Las Vegas Strip
The first casino to be built on Highway 91 was the Pair-o-Dice Club in 1931. This small operation sat outside city limits before the area became known as the Las Vegas Strip. The first full service casino-resort on what is currently called the Strip opened with 63 bungalow hotel rooms on the 3rd of April 1941. That property was named El Rancho Vegas and it marked a turning point for the region. Its success spawned a second nearby hotel called Hotel Last Frontier in 1942. Organized crime figures such as Bugsy Siegel took an intense interest in the growing Las Vegas gaming center. He funded another resort by financing the completion of the Flamingo construction with mob money. The Flamingo casino opened in December 1946 while the hotel portion opened in March 1947. Wilbur Clark's Desert Inn resort followed in 1950. Funding for many Las Vegas projects came through the American National Insurance Company based in Galveston Texas. The Strip was named by Los Angeles police officer Guy McAfee after his hometown's Sunset Strip in Hollywood.
The opening of The Mirage in 1989 set a new level to the Las Vegas experience. Smaller hotels and casinos made way for larger mega-resorts during this period. In the 1990s more than 12 new hotels opened including themed properties like the Luxor Excalibur and Mandalay Bay. At $1.7 billion the most expensive hotel in the world at the time was The Bellagio built in the 1990s. The first MGM Grand Hotel and Casino opened in 1973 with 2,084 rooms. On the 21st of November 1980 that property suffered the worst resort fire in history killing 87 people due to electrical problems. It reopened eight months later. Kerkorian sold the MGM Grand to Bally Manufacturing in 1986 and it was renamed Bally's. Caesars Palace was established in 1966 while the International Hotel opened in 1969 with 1,512 rooms beginning the era of mega-resorts. The International is known as Westgate Las Vegas today. The current MGM Grand opened in 1993 after the previous iteration.
With the opening of the Bellagio in 1998 the Strip trended towards the luxurious high-end segment through most of the 2000s. Venetian opened in 1999 followed by Wynn in 2005 and Palazzo in 2007. Encore arrived in 2008 completing a wave of luxury developments. Announced in 2004 and built between 2006 and 2009 CityCenter became an $8.5 billion multi-use project on the former site of the Boardwalk hotel. Most elements of this massive project opened in late 2009. In 2012 the High Roller Ferris wheel and retail district called The Linq Promenade broke ground to diversify attractions beyond casino resorts. Renovations and rebrandings such as The Cromwell Las Vegas and SLS Las Vegas continued to transform the Strip in 2014. Resorts World Las Vegas opened in June 2021 on the site of the former Stardust Resort and Casino. The Sphere opened in September 2023 while Fontainebleau Las Vegas opened on December 2023 at the site of the former El Rancho Hotel and Algiers Hotel.
The Tropicana was demolished in October 2024 after closing on the 2nd of April 2024. It will be replaced with a new Bally's Las Vegas resort and New Las Vegas Stadium which will become home to the Athletics after they relocate from Sacramento. The stadium and hotel are set to open in 2028 for the 2028 MLB season. The Mirage also closed in July 2024 but will reopen as Hard Rock Las Vegas in 2027. Many older properties have been systematically removed including the Aladdin which opened in 1962 and was demolished in 1998. A new Aladdin resort opened on that property in 2000 before being renamed Planet Hollywood in 2007. The Dunes closed on the 26th of January 1993 and was demolished in 1993-1994 to make way for Bellagio. The Riviera Hotel and Casino opened in 1955 and closed in May 2015 to allow construction of the Las Vegas Global Business District. The Stardust Resort and Casino closed on the 1st of November 2006 and was demolished the 13th of March 2007 becoming Resorts World.
The Las Vegas Strip is known for its lounges showrooms theaters and nightclubs mostly located on hotel casino properties. Some popular free attractions visible from the Strip include water fountains at Bellagio and the volcano at The Mirage now shuttered with the closing of that property. There are several Cirque du Soleil shows such as Kà at 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 Wayne Newton Dean Martin Sammy Davis Jr Louis Prima Rod Stewart and Liberace. In more recent years Celine Dion Britney Spears Barry Manilow Cher Elton John Bette Midler Diana Ross Donny and Marie Osmond Garth Brooks Jennifer Lopez Reba McEntire Mariah Carey Janet Jackson Kylie Minogue Shania Twain Criss Angel Olivia Newton-John Queen + Adam Lambert Lady Gaga Katy Perry and Gwen Stefani have had residencies in various resorts. During 2019 fifty-one percent of visitors attended shows which was down from previous years among those who saw shows relatively more went to Broadway production shows than lounge acts comedy shows or celebrity DJs.
RTC Transit provides bus service on the Strip with double decker buses known as The Deuce running between the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign and South Strip Transfer Terminal. The monorail began operating in 1995 with two trains from Walt Disney World while it runs a 3.9-mile route on the east side of the Strip corridor from Tropicana Avenue to Sahara Avenue. Stations include SAHARA Westgate Convention Center Harrah's Flamingo Horseshoe and MGM Grand. As of 2019 about 50,000 pedestrians walked the Strip on an average day. In the 1990s several pedestrian footbridges were erected over Las Vegas Boulevard including connections at Veer Towers Park MGM Planet Hollywood Spring Mountain Road Flamingo Road and Tropicana Avenue. Taxis are available at resorts shopping centers attractions and for scheduled pickups through the Nevada Taxicab Authority. The Las Vegas Festival Grounds opened in 2015 while T-Mobile Arena The Park and Dolby Live opened in 2016.
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Common questions
When did the first full service casino resort open on the Las Vegas Strip?
The first full service casino resort on what is currently called the Strip opened with 63 bungalow hotel rooms on the 3rd of April 1941. That property was named El Rancho Vegas and it marked a turning point for the region.
Who funded the construction of the Flamingo casino in Las Vegas?
Organized crime figure Bugsy Siegel took an intense interest in the growing Las Vegas gaming center and funded another resort by financing the completion of the Flamingo construction with mob money. The Flamingo casino opened in December 1946 while the hotel portion opened in March 1947.
What happened to the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino on the 21st of November 1980?
On the 21st of November 1980 that property suffered the worst resort fire in history killing 87 people due to electrical problems. It reopened eight months later after Kerkorian sold the MGM Grand to Bally Manufacturing in 1986 and it was renamed Bally's.
When did the Tropicana close and what will replace it?
The Tropicana was demolished in October 2024 after closing on the 2nd of April 2024. It will be replaced with a new Bally's Las Vegas resort and New Las Vegas Stadium which will become home to the Athletics after they relocate from Sacramento.
Which hotels were built during the luxury wave between 1998 and 2008?
With the opening of the Bellagio in 1998 the Strip trended towards the luxurious high-end segment through most of the 2000s. Venetian opened in 1999 followed by Wynn in 2005 and Palazzo in 2007 while Encore arrived in 2008 completing a wave of luxury developments.