The Strip (2009 Film)
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The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard South in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of
resort hotel A resort hotel is a hotel which often contains full-sized luxury facilities with full-service accommodations and amenities. These hotels may attract both business conferences and vacationing tourists and offer more than a convenient place to sta ...
s and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about long, and is immediately south of the Las Vegas city limits in the unincorporated towns of Paradise and
Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...
, but is often referred to simply as "Las Vegas". Many of the largest hotel, casino, and
resort A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that tries to provide most of a vacationer's wants, such as food, drink, swimming, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping, on the premises. The term ''resort ...
properties in the world are on the Strip, known for its contemporary architecture, lights, and wide variety of attractions. Its hotels, casinos, restaurants, residential high-rises, entertainment offerings, and skyline have established the Strip as one of the most popular and iconic tourist destinations in the world and is one of the driving forces for Las Vegas's economy. Most of the Strip has been designated as an All-American Road, and the North and South Las Vegas Strip routes are classified as Nevada Scenic Byways and
National Scenic Byway A National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for one or more of six "intrinsic qualities": archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and scenic. The program was established by Co ...
s.


Boundaries

Historically, casinos that were not in Downtown Las Vegas along Fremont Street sat outside the city limits on Las Vegas Boulevard. In 1959, the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign was built exactly outside the city limits. The sign is currently located in the median just south of Russell Road, across from the location of the now-demolished Klondike Hotel and Casino and about south of the southernmost entrance to Mandalay Bay, which is the Strip's southernmost casino. In the strictest sense, "the Strip" refers only to the stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard that is roughly between Sahara Avenue and Russell Road, a distance of . Clark County uses the phrase ''Resort Corridor'' to describe the area including Las Vegas Boulevard between 215 Beltway and Sahara Avenue and surrounding areas. The
Sahara , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...
is widely considered the Strip's northern terminus, though travel guides typically extend it to the Strat to the north. Mandalay Bay, just north of Russell Road, is the southernmost resort considered to be on the Strip (the Klondike was the southernmost until 2006, when it was closed, although it was not included in the Strip on some definitions and travel guides). The Strip includes the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign.


History


Early years (1930s–1990s)

The first casino to be built on
Highway 91 The following highways are numbered 91: International * European route E91 Australia * Cairns Western Arterial Road * Summerland Way Brasil * SP-91, state highway in Sao Paulo Canada * British Columbia Highway 91 ** British Columbia Highway ...
was the Pair-o-Dice Club in 1931, but the first full service casino-resort on what is currently called 'The Strip' was the El Rancho Vegas, which opened with 63 bungalow hotel rooms on April 3, 1941. (The 'El Rancho Vegas' showroom and casino were destroyed by a fire in 1960. The El Rancho Vegas bungalows were not damaged, and were rented out until the early 1980's). Its success spawned a second hotel on what would become the Strip, the Hotel Last Frontier in 1942. Organized crime figures such as Bugsy Siegel, originally from New York, later residing in California, took an intense interest in the growing Las Vegas gaming center, and funded another resort- mob financing for the finishing of the Flamingo construction. The Flamingo construction was started by famed Hollywood publisher
Billy Wilkerson William Richard "Billy" Wilkerson (September 29, 1890 – September 2, 1962) was the founder of ''The Hollywood Reporter'', a real estate developer in Las Vegas and owner of such nightclubs as Ciro's. His series of columns known as "Billy's L ...
. The Flamingo casino opened in December 1946, and the hotel opened in March 1947.
Wilbur Clark Wilbur Clark (December 27, 1908 – August 27, 1965) was an American casino owner and land developer in Las Vegas, Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada. Early life Wilbur Clark was born on December 27, 1908, in Keyesport, Illinois. His parents were Shirley ...
's
Desert Inn The Desert Inn, also known as the D.I., was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, which operated from April 24, 1950, to August 28, 2000. Designed by architect Hugh Taylor and interior design by Jac Lessman, it was the ...
resort opened in 1950. The funding for many Las Vegas projects was provided through the
American National Insurance Company American National Insurance Company (ANICO) is a major American insurance corporation based in Galveston, Texas. The company and its subsidiaries operate in all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Company description American National was founded in ...
, which was based in the then-notorious gambling empire of Galveston, Texas. Las Vegas Boulevard South was previously called Hwy 91, or the
Arrowhead Highway The Arrowhead Trail or Arrowhead Highway was the first all-weather road in the Western United States that connected Los Angeles, California to Salt Lake City, Utah by way of Las Vegas, Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada. Built primarily during the auto t ...
, or Los Angeles Highway. The Strip was named by
Los Angeles police {{Unreferenced, date=June 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot) Law enforcement in Los Angeles County is conducted by a variety of law enforcement agencies. State agencies *California Highway Patrol *University of California Police Department * California ...
officer and businessman Guy McAfee, after his hometown's
Sunset Strip The Sunset Strip is the stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through the city of West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with the city of Los Angeles near Marmont Lane to its western border with Beverly H ...
in Hollywood.


