For the principal cities contained therein, see Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

 and Paradise, Nevada

Paradise, Nevada

Paradise is an unincorporated town in the Las Vegas metropolitan area in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The population was 223,167 at the 2010 census...

. For other uses, see Las Vegas (disambiguation).

The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County

Clark County, Nevada

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,375,765 people, 512,253 households, and 339,693 families residing within the MSA. The racial makeup of the MSA was 71.6% White , 9.1% Black, 5.7% Asian, 0.8% American Indian and 12.8% of other or mixed race. 22.0% were Hispanic of any race...

, Nevada

Nevada

Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...

, and is a metropolitan area

Metropolitan area

The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...

 in the southern part

Southern Nevada

Southern Nevada is the region of Nevada which includes the Las Vegas Valley. Southern Nevada also includes the areas in and around Goldfield, Hawthorne, Pahrump, and Pioche. Geographically, Southern Nevada is partly, and in some cases, fully within the Mojave Desert. The population of the...

 of the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley

Las Vegas Valley (landform)

Las Vegas Valley is in the main, the valley of Las Vegas north section, and drained by the Las Vegas Wash. The valley in the northwest section, is a northwest-by-southeast trending area, and trending parallel to Las Vegas Wash, lays at the northeast of the Spring Mountains massif.U.S...

 landform, a 600 sq mi (1,554 km²) basin

Depression (geology)

A depression in geology is a landform sunken or depressed below the surrounding area. Depressions may be formed by various mechanisms.Structural or tectonic related:...

 area that contains the largest concentration of people

Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 in the state. The history of the Valley significantly intertwines with the history of the city of Las Vegas

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

 and one of the two primary cities (as used by the census bureau) in the MSA, with the other being Paradise

Paradise, Nevada

Paradise is an unincorporated town in the Las Vegas metropolitan area in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The population was 223,167 at the 2010 census...

. The valley is home to the three largest incorporated cities in Nevada: Las Vegas, Henderson

Henderson, Nevada

-Demographics:According to the 2000 census, there were 175,381 people, 66,331 households, and 47,095 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,200.8 people per square mile . There were 71,149 housing units at an average density of 892.8 per square mile...

 and North Las Vegas

North Las Vegas, Nevada

North Las Vegas is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States, located in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The city was incorporated on May 16, 1946.-Geography:...

.

The names Las Vegas and Vegas are used to indicate the valley, the strip, the city and are used as a brand by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority

Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is a public/private partnership that owns and operates the Las Vegas Convention Center, Cashman Center, and Cashman Field and is responsible for the advertising campaigns for the Clark County, Nevada area....

 and used to denominate the entire region. The metropolitan area's population was at 741,459 in 1990. The population was approximately 2 million in 2010 (estimated). The valley is an area generally defined by the Spring Mountains

Spring Mountains

The Spring Mountains are a mountain range of southern Nevada in the United States, running generally northwest-southeast along the west side of Las Vegas and down to the border with California...

 on the west, Sheep Mountains

Sheep Range

The Sheep Range is located north of Las Vegas, Nevada in the United States. It is found in both Clark and Lincoln Counties in the Desert National Wildlife Refuge. The mountains reach a peak at Hayford Peak, above sea level between the Las Vegas Range to the east and the Desert Range to the west...

 to the north, Muddy Mountains

Muddy Mountains

The Muddy Mountains are a mountain range in Clark County, Nevada....

 and Lake Mead

Lake Mead

Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the United States. It is located on the Colorado River about southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, in the states of Nevada and Arizona. Formed by water impounded by the Hoover Dam, it extends behind the dam, holding approximately of water.-History:The lake was...

 to the east, and the Black Mountains

Black Mountains (Nevada)

The Black Mountains, a mid-Miocene formation, in Nevada are a series of rugged, arid rocky volcanic mountains ranging in elevations to 3310 ft...

 to the south.

The area is known for its extensive gaming

Gambling

Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...

, shopping

Shopping

Shopping is the examining of goods or services from retailers with the intent to purchase at that time. Shopping is an activity of selection and/or purchase. In some contexts it is considered a leisure activity as well as an economic one....

 and fine dining offerings. Outdoor lighting displays are everywhere on the many tourist destination buildings in the area. Las Vegas, which bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, is famous for the number of casino resorts and associated entertainment. Las Vegas is also home to a growing retirement community. As seen from space, Las Vegas is the brightest city in the world.

