Las Vegas

The Meteoric Rise of Las Vegas from a remote Mormon outpost to an international entertainment center with a sprawling metropolitan area of well over a million people was never a sure thing. In its first decades, the town languished, but when Nevada legalized casino gambling in 1931, Las Vegas met its destiny. This act-combined with the growing popularity of the automobile, cheap land and electricity, and changing national attitudes toward gambling-led to the fantastical casinos and opulent resorts that became the trademark industry of the city and created the ambiance that has made Las Vegas an icon of pleasure.

Eugene P. Moehring is professor of history at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.