where neon lights shine, hopes are fulfilled and dashed in glittering casinos, and visitors flock to experience the real Las Vegas. This space grew and is still flourishing today as the heart of Las Vegas along Fremont St. On the original town planning map, block 16 was the only space where gambling and alcohol sales were permitted.
The oasis in the desert was a gem of hope to the earliest settlers and granted a promise of better things that still pervades. In 1931, the construction of the Hoover Damn brought workers to Las Vegas, which in turn brought entrepreneurs. Vegetation flourished in an otherwise hostile environment and the area was given the name Las Vegas, which translates into “the meadows.” By 1844 Las Vegas appeared on maps and slowly Mormons, westward settlers, and the railroads found their way to the promising but wild location. Recorded history’s first human visitors to the Las Vegas area found a series of warm springs forcing water to the desert surface. Follow The Strip north to get to the City of Las Vegas (Photo: City of Las Vegas)