History

The area was previously settled by Mormon

Mormon

The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...

 farmers in 1854 and later became the site of a United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 fort in 1864, beginning a long relationship between southern Nevada and the U.S. military. Since the 1930s, Las Vegas has generally been identified as a gaming

Gambling

Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...

 center as well as a resort destination, primarily targeting adults. Relatively inexpensive real estate

Real estate

In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...

 prompted a residential population boom in the Las Vegas Valley in the 1990s and is still expanding in every direction.

Nellis Air Force Base

Nellis Air Force Base

Nellis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is under the jurisdiction of Air Combat Command .-Overview:...

 is located in the northeast corner of the valley. The ranges that the Nellis pilots use and various other land areas used by various federal agencies, limit growth of the valley in terms of geographic area. Due to this reason, the valley has seen more mid- and high-rise buildings erected.

Businessman Howard Hughes

Howard Hughes

Howard Robard Hughes, Jr. was an American business magnate, investor, aviator, engineer, film producer, director, and philanthropist. He was one of the wealthiest people in the world...

 arrived in the late 1960s and purchased many casino hotels, as well as television and radio stations in the area. Legitimate corporations began to purchase casino hotels as well, and the mob was run out by the federal government over the next several years. The constant stream of tourist dollars from the hotels and casinos was augmented by a new source of federal money from the establishment of what is now Nellis Air Force Base

Nellis Air Force Base

Nellis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is under the jurisdiction of Air Combat Command .-Overview:...

. The influx of military personnel and casino job-hunters helped start a land building boom which is now leveling off.

Though Las Vegas's gambling revenues have been surpassed by Macau

Macau

Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...

, the Las Vegas area remains one of the world's top entertainment destinations.

Boundaries

The valley is contained in the Las Vegas Valley landform. This includes the cities of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Nevada and Henderson, and unincorporated the unincorporated towns of Paradise, Spring Valley

Spring Valley, Nevada

Spring Valley is an unincorporated town in Clark County, Nevada, United States located two miles west of the Las Vegas Strip. The population was 117,390 at the 2000 census.-Background:...

, Sunrise Manor

Sunrise Manor, Nevada

Sunrise Manor is an unincorporated town in Clark County, Nevada, United States, located on the western base of Frenchman Mountain, east of Las Vegas. The population was 189,372 at the 2010 census...

, Enterprise

Enterprise, Nevada

Enterprise is an unincorporated town in the Las Vegas metropolitan area in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The population was 14,676 at the 2000 census, and estimated at 78,488 in 2008...

, Winchester

Winchester, Nevada

Winchester is a census-designated place in Clark County, Nevada, United States that contains part of the Las Vegas Strip. It is one of a number of CDPs in the unincorporated urbanized area directly south of Las Vegas. The population was 26,958 at the 2000 census. It is governed by the Clark County...

, and Whitney

Whitney, Nevada

Whitney is an unincorporated town in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The population was 18,273 at the 2000 census.-Background:...

.

The government of Clark County has an "Urban Planning Area" of Las Vegas. This definition is a roughly rectangular area, about 20 mi (32.2 km) from east to west and 30 miles (48.3 km) from north to south. Notable exclusions from the "Urban Planning Area" include Red Rock

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area in Nevada is an area managed by the Bureau of Land Management as part of its National Landscape Conservation System, and protected as a National Conservation Area. It is located about west of Las Vegas, and easily seen from the Las Vegas Strip...

, Blue Diamond

Blue Diamond, Nevada

Blue Diamond is a census-designated place in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The population was 282 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Blue Diamond is located at .-Demographics:...

, and Mount Charleston

Mount Charleston

Mount Charleston, officially named Charleston Peak, at , is the highest of the Spring Mountains of southern Nevada and the state's eighth highest mountain peak. It is about northwest of Las Vegas and is within the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, the Mount Charleston Wilderness and the Spring...

.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department is a joint city-county police force for the City of Las Vegas and Clark County, Nevada. It is run by the Sheriff of Clark County, elected every four years. The current Sheriff of Clark County is Douglas C...

 is the largest police department in the valley and the state and exercises jurisdiction in the entire county. There are approximately 3,000 police officers that cover the city of Las Vegas; unincorporated areas; the town of Laughlin, about 90 mi (144.8 km) from Downtown Las Vegas

Downtown Las Vegas

Downtown Las Vegas is the central business district of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is the original gambling district of Las Vegas, prior to the Strip, and the area still incorporates downtown gaming.-Tourism:...

; and desert and park areas within Clark County. The department does not exercise primary jurisdiction in areas with separate police forces such as North Las Vegas, Henderson, Boulder City, Nellis Air Force Base and the Paiute reservation.

Geography and environment

The Las Vegas Valley lies in the Mojave Desert

Mojave Desert

The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...

