In 1941, the El Rancho Vegas Resort opened along a stretch of Highway 91, just outside the city limits. Other hotel-casinos and the National Casino soon followed. This section of the highway became known as “The Strip.” Most of these establishments were styled after the Old West, a theme popular on Fremont Street. In 1946, gangster Bugsy Siegel opened the Flamingo, a stylish resort inspired by Hollywood, financed with Mexican drug money. Top-tier stars were booked for stage performances, and dozens of celebrities attended the grand opening on Christmas Day.
Siegel was murdered in 1947, but his vision for Las Vegas lived on. In the 1950s and 1960s, gangsters helped build resorts such as the Sahara, Sands, New Frontier, and Riviera. Funds from organized crime blended with capital from more respectable investors: Wall Street banks, union pension funds, the Mormon Church, and the Princeton University endowment all saw Las Vegas as the future. Tourists flocked to the resorts—8 million per year by 1954—drawn by artists like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Elvis Presley, and of course by rows of slot machines and gaming tables.
Starting in the 1940s, Las Vegas experienced a military boom, as World War II bases gave way to Cold War facilities—most famously the Nevada Test Site, where more than 100 atomic bombs were detonated between 1951 and 1963. Mushroom clouds were often visible from the Strip, and postcards proudly declared Las Vegas as the “Up and Atom City.”
Las Vegas: The Rise of the Mega-Casinos
In 1966, Howard Hughes checked into the penthouse of the Desert Inn—and never left. Rather than face eviction, he preferred to buy the hotel. He went on to purchase other hotels worth $300 million, ushering in an era where mob interests were replaced by corporate control.
In 1989, longtime casino developer Steve Wynn opened The Mirage, the city’s first mega-resort. Over the next two decades, the Strip was transformed again: Old casinos were demolished to make way for lavish complexes themed after ancient Rome and Egypt, Paris, Venice, New York, and other glamorous destinations.
Casinos and the entertainment industry remained Las Vegas’s largest employers. The city grew alongside the expanding resorts and the rising number of annual visitors. In 2008, even as residents faced a recession, rising unemployment, and a collapse in housing prices, Las Vegas still welcomed nearly 40 million visitors.
And until this day Las Vegas is mainly known for its casinos and lights. It became a symbol of gain and a unique experience. Anyone who visited Las Vegas comes back and has many stories to share. But it has way more to offer than just to gamble and spend your days in a casino. So better not miss out on this chance. And go see it for yourself.