Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in Nevada, United States. The city was founded in the first decade of the 20th century, and is a major vacation, shopping, and gambling destination. In the 2000 census, the city reported a population of 478,434 http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=04000US32&-_box_head_nbr=GCT-PH1&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-format=ST-7. The Census Bureau's official population estimate as of 2004 was 534,837. Las Vegas has been the county seat of Clark County since its formation in 1909 http://www.lasvegasnevada.gov/history/default.htm. Recent figures place the population for the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which includes all of Clark County, at around 1,950,000 people (2005 estimate http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=1119224192&men=gpro&lng=en&gln=xx&dat=32&srt=npan&col=aohdq&geo=-1049604), the fastest growing in the United States.

History

Founding

Las Vegas was given its name 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 (Vega in Spanish), hence the name Las Vegas.

Related Topics:
Spaniards - Antonio Armijo - Old Spanish Trail - Texas - 1800s - Valley - Artesian - Meadow - Spanish

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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 Mormon missionaries led by William Bringhurst to the area to convert the Paiute Indian population. A Fort was built near the current downtown area.

Related Topics:
John C. Frémont - May 3 - 1844 - Mexico - Scientist - Scout - United States Army Corps of Engineers - May 10 - 1855 - Annexation - United States - Brigham Young - Mormon - Missionaries - William Bringhurst - Paiute - Indian - Fort

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Major events

Major events in Las Vegas' history include:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Establishment of Las Vegas as a railroad town (May 15, 1905).
• The building of Hoover Dam (October 9, 1936), which provided power and a major source of tourism.
• Legalization of gambling (March 19, 1931).
• Opening of Bugsy Siegel's Flamingo Hotel on what would become the Las Vegas Strip (December 26, 1946).
• Above-ground testing of nuclear bombs (1951 to 1963).
• The floods of 1955, 1984, 1999, and 2003.
• MGM Grand Hotel fire (November 21, 1980), the worst disaster in Nevada history.
• Las Vegas Hilton hotel fire in February 1981.
• Opening of the Mirage (November 22, 1989), which began the era of megaresort casinos.

Economic history

Las Vegas has been a city of sustained growth. While there have been small lulls, there has never been a major downturn and the city is (as of mid-2005) enjoying a major boom and is one of the fastest growing economies in the U.S. today.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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 from town of Bullfrog, that shipped their goods out to the country. With the growth of the railroads, Las Vegas became less important, but the building of the Hoover Dam injected new blood into Las Vegas and the city has never looked back. Federal dollars from Hoover Dam soon converted to tourist dollars after the dam was built. The increase in tourism and the legalization of gambling led to the advent of the casino-hotels for which Las Vegas is famous.

Related Topics:
Railroad - 1900 - Hoover Dam

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~