. The surrounding land is desert

Desert

A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...

 with mountains in the distance.

Climate

The Las Vegas Valley lies in a relatively high-altitude portion of the Mojave Desert, which tends to produce drastic changes of temperature between seasons, and also between day and night. The Valley generally averages less than 5 in (12.7 cm) of rain annually. Daily daytime summer temperatures in July and August are typically around 101 °F (38.3 °C) degrees. Very low humidity, however, tempers the effect of these temperatures, though dehydration

Dehydration

In physiology and medicine, dehydration is defined as the excessive loss of body fluid. It is literally the removal of water from an object; however, in physiological terms, it entails a deficiency of fluid within an organism...

, heat exhaustion, and sun stroke can occur after even a limited time outdoors in the summer. The interiors of automobiles often prove deadly to small children and pets during the summer and surfaces exposed to the sun can cause first- and second-degree burns

Burn

A burn is an injury to flesh caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, light, radiation, or friction.Burn may also refer to:*Combustion*Burn , type of watercourses so named in Scotland and north-eastern England...

 to unprotected skin. July and August can also be marked by "monsoon season

North American Monsoon

The North American monsoon, variously known as the Southwest United States monsoon, the Mexican monsoon, or the Arizona monsoon, is experienced as a pronounced increase in rainfall from an extremely dry June to a rainy July over large areas of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico...

", when moist winds from the Gulf of California

Gulf of California

The Gulf of California is a body of water that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland...

 soak much of the Southwestern United States

Southwestern United States

The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...

. While not only raising humidity levels, these winds develop into dramatic desert thunderstorms that can sometimes cause flash flood

Flash flood

A flash flood is a rapid flooding of geomorphic low-lying areas—washes, rivers, dry lakes and basins. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a storm, hurricane, or tropical storm or meltwater from ice or snow flowing over ice sheets or snowfields...

ing.

Winter season temperatures in Las Vegas range from mild to chilly, with many days being quite sunny. Winter daytime highs are near 60 °F (15.6 °C) and winter nighttime lows are about 40 °F (4.4 °C). The mountains surrounding the valley are snow-covered during the winter season, but snow accumulation in the area itself is uncommon. Every few years apart, however, Las Vegas does get a measurable snowfall.

Fault zones

The valley has seven known earthquake

Earthquake

An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...

 fault zones; Frenchman Mountain Fault; Whitney Mesa Fault; Cashman Fault; Valley View Fault; Decatur Fault; Eglington Fault; West Charleston Fault.

Air quality

Having part of the region located in a desert basin creates issues with air quality. From the dust the wind picks up, to the smog produced by vehicles, to the pollen in the air, the valley has several bad air days.

Pollen

Pollen

Pollen is a fine to coarse powder containing the microgametophytes of seed plants, which produce the male gametes . Pollen grains have a hard coat that protects the sperm cells during the process of their movement from the stamens to the pistil of flowering plants or from the male cone to the...

 can be a major issue several weeks a year with counts

Pollen count

Pollen count is the measurement of the number of grains of pollen in a cubic meter of air. The higher the number, the more people will suffer if they are allergic to a particular pollen. Usually, the counts are announced for specific plants such as grass, ash or olive...

 occasionally in the 70,000 plus range. Local governments are trying to control this by banning plants that produce the most pollen.

The dust problems usually happen on very windy days, so they tend to be short and season

Season

A season is a division of the year, marked by changes in weather, ecology, and hours of daylight.Seasons result from the yearly revolution of the Earth around the Sun and the tilt of the Earth's axis relative to the plane of revolution...

al with full fledged dust storms occurring rarely.

Smog

Smog

Smog is a type of air pollution; the word "smog" is a portmanteau of smoke and fog. Modern smog is a type of air pollution derived from vehicular emission from internal combustion engines and industrial fumes that react in the atmosphere with sunlight to form secondary pollutants that also combine...

 on the other hand gets worst when there is no wind to move the air out of the valley. Also in winter it is possible to get an inversion

Inversion (meteorology)

In meteorology, an inversion is a deviation from the normal change of an atmospheric property with altitude. It almost always refers to a temperature inversion, i.e...

 in the valley air that actually traps any smog in the valley.

Since manufacturing is not a dominant industry of Las Vegas, and with Clark County working to control air quality

Air pollution

Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or cause damage to the natural environment or built environment, into the atmosphere....

 problems, some success has been shown over the years. The constant tightening of federal

Federal government of the United States

The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...

 requirements for allowable particles in the air, however, make the task of meeting air quality

Air pollution

Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or cause damage to the natural environment or built environment, into the atmosphere....

 standards difficult.