Unincorporated town

In 1950, Mayor Ernie Cragin of the City of Las Vegas sought to annex the Las Vegas Strip, which was unincorporated Clark County territory, in order to expand the city's tax base to fund his ambitious building agenda and pay down the city's rising debt. Instead, Gus Greenbaum of the Flamingo led a group of casino executives to lobby the Clark County commissioners for town status. Two unincorporated towns were eventually created, Paradise and
Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...
. More than two decades later, the Supreme Court of Nevada struck down a 1975 Nevada state law that would have folded the Strip and the rest of the urban areas of Clark County into the City of Las Vegas.
Caesars Palace Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The hotel is situated on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip between Bellagio and The Mirage. It is one of Las Vegas's largest and best known landmarks. Caesars P ...
was established in 1966. In 1968, Kirk Kerkorian purchased the Flamingo and hired Sahara Hotels Vice President Alex Shoofey as president. Alex Shoofey brought along 33 of Sahara's top executives. The Flamingo was used to train future employees of the International Hotel, which was under construction. Opening in 1969, the
International Hotel International Hotel may refer to: * International Hotel (Alanya, Turkey), a historical hotel building * International Hotel (San Francisco), a residential hotel, historic building and community center in San Francisco, California * International ...
, with 1,512 rooms, began the era of mega-resorts. The International is known as Westgate Las Vegas today. The first
MGM Grand Hotel and Casino Horseshoe Las Vegas (formerly MGM Grand Hotel and Casino and Bally's Las Vegas) is a casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment. It originally opened as the MGM Grand Hotel on Dec ...
, also a Kerkorian property, opened in 1973 with 2,084 rooms. At the time, this was one of the largest hotels in the world by number of rooms. The Rossiya Hotel built in 1967 in Moscow, for instance, had 3,200 rooms; however, most of the rooms in the Rossiya Hotel were single rooms of 118 sq. ft (roughly 1/4 size of a standard room at the MGM Grand Resort). On November 21, 1980, MGM Grand suffered the worst resort fire in the history of Las Vegas as a result of electrical problems, killing 87 people. It reopened eight months later. In 1986, Kerkorian sold the MGM Grand to Bally Manufacturing, and it was renamed Bally's.


Mega-resorts

The opening of The Mirage in 1989 set a new level to the Las Vegas experience, as smaller hotels and casinos made way for the larger mega-resorts. Some of the key features of The Mirage included tropical landscapes with waterfalls, an erupting volcano, restaurants with world-class chefs, and a show with illusionists Siegfried & Roy. In the 1990s, more than 12 new hotels opened, including themed hotels like the Luxor, Excalibur, and Mandalay Bay. At $1.7B, the most expensive hotel in the world at the time,
The Bellagio Bellagio is a resort, luxury hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned by The Blackstone Group and operated by MGM Resorts International. Bellagio was conceived by casino owner Steve Wynn, and was built on the form ...
, was built in the 1990s. These huge facilities offer entertainment and dining options, as well as gambling and lodging. This change affected the smaller, well-known and now historic hotels and casinos, like the Dunes, the Sands, and the
Stardust Stardust may refer to: * A type of cosmic dust, composed of particles in space Entertainment Songs * “Stardust” (1927 song), by Hoagy Carmichael * “Stardust” (David Essex song), 1974 * “Stardust” (Lena Meyer-Landrut song), 2012 * ...
. In 1993, the launch of the Mystère show at the new Treasure Island hotel by Cirque du Soleil marked a key point in transforming Las Vegas Strip entertainment. In an effort to attract families, resorts offered more attractions geared toward youth, but had limited success. The Wet 'n Wild water park opened in 1985 and was located on the south side of the Sahara hotel. It closed at the end of the 2004 season and was later demolished. The current MGM Grand opened in 1993 with MGM Grand Adventures Theme Park, but the park closed in 2000 due to lack of interest. Similarly, in 2003 Treasure Island closed its own
video arcade An amusement arcade (often referred to as a video arcade, amusements or simply arcade) is a venue where people play arcade games, including arcade video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers (such as c ...
and abandoned the previous pirate theme, adopting the new ''ti'' name. In addition to the large hotels, casinos and resorts, the Strip is home to many attractions, such as
M&M's World M&M's World (also M&M's or M&M's store) is a retail store that specializes in M&M's, M&M's candy and merchandise. The first location was on the Las Vegas Strip in 1997, with others in Orlando, Florida, New York City, London, Henderson, Nevada,Hou ...
,
Adventuredome Adventuredome (formerly Grand Slam Canyon) is a indoor amusement park at Circus Circus in Winchester, Nevada on the Las Vegas Strip. It is owned by Phil Ruffin. It is contained within a large glass dome, and offers various rides and attraction ...
and the Fashion Show Mall. Starting in the mid-1990s, the Strip became a popular New Year's Eve celebration destination.


