West.
The name Las Vegas is often applied to the
unincorporated areas of
Clark County that surround the city, especially the resort areas on and near the
Las Vegas Strip. This 4.5-
mile (7.2-
km) stretch of
Las Vegas Boulevard is mostly outside the
city limits, in the
unincorporated towns of
Paradise and
Winchester.
History
Founding
Las Vegas (English: "The Meadows") was named by
Spaniards in the
Antonio Armijo party, who used the water in the area while heading north and west along the
Old Spanish Trail from
Texas. In the 1800s, areas of the
Las Vegas Valley contained
artesian wells that supported extensive green areas or
meadows (
vegas in
Spanish), hence the name
Las Vegas.
John C. Frémont traveled into the Las Vegas Valley on
May 3,
1844, while it was still part of
Mexico. He was a leader of a group of
scientists,
scouts and observers for the
United States Army Corps of Engineers. On
May 10,
1855, following
annexation by the
United States,
Brigham Young assigned 30
missionaries of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints led by William Bringhurst to the area to convert the
Paiute Indian population to
Mormonism. A
fort was built near the current downtown area, serving as a stopover for travelers along the "
Mormon Corridor" between
Salt Lake and the briefly thriving colony of "saints" at
San Bernardino, California. Las Vegas was established as a
railroad town on
May 15,
1905, when 110 acres (44.5 ha) owned by
Montana Senator William A. Clark's
San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad, was auctioned off in what is now
downtown Las Vegas. Las Vegas was part of
Lincoln County until 1909 when it became part of the newly established
Clark County. The St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church near 4th and Bridger in downtown was founded in 1910.Las Vegas became an
incorporated city on
March 16,
1911.
Gambling was legalized on
March 19,
1931 in the city and the opening of
Bugsy Siegel's Flamingo Hotel on what would become the
Las Vegas Strip on
December 26,
1946. Various events have had an impact on the city. The
Hoover Dam was completed on
October 9,
1936 and atmospheric
nuclear testing was conducted at the
Nevada Test Site (1951 to 1962). On
November 21,
1980 a
Hotel fire at the
MGM Grand, devastated the city and State of Nevada. On
November 22,
1989 the opening of
The Mirage began the era of
megaresort casinos.
Economic history
Las Vegas started as a stopover on the pioneer trails to the west and became a popular
railroad town in the early 1900s. It was a staging point for all the mines in the surrounding area, especially those around the town of Bullfrog, that shipped their goods out to the rest of the country. With the growth of the railroads, Las Vegas became less important, but the completion of the nearby
Hoover Dam resulted in substantial growth in tourism, which, along with the legalization of gambling, led to the advent of the casino-hotels for which Las Vegas is famous.
The city owes almost all its current status and reputation to the American mafia. All of the original large casinos were managed or at least funded under mob figures
Bugsy Siegel and
Meyer Lansky.
The constant stream of tourist dollars from the hotels and casinos was augmented by a new source of federal money. This money came from the establishment of what is now
Nellis Air Force Base. The influx of
military personnel and casino job-hunters helped start a land building boom which still goes on today.
Geography
Topography
Las Vegas is located at (36.194168, 115.222060). According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 131.3 square miles (340.0
km2), of which, 131.2 square miles (339.8 km
2) of it's land and 0.1 square miles (0.16 km
2) of it (0.04%) is water.
The city is located in an arid
basin surrounded by mountains varying in color from pink to rust to gray. City elevation is around 2030 feet (620 m) above
sea level. The
Spring Mountains lie to the west. As befits a desert, much of the landscape is rocky and dusty. Within the city, however, there are a great deal of lawns, trees, and other greenery. Due to water resource issues, there's now a movement to encourage
xeriscapes instead of lawns. Another part of the
water conservation efforts include scheduled watering groups for watering residential landscaping.
Climate
Las Vegas' climate is an
arid desert climate (
Koppen climate classification BWh) typical of the
Mojave Desert, in which it's located, marked with very hot summers, mild winters, abundant sunshine year-round, and very little rainfall. Temperatures in the
90s °F (mid-30s °C) are common in the months of May, June, and September and temperatures normally exceed 100 °F (38 °C) most days in the months of July and August, but with very low humidity, frequently under 10%. The hottest temperature ever recorded is 117 °F (47 °C) set twice, on
July 19,
2005, at
McCarran International Airport (the warmest ever recorded there) and
July 24,
1942, at present-day
Nellis Air Force Base. Winters are mild and usually are cool and windy, with the majority of Las Vegas' annual 4.49
in (114
mm) of rainfall coming from January to March. Winter daytime highs are normally around 60 °F (16 °C) and winter nighttime lows are usually around 40 °F (4 °C). The coldest temperature ever recorded is 8 °F (−13 °C) set on
January 25,
1937, at present-day Nellis Air Force Base. Showers occur less frequently in the Spring or Autumn. July through September, the Mexican
Monsoon often brings enough moisture from the
Gulf of California across Mexico and into the southwest to cause afternoon and evening
thunderstorms. Although winter
snow is usually visible from December to May on the mountains surrounding Las Vegas, it rarely snows in the city itself. Although temperature and precipitation records for Las Vegas dates back to the early part of the 20th Century, official temperature and precipitation records for Las Vegas date back as early as 1937.
| Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures |
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Year |
| Rec Daytime High °F/ °C | 77/ 25 |
87/ 31 |
92/ 33 |
99/ 37 |
109/ 42.8 |
115/ 46 |
117/ 47 |
116/ 46.6 |
113/ 45 |
103/ 39.4 |
87/ 31 |
77/ 25 |
117/ 47
|
| Average High °F/°C | 57.1/ 13.9 |
63/ 17.2 |
69.5/ 20.7 |
78.1/ 25.6 |
87.8/ 31.0 |
98.9/ 37.2 |
104.1/ 40.1 |
101.8/ 38.8 |
93.8/ 34.3 |
80.8/ 27.1 |
66/ 18.9 |
57.3/ 14.1 |
79.9/ 26.8
|
| Rec Nighttime High °F/°C | 58/ 14 |
59/ 15 |
71/ 21 |
74/ 23 |
89/ 32 |
89/ 32 |
95/ 35 |
90/ 33 |
84/ 29 |
79/ 27 |
62/ 16 |
57/ 14 |
95/ 35
|
| Average Low °F/°C | 36.8/ 2.8 |
41.4/ 5.2 |
47/ 8.3 |
53.9/ 12.2 |
62.9/ 17.2 |
72.3/ 22.4 |
78.2/ 25.7 |
76.7/ 24.8 |
68.8/ 20.4 |
56.5/ 13.6 |
44/ 6.7 |
36.6/ 2.6 |
56.3/ 13.5
|
| Rec Nighttime Low °F/°C | 8/ −13 |
16/ −9 |
23/ −5 |
31/ −1 |
40/ 5 |
48/ 9 |
60/ 16 |
56/ 13 |
46/ 8 |
26/ −3 |
21/ −6 |
11/ −12 |
8/ −13
|
| Rec Daytime Low °F/°C | 28/ −2 |
34/ 1 |
42/ 6 |
48/ 9 |
60/ 16 |
67/ 19 |
81/ 27 |
74/ 23 |
67/ 19 |
50/ 10 |
42/ 6 |
32/ 0 |
28/ −2
|
| Precip (in/cm) | 0.59/ 1.50 |
0.69/ 1.75 |
0.59/ 1.50 |
0.15/ 0.38 |
0.24/ 0.61 |
0.08/ 0.20 |
0.44/ 1.12 |
0.45/ 1.14 |
0.31/ 0.79 |
0.24/ 0.61 |
0.31/ 0.79 |
0.4/ 1.02 |
4.49/ 11.40
|
| Average snow (in/cm) | 0.9/ 2.3 |
0.1/ 0.3 |
<0.1/ <0.1 |
none |
none |
none |
none |
none |
none |
none |
none |
none |
<0.1/ <0.1
|
| Record snow (in/cm) | 16.7/ 42.4 |
4.1/ 10.4 |
0.1/ .3 |
none |
none |
none |
none |
none |
none |
trace |
4.0/ 10.2 |
2.0/ 5.1 |
16.7/ 42.4
|
Source: National Weather Service (External Link ) |
Environment
Las Vegas is situated on the arid floor within Clark County. Correspondingly, the surrounding environment is dominated by
desert vegetation and some
wildlife, and the area can be subject to torrential
flash floods. Enabling the rapid
population expansion was a major addition to the city's
sewage treatment capacity. The sewage treatment expansion resulted from a
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant funded 208 programs to analyze and forecast growth and
environmental impacts through the year 2019.
Cityscape
Redevelopment
When
The Mirage, the first Megaresort, opened in 1989, it started a movement of people and construction away from downtown Las Vegas to the
Las Vegas Strip. This resulted in a drop in tourism from the downtown area but many recent projects and condo construction has seen an increase in visitors to downtown.