Water

The native flora

Flora

Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...

 does little to help the soil

Soil

Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...

 retain water. During the intense rains of monsoon

Monsoon

Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...

 season or (relatively) wet months of January and February, a network of dry natural channels, called washes or arroyos

Arroyo (creek)

An arroyo , a Spanish word translated as brook, and also called a wash is usually a dry creek or stream bed—gulch that temporarily or seasonally fills and flows after sufficient rain. Wadi is a similar term in Africa. In Spain, a rambla has a similar meaning to arroyo.-Types and processes:Arroyos...

, carved into the valley floor allows water to flow down from the mountains and converge in the Las Vegas Wash

Las Vegas Wash

Las Vegas Wash is a 12 mile-long channel which feeds most of Las Vegas Valley's excess water into Lake Mead. The wash is sometimes called an urban river, and it exists in its present capacity because of an urban population. The wash also works in a systemic conjunction with the pre-existing...

 which runs through the Clark County Wetlands Park

Clark County Wetlands Park

The Clark County Wetlands Park is the largest park in the Clark County, Nevada park system. The park is located on the east side of the Las Vegas valley and runs from the various water treatment plants near the natural beginning of the Las Vegas Wash to where the wash flows under Lake Las Vegas...

. The wash system used to form a large natural wetlands which then flowed into the Colorado River

Colorado River

The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...

, until the construction of Hoover Dam

Hoover Dam

Hoover Dam, once known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the US states of Arizona and Nevada. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President...

 on the Colorado River led to the creation of Lake Mead. Further development in the 1980s and 1990s made Lake Las Vegas

Lake Las Vegas

Lake Las Vegas is located in Henderson, Nevada. Lake Las Vegas refers to both a man made lake and to the area built around the lake. The area is sometimes referred to as the Lake Las Vegas Resort...

, which required directing the Las Vegas Wash into tunnels which run under Lake Las Vegas and into Lake Mead

Lake Mead

Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the United States. It is located on the Colorado River about southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, in the states of Nevada and Arizona. Formed by water impounded by the Hoover Dam, it extends behind the dam, holding approximately of water.-History:The lake was...

.

Nevada receives an allocation 300000 acre.ft of water each year from Lake Mead, with credits for water it returns to the lake. The allocations were made with the Colorado River Compact

Colorado River Compact

The Colorado River Compact is a 1922 agreement among seven U.S. states in the basin of the Colorado River in the American Southwest governing the allocation of the water rights to the river's water among the parties of the interstate compact...

 when Nevada had a much smaller population and very little agriculture. The allocations were also made during a wet string of years, which overstated the available water in the entire watershed. As a result, precipitation that is below normal for a few years can have a major impact on the Colorado River Reservoirs. The Las Vegas area uses most of this allocation with Laughlin, Nevada

Laughlin, Nevada

Laughlin is a census-designated place in Clark County, Nevada, United States, and a port located on the Colorado River. Laughlin is south of Las Vegas, located in the far southern tip of Nevada. It is best known for its gaming, entertainment, and water recreation. As of the 2010 census, the...

 using most of the remaining allocation.

Early Vegas depended on the aquifer

Aquifer

An aquifer is a wet underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. The study of water flow in aquifers and the characterization of aquifers is called hydrogeology...

 which fed the flowing springs supporting the meadows that gave the area its name, but the pumping of water from these caused a large drop in the water levels and ground subsidence over wide areas of the valley. Today, the aquifers are basically used to store water that is pumped from the lake during periods of low demand and pumped out during periods of high demand.

Urbanization

The population doubling time in the greater metropolitan area was under ten years, since the early 1970s and the Las Vegas metropolitan area now has a population approaching two million people. This rapid population growth led to a significant urbanization

Urbanization

Urbanization, urbanisation or urban drift is the physical growth of urban areas as a result of global change. The United Nations projected that half of the world's population would live in urban areas at the end of 2008....

 of desert lands into industrial and commercial areas.(see suburbia

SubUrbia

subUrbia is a play by Eric Bogosian chronicling the nighttime activities of a group of aimless 20-somethings still living in their suburban Boston hometown and their reunion with a former high school classmate who has become a successful musician...

).

Economy

The driving force in Las Vegas is the tourism industry and the area has about 150,000 hotel

Hotel

A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...

 rooms, more than any city in the world. In the past, casinos and celebrity shows were the two major attractions for the area. Now shopping

Shopping

Shopping is the examining of goods or services from retailers with the intent to purchase at that time. Shopping is an activity of selection and/or purchase. In some contexts it is considered a leisure activity as well as an economic one....

