Introduction
There is perhaps no city more performative than the City of Las Vegas in the southern portion of the modern State of Nevada! Today, Las Vegas is most famous for a strip, the Las Vegas Strip, that is technically not included within the incorporated city but rather in the community known as Paradise. However, a few other distinctions also exist to separate the community from similarly associated communities nearer the coast, particularly Los Angeles or San Diego.
Climate
Though not the most famous part of the Mojave (Mohave) Desert, the City of Las Vegas is situated on the floor of the desert, with the associated basin often reaching high temperatures typical of desert communities throughout the region. Though Las Vegas is not Death Valley, the community is sometimes compared to the even hotter community and associated areas in San Bernardino County in nearby California.
Attractions
Rarely are there communities of any reasonable size outside the major cities and urban hubs of the State of Nevada, thanks to the vast desert landscapes that hinder statewide settlement patterns. However, in the rare civilizations that exist within the State, the associated communities are often identified as local, regional, or even global powerhouses, with the City of Las Vegas in the final category.
Today, the most notable feature of the City of Las Vegas, though technically not located within city limits by law, is the entirety of the Las Vegas Strip, from near Mandalay Bay and Russell Road to the south to Sahara Boulevard approaching the downtown area to the north. A number of casino resorts are located along all portions of the Strip, including (from south to north) the following resort areas:
- Mandalay Bay
- Luxor Hotel and Casino
- Excalibur Hotel and Casino
- Desert Rose Resort
- OYO Hotel and Casino
- New York-New York Hotel and Casino
- Park MGM
- MGM Grand
- Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas
- ARIA Resort and Casino
- Marriott’s Grand Chateau
- The Cosmopolitan
- Planet Hollywood
- Bellagio Hotel and Casino
- Paris Las Vegas
- Horseshoe Las Vegas
- Caesars Palace
- Flamingo Las Vegas
- The LINQ
- Best Western Plus Casino Royale-Center Strip
- The Venetian
- Treasure Island
- Trump International Hotel
- Wynn Las Vegas
- Encore Las Vegas
- Resorts World
- Circus Circus
- Fontainebleau
- Hilton Grand Vacations Club
- SAHARA Las Vegas
The following additional hotels and resorts are legally outside the Las Vegas Strip, increasingly approaching the downtown area:
- Ahern Hotel
- Aztec Inn
- The STRAT Hotel, Casino, and Tower
Is the City NSFW?
Society often expects prospective tourists to ask the question, “is Las Vegas an adult city?” In short, the answer is a firm “yes,” with gambling as the primary feature of the Las Vegas Strip and the immediate vicinity in particular, including outside the primary hotels associated with the city. Even though a few associated features, such as pinball, may not necessarily be related to gambling in the modern day, pinball was traditionally considered a game of chance and is still treated as an adult game in the State of South Carolina to this day. Immediately to the south of the Pinball Hall of the Fame is the world-class “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign as well as the Harry Reid International Airport to the east. Within close proximity of the New York-New York Hotel and Casino, of course, is a replica Statue of Liberty model, as well as a collection of iconic bars and restaurants of significant brand names. Even further north, the “Flyover” tourist attraction is associated with the city, providing access to a significant ride as well as a number of shows located nearby. Near ARIA is the living Arte Museum of Las Vegas, and further west are the Illuminarium Las Vegas, the [censored] Heritage Museum, and Chinatown, just to name a few more places.
Downtown Las Vegas
Often underrepresented in the mass media is the downtown area representative of the City of Las Vegas, most notable for hosting the Discovery Children’s Museum, the Mob Museum, the Neon Museum, and the Las Vegas Science and Natural History Museum, as well as Jerry’s Nugget Casino and the Kiel Ranch Historic Site further north. Also located relatively downtown is the Fremont Street Experience, a world-class shopping mall with often more affordable experiences than the premier Las Vegas Strip proper. The Golden Nugget Las Vegas Hotel and Casino is also located within the nearby area.
