Las Vegas is all about glamour for its own sake: over-the-top hustle and flash as both means and end. Its crowds of people, in polyester pantsuits, big hair and gold chains, stare at neon signs and spinning cherries like deer frozen in headlights.
Before the 20th century
The only natural feature to account for the location of Las Vegas is a spring north of downtown. Once used by Paiute Indians on their seasonal visits to the area, it was rediscovered by Mexican scout Rafael Rivera in 1829. The area became known to overland travellers as las vegas - 'the meadows' - a place with reliable water and feed for horses. It became a regular stop on the southern emigrant route to California, the Spanish Trail. In the 1850s, Mormons built the town's first structures, a small mission and fort; the fort became a ranch house, but there was little urban development before the 20th century.
Modern history
In 1902 the land on which Las Vegas now stands was sold to a railroad company. The area that is now downtown was subdivided when the tracks came through, with 1200 lots sold on 15 May 1905 alone - a date now celebrated as the city's birthday.
As a railroad town, Las Vegas had machine shops, an ice works and a good number of hotels, saloons, brothels and gambling houses. The railroad laid off hundreds in the mid-1920s, but one Depression-era development gave the city a new life. The huge Hoover Dam (then known as Boulder Dam) project commenced in 1931, providing jobs in the short term and water and power for the city's long-term growth.
In 1931, Nevada legalised gambling and simplified its divorce laws, paving the way for the first big casino on the Strip, El Rancho, which was built by Los Angeles developers and opened in 1941. The next wave of investors, also from out of town, were mobsters like Benjamin 'Bugsy' Siegel, who opened the Flamingo in 1946 and set the tone for the new casinos - big and flashy, with glitzy entertainment laid on to attract high rollers.
The dazzle that brought in the more lavish cash-lashers also attracted smaller spenders. Southern California provided a growing market for Las Vegas entertainment, and improvements in transport made it accessible to the rest of the country. Thanks to air conditioning and reliable water supplies, Vegas became one of the country's most popular tourist destinations. Until recently, Vegas had bent over backwards to remake itself into a family resort destination, but the end of the 20th century saw a tidal-wave movement to put the sin back in 'Sin City'. Megaresorts have outdone each other with fiery artificial volcanoes, million-gallon fishtanks and miniature Manhattans. All of this - along with dozens of artificial lakes in the suburbs - has put a huge strain on the city's water supply, but it hasn't slowed the development juggernaut.
Recent history
The 21st century started off with a bang, as casino mogul Steve Wynn blew up the vintage Desert Inn hotel, then spent five years crafting his eponymous resort, Wynn, which opened in 2005 - just in the nick of time for Las Vegas' centennial celebrations. A serious disruption to the city's well-honed reputation as a capital of low culture was the arrival of a Vegas branch of the Guggenheim museum in 2001 and the Smithsonian-affiliated Atomic Testing Museum two years later.
An oasis in the middle of a final frontier, Sin City continues to exist chiefly to satisfy the desires of visitors. Hosting 37.5 million people a year, until recently Las Vegas was the engine of North America's fastest-growing metropolitan area. The housing crisis hit residents here especially hard, but if history is any judge, the city will double-down and resume its winning streak in no time.
Top Accommodation
Top Restaurants
-
Encore at Wynn Las Vegas
Las Vegas
Encore at Wynn Las Vegas pampers its guests in an intimate atmosphere with suites that ...
-
The Palazzo, Las Vegas
Las Vegas
Welcoming guests to a new era of luxury in the heart of Las Vegas, The ...
-
Wynn Las Vegas
Las Vegas
Style and luxury combined with Las Vegas' charisma
-
Bellagio Las Vegas
Las Vegas
In true Las Vegas style, Bellagio brilliantly dazzles the senses.
If you can tear yourself away from the gaming tables, you'll find that the city is surrounded by a rough-and-rugged desert landscape that is ideal for a range of outdoor activities. The steep, jagged red rock valleys and canyons around Las Vegas are superb hiking and rock climbing territory.