, conventions

Convention (meeting)

A convention, in the sense of a meeting, is a gathering of individuals who meet at an arranged place and time in order to discuss or engage in some common interest. The most common conventions are based upon industry, profession, and fandom...

, fine dining, and outdoor beauty are also major forces in attracting tourist dollars.

Las Vegas serves as world headquarters for the world's two largest Fortune 500

Fortune 500

The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...

 gaming companies, Harrah's Entertainment

Harrah's Entertainment

Caesars Entertainment Corporation is a private gaming corporation that owns and operates over 50 casinos, hotels, and seven golf courses under several brands. The company, based in Paradise, Nevada, is the largest gaming company in the world, with yearly revenues $8.9 billion...

 and MGM Resorts International. Several companies involved in the manufacture of electronic gaming machines, such as slot machine

Slot machine

A slot machine , informally fruit machine , the slots , poker machine or "pokies" or simply slot is a casino gambling machine with three or more reels which spin when a button is pushed...

s, are located in the Las Vegas area. In the first decade of the 21st century, shopping and dining have become attractions of their own. Tourism marketing and promotion are handled by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority

Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is a public/private partnership that owns and operates the Las Vegas Convention Center, Cashman Center, and Cashman Field and is responsible for the advertising campaigns for the Clark County, Nevada area....

, a county-wide agency. Its annual Visitors Survey provides detailed information on visitor numbers, spending patterns, and resulting revenues.

While Las Vegas has historically attracted high-stake gamblers from around the world, it is now facing tougher competition from the UK, Hong Kong and Macau (China), Eastern Europe and developing areas in the Middle East. The financial and operating risks associated with pursuing the high-roller market will persist, but some U.S. casinos may opt out of chasing high-end players altogether as the costs to attract these players increase significantly and the relative incentive declines.

Las Vegas has recently enjoyed a boom in population and tourism. The urban area has grown outward so quickly that it borders Bureau of Land Management

Bureau of Land Management

The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...

 holdings along its edges. This has led to an increase in land values such that medium- and high-density development is occurring closer to the core. The Chinatown of Las Vegas

Chinatown, Las Vegas

The Chinatown of Las Vegas, Nevada The Chinatown of Las Vegas, Nevada The Chinatown of Las Vegas, Nevada (Chinese: 拉斯維加斯中國城 (pinyin: Lāsīwéijiāsī Zhōngguóchéng) is a series of large strip malls with ethnic Chinese and other pan-Asian businesses on Spring Mountain Road, with the original called...

 was constructed in the early 1990s on Spring Mountain Road. Chinatown initially consisted of only one large shopping center

Shopping mall

A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...

 complex, but the area was expanded with shopping centers that contain various Asian businesses. Over the past few years, retirees have been moving to the metro area, driving businesses that support them from housing to health care

Health care

Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...

.

Las Vegas has been seeking to expand its manufacturing

Manufacturing

Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...

 and research

Research

Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...

 bases. There have been positive signs such as the World Market Center located in the city, and the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, in addition to many smaller businesses.

While the cost of housing spiked up over 40% in 2004, the lack of business

Corporate tax

Many countries impose corporate tax or company tax on the income or capital of some types of legal entities. A similar tax may be imposed at state or lower levels. The taxes may also be referred to as income tax or capital tax. Entities treated as partnerships are generally not taxed at the...

 and income tax

Income tax

An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...

es still makes Nevada an attractive place for many companies to relocate to or expand existing operations. Being a true twenty-four hour city, call centers have always seemed to find Las Vegas a good place to hire workers who are accustomed to working at all hours.

The construction industry usually accounts for a large share of the economy in Las Vegas. Hotel casinos planned for the Strip can take years to build and employ thousands of workers. The same could be said of the housing boom. With the introduction of Turnberry Towers, developers discovered that there was a large demand for high-end condominium

Condominium

A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...

s. At the end of 2004, several major condominium towers were in various stages of development, however, by 2008, the construction industry was in a downturn due to the credit crunch.

Constant population growth means that the housing construction industry is important. In 2000 more than 21,000 new homes and 26,000 resale homes were purchased. In early 2005 there were 20 residential development projects of more than 300 acre (121.4 ha) each underway. During the that same period, Las Vegas was regarded as the fastest-growing community in the US. However, the financial crisis of 2007-2010 and the accompanying business downturn has sent business and growth tumbling, with Las Vegas recording one of the highest home foreclosure rates in the country. The disappearance of disposable consumer income and the backlash against corporate entertainment spending sent the hospitality industry into a tailspin from which it has yet to fully recover as of summer 2010.

