Las Vegas Travel Guide

Las Vegas Travel Guide (Nevada) and Online Tourist Information including beaches, attractions, maps, hotels, tips and more by photos4travel

Introducing Las Vegas

Las Vegas: The Entertainment Capital of the World

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

In 1829, Las Vegas was nothing more than an old Spanish trail used by Mexican travelers who went west and north from Texas. The Las Vegas Valley was the only spot in the desert that contained artesian wells, which gave life to green meadows, so the Spanish travelers called this green valley Vegas, and the name Las Vegas was born. In 1844, Vegas was discovered by a group of scouts and scientists from the US lead by John Fremont, who found beauty and life in this desolate valley. In 1855, Brigham Young sent missionaries to the valley to convert the Paiute Indians to Mormonism, even though the Las Vegas Valley was still part of Mexico. That same year Las Vegas was annexed by the United States.

Las Vegas at Night
Las Vegas at Night

By the early 1900s, Las Vegas was a popular railroad town and an important stopover for pioneers heading west to California. In 1935, the Hoover Dam was completed. The dam, located 46 miles southeast of the city, formed Lake Mead, which is considered the world’s largest man-made reservoir and lake. Gambling was legalized in 1931, and by the 1940s downtown Las Vegas casinos and hotels were attracting people who wanted to test their skills against the house. Organized crime took over the hotels and casinos in the mid-forties and the mob built what is now called the Las Vegas Strip. By the early 1950s the Las Vegas Strip, as well as downtown Vegas, had replaced Hot Springs, Arkansas as the gambling center of the United States. Howard Hughes arrived in the 1960s and immediately started buying television stations, hotels and casinos, which lead to the demise of mob-controlled gambling establishments. The Federal government made it their mission to get rid of the mob and by the early 1970s legitimate corporations bought, and still own, most of the hotels on the Las Vegas Strip. The involvement of the Federal government in the 1970s had somewhat of a positive effect on Las Vegas and the overall gambling community, making the introduction of online gambling a certain success. By the 21st Century online gambling and casino related websites soared and the number of people visiting a virtual Las Vegas online from their homes rose significantly. Not only were people able to gamble with their own money, they were also able to gain an understanding of the bright lights and the big city of Las Vegas, a world famous gambling hotspot.

Vegas in a Few Words

Las Vegas Hotels
Las Vegas Hotels

Las Vegas is everything you want it to be. The city is designed to give you what you want, when you want it, as long as you are willing to pay for it. It is the most exciting city in the world, so if you can’t find it in “Sin City” it doesn’t exist. Some say Vegas is the modern day version of Sodom and Gomorrah, while others call it the place to see and be seen. Whatever you call Las Vegas, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, so relax, enjoy and party. Las Vegas expects you to love it for what it is. There’s no doubt you’ll fall in love with something or someone in this desert town that never sleeps.

Las Vegas is the very essence of a modern day Shangri-la. The everyman's Eden, just with a lot more neon lights. There is something for everyone here, from live entertainment, casinos and gaming tables to the world's finest restaurants, world-class boutiques and opulent night clubs. The city has emerged through the decades to become the world's premier playground for adults, and the home of fifteen of the world's twenty largest resorts. There are even timeshare resorts in Sin City from major names in hospitality like Hilton and Marriott. Extravagance is the word of the day here, but do not fret. Las Vegas welcomes all travelers, from high-rollers to the budget-conscious.