Las Vegas 2025

 By Bruce Shawkey

My major trip this year was to Las Vegas, Nevada, to see the Wizard of Oz at the Sphere. Las Vegas has an interesting history, and here is a synopsis.

Modern Las Vegas officially began in 1905, when land near the railroad tracks was auctioned off to create a town serving the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad. The railroad connected Los Angeles and Salt Lake City, making Las Vegas a strategic stop for supplies and passengers.

Las Vegas became an incorporated city in 1911. At this time it was a small desert town of only a few thousand residents, supported mainly by railroad jobs and agriculture.

Hoover Dam and the Birth of Gambling (1930s) 

The Great Depression transformed the city. Two key events in 1931 changed Las Vegas forever: Nevada legalized gambling and construction of the Hoover Dam. Thousands of workers flooded into the area to build the dam, creating demand for entertainment, hotels, gambling halls, and legalized porostitution. Las Vegas quickly became a place where workers spent their paychecks. The dam, completed in 1936, also brought electricity and water—critical resources that allowed the city to grow.

The Rise of the Las Vegas Strip (1940s–1950s)

After World War II, large resort casinos began appearing along what is now the Las Vegas Strip, just outside city limits. One of the earliest major resorts was the Flamingo Las Vegas, opened in 1946 by gangster Bugsy Siegel. The Flamingo helped establish the idea of the luxury casino resort. During the 1950s, the Strip became famous for glamorous shows and celebrity performers like Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack. Organized crime figures financed many early casinos before corporateInternational  ownership took over later. During the 1950s, tourists would watch nuclear test explosions from hotel rooftops because the U.S. government tested atomic bombs at the nearby Nevada Test Site.

During this time (1950s) McCarren airport expanded to handle the increased tourist traffic. By 1959, the airport handled more than 1 million passengers. 

Corporate Casinos and Mega-Resorts (1960s–1990s) In 1966, billionaire Howard Hughes began buying casinos and hotels in Las Vegas. His investments helped shift the city away from mob control toward corporate ownership.

In the late 1980s and 1990s, Las Vegas entered a new era of mega-resorts, including: The Mirage (1989), Luxor Las Vegas (1993), and the Bellagio (1998). These resorts introduced massive themed hotels, luxury shopping, world-class restaurants, and large entertainment shows.

Modern Las Vegas (2000–Today) Today, Las Vegas is known worldwide as the entertainment capital of the world. The city attracts over 40 million visitors a year. Major modern attractions include: Sports teams like the Vegas Golden Knights, Massive entertainment venues such as the Sphere; Luxury resorts like The Venetian Resort and Wynn.


Meanwhile, McCarren airport in December 2021 was officially renamed Harry Reid International Airport after longtime Nevada Senator Harry Reid, though most still refer to it as McCarren.

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