A concerted effort has been made by city officials to diversify the
economy from
tourism by attracting light
manufacturing,
banking, and other commercial interests. The lack of any state individual or corporate
income tax and very simple
incorporation requirements have fostered the success of this effort.
Having been late to develop an urban core of any substantial size, Las Vegas has retained very affordable
real estate prices in comparison to other western U.S. cities. Consequently, the city has recently enjoyed an enormous boom both in population and in tourism. However, as a
New York Times series on the city reported in 2004, the median price of housing in the Las Vegas Valley is now at or above the nationwide median. The urban area has grown outward so quickly that it's beginning to run into
Bureau of Land Management holdings along its edges, increasing land values enough that medium- and high-density development is beginning to occur closer to the core.
As a reflection of the city's rapid growing population, the new
Chinatown of Las Vegas was constructed in the
early 1990s on Spring Mountain Road. Chinatown initially consisted of only one large
shopping center complex, but the area was recently expanded for new shopping centers that contain various Asian businesses.
With the Strip expansion in the 1990s, the downtown area (which has maintained an old Las Vegas feel) began to suffer. The city made a concise effort to turn around the fortunes of downtown. The
Fremont Street Experience (FSE) was built in an effort to draw tourists back to the area and has proven to be popular in that regard. The multi-level
Neonopolis, complete with 11 theaters (managed by Galaxy Theaters, Inc.), was built to offer more retail opportunity and services. Many highrise condo projects have also been underway as downtown is transforming into a livable neighborhood. Other promising signs emerged for the area. The city had successfully lured the
Internal Revenue Service operations from the far west of the city to a new downtown building that opened in April 2005. The IRS move is expected to create a greater demand for additional businesses in the area, especially in the daytime hours.
The city purchased 61
acres (247,000 m
2) of property from
Union Pacific Railroad in 1995 with the goal of creating something that would draw more tourists and locals to the downtown area. In 2004 Las Vegas Mayor
Oscar Goodman announced plans for the
Union Park Development which will include residential and office high-rises, The
Lou Ruvo Brain Institute, an academic
medical center,
The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, and a new City Hall. After failed negotiations with
The Related Co. on the development of Union Park in October of 2005,
San Diego-based Newland Communities was chosen by the city as the new development firm. The Newland contract calls for
Dan Van Epp, Newland's regional vice president and former president of the
Howard Hughes Corp., to oversee his company's work on
Union Park. The
Lou Ruvo Brain Institute is expected to be completed in 2007.
Along with the Union Park Development, other promising residential and office developments have begun construction around downtown Las Vegas. New
condominium and hotel
high rise projects have changed the entire Las Vegas skyline dramatically in recent years. Many large high-rise projects are planned for downtown Las Vegas as well as the
Las Vegas Strip.
The city council of Las Vegas has also agreed on zoning changes on
Fremont Street, which allows bars to be closer together, such as the
Gaslamp Quarter of
San Diego. It is expected that this change will bring more tourism and business to the downtown area.
In 2004, the city partnered with Cheetah Wireless Technologies and MeshNetwork to pilot a wide area mobile broadband system. The pilot system is installed downtown, around the Fremont Street Experience.
In 2005, on a lot adjacent to the city's 61 ac (247,000 m
2), the
World Market Center opened. It is intended to be the nation's and possibly the world's preeminent
furniture wholesale showroom and marketplace, and is meant to compete with the current furniture market capital of
High Point, North Carolina.
On
October 23,
2006, plans were unveiled to build a World Jewelry Center in Downtown's Union Park. Similar to the World Market Center, the WJC will be a one stop shop for jewelry
trade shows from around the world. The project proposes a 57-story,
office tower.
Economy
The primary drivers of the Las Vegas economy have been the confluence of
tourism,
gaming, and
conventions which in turn feed the
retail and
dining industries. Several companies involved in the manufacture of electronic gaming machines, such as
slot machines, are located in the Las Vegas area. In the 2000s retail and dining have become attractions of their own.
Tourism marketing and promotion are handled by the
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, a county wide agency. Its annual Visitors Survey provides detailed information on visitor numbers, spending patterns and resulting revenues
(External Link).
Las Vegas, as the county seat and home to the
Lloyd D. George Federal District Courthouse, draws numerous legal
service industries providing
bail,
marriage,
divorce,
tax,
incorporation and other legal services.
