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Las Vegas - Then & Now

March 20th 2009 06:13
Las Vegas Strip in 1954
Las Vegas Strip in 1954


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 proliferation of the railroads, Las Vegas became less important, but the completion of the nearby Hoover Dam in 1935 resulted in the growth of residents and tourism. The legalization of gambling in 1931 led to the advent of the casino-hotels, for which Las Vegas is famous.
Las Vegas Casino Strip 2003
Las Vegas Strip Today
The success of the city's initial casino businesses was owed to American organized crime. Most of the original large casinos were managed or at least funded under mob figures Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, Meyer Lansky or other mob figures at this time. With the arrival of billionaire Howard Hughes in the late 1960s, who purchased many casino-hotels and television stations in the city, legitimate corporations began to purchase casino-hotels as well, and the mob was run out by the federal government over the next several years. The constant stream of tourist dollars from the hotels and casinos were also 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.


Welcome to fabulous Las Vegas Nevada sign
Iconic Las Vegas Sign

Las Vegas' tolerance for various forms of adult entertainment have earned it the title of Sin City. Outdoor lighting displays are everywhere on the Las Vegas Strip and are seen elsewhere in the city as well. As seen from space, the Las Vegas metropolitan area is the brightest on Earth.
Las Vegas lights at night
Las Vegas at Night





*This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article for Las Vegas.
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Posted By: Ian - Category: cityscape
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