2000–present

With the opening of
Bellagio Bellagio may refer to: * Bellagio, Lombardy, an Italian town * Bellagio (resort), a luxury resort and casino in Las Vegas * Bellagio (Hong Kong), a private housing building * Bellagio declaration, an intellectual copyright resolution * 79271 Bellag ...
,
Venetian Venetian often means from or related to: * Venice, a city in Italy * Veneto, a region of Italy * Republic of Venice (697–1797), a historical nation in that area Venetian and the like may also refer to: * Venetian language, a Romance language s ...
, Palazzo, Wynn and
Encore An encore is an additional performance given by performers after the planned show has ended, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford University Pres ...
resorts, the strip trended towards the luxurious high end segment through most of the 2000s, while some older resorts added major expansions and renovations, including some de-theming of the earlier themed hotels. High end dining, specialty retail, spas and nightclubs increasingly became options for visitors in addition to gambling at most Strip resorts. There was also a trend towards expensive residential condo units on the strip. In 2004, MGM Mirage announced plans for CityCenter, a , $7 billion multi-use project on the site of the Boardwalk hotel and adjoining land. It consists of hotel, casino, condo, retail, art, business and other uses on the site. CityCenter is currently the largest such complex in the world. Construction began in April 2006, with most elements of the project opened in late 2009. Also in 2006, the Las Vegas Strip lost its longtime status as the world's highest-grossing gambling center, falling to second place behind Macau. In 2012, the High Roller Ferris wheel and a retail district called
The LINQ Promenade The Linq (formerly Flamingo Capri, Imperial Palace and The Quad) is a casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment. It opened as the Flamingo Capri in 1959, on property located direct ...
broke ground in an attempt to diversify attractions beyond that of casino resorts. Renovations and rebrandings such as The Cromwell Las Vegas and the SLS Las Vegas continued to transform the Strip in 2014. The Las Vegas Festival Grounds opened in 2015. In 2016, T-Mobile Arena, The Park, and the Park Theater opened. On October 1, 2017, a mass shooting occurred on the Strip at the
Route 91 Harvest Route 91 Harvest was a country music festival in the United States that was held annually in Paradise, Nevada from 2014 to 2017 in the Las Vegas Village, a lot on Las Vegas Boulevard (former U.S. Route 91), directly across from the Luxor Las V ...
country music festival, adjacent to the Mandalay Bay hotel. 60 people were killed, and 867 were injured. The murderer was a well known Las Vegas high roller named Stephen Paddock. Paddock's motive was never determined, and he committed suicide after the murders were committed. Paddock used several rifles to shoot guests at the Route 91 Festival. These murders became the deadliest mass shootings in modern United States history. In 2018, the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino was renamed the Park MGM and in 2019, the SLS changed its name back to Sahara Las Vegas. In 2021, the
Pinball Hall of Fame The Pinball Hall of Fame is a museum for pinball machines that opened in Las Vegas, Nevada in November 2009. It is located at 4925 S. Las Vegas Boulevard. The museum is a project of the Las Vegas Pinball Collectors Club, and it features pinball m ...
moved near the "Fabulous Las Vegas" sign at the south end of the Strip. Later that year,
Resorts World Las Vegas Resorts World Las Vegas is a resort, mall, and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada, United States. The property had been the site of the Stardust Resort and Casino until 2007, when Boyd Gaming demolished the resort to develop its ...
, the first new hotel-casino built in a decade, opened on the site of the former
Stardust Resort and Casino The Stardust Resort and Casino was a casino resort located on along the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada. The Stardust was conceived by Tony Cornero, and construction began in 1954. Cornero died in 1955, and the project was taken over by his ...
. Resorts World incorporates portions of a previously planned resort known as
Echelon Place Echelon (originally Echelon Place) was a proposed $4.8 billion mixed-use project that was to be built on the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada. Boyd Gaming announced the project in January 2006, as a replacement for its Stardust Resort and Cas ...
, which was canceled in 2008. In 2022, Bally's was renamed the Horseshoe Las Vegas.


Future developments

The MSG Sphere at The Venetian, including a monorail stop, is being built behind The Palazzo and The Venetian. It was scheduled to open in 2021, but has been rescheduled to sometime in 2023. The
Fontainebleau Las Vegas The Fontainebleau Las Vegas (formerly The Drew Las Vegas) is a hotel and casino currently under construction on the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada, Winchester, Nevada. It is on the site previously occupied by the El Rancho Hotel and Casino ...
(formerly the JW Marriott Las Vegas Blvd/The Drew Las Vegas) is expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Dream Las Vegas Dream Las Vegas is a boutique hotel and casino currently on hold on the southern Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is being developed by Shopoff Realty Investments and the real estate firm Contour. Dream Las Vegas was announced in February ...
, a casino and 20-story
boutique hotel Boutique hotels are small inventory, design driven, unique hotels with their own character, personality and storytelling at the heart of their concept. Positioning is secondary for these hotels as they focus on authenticity and personalization ...
next to Harry Reid International Airport (formerly McCarran International Airport) began construction in 2022 for an opening in 2024. Astral Hotels planned to start building Astral, a 34-story, 620-room hotel and casino on the southern Las Vegas Strip, but the project is delayed. In 2022, businessman
Tilman Fertitta Tilman Joseph Fertitta (born 1957) is an American billionaire businessman and television personality. He is the chairman, CEO, and owner of Landry's, Inc. He also owns the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s Houston Rockets. Fertitta is ch ...
received approval to eventually build a 43-story resort at the southeast corner of Harmon Avenue. The
All Net Resort & Arena All Net Resort & Arena is a planned entertainment complex in Las Vegas. A project of businessman and former basketball player Jackie Robinson, the complex will encompass a resort hotel, retail and restaurant space, and a multi-purpose arena with a ...
is expected to open in late 2025. It will include a 23,000 seat retractable roof arena, two hotels and a theatre.