Many technology companies have either relocated to Las Vegas or were created there. For various reasons, the Las Vegas area has had a high concentration of technology companies in electronic gaming and telecommunications industries. Some current technology companies in southern Nevada include
Bigelow Aerospace, CommPartners, Datanamics, eVital Communications,
Petroglyph, SkywireMedia, Switch Communications, and WorldDoc. Companies that originally were formed in Las Vegas, but have since sold or relocated include
Westwood Studios (sold to
Electronic Arts), Systems Research & Development (Sold to IBM), Yellowpages.com (Sold to Bellsouth and SBC), and MPower Communications.
Constant population growth means that the housing construction industry is vitally important. In 2000 more than 21,000 new homes and 26,000 resale homes were purchased. In early 2005 there were 20 residential development projects of more than each currently underway.
Culture
Tourism
The major attractions in Las Vegas are the casinos. The most famous hotels are located on Las Vegas Boulevard, better known as the
Las Vegas Strip. Many of these hotels carry thousands of rooms. There are, of course, large casino areas in these hotels as well. There are many hotel casinos in the city's downtown area as well, which was the original focal point of the city's gaming industry in its early days. Several large hotels and casinos are also located somewhat off the Strip but adjacent to it, as well as around the city.
Some of the most notable casinos located downtown are on the
Fremont Street Experience and include:
Parks
City of Las Vegas Parks listing
Las Vegas Springs Preserve Recreational and educational facility
Floyd Lamb State Park
Music
A number of popular music acts have originated from Las Vegas including rock bands The Killers, Panic! at the Disco, The Higher, Escape The Fate, Slaughter, rhythm and blues group 702 and singer Jenny Lewis
While the electronic music duo The Crystal Method was founded in Los Angeles, both members, Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland, are from Las Vegas.
Local Arts
On the first Friday of each month, the "First Friday" celebration is held which exhibits the works of local artists and musicians in a section of the city's Downtown region now called the "Arts District".(External Link)
Sports
Currently, Las Vegas is without any major-league level sports teams although the city's metropolitan population is as large or larger than current cities with professional sports teams such as Buffalo, New York; San Antonio; Pittsburgh; Portland, Oregon; Indianapolis; Milwaukee; and Green Bay, Wisconsin. The hurdle the city needs to overcome is professional leagues being concerned about legalized sports betting in the city and the competition for residents' entertainment budget. High profile one-time sporting events, though, have had success. For example the Las Vegas metropolitan area hosted the NBA 2007 All-Star Game. The NASCAR Sprint Cup series race in the area has drawn up to 165,000 fans. Neither of these events have taken place directly in Las Vegas city limits (although that's no different than most cities teams that play in suburban areas).
Demographics
Las Vegas has been the county seat of Clark County since the formation of the county in 1909. The Census Bureau's official population estimate, as of 2006, was 552,539, though the city’s own Planning and Development Department reported a population of 591,536 as of July, 2006.
The United States Census Bureau 2006 estimates place the population for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Statistical Area at 1,777,539 people, and the region is one of the fastest growing in the United States. Las Vegas proper was ranked as the 32nd most populous city in the United States in 2000, and 2006 estimates have placed the city 28th in rank.
As of the census of 2000, there were 478,434 people, 176,750 households, and 117,538 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,222.5 people per square mile (1,630.3/km2). There are 190,724 housing units at an average density of 1,683.3/sq mi (649.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 69.86% White, 10.36% African American, 0.75% Native American, 4.78% Asian, 0.45% Pacific Islander, 9.75% from other races, and 4.05% from two or more races. Hispanics are 23.61% of the population. Non-Hispanics whites are 58.04%. The top 5 largest ancestries include: German (12.2%), Irish (9.8%), English (8.4%), Italian (6.7%), and American (4.5%).
There were 176,750 households out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 103.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $44,069, and the median income for a family was $50,465. Males had a median income of $35,511 versus $27,554 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,060. About 6.6% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.4% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.
In December, 2007, Clark County officially declared the population now exceeds 2 million residents. Current estimates place growth at 3 million people by 2019, and 4 million people by 2025.
Las Vegas has one of the highest suicide and divorce rates of the U.S. The city's high divorce rate is partly due to the fact that divorce is easier in Nevada than most other states. The city was also ranked by Forbes as having the highest Income disparity in the nation.
Hawaii's Ninth Island
Las Vegas is sometimes refered to as Hawaii's Ninth Island The city is the home to the first ABC Stores branch outside the state of Hawaii.
CAT Bus is a popular means of public transportation among locals and tourists with various bus routes covering a large portion of the valley. The CAT system carries approximately 175,000 people per weekday, or about 10 percent of the valley's population.
The Las Vegas Monorail runs from the MGM Grand Hotel at the south end of the Strip to the Sahara Hotel and Casino at the north end of the Strip.