Other promising residential and office developments have begun construction around downtown Las Vegas. New condominium and high-rise hotel projects have changed the Las Vegas skyline dramatically in recent years. Many large high-rise projects are planned for downtown Las Vegas, as well as the Las Vegas Strip.

In recent years rapid Manhattanization

Manhattanization

Manhattanization is a neologism coined to describe the construction of many tall or densely situated buildings which transforms the appearance and character of a city. It was a pejorative word used by critics of the highrise buildings built in San Francisco during the 1960s and 1970s, who claimed...

 and Vancouverism

Vancouverism

Vancouverism is an urban planning and architectural technique pioneered in Vancouver, Canada. It is characterized by mixed-use developments, typically with a medium-height, commercial base and narrow, high-rise residential towers to accommodate high populations and to preserve view...

 has occurred in Las Vegas.

Construction

Construction in Las Vegas is a major industry and quickly growing with the population. In March 2011, construction employed 40,700 people and is expected to grow with the recovering economy. Since the mega resorts that have defined Las Vegas today, began going up in the early 1970s, construction has played a vital role in both commercial and non commercial developments. Cranes are a constant part of the Las Vegas Skyline. At any given time there are 300 new homes being constructed in Las Vegas. Downtown and The strip

Las Vegas Strip

The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...

 always have at least one hospitality project under construction. In addition, in recent years Las Vegas has seen a spike in high-rise housing units. Luxurious condos and penthouse suites are always being built. New suburban master planned communities are also becoming common in Las Vegas ever since The Howard Hughes Corporation

The Howard Hughes Corporation

The Howard Hughes Corporation is a major real estate development and management company based in Dallas, Texas, which was founded by Howard Hughes. Later sold to the Rouse Company, it became a separate company again in 2010, as a spinoff of General Growth Properties .Upon exiting bankruptcy, GGP...

 began work on Summerlin, an upper-class community on the west side of the valley.

The massive project CityCenter broke ground on June 26, 2006. Now completed at 3780 Las Vegas Boulevard South, it is the largest privately funded building complex in the world. At a cost of $9.2 billion, CityCenter was one of the largest projects in Vegas history. It put a massive strain on the construction ability and workforce of the area due to number of laborers and amount of materials required. Because of this, prices of almost any construction project in Las Vegas doubled. It is currently held by MGM Resorts International and has three hotels, two condo towers, and a hotel-condo building along with a large shopping and entertainment center.

Construction is expected to increase slowly in 2011 and 2012 however will pick up in 2013 with significant spending and millions of new jobs in the industry. In the near future, five years to a decade, it is estimated that Las Vegas will see an increase in commercial skyscraper developments in the Downtown area. A World Jewelry Center tower is planned for Downtown. It would stand as the tallest and only non hospitality or residential tower in Las Vegas. This will hopefully attract other developers and businesses in industries such as banking, finance, real estate, insurance, and media.

Housing

Slab-on-grade foundations is the common base for residential buildings in the area.

Traditionally, housing consisted primarily of single-family detached homes. Apartment complexes generally were two story buildings. There have been exceptions, but they were few and far between. In the 1990s, Turnberry Associates

Turnberry Associates

Turnberry Associates is an American real estate developer in residential, retail, hospitality and office. The company has developed more than $7 billion in commercial and residential property, including approximately of retail space, more than 7,000 condominium and condo-hotel residences, of...

 constructed the first high rise condominium. Prior to this, there were only a handful of mid-rise multi-family buildings. By the mid 2000s, there was a major move into high rise condominiums towers, which had an impact on the region's skyline around the Strip.

U.S. housing market collapse

Las Vegas has been one of the top areas in the nation adversely affected by the recent subprime mortgage crisis

Subprime mortgage crisis

The U.S. subprime mortgage crisis was one of the first indicators of the late-2000s financial crisis, characterized by a rise in subprime mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures, and the resulting decline of securities backed by said mortgages....

 and United States housing market correction

United States housing market correction

A United States housing market correction is a market correction or "bubble bursting" of a United States housing bubble; the most recent began following a national home price peak first identified in July 2006. Because realty trades in illiquid markets relative to financial assets such as common...

, resulting in a free fall in home prices and mass foreclosures. As of January 2008, 1.9% of homes in the Las Vegas area were in the foreclosure process, almost triple the rate of a year earlier. The problems, as it was mostly nationwide, was rampant speculation from house flippers

Flipping

Flipping is a term used primarily in the United States to describe purchasing a revenue-generating asset and quickly reselling it for profit...

