Las Vegas History

Las Vegas overview and History

Originally discovered by the Spanish Explorers Las Vegas (Spanish for “The Meadows”) was named this for its artesian water springs creating a meadow oasis in the middle of the desert.  The first settlers were dispatched by the Mormon Church on what was then called the San Diego trail as a water stop for the Mormons to settle Southern California.  The U.S. Army established a outpost here in the mid 1800’s. 

With the construction of the railroad through Las Vegas in the early 1900’s the town started to grow.  The railroad acquired the land and water and by the time the train stopped in the valley there were 700 lots sold with a small population, stores and a few hotels the town was born. In the early 1930’s, due to the Great depression, the laws were changed to allow gambling in an effort to help Nevada’s economy. About the same time the Federal Government funded the first of what would be many major water improvement projects on the Colorado River.  The Hoover Damn project brought workers from all over the country looking for employment during the depression and this gave Las Vegas its first significant growth as a city. By 1940 gambling halls and luxurious hotels could be found in the down town areas of Las Vegas.

In 1941 Thomas Hull opened the El Rancho the first casino on what is know today as “The Strip.”

After World War II a mobster named Bugsy Siegel he also had many connections and associations with Hollywood and the stars.  He built a luxury casino called the “Flamingo” on the strip and invited the stars to perform there, drawing in travelers from the Los Angeles area to gamble and party.  Bugsy didn’t live long after that as the casino did not turn a profit soon enough for the mob bosses liking.  Bugsy died of lead poisoning (30 caliber lead poisoning).  The Flamingo was closed for a short period of time and then reopened.  From then on as the Flamingo began turning a profit more casinos were built and more tourists started arriving via rail, cars, buses and airplanes.

Today in Las Vegas, most casinos are owned by large public Corporations and through the taxes on gaming much of  Nevada’s needs are paid for by the tourists.  Long gone are the days of the mob as the Nevada Gaming Commission has monitored and improved the quality and fairness of the gaming industry. Tourism and Conventions are the major industries here in Las Vegas, but the City is diversifying quickly.  Because Nevada has no state employment tax, a low property tax rate (approximately .8% per year of the real estates value) no city taxes, many high tech companies as well as retirees consider Las Vegas a great place to live.

Nevada is one of the fastest growing States in the U.S. and over 90% of that growth is in the Las Vegas Valley.  The community estimates that 6,000 new residents move into Las Vegas every month.  According to the State of Nevada (Feb. 2005)  Las Vegas has a current job growth rate of 5.2% while the U.S. average is only 1.6%.

Las Vegas has had a remarkable history in its first 100 years:

Las Vegas history video 

1864: President Abraham Lincoln waives the 60,000-residents requirement for statehood and proclaims Nevada a state in order to assure his re-election.

1906: The Golden Gate Hotel & Casino opens for business in downtown Las Vegas.

1931: The construction of Boulder Dam begins.

1941: The El Rancho Hotel and Casino opens as the city's 1st hotel/resort on the highway now known as "the Strip."

1946: The Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino opens in downtown Las Vegas. Mobster Bugsy Siegel opens the Flamingo up the road from the El Rancho.

1950: The 3 story Desert Inn opens its doors at the north end of the Strip, becoming the tallest structure in Las Vegas.

1952: The Sands and the Sahara hotel/casinos open their dooors for business.

1955: Las Vegas gets its first official high-rise with the opening of the nine-story Riviera Hotel/Casino.

1966: Las Vegas gets its first "theme" resort when Caesars Palace brings ancient Rome to the desert.

1970: Slot machines take a giant technological step forward as the mechanical machines are replaced by multi coin and video machines.

1973: The 26-story MGM Grand (now Bally's) stands tall as the anchor to the south end of the Strip. The first true mega-resort on the Strip.

1989: Visionary Steve Wynn opens his Mirage Hotel and Casino in the heart of the Strip at an unprecedented cost of $620 million.

1993: Wynn opens Treasure Island, his pirate-theme resort adjacent to the Mirage. Down the strip, at a record-setting cost of $1 billion, the new MGM Grand Hotel opens its doors with just over 5,000 rooms, making it the largest hotel in the world.

1998: Wynn opens The Bellagio, at $1.6 billion, the most expensive property to date. The Mediterranean-themed resort includes its own 8-acre lake with a $30 million choreographed water ballet spectacle courtesy of the 1,000 water-jet dancing fountains of Bellagio on the Strip.

April 28, 2005: Mr. Steve Wynn opens the Wynn Las Vegas, his signature bronze-colored resort on the site once occupied by the Desert Inn Resort. At a cost of more than $2 billion, it is the most expensive resort property in Las Vegas history.

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