24 Things You Must Know About Las Vegas and the Close-by Strip

Exactly what occurs in Vegas ... well, you understand the rest. Here are 24 facts about Sin City you likely haven't heard.

1. Most of Vegas' renowned hotels aren't technically situated in the city of Las Vegas. A good portion of the Las Vegas Strip-- and the famous "Invite to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign-- are really situated in an unincorporated township called Paradise, Nevada.

2. One tourist attraction that is within Las Vegas city limitations: Vegas Vic, the extra-large neon cowboy that commands downtown's famous Fremont Street. It's the biggest mechanical neon check in the world.

3. More than 41 million visitors cycle through Sin City each year ...

4. ... So it's a great thing the town boasts 14 of the world's 20 most significant hotels.

5. There's a lot realty for tourists to make the most of, it would take an individual 288 years to invest a night in every hotel room in the city.

6. There's a secret city beneath the city. Miles of tunnels-- originally developed to secure the desert town from flash floods-- home hundreds of homeless residents.

7. The strip's Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino got its name from founder-- and famous mobster-- Bugsy Siegel's sweetheart. Starlet Virginia Hill went by the nickname "The Flamingo" since of her red hair and long, thin legs.

8. In the mid-20th century, Las Vegas had its own set of inequitable Jim Crow laws, which-- with the exception of low-wage service jobs-- kept African Americans out of the growing city's gambling establishments and hotels. Even famous performers like Louis Armstrong and Nat King Cole were forced to enter and exit the locations where they were carrying out through back doors and side entryways. In 1952, acting legend Sammy Davis Jr. took a dip in the whites-only pool at the New Frontier Hotel & Gambling Establishment. Later on, the manager had it drained.

9. In May 1955, the Moulin Rouge made history when it ended up being the city's very first interracial gambling establishment. Famous boxer Joe Louis, a part owner, declared, "This isn't the opening of a Las Vegas hotel. It's history."

10. In the 1950s and early 1960s, Las Vegas was known for putting on a different type of show. At the Nevada Test Site, just 65 miles northwest of the city, the U.S. Department of Energy would test nuclear devices. Las Vegas' Chamber of Commerce saw a moneymaking opportunity, and decided to distribute calendars marketing detonation times and option watching areas.

Famous recluse Howard Hughes inspected into the strip's Desert Inn on Thanksgiving Day 1966, renting the entire leading 2 floorings. When he overstayed his 10-day appointment, he was asked to leave.

12. FedEx creator Frederick W. Smith saved the delivery company with a trip to Vegas. In 1974-- 3 years after he developed the business-- the Yale graduate took the endeavor's last $5,000 and turned it into $32,000 with a weekend of blackjack. His, er, gamble provided the company enough money to survive.

13. Do not disturb: Vegas has more unlisted phone numbers than any other city in the United States.

Nevada law mentions that video slot makers should pay back a minimum of 75 percent of the cash deposited on average. (Though it's worth noting that in New Jersey, house to betting mecca Atlantic City, it's 83 percent.).

15. It takes approximately 10 minutes to capture a marital relationship license at the bureau in downtown Las Vegas, which is open every day from 8 a.m. up until midnight. No wonder some 10,000 couples wed in the city each month.

More than 60,000 pounds of the shellfish are consumed in the city each day. That's higher than the rest of the country-- integrated.

17. The half-scale design of the Eiffel Tower, situated outside Paris Las Vegas, was initially prepared to be full-size, but due to the close proximity of the airport-- just 3 miles-- it needed to be shrunk down. In contrast, the Luxor Las Vegas' Sphinx is actually bigger than the initial Fantastic Sphinx of Giza.

18. At 50 loads, the bronze lion outside the MGM Grand Hotel is believed to be the biggest bronze sculpture in the western hemisphere.

19. The unique gold color of the windows at the Mirage Hotel comes from real gold dust.

20. There are 3933 a fantastic read guest rooms at Bellagio Las Vegas-- more than the number of residents in the city of Bellagio, Italy.

21. Not into gambling establishments? The city likewise features a heavy equipment play ground where building enthusiasts can drive around bulldozers for fun.

22. Prior to his death in 2009, Michael Jackson was looking into doing a Vegas residency. He planned to market it with a 50-foot robot-likeness of himself that would stroll the Nevada desert.

23. At Vegas diner Heart Attack Grill, waitresses gown in nurses attire and patrons can buy an 8000-calorie quadruple bypass hamburger with a side of flatliner fries. (Fried in pure lard!) In 2013, one of the area's regular clients passed away ... from an obvious heart attack.

24. From deep space, the Las Vegas Strip looks like the brightest spot on Earth. Who cares if it's not actually in Las Vegas?


Many of Vegas' iconic hotels aren't technically situated in the city of Las Vegas. A great portion of the Las Vegas Strip-- and the renowned "Invite to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign-- are in fact situated in an unincorporated township called Paradise, Nevada.

One destination that is within Las Vegas city limits: Vegas Vic, the oversized neon cowboy that administers over downtown's well known Fremont Street. The strip's Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino got its name from creator-- and legendary mobster-- Bugsy Siegel's sweetheart. In the mid-20th century, Las Vegas possessed its own set of discriminatory Jim Crow laws, which-- with the exception of low-wage service tasks-- kept African Americans out of the growing city's hotels and casinos.

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