Transportation


Buses

RTC Transit (previously Citizens Area Transit, or CAT) provides bus service on the Strip with
double decker bus A double-decker bus or double-deck bus is a bus that has two storeys or decks. They are used for mass transport in the United Kingdom, the United States, New Zealand, Europe, Asia and also in cities such as Sydney; the best-known example is the ...
es known as The Deuce. The Deuce runs between Mandalay Bay at the southern end of the Strip (and to the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign and South Strip Transfer Terminal after midnight) to the Bonneville Transit Center (BTC) and the Fremont Street Experience in Downtown Las Vegas, with stops near every casino. RTC also operates an express bus called the Strip and Downtown Express (SDX). This route connects the Strip to the Las Vegas Convention Center and Downtown Las Vegas to the north, with stops at selected hotels and shopping attractions (Las Vegas Premium Outlets North & South).


Trams

Several free trams operate between properties on the west side of the Strip:


Monorail

While not on the Strip itself, the '' Las Vegas Monorail'' runs a 3.9 mile route on the east side of the Strip corridor from Tropicana Avenue to Sahara Avenue, with stops every 4 to 8 minutes at several on-Strip properties including the MGM Grand and the Sahara at each end of the route. The stations include: * SAHARA Las Vegas Station * Westgate Station * Las Vegas Convention Center Station * Harrah's/The LINQ Station * Flamingo/Caesars Palace Station * Bally's/Paris Station * MGM Grand Station The monorail began operations in 1995 and originally used two trains from Walt Disney World. In 2021, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) announced plans for purchasing the bankrupt Las Vegas Monorail.


Pedestrian traffic

On a daily basis, there are tens of thousands of pedestrians walking along the Strip at any one time. As of 2019, the daily number of pedestrians on the Strip is approximately 50,000. Concerning pedestrian safety and to help alleviate traffic congestion at popular intersections, several pedestrian footbridges were erected in 1990s and the first was the Tropicana – Las Vegas Boulevard footbridge. Some feature designs that match the theme of the nearby resorts. Additional footbridges have been built on Las Vegas Boulevard. The footbridges include: # Veer Towers:. Connects Veer Towers, Waldorf Astoria, and Crystals Shopping Center # Park MGM and T-Mobile Arena Park: Connects MGM and Showcase Mall # Planet Hollywood: Connects Planet Hollywood, CityCenter, Crystals Shopping Center, and The Cosmopolitan. # Spring Mountain Road and Las Vegas Blvd. Corner: Connects Treasure Island, The Wynn, Fashion Show Mall, and The Venetian # Flamingo Road and Las Vegas Blvd. Corner: Connects Bally's, Flamingo, Bellagio, and Caesars Palace # Las Vegas Blvd and Tropicana Ave Corner. Connects the MGM Grand, New York-New York, Excalibur, and Tropicana There has been negative feedback from pedestrians about the elevated crosswalks due to need to walk as much as a quarter-mile to reach an intersection to cross the street and to then walk back some distance on the other side of the street to get to their desired destinations. After a driver drove into pedestrians on the sidewalk in front of Paris Las Vegas and Planet Hollywood in December 2015, 800
bollard A bollard is a sturdy, short, vertical post. The term originally referred to a post on a ship or quay used principally for mooring boats. It now also refers to posts installed to control road traffic and posts designed to prevent automotive v ...
s began to be installed on Las Vegas Blvd. starting in 2017. The construction of the bollards resulted in the removal of 49 of the 82 stars of the
Las Vegas Walk of Stars The Las Vegas Walk of Stars, located in Las Vegas, Nevada, started in October 2004 to honor the people who helped make Vegas famous. The stars are located along a 4-mile stretch on both sides of Las Vegas Blvd between Sahara Ave and Russell Rd. ...
. In 2019, the bollards on Las Vegas Blvd. were shortened due to feedback from drivers that the bollards were obstructing street views. 283 of the 4,500 bollards will be shortened from 54 inches to 36 inches. The shortened bollards line 20 different driveways. Studies conducted by Clark County in 2012 and 2015 identified issues with congestion. The studies resulted in $5 million of improvements, including LED lights, ADA ramps, containment fencing, widening sidewalks, and removing permanent obstructions, such as signs, signposts, trash cans, and fire hydrants. The studies also identified non-permanent obstructions causing congestion, such as street performers, vendors, handbillers, signholders, and illegal street gambling. Modifications to non-obstruction zones and increased enforcement were implemented in order to reduce congestion.


Taxis

Taxis are available at resorts, shopping centers, attractions, and for scheduled pickups. The Nevada Taxicab Authority provides information about taxi fares and fare zones. In 2021, there has been an increase in taxi passengers due to declines in rideshare drivers and rideshare surge pricing.


Rideshares

Rideshare services, including Uber and Lyft, are available on the Strip. In 2021, there have been reports of a lack of rideshare drivers and longer wait times due to job changes, concerns about the pandemic, and the pause in surge pricing due to the state of emergency declared by the State of Nevada.


