Filmed in February 2024, I drive at night around The Greatest City on Earth, Las Vegas, NV!
A young Mexican scout named Rafael Rivera is credited as the first non-Native American to encounter the valley, in 1829. Trader Antonio Armijo led a 60-man party along the Spanish Trail to Los Angeles, California, in 1829.
In 1844, John C. Frémont arrived, and his writings helped lure pioneers to the area. Downtown Las Vegas's Fremont Street is named after him.
Eleven years later, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chose Las Vegas as the site to build a fort halfway between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles, where they would travel to gather supplies. The fort was abandoned several years afterward. The remainder of this Old Mormon Fort can still be seen at the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Washington Avenue.
Las Vegas was founded as a city in 1905, when 110 acres of land adjacent to the Union Pacific Railroad tracks were auctioned in what would become the downtown area.
1931 was a pivotal year for Las Vegas. At that time, Nevada legalized casino gambling and reduced residency requirements for divorce to six weeks. This year also witnessed the beginning of construction on nearby Hoover Dam. The influx of construction workers and their families helped Las Vegas avoid economic calamity during the Great Depression.
In late 1941, Las Vegas Army Airfield was established. Renamed Nellis Air Force Base in 1950, it is now home to the United States Air Force Thunderbirds aerobatic team.
Following World War II, lavishly decorated hotels, gambling casinos, and big-name entertainment became synonymous with Las Vegas.
In 1951, nuclear weapons testing began at the Nevada Test Site, 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas. During this time, the city was nicknamed the "Atomic City". Residents and visitors were able to witness the mushroom clouds (and were exposed to the fallout) until 1963.
During the 1960s, corporations and business tycoons such as Howard Hughes were building and buying hotel-casino properties. Gambling was referred to as "gaming", which transitioned it into a legitimate business.
When The Mirage opened in 1989, it started a trend of major resort development on the Las Vegas Strip outside of the city limits of Las Vegas. The Las Vegas Strip is located outside of The City of Las Vegas and is under the jurisdiction of Clark County, Nevada.
Professional sports were long absent from Las Vegas until NHL expansion team the Vegas Golden Knights were formed in 2017. This transformed Las Vegas from the entertainment and gambling capital of the world into a major sports town as well. The NFL's Raiders relocated from Oakland, CA and now play in Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The MLB team The Oakland A's are currently planning a relocation from Oakland to Las Vegas to be completed by 2028.
Las Vegas has long been known as the "Fight Capital of the World", has played host to countless boxing title fights, and is also home to the mixed martial arts promotion the UFC.
Over the last two decades, the Goodman family has presided over Las Vegas. Oscar Goodman, a former Las Vegas defense attorney who represented several figures accused of organized crime in Las Vegas, became the mayor in 1999 and served until 2011. In 2011 he was succeeded by his wife, Carolyn Goodman.
Nevada has one of the highest divorce rates in the nation, and also one of the highest marriage rates in the nation. This is not due to the residents of Las Vegas - divorce and marriage is easier in Nevada than most other states and many people travel from all over the country to marry and divorce in Nevada. The ease of getting married in Nevada was a deliberate choice by lawmakers to promote tourism. Las Vegas has dozens of wedding venues.
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