, who sought quick profits and never intended to live in the homes they purchased. Also, resetting of many mortgage rates increased foreclosures. As of April 2008, 51% of the more than 22,000 homes for sale in the area were vacant, according to Las Vegas real estate research firm SalesTraq. This downturn also negatively affected rental properties by placing downward pressure on rent prices. However, since the first quarter of 2010, the rental market has shown some signs of rebounding with average rent increasing 2% in the last six months.

Technology companies

Some technology companies have either relocated to Las Vegas or were created there. For various reasons, the Las Vegas has had a high concentration of technology

Technology

Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...

 companies in electronic gaming and telecommunication

Telecommunication

Telecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...

s industries.

Some current technology companies in southern Nevada include: Bigelow Aerospace

Bigelow Aerospace

Bigelow Aerospace is a North Las Vegas, Nevada space technology startup company that is pioneering work on expandable space station modules. Bigelow Aerospace was founded by Robert Bigelow in 1998...

, CommPartners, Datanamics, eVital Communications, Petroglyph

Petroglyph (game studio)

Petroglyph is a video game publisher and video game developer based in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. The company was formed by the last group of ex- Westwood Studios employees who resigned when Westwood Pacific was shut down by Electronic Arts in 2003, effectively assimilating Westwood Studios...

, SkywireMedia, Switch Communications

Switch Communications

Switch is a privately held technology company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Switch owns and operates high security data centers.-Company Overview:...

, WorldDoc and Zappos.

Companies that originally were formed in the Las Vegas region, but have since sold or relocated include Westwood Studios

Westwood Studios

Westwood Studios was a computer and video game developer, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was founded by Brett Sperry and Louis Castle in as Westwood Associates, and renamed to Westwood Studios when it merged with Virgin Interactive in...

 (sold to Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...

), Systems Research & Development (Sold to IBM

IBM

International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...

), Yellowpages.com

YELLOWPAGES.COM

YELLOWPAGES.com is an Internet web site operated by YELLOWPAGES.COM LLC which is a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T..-History:Both sites' operations were merged into Yellowpages.com in 2005. As a result of SBC Communications' merger with AT&T, the post merger AT&T wholly owned an additional...

 (Sold to Bellsouth

BellSouth

BellSouth Corporation is an American telecommunications holding company based in Atlanta, Georgia. BellSouth was one of the seven original Regional Bell Operating Companies after the U.S...

 and SBC), and MPower Communications.

Tourism

The major attractions in Las Vegas are the casinos and the hotels. The most famous hotel casinos are located on Las Vegas Boulevard on the segment known as the Las Vegas Strip

Las Vegas Strip

The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...

. These larger casinos are located outside of the city. Many of these hotels are massive, providing thousands of rooms, and have large adjoining casino areas. There are many hotel casinos in the city's downtown area as well, which was the focal point of the city's gaming industry in its early days. Several large hotels and casinos are also located somewhat off the Strip, as well as in the county around the city.

Nevada divides the area's casinos into several groups which cover the valley, these are the Boulder Strip

Boulder Strip (Nevada gaming area)

The Boulder Strip gaming market is a division used by the Nevada Gaming Commission for a segment of the casino industry in Las Vegas Nevada. The region is named for the Boulder Highway which is the dominant highway in the region....

, Downtown Las Vegas, LV Strip

LV Strip (Nevada gaming area)

The LV Strip is one of the designated Nevada Gaming Control Boards reporting areas. It consists of the Las Vegas Strip casinos and many of the surrounding casinos...

, North Las Vegas and the Balance of County which also includes areas that are outside of the valley.

Shopping

Las Vegas has expanded its attractiveness to visitors by offering both affordable and high-end merchandise in many shops and shopping malls. Many hotels on the Las Vegas Strip also have adjacent shopping malls, giving the Las Vegasarea the highest concentration of shopping malls in any four mile stretch of road. In addition to the malls on the Strip, there are several outlying malls in the City of Las Vegas, Henderson, and the surrounding area. The monorail

Las Vegas Monorail

The Las Vegas Monorail is a monorail mass transit system located on the Las Vegas Strip, in Clark County, Nevada, United States. It connects the unincorporated communities of Paradise and Winchester, and does not actually enter the City of Las Vegas. It is owned and operated by the Las Vegas...

, lying somewhat east of the Strip, facilitates north-south travel, including stations at several casinos and the Las Vegas Convention Center

Las Vegas Convention Center

The Las Vegas Convention Center is owned and operated by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority in Las Vegas, Nevada....

.