Top Attractions
|
Eiffel Tower Experience
The Strip 
|
Luxor Casino
The Strip
|
|
King Tut Museum
South Strip
|
Madame Tussauds Las Vegas
The Strip
|
A Perfect Day
By Sara Benson
Nobody's an early riser in Vegas, especially not when sleeping off a big night in a sumptuous suite. Still, there are hangover cures worth waking up for like deluxe spas or an indulgent brunch buffet. Around noon, I'll drop by a same-day discount ticket booth to score cheap seats for a Cirque du Soleil spectacular or Broadway show. To work off that buffet belly, I'll head out to the Springs Preserve, an eco-conscious museum complex with xeriscaped gardens and interpretive trails, or head out of town to Red Rock Canyon for hiking and rock climbing in the desert. If I'm feeling lazy, I'll devote the whole afternoon to shopping at the Strip's megaresort malls or browsing downtown's antique stores, vintage clothing shops and art galleries. As the sun sets, it's time for a glass-elevator ride up to Mandalay Bay's Mix lounge for top-shelf cocktails with million-dollar views. For dinner, I've already got reservations for a star chef's restaurant, perhaps inside the chic Palazzo. Afterward, let the gaming begin, first at megabucks casinos on the Strip and eventually downtown, where I get myself into an Old Vegas mood playing poker at the Golden Nugget or Binion's. I'll cruise past the Neon Museum's outdoor galleries, just off the Fremont Street Experience, before swinging by the Beauty Bar. Then I'll head out to a hot nightclub like Moon at the Palms. After hours, I'll fuel up at the Peppermill, a 24-hour casino coffee shop attached to the retro Fireside Lounge, before catching a little vampirish shut-eye back at my hotel. Because at noon, it starts all over again. Viva Las Vegas, baby!
Summers in Las Vegas are scorching. The daily high averages around 38°C (100°F) from June to August, compared with average winter lows of around 13°C (55°F) from December to February; the rest of the year is temperate. It's pretty dry most of the time, but thunderstorms are most common in the summer (June to August) and can cause dangerous flash floods.
Average weather
Main Currency
Currency: US Dollar (USD)
Symbol: US$
| average room cost | average meal cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Deluxe: | 300+ | 60+ |
| High: | 200-300 | |
| Mid: | 100-200 | 15-45 |
| Low: | 45-100 | 8-15 |
Transport
Getting around
High rollers cruise the Strip in cherry-red convertibles or stretch Hummer limos. Low rollers hop on double-decker public buses, the modern monorail and free trams (avoid the slow trolleys, though). For pedestrians, the Strip has movable walkways and elevated crosswalks. Gridlock along the Strip and the freeways around Las Vegas makes driving a chore, although free self-parking and valet services are available almost everywhere. Taxis are plentiful, too.
Getting there and away
Despite being in the middle of a desert, Las Vegas is a surprisingly easy city to reach. The classic way to pull into Vegas is in a car or on a Greyhound bus. If you travel by rail, you'll end up on a bus anyway, as trains only reach as far as California and Arizona. If you're coming from elswhere in the US, Canada or Europe, you can usually fly direct into McCarran International Airport.
Health & Legal Requirements
Dangers and annoyances
Las Vegas survives on tourism. The last thing it wants is a reputation for crime. In the main tourist areas of the Strip and on Fremont St downtown, police and private security officers are out in force. Surveillance cameras (the 'eye in the sky') are omnipresent inside casino hotels.
Use your common sense to prevent theft. Park in well-trafficked areas, remove valuables from sight and lock the car doors. Utilize in-room hotel safes and never leave valuables unattended, especially while gambling. Beware of pickpockets in crowds (eg on public transportation). Having strangers thrust ads for strippers at you while walking the Strip can be annoying, but a simple 'No thanks' will suffice.
fast facts
| Full name | Las Vegas |
|---|---|
| Currency | US Dollar, USD (US$) |
| Population | 558000 |
| Languages |
Spanish (other) Native American languages (other) English (essential) |
| Time zone(s) | GMT/UTC: -8 |
| Voltage | 110V |
| Hertz | 60Hz |
| Plugs |
Japanese-style plug with two parallel flat blades American-style plug with two parallel flat blades above a circular grounding pin |
latest offers
-
The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay
Complimentary Club Level AccessStay a minimum of 4 nights in a suite & receive complimentary Club Level access. more
-
Mandarin Oriental, New York
Suite TemptationsStay 4 nights for 3 in Mandarin Executive Suites, Central Park View Suites & Premier Central Park View Suites. more
-
The Ritz-Carlton, Naples
Resort CreditStay 7 nights & receive a $150 resort credit per room per stay. more
latest offers
join our facebook group
follow us on twitter