Attractions on the Strip


Gambling

In 2019, about eight in ten (81%) visitors said they gambled while in Las Vegas, the highest proportion in the past five years. The average time spent gambling, 2.7 hours, represents an increase over the past three years. Also, the average trip gambling budget, $591.06, was increased from 2018. About nine in ten (89%) visitors who gambled gambled on the Strip Corridor. UNLV reported that in 2019, Big Las Vegas Strip Casinos (defined as Strip casinos with more than $72M in annual gaming revenues) had more than $6B in annual gaming revenues, corresponding to about 26% of total annual revenues. From the time period spanning 1985 to 2019, there have been some changes in the mix of table games in casinos on the Strip: *
Blackjack Blackjack (formerly Black Jack and Vingt-Un) is a casino banking game. The most widely played casino banking game in the world, it uses decks of 52 cards and descends from a global family of casino banking games known as Twenty-One. This fami ...
: The number of tables decreased from 77% in 1985 to 50% in 2019. Revenue decreased from 50% in 1985 to 11% in 2019. * Craps: Revenue decreased from 28% in 1985 to 11% in 2019. *
Roulette Roulette is a casino game named after the French word meaning ''little wheel'' which was likely developed from the Italian game Biribi''.'' In the game, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various groupings of numbers, the ...
: Both the number of tables and revenue increased by 50%. * Baccarat: About 2% of tables and 13% revenue in 1985 to 13% of tables and 37% of revenue in 2019. * Additional games: Games such as pai gow poker, three-card poker, and mini-baccarat have increased in popularity, number of tables, and revenue. Casino operators have been expanding sports betting facilities and products, as well as renovating and upgrading equipment and facilities. Although sports betting has a relatively low margin, the high-end sportsbooks can generate significant amounts of revenue in other areas, such as food and drink. As a result, sportsbooks have been expanding and upgrading food and drink offerings. High-end sportsbooks include features such as single-seat stadium-style seating, large high-definition screens, a dedicated broadcast booth, and the ability to watch up to 15 sporting events at once. The sports network ESPN is broadcasting sports betting shows from a dedicated studio at The Linq. Some sportsbooks are now offering self-service betting kiosks.


Entertainment

The Las Vegas Strip is well known for its lounges, showrooms, theaters and nightclubs; most of the attractions and shows on the Strip are located on the hotel casino properties. Some of the more popular free attractions visible from the Strip include the water fountains at
Bellagio Bellagio may refer to: * Bellagio, Lombardy, an Italian town * Bellagio (resort), a luxury resort and casino in Las Vegas * Bellagio (Hong Kong), a private housing building * Bellagio declaration, an intellectual copyright resolution * 79271 Bellag ...
, the volcano at The Mirage, and the Fall of Atlantis and Festival Fountain at
Caesars Palace Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The hotel is situated on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip between Bellagio and The Mirage. It is one of Las Vegas's largest and best known landmarks. Caesars P ...
. There are several Cirque du Soleil shows, such as ''
''Kà'' is a show by Cirque du Soleil at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. ''Kà'' describes the story as "the coming of age of a young man and a young woman through their encounters with love, conflict and the duality of ''Kà'', the fire that ...
'' at the MGM Grand, '' O'' at Bellagio, '' Mystère'' at Treasure Island, and '' Michael Jackson: One'' at Mandalay Bay. Many notable artists have performed in Las Vegas, including Elvis Presley,
Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...
, Wayne Newton,
Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...
, Sammy Davis Jr. and Liberace, and in more recent years Celine Dion,
Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...
,
Barry Manilow Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus; June 17, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter with a career that spans seven decades. His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", " Somewhere Down the Road", " Mandy", "I Write the Songs", " Can ...
,
Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...
,
Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
,
Bette Midler Bette Midler (;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Be ...
,
Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...
,
Donny and Marie Osmond The Osmonds were an American family music group who reached the height of their fame in the early to mid-1970s. The group had its best-known configurations as a quartet (billed as the Osmond Brothers) and a quintet (as the Osmonds). The group ...
,
Garth Brooks Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him popularity, particularly in the United States with success on the co ...
,
Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...
,
Reba McEntire Reba Nell McEntire (born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music singer and actress. Dubbed " the Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Since the 1970s, McEntire has placed over 100 single ...
,
Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...
, Shania Twain, Criss Angel, Olivia Newton-John, Queen + Adam Lambert, Lady Gaga, and
Gwen Stefani Gwen Renée Stefani (; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer and actress. She is a co-founder, lead vocalist, and the primary songwriter of the band No Doubt, whose singles include "Just a Girl", "Spiderwebs ...
have had residencies in the various resorts on the Strip. The only movie theatre directly on the Strip was the 10-screen Regal Showcase Theatre in the Showcase Mall. The theater opened in 1997 and was operated by Regal Entertainment Group, until its closure in 2018. During 2019, 51% of visitors attended shows, which was down from 2015, 2017, and 2018. Among visitors who saw shows, relatively more went to Broadway/production shows than in past years, while relatively fewer saw lounge acts, comedy shows, or celebrity DJs.


Venues

The Strip is home to many entertainment venues. Most of the resorts have a showroom, nightclub and/or live music venue on the property and a few have large multipurpose arenas. Major venues include: *
All Net Resort and Arena All Net Resort & Arena is a planned entertainment complex in Las Vegas. A project of businessman and former basketball player Jackie Robinson, the complex will encompass a resort hotel, retail and restaurant space, and a multi-purpose arena with a ...
* The Colosseum at Caesars Palace * Las Vegas Festival Grounds * Michelob Ultra Arena * MGM Grand Garden Arena *
MSG Sphere Las Vegas Sphere at The Venetian Resort is a sphere-shaped music and entertainment arena being built in Paradise, Nevada, near the Las Vegas Strip and east of the Venetian resort. The 17,500-seat auditorium was initially scheduled to open in 2021, but co ...
* T-Mobile Arena * Zappos Theater *
Allegiant Stadium Allegiant Stadium is a domed stadium located in Paradise, Nevada. It is the home stadium for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL), the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Rebels college football team, the Las Ve ...


