Las Vegas, California

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 [1]. 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 [2]. 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 [3]), the fastest growing in the United States.

The name Las Vegas is often applied to the unincorporated areas of Clark County that surround the city, especially the resort areas on and near the Las Vegas Strip. This 4½ mi (7¼ km) stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard is mostly outside the Las Vegas city limits, in the township of Paradise.

Las Vegas is sometimes called Sin City due to the popularity of legalized gambling, availability of alcoholic beverages any time (like all of Nevada), various forms and degrees of adult entertainment, and legalized prostitution in nearby counties (Nevada law prohibits prostitution in counties which have populations greater than 400,000). The nickname favored by local government and promoters of tourism is The Entertainment Capital of the World. The city's glamorous image has made it a popular setting for films and television programs.

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.

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.

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

Culture and attractions
The city and surrounding areas offer many attractions for both visitors and locals to enjoy.

See the Las Vegas metropolitan area article for a list of museums in the Las Vegas area.

Not having a major league sports team does not mean there is a lack of sports activities in the area. There are also many options for boating, golf, hiking, rock climbing, and parks which offer a wide range of activities.

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas fields Division I athletic teams.

The Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS), just north of the city hosts NASCAR and other automotive events.

There are multiple minor league sports teams: the Las Vegas 51s, a baseball franchise in the Triple A Pacific Coast League; the Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL hockey league, and the Las Vegas Gladiators arena football team.