Las Vegas: 30 Interesting Facts You Might Not Have Known

Las Vegas is a vibrant city located in the US state of Nevada. It is renowned worldwide for its entertainment, nightlife, casinos, and luxurious resorts.

There’s probably a lot that you don’t know about this city (which is often referred to as “The Entertainment Capital of the World”), but today my aim is to change that.

Here are 30 Interesting Facts You Might Not Have Known about Las Vegas

1. Las Vegas was founded as a city in 1905. This happened when 110 acres (45 ha) of land adjacent to the Union Pacific Railroad tracks were auctioned in what would become the downtown area. In 1911, Las Vegas was incorporated as a city.

2. The site has an interesting history. Nomadic Paleo-Indians inhabited the Las Vegas area around 10,000 years ago and left behind petroglyphs. Later, the Ancient Puebloan and Paiute tribes settled in the region around 2,000 years ago.

In 1829, a young Mexican scout named Rafael Rivera became the first non-Native American to discover the valley. Antonio Armijo, a trader, led a party on the Spanish Trail to California in the same year. John C. Frémont arrived in 1844 and his writings played a role in attracting pioneers to the area. Downtown Las Vegas’s Fremont Street is named after him.

In 1855, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints selected Las Vegas as the location to build a fort, which would serve as a halfway point between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles for gathering supplies. However, the fort was abandoned a few years later.

3. 1931 was a pivotal year for the city. During that period, Nevada legalized casino gambling and reduced the residency requirements for divorce to six weeks. Simultaneously, construction on the nearby Hoover Dam commenced. The arrival of construction workers and their families played a vital role in preventing economic downturn in Las Vegas during the Great Depression. The construction was successfully completed in 1935.

4. In late 1941, Las Vegas Army Airfield was established. It was renamed to Nellis Air Force Base in 1950.

5. Starting in 1951, nuclear weapons testing commenced at the Nevada Test Site, located 65 miles (105 km) northwest of Las Vegas. This period earned the city the nickname “Atomic City.” During this time, residents and visitors had the opportunity to observe the mushroom clouds resulting from the tests, but unfortunately, they were also exposed to the fallout. In 1963, the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty mandated that nuclear tests be conducted underground, thus ending the above-ground testing visible from the city.

6. The Golden Gate Hotel & Casino is the oldest hotel and casino in Las Vegas, originally opening in 1906 as Hotel Nevada.

7. The iconic “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign, which has never been located within municipal limits, was created in 1959 by Betty Willis. The white circles around the letters of the word ‘welcome’ on the sign are supposed to portray silver dollars. They were incorporated into the sign because Nevada is known as The Silver State.

8. The name “Las Vegas” has its origins in Spanish, which means “The Meadows” or “The Fertile Plains.” The city’s name reflects the once-abundant natural springs and meadows that were found in the area.

9. The city is home to more than half of the 20 largest hotels in the world. There are actually +/-150,000 hotel rooms in the city. It would take 288 years for one person to spend one night in every hotel room in Las Vegas.

10. More than 42 million people visit Las Vegas every year. 6.6 million of those people attend conventions. More than 22,000 conventions are held in the city every year. Visitors spent $36.9 billion in 2019.

11. 50 Wedding Chapels exist in the city. Nearly 300 weddings happen here every day.

12. At 350 metres (1,149 feet), the Stratosphere is the tallest observation tower in the United States and the second tallest free-standing structure West of the Mississippi River.

13. Over 27 000 kg (60 000 pounds) of shellfish is consumed in the city daily. That’s higher than the rest of the United States combined.

14. According to 2021 figures, more than 2.1 million people live in the city’s metropolitan area. It’s the 29th most populated metropolitan area in the US.

15. The famous Las Vegas Strip is not located within the city limits of the city. It actually falls under the jurisdiction of Clark County,

16. McCarran International Airport (the main airport servicing the city) is the seventh busiest airport in the United States and North America. 51.5 million people fly through McCarran International Airport annually.

17. The biggest ever-recorded slot win in the city is attributed to a LA software engineer. He wagered $100 on Megabucks at the Excalibur in 2003 – He won $39.7 million.

18. The Neon Museum is a popular tourist attraction in the city. The museum is home to a collection of old neon signs that were once used to advertise casinos and other businesses in Las Vegas. It’s is a great place to learn about the history of the city and see some of its most iconic signs.

19. Michael Jackson had plans to build a 50 foot tall moon walking robot replica of himself to roam the Las Vegas desert. It was intended to be an advertisement for a planned 2005 comeback.

20. In 1980, a Las Vegas hospital had to suspend workers who were betting on when patients would die. One nurse was even accused of murdering a patient so she would win.

21. Contrary to popular belief, prostitution is not legal in Las Vegas. It’s actaully considered a misdemeanor offense.

22. Frederick W. Smith, the founder and CEO of FedEx, saved his company by gambling in Las Vegas. He took FedEx’s last $5,000 to the city and won $27,000 while gambling on blackjack, paying for the company’s $24,000 fuel bill. Gambling in casinos is still a popular activity nowadays, despite increased popularity of crypto gambling.

23. Las Vegas is informally known as Hawaii’s 9th island, due to the city’s large community of Hawaiians.

24. After staying longer than his initial reservation (in which he had booked the inn’s entire top two floors), Howard Hughes (the aviator) was asked to leave the Desert Inn by the owner. Instead, he purchased the resort for around $13 million. This happened in 1967.

25. Despite what many may think, the Tangiers Casino used in Martin Scorcese’s film, Casino never actually existed.

26. Elvis Presley performed 837 consecutive sold-out shows at the Las Vegas Hilton (now known as LVH–Las Vegas Hotel and Casino).

27. Las Vegas Boulevard, where The Strip is located, has had several names. It’s been called 5th Street, Arrowhead Highway, Los Angeles Highway, Salt Lake Highway, US 91, US 93, US 466 and State Route 6. 36. There are about 15,000 miles (over 24,000 km) of neon tubing in The Strip and downtown Las Vegas.

28. One of the most famous casino heists in Las Vegas history occurred at the Stardust Resort and Casino in 1992. A group of criminals known as the “Hole in the Wall Gang” used a stolen construction van to break into the casino’s cash counting room. They made off with over $500,000 in cash.

29. In a daring heist, a man walked into the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in 2010 and stole over $1.5 million worth of casino chips. The robbery was notable for its boldness and the subsequent manhunt to recover the stolen chips.

30. One of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history occurred in Las Vegas in 2017. A lone gunman opened fire from a hotel room at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, targeting attendees at a music festival. The incident resulted in the deaths of 58 people and left hundreds injured.

Well, there you have it, 30 interesting facts about Las Vegas. If I’ve left out something important, feel free to comment below.

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