Shopping

*
Bonanza Gift Shop Bonanza Gift Shop is a landmark located on the Las Vegas Strip between the Sahara Las Vegas and the Stratosphere Las Vegas. It is billed as the ''World's Largest Gift Shop'' with over of shopping space. According to British Airways, the shop "wo ...
is billed as the "World's Largest Gift Shop", with over of shopping space. * The Shoppes at the Palazzo featuring luxury stores. * Fashion Show Mall is adjacent to Treasure Island and opposite Wynn Las Vegas. * Grand Canal Shoppes is a luxury mall connected to The Venetian with canals, gondolas and singing gondoliers. *
The LINQ Promenade The Linq (formerly Flamingo Capri, Imperial Palace and The Quad) is a casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment. It opened as the Flamingo Capri in 1959, on property located direct ...
is an open-air retail, dining, and entertainment district located between The Linq and Flamingo resorts that began a soft open in January 2014. It leads from a Strip-side entrance to the High Roller. *
Miracle Mile Shops Miracle Mile Shops (formerly Desert Passage) is a 475,000 square foot (44,129 m²), long, enclosed shopping mall on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is home to more than 170 stores, 15 restaurants and live entertainment venues. Synony ...
is part of the Planet Hollywood hotel. * The Forum Shops at Caesars is a luxury mall connected to
Caesars Palace Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The hotel is situated on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip between Bellagio and The Mirage. It is one of Las Vegas's largest and best known landmarks. Caesars P ...
, with more than 160 shops and 11 restaurants. * Crystals at CityCenter is a luxury high-fashion mall at CityCenter. *
Harmon Corner Harmon Corner is an enclosed three-story shopping mall on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States. Construction began in 2011, and the mall opened in 2012. The 110,184-square-foot mall includes various restaurants, and its anchor sto ...
is a three-story retail center located next to Planet Hollywood with shops and restaurants. *
Showcase Mall Showcase Mall is a shopping center on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is known for its landmark facade, featuring a tall Coca-Cola bottle and a colossal bag of M&M's. History After the 1989 announcement of plans for the MGM Grand Las ...
is next to MGM Grand, and displays a 100-foot Coca-Cola bottle. * The Park, a short east–west street between the Park MGM and New York-New York resorts is a park-like boulevard lined with retail shops and restaurants, leading to T-Mobile Arena. *The Shoppes at Mandalay Place has shops and restaurants located on a sky bridge in between Mandalay Bay and Luxor.


Live sports

Professional sports are found at venues on or near the Strip, including: * National Football League: Las Vegas Raiders at
Allegiant Stadium Allegiant Stadium is a domed stadium located in Paradise, Nevada. It is the home stadium for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL), the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Rebels college football team, the Las Ve ...
* National Hockey League: Vegas Golden Knights: at T-Mobile Arena * Mixed Martial Arts: Ultimate Fighting Championship: at T-Mobile Arena * Boxing: MGM Grand Garden Arena * Women's National Basketball Association: Las Vegas Aces at the Michelob Ultra Arena The Strip will also become the home of the upcoming
Las Vegas Grand Prix The Las Vegas Grand Prix is a planned Formula One Grand Prix due to form part of the 2023 Formula One World Championship, with the event taking place in Paradise, Nevada, on a temporary street circuit including the Las Vegas Strip. History ...
and will be part of the 2023 Formula One World Championship.


Golf

The
Aladdin Aladdin ( ; ar, علاء الدين, ', , ATU 561, ‘Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' (''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of ...
had a nine-hole golf course in the 1960s. As land values on the Strip have increased over the years, the resort-affiliated golf courses been removed to make way for building projects. The
Tropicana Country Club The Tropicana Las Vegas is a casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Bally's Corporation, on land leased from Gaming and Leisure Properties. It offers 1,467 rooms, a gaming floor, and of convention ...
closed in 1990 and the Dunes golf course in the mid-90s. Steve Wynn, founder of previously owned Mirage Resorts, purchased the
Desert Inn The Desert Inn, also known as the D.I., was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, which operated from April 24, 1950, to August 28, 2000. Designed by architect Hugh Taylor and interior design by Jac Lessman, it was the ...
and golf course for his new company Wynn Resorts and redeveloped the course as the Wynn Golf Club. This course closed in 2017, but the development planned for the course was cancelled and the course will be renovated and re-opened in late 2019. In 2000, Bali Hai Golf Club opened just south of Mandalay Bay and the Strip. In 2016, a TopGolf opened near the Strip.