The street numbering system is divided by the following streets:
Westcliff Drive, US 95 Expressway, Fremont Street and Charleston Boulevard divide the north-south block numbers from west to east.
Las Vegas Boulevard divides the east-west streets from the Las Vegas Strip to near the Stratosphere, then Main Street becomes the dividing line from the Stratosphere to the North Las Vegas border, after which the Goldfield Street alignment officially divides east and west.
On the east side of Las Vegas, block numbers between Charleston Boulevard and Washington Avenue are different along Nellis Boulevard, which is the eastern border of the city limits.
McCarran International Airport provides commercial flights into the Las Vegas valley. The airport also serves private aircraft, domestic and international passenger flights, and freight/cargo flights. General aviation traffic generally uses North Las Vegas Airport, other airfields are available.
Intercity bus service to Las Vegas is provided by traditional intercity bus carriers, including Greyhound; many charter services, including Green Tortoise; and several Chinatown bus lines. Amtrak California also operates Deluxe Express Thruway Motorcoach dedicated service between the City and its nearest passenger rail station in Bakersfield, California.
The Union Pacific Railroad is the only class one railroad to provide rail freight service to the city.
Until 1997, the Amtrak Desert Wind train service ran through Las Vegas using the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) rails that run through the city; Amtrak service to Las Vegas has since been replaced by Amtrak's Thruway Motorcoach bus service. Plans to restore Los Angeles to Las Vegas Amtrak service using a Talgo train have been discussed but no plan for a replacement has been implemented.
Some groups have proposed the California-Nevada Interstate Maglev line from Las Vegas to Los Angeles in order to ease the incoming and outgoing traffic congestion on I-15. Another proposal, the Desert Xpress, would involve the privately-financed construction of a train from Victorville, California, to Las Vegas, using off-the-shelf high speed rail technology.
Roads
Two major freeways - Interstate 15 and Interstate 515/U.S. Route 95 - cross in downtown Las Vegas. I-15 connects Las Vegas to Los Angeles and San Diego, California, and heads northeast to and beyond Salt Lake City, Utah. I-515 goes southeast to Henderson, beyond which US 93 continues over the Hoover Dam towards Phoenix, Arizona. US 95 connects the city to northwestern Nevada, including Carson City and Reno. US 93 splits from I-15 northeast of Las Vegas and goes north through the eastern part of the state, serving Ely and Wells, and US 95 heads south from US 93 near Henderson through far eastern California. A three-quarters beltway has been built, consisting of Interstate 215 on the south and Clark County 215 on the west and north. Other radial routes include SR 160 to Pahrump and SR 147 to Lake Mead.
With the notable exceptions of Las Vegas Boulevard, Boulder Highway, and Tonopah Highway (better known as the northern part of Rancho Drive), the majority of surface streets outside downtown Las Vegas are laid out along Public Land Survey System section lines. Many are maintained by the Nevada Department of Transportation as state highways.
East-west roads, north to south
Las Vegas Beltway (CC 215)
Ann Road
Craig Road (SR 573)
Cheyenne Avenue (SR 574)
Carey Avenue
Lake Mead Boulevard (SR 147)
Washington Avenue (SR 578)
Summerlin Parkway, Bonanza Road (SR 579)
Charleston Boulevard (SR 159)
Sahara Avenue (SR 589)
Desert Inn Road
Spring Mountain Road (SR 591)
Flamingo Road (SR 592)
Tropicana Avenue (SR 593)
Russell Road (SR 594)
Sunset Road (SR 562)
Warm Springs Road
Blue Diamond Road (SR 160)
Las Vegas Beltway (I-215), Lake Mead Parkway (SR 564)
Horizon Ridge Parkway
St. Rose Parkway (SR 146)
North-south roads, west to east
Las Vegas Beltway (CC 215)
Durango Drive
Buffalo Drive
Rainbow Boulevard (SR 595)
Jones Boulevard (SR 596)
Decatur Boulevard
Valley View Boulevard
Dean Martin Drive
Las Vegas Boulevard (SR 604), Rancho Drive (SR 599)
Paradise Road (SR 605)
Maryland Parkway
Eastern Avenue (SR 607)
Pecos Road
Lamb Boulevard (SR 610)
Nellis Boulevard (SR 612)
Sister cities
Las Vegas has several Sister Cities:
An San, South Korea
Huludao, China
Pernik, Bulgaria
Phuket, Thailand
Angeles City, Philippines
Pamukkale, Turkey
Tagaytay City, PhilippinesFurther Information
Get more info on 'Las Vegas Nevada'.
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