Situation and characteristics
Las Vegas, the largest city in the state of Nevada, lies in a pale brown desert landscape surrounded by barren hills. To the east are the Muddy Mountains, with Lake Mead beyond them, to the west of the Spring Mountains. It
hardly ever rains in Las Vegas, and in summer the temperature can rise above 104°F/40°C.
History
In 1855 a party of Mormons established a settlement in the valley of Las Vegas (Spanish, "fertile plains"), on an old Spanish trade route between Santa Fe and California, but three years later, after unsuccessful lead-mining operations, they moved on. The real history of Las Vegas began in 1905, when the Union Pacific Railroad reached here. A small railroad workers' settlement grew up, equipped with saloons and shops. By 1911 Las Vegas was large enough to be incorporated as a town. A boost was given to its development by the construction of the massive Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, when several thousand men found work in the desert. The power provided by the new hydro-electric station enabled Las Vegas to become a city of light, flashing with gaudy neon signs. The relaxation of marriage and divorce laws brought further visitors to the city. The first hotel in Las Vegas, El Rancho, was built by Los Angeles investors in 1940 - the nucleus of what is now the Strip. Other huge hotels soon followed, and some rather dubious characters discovered that big money was to be made quickly in Las Vegas. Visitors continue to stream to Las Vegas - over 20 million of them every year.
The main focus was downtown Las Vegas until the first mega-resort, the Mirage, was constructed in 1989. The new Chinatown of Las Vegas rose up in the early 1990's consisting of many Asian businesses and shops. As the Las Vegas Strip expanded it took more tourists away from the downtown core, until the completion of the Fremont Street Experience and the Neonopolis. In 2005, the World Market Center opened for business as a renowned furniture warehouse showroom.
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