Amusement parks and rides

The Strip is home to the
Adventuredome Adventuredome (formerly Grand Slam Canyon) is a indoor amusement park at Circus Circus in Winchester, Nevada on the Las Vegas Strip. It is owned by Phil Ruffin. It is contained within a large glass dome, and offers various rides and attraction ...
indoor amusement park at Circus Circus. The Adventuredome is glass-enclosed with a carousel, mini-golf, two roller coasters, bowling, spinning rides, arcade, virtual reality rides, carnival midway, and clown shows. The Stratosphere tower has several rides: *
Big Shot Big Shot may refer to: Fiction * Big Shot, an animated superhero character on the television show '' The Tick'' created by cartoonist Ben Edlund in 1986 * Big Shot, the former mascot of the Philadelphia 76ers until 1996 * ''Big Shot'', a fiction ...
* X-Scream * SkyJump Las Vegas Other rides on the Strip include: * The Roller Coaster (also known as Big Apple Coaster) * High Roller * Fly Linq


Sustainability

Although the Strip has elaborate displays, fountains, and large buffet restaurants, many of the hotel resort properties are renowned for their sustainability efforts, including: * Water conservation: Approaches include reclaiming water and placing it back into Lake Mead, using minimal outdoor landscaping, upgrading toilets, using low-flow showerheads, and setting goals for water conservation. * Recycling: In 2017, the recycling rate in Clark County was about 20%, while the recycling rate for major hotels on the Strip was about 40%. * Food handing: Leftover food is composted or sent to agricultural farms. Untouched, undisturbed food is donated to local food banks. *Energy efficiency: Hotels have updated appliances in rooms, installed LED lighting, and installed wireless lighting control systems. Renewable energy is generated and used on the Strip. MGM initiated solar power when it built a solar array on top of the Mandalay Bay in 2014 and expanded it in 2016. The solar array at the Mandalay Bay, a 28-acre system capable of powering 1,300 homes, is one of the largest commercial rooftop solar arrays in the United States. The solar array includes more than 26,000 solar panels capable of providing a total of 8.3 megawatts DC (6.5 megawatts AC), sufficient for powering 25% of the Mandalay Bay campus. Energy-efficient buildings are also being implemented and the Strip has one of the highest concentrations of LEED-certified buildings in the world. Some examples of LEED-certified buildings are the Octavius Tower at Caesars Palace and the Linq Promenade, both of which are certified LEED Silver.