Major malls include:

Culture and the arts

The "First Friday" celebration, held on the first Friday of each month, exhibits the works of local artists and musicians in an area just south of downtown, now called the "Arts District".

The Southern Nevada Zoological-Botanical Park

Southern Nevada Zoological-Botanical Park

The Southern Nevada Zoological-Botanical Park, informally known as the Las Vegas Zoo, is a , nonprofit Zoological park and botanical garden located in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is located northwest of the Las Vegas Strip, about 15 minutes away. It focuses primarily on the education of desert life and...

, also known as the Las Vegas Zoo, exhibits over 150 species of animals and plants.

The Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay is the only aquarium that is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums

Association of Zoos and Aquariums

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums was founded in 1924 and is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and public aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation.The AZA headquarters is located in Silver...

 in the state of Nevada. It features over 2,000 animals and 1,200 species in 1.6 million gallons of seawater.

The $485 million Smith Center for the Performing Arts

Smith Center for the Performing Arts

The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, also known as the Smith Performing Arts Center, located in Downtown Las Vegas Nevada's Symphony Park is a theater facility consisting of three theaters in two buildings. Groundbreaking for the $470 million project was May 26, 2009. The design style is...

 (currently under construction) will be located downtown in Symphony Park

Symphony Park

Symphony Park, originally called Union Park, and formerly known as Parkway Center, is an under construction mixed-use urban community located in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. The city of Las Vegas is undertaking the development of a parcel located on brownfield land purchased from Union Pacific...

. The center will be appropriate for Broadway shows and other major touring attractions as well as orchestra, opera, and dance performances.

Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art is a facility presenting high-quality art exhibitions from major national and international museums. Past exhibits have included the works of Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol

Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...

, Alexander Calder

Alexander Calder

Alexander Calder was an American sculptor and artist most famous for inventing mobile sculptures. In addition to mobile and stable sculpture, Alexander Calder also created paintings, lithographs, toys, tapestry, jewelry and household objects.-Childhood:Alexander "Sandy" Calder was born in Lawnton,...

, and Peter Carl Fabergé

Peter Carl Fabergé

Peter Karl Fabergé also known as Karl Gustavovich Fabergé in Russia was a Russian jeweller of Baltic German-Danish and French origin, best known for the famous Fabergé eggs, made in the style of genuine Easter eggs, but using precious metals and gemstones rather than more mundane materials.-Early...

. A self-guided audio tour is also offered. The nearby CityCenter complex also includes several public art displays that are scattered throughout the complex.

The Las Vegas Natural History Museum features robot dinosaurs, live fish, and more than 26 species of preserved animals. There are several "hands-on" areas where animals can be petted.

The Atomic Testing Museum, affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...

, houses artifacts from the Nevada Test Site

Nevada Test Site

The Nevada National Security Site , previously the Nevada Test Site , is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas...

 and records the dramatic history of the atomic age through a series of interactive modules, timelines, films, and actual equipment and gadgets from the site.

Museums

• Madame Tussauds
  Madame Tussauds
  Madame Tussauds is a wax museum in London with branches in a number of major cities. It was founded by wax sculptor Marie Tussaud and was formerly known as "Madame Tussaud's", but the apostrophe is no longer used...
  
  
• Marjorie Barrick Museum
  Marjorie Barrick Museum
  The Marjorie Barrick Museum of Natural History is a museum located on the main campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas , established in 1967. The museum was originally instituted as a natural history museum with a focus on the natural history and environment of Nevada and the broader...
  
  
• Neon Museum
  Neon Museum at the Fremont Street Experience
  The Neon Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, features signs from old casinos and other businesses displayed outdoors on over . The museum is restoring the La Concha Motel lobby as its visitor center....
  
  
• Nevada State Museum
  Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas
  The Nevada State Museum, located at the Las Vegas Springs Preserve, in Las Vegas, Nevada is one of 6 Nevada State Museums operated by the Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs. It is also known as Nevada State Museum & Historical Society...
  
  
• Nevada State Railroad Museum
  Nevada State Railroad Museum
  Nevada Southern Railway is a railroad museum in Boulder City, Nevada operated by the Nevada State Railroad Museum which is an agency of the Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs....
  
  
• Pinball Hall of Fame
  Pinball Hall of Fame
  The Pinball Hall of Fame opened in Las Vegas, Nevada in January 2006. It is a project of the Las Vegas Pinball Collectors Club, and it features pinball machines from all eras, including some very rare machines such as Williams' Black Gold, Bally's Pinball Circus and Recreativos Franco's Impacto...
  
  
• Shelby Museum
• Southern Nevada Museum of Fine Art