Las Vegas – Discover the captivating history and present-day allure of this iconic entertainment capital, from its humble beginnings to its vibrant casinos, hotels, and nightlife.
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Quick answer: Las Vegas was founded as a railroad town with a land auction on 15 May 1905 and became a city in 1911. Nevada’s decision to legalise wide-open gambling in 1931, together with the building of the nearby Hoover Dam, set it on course to become the world’s best-known gambling resort. The Strip took off in the 1940s, the mob era gave way to corporate ownership from the late 1960s, and The Mirage (1989) launched the megaresort age. Today Las Vegas draws around 38–42 million visitors a year and is also a major sports and entertainment city.
Las Vegas timeline
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1829 | Rafael Rivera, a scout with trader Antonio Armijo’s party, comes across the valley. “Las Vegas” means “the meadows”. |
| 1855–1857 | Mormon settlers build and then abandon a fort, an early settlement attempt. |
| 1905 | Railroad land auction on 15 May founds the town. |
| 1911 | Las Vegas becomes a city. |
| 1931 | Nevada legalises wide-open gambling (Assembly Bill 98); work starts on Hoover Dam (finished 1936). |
| 1941 | El Rancho Vegas, the first resort on what became the Strip, opens. |
| 1946 | The Flamingo opens, linked to mobster Bugsy Siegel. |
| 1966–1967 | Howard Hughes arrives and buys the Desert Inn, then several other casinos. |
| 1967 / 1969 | Corporate gaming laws let public companies own casinos. |
| 1989 | Steve Wynn’s The Mirage opens, starting the megaresort era. |
| 1998 | Bellagio opens. |
| 2017 | The Vegas Golden Knights play their first NHL season (Stanley Cup winners in 2023). |
| 2020 | The Raiders’ first season at Allegiant Stadium. |
| 2023 | Sphere opens in September; the first Las Vegas Grand Prix F1 race runs in November. |
| 2024 | Super Bowl LVIII (February); Tropicana (April) and The Mirage (July) close. |
| 2025 | Groundbreaking for the A’s baseball stadium on the old Tropicana site, targeted for 2028. |
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From meadows to railroad town
Springs in the desert valley made it a stopping point on the trail between New Mexico and California, and the Spanish name Las Vegas, “the meadows”, stuck after Rafael Rivera’s visit in 1829. Mormon missionaries built a fort there in 1855 but left two years later. The modern town was born when the railroad auctioned lots on 15 May 1905, and Las Vegas became a city in 1911.
1931: gambling and the dam
Two events in 1931 changed everything. Nevada legalised wide-open casino gambling, and construction began on Hoover Dam, bringing thousands of workers to the area. The dam was finished in 1936 and still draws visitors today. Downtown’s Fremont Street became the first gambling hub.
The Strip and the mob era
In 1941 El Rancho Vegas opened outside the city limits on Highway 91, the road that became the Las Vegas Strip. The Flamingo followed in December 1946, a project taken over by mobster Bugsy Siegel. Through the 1950s and 1960s, organised crime money was behind many famous casinos, while headline entertainers and atomic-test tourism helped build the city’s image.
Fun fact: most of the Strip isn’t actually in the City of Las Vegas. It sits in unincorporated Clark County, mostly in the town of Paradise.
Hughes and the corporate takeover
Billionaire Howard Hughes arrived in late 1966 and bought the Desert Inn in 1967, then the Frontier, the Sands and other properties. Nevada’s corporate gaming laws (1967, expanded in 1969) let publicly traded companies own casinos, which brought Wall Street money and helped push out the mob.
The megaresort era
Steve Wynn’s The Mirage opened on 22 November 1989 with its erupting volcano and is widely seen as the first modern megaresort. A wave of themed giants followed, including Bellagio, which opened in October 1998. Las Vegas shifted from a pure gambling town to a destination for shows, dining, nightlife and conventions. The Mirage closed in July 2024 to be rebuilt as Hard Rock Las Vegas, now targeted for late 2027. Choosing where to stay? See which Las Vegas hotel is best.
Las Vegas today
- Visitors: about 41.7 million in 2024 and 38.5 million in 2025, a 7.5% fall and the steepest drop outside the pandemic years (LVCVA).
- Gaming: Strip casinos won about $8.8 billion in both 2024 and 2025, while Nevada as a whole won around $15.6–15.8 billion a year.
- Sports city: the NHL’s Golden Knights, the NFL’s Raiders, Super Bowl LVIII in 2024, the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix since 2023, and an MLB stadium for the A’s under construction.
- Entertainment: Sphere, the giant LED-covered venue, opened in September 2023 with U2.
- Population: more than 2 million people live in the Las Vegas metro area.
Las Vegas vs the world’s other gambling capitals
Las Vegas is the most famous gambling city, but Macau’s casinos have taken more money in some years. Read our guide to Macau, the gambling capital of Asia to compare.
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Las Vegas FAQ
When was Las Vegas founded?
The town was founded with a railroad land auction on 15 May 1905, and it became a city in 1911.
What does “Las Vegas” mean?
It’s Spanish for “the meadows”, after the green, spring-fed valley early travellers found in the desert.
When did gambling become legal in Las Vegas?
Nevada legalised wide-open gambling in 1931.
What was the first casino on the Las Vegas Strip?
El Rancho Vegas, which opened in April 1941.
Is the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas?
Mostly not. Most of the Strip lies in unincorporated Clark County, in the town of Paradise, just south of the city limits.
How many people visit Las Vegas each year?
About 38.5 million in 2025, down from about 41.7 million in 2024, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
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