Locations of major landmarks


Current landmarks


Former hotel/casino locations


Demolished or closed Strip casinos and hotels

*
Aladdin Aladdin ( ; ar, علاء الدين, ', , ATU 561, ‘Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' (''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of ...
: Opened in 1962 as the Tallyho, became the King's Crown Tallyho in 1963, the Aladdin in 1966, and was demolished in 1998. A new Aladdin resort opened on the property in 2000, and was renamed Planet Hollywood in 2007. * Big Red's Casino: Opened in 1981 and closed in 1982. Property developed for CBS Sports World Casino in 1997. Changed name to Sports World Casino after CBS threatened to sue. Closed in 2001, now a shopping center. * Barbary Coast Hotel and Casino: Opened in 1978-closed in 2007, and became Bill's Gamblin' Hall until 2010. Now
The Cromwell The Cromwell Las Vegas (formerly Barbary Coast and Bill's Gamblin' Hall and Saloon) is a luxury boutique casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment. It was originally opened by Mi ...
. *
Boardwalk Hotel and Casino The Boardwalk Hotel and Casino was a Coney Island-style hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. It was owned and operated by MGM Mirage. It was part of the Holiday Inn hotel chain until it was acquired by MGM in 2000. It was built before the era of the m ...
: Closed on January 6, 2006, demolished May 9, 2006 to make way for CityCenter. * Castaways: Opened in 1955 as the Sans Souci Hotel and became the Castaways in 1963 and was demolished in 1987. Now The Mirage. *
Desert Inn The Desert Inn, also known as the D.I., was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, which operated from April 24, 1950, to August 28, 2000. Designed by architect Hugh Taylor and interior design by Jac Lessman, it was the ...
: Closed on August 28, 2000, demolished in 2004, now Wynn Las Vegas and Encore Las Vegas; Desert Inn golf course was retained and improved. * Dunes Hotel and Casino: Closed on January 26, 1993, demolished in 1993, now
Bellagio Bellagio may refer to: * Bellagio, Lombardy, an Italian town * Bellagio (resort), a luxury resort and casino in Las Vegas * Bellagio (Hong Kong), a private housing building * Bellagio declaration, an intellectual copyright resolution * 79271 Bellag ...
. The Dunes golf course is now occupied by parts of Park MGM, New York-New York, CityCenter,
Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...
, and T-Mobile Arena. * El Rancho (formerly Thunderbird/Silverbird): Closed in 1992 and demolished in 2000. Now the unfinished
Fontainebleau Las Vegas The Fontainebleau Las Vegas (formerly The Drew Las Vegas) is a hotel and casino currently under construction on the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada, Winchester, Nevada. It is on the site previously occupied by the El Rancho Hotel and Casino ...
. * El Rancho Vegas: Burned down in 1960. The
Hilton Grand Vacations Club Hilton Grand Vacations Club is a timeshare property located on the northern end of the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada. The property was previously occupied by the El Rancho Vegas hotel and casino from 1941 until 1960, when it burned down. T ...
timeshare now exists on the south edge of the site where the resort once stood; the remainder is now the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. *
Hacienda An ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or ''finca''), similar to a Roman ''latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchards), ...
: Closed and demolished in 1996, now Mandalay Bay. Until 2015, a separate
Hacienda An ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or ''finca''), similar to a Roman ''latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchards), ...
operated outside Boulder City, formerly the Gold Strike Inn. *
Holy Cow Casino and Brewery Holy Cow! Casino and Brewery (formerly Foxy's Firehouse) was a locals casino and microbrewery on South Las Vegas Boulevard, north of the Las Vegas Strip, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The property began in 1955 as Foxy's Deli, which operated until its ...
: First micro brewery in Las Vegas. Closed in 2002, now a Walgreens store. * Jackpot Casino: Closed in 1977, now part of
Bonanza Gift Shop Bonanza Gift Shop is a landmark located on the Las Vegas Strip between the Sahara Las Vegas and the Stratosphere Las Vegas. It is billed as the ''World's Largest Gift Shop'' with over of shopping space. According to British Airways, the shop "wo ...
* Klondike Hotel and Casino: Closed in 2006, demolished in 2008. * Little Caesars Casino: Opened in 1970 and closed in 1994. Paris Las Vegas now occupies the area. * Money Tree Casino: Closed in 1979, now
Bonanza Gift Shop Bonanza Gift Shop is a landmark located on the Las Vegas Strip between the Sahara Las Vegas and the Stratosphere Las Vegas. It is billed as the ''World's Largest Gift Shop'' with over of shopping space. According to British Airways, the shop "wo ...
. * Marina Hotel and Casino: Closed, adapted into MGM Grand, now the West Wing of the MGM Grand. * New Frontier: Closed July 16, 2007, demolished November 13, 2007. Currently being redeveloped as Wynn West. * Nob Hill Casino: Opened in 1979, and closed in 1990. Now Casino Royale * Riviera Hotel and Casino: Opened in 1955; Closed in May 2015 to make way for the
Las Vegas Global Business District The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) is a government agency and the official destination marketing organization for Southern Nevada. It was founded by the Nevada Legislature in 1955. The LVCVA owns and operates the Las Vegas ...
. * Royal Nevada: Opened in 1955; became part of the
Stardust Stardust may refer to: * A type of cosmic dust, composed of particles in space Entertainment Songs * “Stardust” (1927 song), by Hoagy Carmichael * “Stardust” (David Essex song), 1974 * “Stardust” (Lena Meyer-Landrut song), 2012 * ...
in 1959. * Sands Hotel and Casino: Closed on June 30, 1996, demolished in 1996, now The Venetian. * Silver City Casino: Closed in 1999, now the Silver City Plaza Shopping Center. * Silver Slipper Casino: Opened in 1950 and closed and demolished in 1988. It became the parking lot for the New Frontier until its closure and demolition in 2007. *
Stardust Resort and Casino The Stardust Resort and Casino was a casino resort located on along the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada. The Stardust was conceived by Tony Cornero, and construction began in 1954. Cornero died in 1955, and the project was taken over by his ...
: Closed on November 1, 2006, demolished on March 13, 2007, now
Resorts World Resorts World is a leisure, hospitality and casino franchise owned by the Genting Group, a Malaysian conglomerate. The Resorts World brand is used across Genting Group's international resort and casino properties, and it's namesake cruise line Resor ...
. *
Vegas World Vegas World was a space-themed casino and hotel on Las Vegas Boulevard in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was owned and operated by Bob Stupak, and was also signed as Bob Stupak's Vegas World. Stupak initially opened a small casino, Bob Stupak's World Fa ...
: Opened in 1979, and closed in 1995. Now The Strat *
Westward Ho Hotel and Casino Westward Ho Hotel and Casino was a casino and hotel located on the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, an unincorporated area of Clark County in the U.S. state of Nevada. The Westward Ho occupied 15 acres, and was the last large motel style property ...
: Closed in 2005, demolished in 2006. Now a McDonald's.


Gallery

File:Welcome to Las Vegas sign.jpg, The iconic Welcome to Las Vegas sign was built in 1959. File:Las Vegas 89.jpg, The Strip in 2009. File:Las Vegas Strip south, Tropicana ave.jpg, A view of the southern end of the Strip. Looking northward from Tropicana Avenue. File:Las Vegas from Eiffel Tower replica.jpg, View of the Strip from the Eiffel Tower of the Paris Las Vegas. File:Strip-May-21-10.JPG, Photo taken May 21, 2010, a view of the Strip from the Renaissance Hotel. File:Monte Carlo Exterior - with Las Vegas skyline.jpg, View of Monte Carlo Resort and Casino with City Center in the background File:The Bellagio Fountains, Las Vegas..jpg, The Bellagio Fountains as seen from the hotel File:The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas.jpg, The Cosmopolitan File:The High Roller - View From The Linq 2.jpg, The Las Vegas High Roller is the tallest Ferris wheel in the world File:Wynn 2 (2).jpg, Wynn Las Vegas File:Takeoff From Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.webm, Takeoff From Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas


See also

* Las Vegas * Las Vegas Boulevard * Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign


References


Further reading

*


External links


Official Website of Las Vegas

Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority
{{Las Vegas Valley All-American Roads Landmarks in Nevada Nevada Scenic Byways Paradise, Nevada Streets in the Las Vegas Valley U.S. Route 91 Shopping districts and streets in the United States Entertainment districts in the United States Red-light districts in Nevada