How was the city of La Vegas born in the Nevada State? What is the weather like? Where are the prominent hotels? What are the most famous characters? And what is your primary source of economic support?
History and Its Beginnings
The first visitors to the Las Vegas area were Paleo-Indian nomads, who traveled 10,000 years ago, their footprints are reflected in the petroglyphs. Then the Anasazi and Paiute tribes arrived more than 2,000 years ago. Thus begins the story of Las Vegas.
In 1829 the Spanish merchant Antonio Armijo went with 60 men from New Mexico to Los Angeles (California) and rested in the area of Nevada, where they found abundant wild herbs and springs. Travelers named “La Vegas” by the meadows in the middle of the desert, then in 1844 came the American explorer John C. Frémont who wrote texts that helped attract pioneers to the area.
Las Vegas was formally declared a city in 1905, in an area of 110 hectares of land near to the railroad tracks of the Pacific Union that were auctioned. In 1911 it was incorporated as a city.
In 1989, Kirk Kerkorian bought the Marina Hotel and the Tropicana Country Club to have enough space for his project. The resort was also the largest hotel in the world when it opened, with more than 5,000 rooms.
Interesting History Facts to Read
- 1905: The city of Las Vegas is officially declared
- 1906: Opening of the Golden Gate Hotel & Casino
The hotel has never stopped operating since 1906. At the time, it was called Hotel Nevada. Located downtown, it is worth a visit because many elements of the decoration are of the period, in particular on the grand lobby of the hotel all in wood and the very first telephone of Las Vegas. His number? 1!
- 1909: The game prohibited!
Gambling is outlawed in Nevada.
- 1925: No more sand in the street
Fremont Street is the first cobbled street in Las Vegas
- 1926: First commercial flight
The first commercial flight takes off from Las Vegas. The airline is called Western Airlines.
- 1931: Beginning of construction of the Boulder Dam
The Boulder Dam took place between 1931 and 1935, during the Great Depression. It will take the name of Hoover Dam in 1947. Thanks to this construction and house the thousands of workers that the city of Boulder City was created. It was from this period that Las Vegas, located 56 kilometers away, experienced significant growth.
- 1931: The game is authorized again
Gaming is again allowed in Nevada (and fast divorces, too). A reason was enough to occupy the workers of the Hoover Dam and the growing population of the city.
- 1938: Californians arrive in town!
Attorney General of California Earl Warren Prohibits Gambling. Casino operators leave California and open new establishments in Las Vegas.
- 1941: El Rancho, the first resort
The very first El Rancho resort opens onto the Strip. The small gaming lounges are now existing large luxury casino hotels.
- 1946: Bugsy enters the scene
The Golden Nugget opens its Downtown doors. On the Strip, Bugsy Siegel opens the Flamingo Hotel. The state of Nevada raises its first gambling taxes.
- 1948: McCarran Field Airport opens
Clark County purchases Alamo Airport and opens McCarran Field Airport, renamed in honor of Nevada Democratic Senator Pat McCarran. With the increase in travelers, it will become McCarran International Airport.
- 1950: With its three floors, the brand new Desert Inn is the tallest building on the Strip. It was demolished in 2004. In its place today stands the Wynn Las Vegas.
- 1955: Opening of the Moulin Rouge Hotel
This casino hotel is famous for having housed black singers and musicians who performed on the Strip hotel scenes in the evening but were not allowed to sleep there. It will only stay open for seven months.
- 1959: Opening of the Las Vegas Convention Center
Located east of the Strip at the end of Convention Center Drive, the Las Vegas Convention Center is the city’s largest convention center.
- 1966: Opening of Caesars Palace
The 680-room hotel (at the time) is built on land that belonged to Kirk Kerkorian. The Forum Shops at Caesars opened in 1992.
- 1989: Opening of the Mirage, the very first large resort on the Strip
Steve Wynn is coming to Las Vegas, and it’s going to transform the Strip. In 1989 opened his first establishment: the Mirage. With more than 3,000 rooms, the resort breathes new life into the gaming city.
- 1990: Opening of the Excalibur
On the theme of King Arthur and intended for a family clientele, the hotel was, at its opening, the largest hotel in the world with more than 4,000 rooms.
- 1993: MGM Grand opens
In 1989, Kirk Kerkorian bought the Marina Hotel and the Tropicana Country Club to have enough space for his project. The resort was also the largest hotel in the world when it opened, with more than 5,000 rooms.
- 1998: Bellagio opens
Steve Wynn buys the legendary Dunes Hotel to raze it and build the Bellagio, named after a coastal resort on Lake Como. Even more extensive than the other new resorts that saw the light of day in the 80s.
- 2009: Opening of the Aria
Inauguration of Aria Hotel and Casino, a joint venture between MGM Mirage (later MGM Resorts International) and Infinity World Development (a subsidiary of Dubai World). The establishment of two towers with a joint base is part of the City Center built on the site of the Boardwalk Hotel and Casino. Architects: Pelli Clarke Pelli.