Las Vegas

This article is about the city in Nevada. For other uses, see Las Vegas (disambiguation).
"Vegas" redirects here. For other uses, see Vegas (disambiguation).
Las Vegas
— City —
City of Las Vegas

From top to bottom: Downtown Las Vegas skyline, Vegas Vic, Binion's Horseshoe, Plaza Hotel & Casino, Fremont Street Experience

Flag
Seal

Nickname(s): The Gambling Capital of theWorld,[1] Sin City, The Entertainment Capital of the World, Capital of Second Chances,[2] The Marriage Capital of the World

Location of the city of Las Vegas within Clark County, Nevada

Las VegasLocation within the contiguous United States of America
Coordinates: 36°10′30″N 115°08′11″W / 36.175°N 115.13639°W / 36.175; -115.13639Coordinates:
Click the blue globe to open aninteractive map.36°10′30″N 115°08′11″W / 36.175°N 115.13639°W / 36.175; -115.13639
Country United States
State Nevada
County Clark
Founded May 15, 1905
Incorporated March 16, 1911
Government
• Type Council–manager
• Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman (I)
• City Manager Betsy Fretwell
Area
• City 135.8 sq mi (352 km2)
• Land 135.8 sq mi (352 km2)
• Water .05 sq mi (0 km2)Elevation 2,001 ft (610 m)
Population (2010)[3]
• City 583,756
• Density 4,298.1/sq mi (1,659.5/km2)
• Urban 1,314,356
• Metro 1,951,269
(30th most in the U.S.)
Demonym Las Vegan
Time zone PST (UTC−8)
• Summer (DST) PDT (UTC−7)
ZIP code
Area code(s) 702
FIPS code 32-40000
GNIS feature ID 0847388
Website www.lasvegasnevada.gov

Las Vegas (/lɑːs ˈveɪɡəs/) is the mostpopulous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County.[4] Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous for its consolidated casino–hotels and associated entertainment. A growing retirement and family city, Las Vegas is the 31st-most populouscity in the United States, with a population at the 2010 census of 583,756. The 2010 population of the Las Vegas metropolitan area was 1,951,269.[3]

Established in 1905, Las Vegas was incorporated as a city in 1911. At the close of the 20th century, Las Vegas was the most populous American city founded in that century (a distinction held by Chicago in the 19th century). The city's tolerancefor various forms of adult entertainment earned it the title of Sin City, and this image has made Las Vegas a popular setting for films and television programs. There are numerous outdoor lighting displays on Fremont Street, as well as elsewhere in the city.

Las Vegas often refers to the city plus some areas beyond the city limits, especially the resort areas on and near the Las Vegas Strip,and sometimes the entire Las Vegas Valley. The 4.2 mi (6.8 km) stretch of South Las Vegas Boulevard known as the Strip is mainly in the unincorporated communities of Paradise, Winchester, and Enterprise.[5][6]

Las Vegas is situated within Clark County in an arid basin on the desert floor, surrounded by dry mountains. The Spring Mountains lie to the west. Much of the landscape is rocky and dusty;the environment is dominated by desert vegetation and some wildlife, and the area is subject to torrential flash floods. The elevation is around 2,030 ft (620 m) above sea level. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 135.86 sq mi (351.9 km2), of which 131.81 sq mi (341.4 km2) is land and 0.05 sq mi (0.13 km2) (0.03%) is water.

Within the city there aremany lawns, trees, and other greenery. Due to water resource issues, there is now a movement to encourage xeriscapes. Another part of the water conservation efforts include scheduled watering groups for watering residential landscaping. A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant in 2008 funded a program that analyzed and forecast growth and environmental impacts through the year 2019.

Climate...