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Las Vegas History
Las Vegas Travel Tip
History:
The area now known as Las Vegas was first settled by the Mormons in 1855. Like the Spanish
explorers in the early 1800's, they were drawn to the "Old Spanish Trail" because of the artesian
springs flowing in the otherwise dry alley. In 1905 the land was sold by the railroad in auction
and the town of Las Vegas was born, however, for the most part, the city was simply a train stop
between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City until gambling became legal in 1931.
Construction of Hoover Dam brought in thousands of depression-starved men to the area and
population grew. By 1941, about 8,000 people lived in Las Vegas. The liberal gambling laws
attracted investors, albeit of the shady kind. No matter. Las Vegas was beginning to prosper as
well as the state of Nevada. When Bugsy Siegel opened the Flamingo Hotel in 1946, Nevada
levied its first gaming taxes. By 1950, Las Vegas was home to almost 25,000 people.
At the age of 75 (1980), Las Vegas had a population of almost 165,000 residents, in 1990, more
than 250,000. Today, Las Vegas and surrounding Clark County are the fastest growing regions
in the United States, adding between four and eight thousand newcomers to its roll call each
month. The city's population in 1998 was 404,288; Clark County had more than one million
residents.
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