Despite all appearances, Las Vegas is—dare we say it—a nuanced and layered city. And seeing it properly requires a little strategy.
When Mormon pioneers established a fort in the middle of a punishing Mojave Desert landscape in the 1850s, only two short decades after the United States had annexed the area from Mexico, no one could have forecast that it would become a neon-festooned symbol of American ingenuity, capitalism, and round-the-clock fun. Yet here we are. What once was a dusty pit stop between California and Utah now attracts more than 40 million conventioneers and pleasure seekers a year. Las Vegas is the most unlikely of American cities. Ancient hunter-gatherers originally populated this area, and throughout the decades, Spanish merchants, pioneers, railroaders, Mafia crime bosses, and multi-billion-dollar gaming corporations have made their mark. Today it is a high-budget entertainment zone with over 4,000 restaurants—the highest per capita density of any US city—a packed and growing Strip of hotels; multiple mega sports arenas, and, thanks to savvy marketing, is one of the most recognizable brands on the planet.
This is a city with serious money that doesn’t take itself too seriously; hence, the skyline that includes but is not limited to: a laser light-beam-topped pyramid, the Eiffel Tower, the largest observation wheel in the world, and a smashed-together replica of New York City. More than 150,000 hotel rooms are packed into one concentrated strip, and a normal day might involve enjoying the stylings of 460-foot-high choreographed dancing fountains, hurdling from a slot machine-shaped zipline over a crowd of tourists, and riding in a Venetian gondola on a canal that snakes through a shopping mall. But this city isn’t all a psychedelic playground. Bits and pieces of its historic past can be seen everywhere from an ancient springs preserve to a museum devoted to its mob forefathers. And if you look well beyond the Strip’s limits and you’ll see and experience the same majestic desert landscape its original inhabitants saw.
Fun fact: The area that most people think of as Las Vegas is not actually in Las Vegas. That’s right: Las Vegas city limits include the downtown area and neighborhoods west of the Strip but not Las Vegas Blvd. (The Strip) itself, which is located in the unincorporated township of Paradise, Nevada. Locals consider both the Las Vegas Valley or metropolitan area around and beyond the city proper as well as the city limits themselves when they think about population. By any measure, the population has steadily risen over time—with meteoric population bumps in some years. Today’s Las Vegas population is around 650,000, with 2.9 million living in the Las Vegas Valley—a far cry from its 1900 population of 25. The largest ethnic group outside whites of European origin are Hispanic and Latino people of any race. But the valley has rich pockets of other cultures, such as Hawaiians, who refer to Vegas as their “ninth island,” Asians, and a substantial Ethiopian community.
Like many places in the Southwestern US, Las Vegas has a substantial Spanish-speaking or bilingual population; in fact, nearly a quarter of Las Vegans speak Spanish. A surprising 3% speak Tagalog, the language of the Philippines. But no matter where you’re from, Las Vegas’ hospitality and tourism-centric culture means it serves everyone. For instance, most casinos and retailers actively hire bilingual employees in many languages to serve visitors in virtually any language.
It may not surprise you that Las Vegas practices fun religiously. But among religious groups, Christians predominate, with Catholics, Mormons (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints), and Protestants making up most of that category. There is a small but strong Jewish community. And about a quarter of locals are unaffiliated with any religious group. You also won’t have to go far to find one of the city’s approximately 500 houses of worship; in fact, there are two large Catholic churches right on the Strip.
Las Vegans have seen it all: people dressed as Star Wars characters randomly shopping in pharmacies; drunk, bikini-clad girls wandering the casino in bare feet; all varieties of showgirls. In other words, Las Vegas locals are inured to shenanigans, and it takes a lot—seriously, a whole lot—to surprise them. And since so many of the population works in the hospitality business, patience is just good training. Which doesn’t mean that you should take the “What happens here stays here” slogan seriously. Large casinos can have thousands of cameras and the ability to track you everywhere from the parking lot to the elevator. Do enjoy, but don’t become the entertainment.
Ever wondered why there’s so much “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign merch? The sign was never copyrighted; instead, artist Betty Willis gifted her design to the city, so anyone can reproduce it. And do they ever.
Las Vegans like to say that they never need to leave since eventually their friends will come to them. They’re not far off. Las Vegas gets about 40 million visitors a year from around the world. The valley’s economy has diversified in recent years, but it still pulls 20 percent of its GDP from tourism—more than three times that of other top tourist destinations. And when people come here, they spend—a record $45 billion in 2022. Nearly a quarter million people are employed in hospitality, around a third of the population.
When locals refer to “the Strip,” they’re talking about the roughly five-mile stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard between the STRAT hotel on the north and the iconic “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign on the south end. The Strip runs parallel to Interstate 15, the main highway between California and Utah. The Strip is so famous the United State Department of Transportation designated it a National Scenic Byway, and it’s the only nighttime byway among USDOT’s All-American Roads.
It’s so tempting to think you can dine in one casino and easily make a show in another. You’ll almost invariably be late, so plan dinner and your entertainment for the same hotel or walkable vicinity.
The Strip is in constant flux; there’s always something being built or torn down (or imploded). When the weather is good and you’re feeling ambitious, it’s a fun walk with arguably the best people-watching on the planet. Some don’t-miss landmarks are the famous Bellagio Fountains, the Eiffel Tower (in strange proximity to a replica Palazzo Ducale, at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas), Allegiant Stadium, and a volcano in front of the Mirage that erupts and even throws off heat five times a night on the hour beginning at 7 pm. But don’t think this is an easy five-mile sprint. There are now multiple pedestrian overhead bridges to keep you out of Strip traffic, which you’ll have to access by elevator or escalator on both sides.
Las Vegas casinos look deceptively close together in pictures, or even when you drive the Strip. But they’re not. In fact, some of the largest hotels in the world sit on the Strip and getting from one to the other on foot is often not easy. For instance, Caesars Palace sits on 85 acres. The Venetian takes up 14 million square feet.
As confusing as it may seem, the Strip is not central to Downtown Las Vegas, which is at the north end of Las Vegas Blvd. and is the city’s historic center. The neighborhood fell out of favor when the megaresorts started packing the Strip’s southern end, but the former so-called “Glitter Gulch” has experienced a major resurgence in recent years. The five-block-long pedestrian mall that is the Fremont Street Experience is bordered by some of the oldest hotels, including the Golden Gate, which opened as the Hotel Nevada in 1906. It all sits under a canopy of LED lights and video, which may be seared into your retinas by the time you’ve walked it—or ridden its 12-story Slotzilla zip line from one end to the other. But one of the best ways to see the area is to walk the six blocks that run east from it, which are designated as the Fremont East Entertainment District and are full of divey bars, small cafes, preserved neon signs, and massive murals.
The temperatures in Las Vegas are notoriously hot in the summer, well over 100 F. And although thousands of energetic souls pack the pool parties in the dead of summer, it’s a lot more pleasant in March and April and again in October or November. As for hotel pricing, other tourist destinations have off- and shoulder seasons. Not necessarily Vegas, where hotel pricing can swing wildly depending on what conventions, sporting events, or entertainment is in town. Some conventions, for instance, can top 150,000 attendees, driving up prices even in traditionally less popular months like January. If you’re flexible on travel dates, look for hotel calendars—some casino hotels post their rates online for the entire month or more.
