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The '''Las Vegas Strip''' (also known as '''The Strip''') is a 4 [[mile|mi]] (6.7 [[kilometre|km]]) section of [[Las Vegas Boulevard|Las Vegas Boulevard South]], most of which has been designated an [[National Scenic Byway|All-American Road]].
The '''Las Vegas Strip''' (also known as '''The Strip''') is a 4 [[mile|mi]] (6.7 [[kilometre|km]]) section of [[Las Vegas Boulevard|Las Vegas Boulevard South]], most of which has been designated an [[National Scenic Byway|All-American Road]].
Only part of The Strip is located within the city limits of [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]], [[Nevada]]: the section north of Sahara Avenue. The section south of Sahara Avenue is in [[Clark County, Nevada|Clark County]]'s unincorporated Township of [[Paradise, Nevada]].
Only part of The Strip is located within the city limits of [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]], [[Nevada]]: the section north of Sahara Avenue. The section south of Sahara Avenue is in [[Clark County, Nevada|Clark County]]'s unincorporated Township of [[Paradise, Nevada]].


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Many of the largest [[hotel]], [[casino]] and [[resort]] properties in the world are located on The Strip. Over the years, Las Vegas Boulevard South has been called [[Arrowhead Highway]], "Salt Lake Highway", [[U.S. Highway 91]], and ''Los Angeles Highway''. The Strip was reportedly named by [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] [[police officer]] Guy McAfee, after his hometown's [[Sunset Strip]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/lasvegas/peopleevents/p_mcafee.html |title=Las Vegas: An Unconventional History |accessdate=2007-06-07 |format= |work= [[American Experience]]}}</ref>
Many of the largest [[hotel]], [[casino]] and [[resort]] properties in the world are located on The Strip. Over the years, Las Vegas Boulevard South has been called [[Arrowhead Highway]], "Salt Lake Highway", [[U.S. Highway 91]], and ''Los Angeles Highway''. The Strip was reportedly named by [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] [[police officer]] Guy McAfee, after his hometown's [[Sunset Strip]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/lasvegas/peopleevents/p_mcafee.html |title=Las Vegas: An Unconventional History |accessdate=2007-06-07 |format= |work= [[American Experience]]}}</ref>

Revision as of 14:48, 18 September 2007

The south end of The Strip; approximately one third of the entire Strip is represented here.

The Las Vegas Strip (also known as The Strip) is a 4 mi (6.7 km) section of Las Vegas Boulevard South, most of which has been designated an All-American Road. Only part of The Strip is located within the city limits of Las Vegas, Nevada: the section north of Sahara Avenue. The section south of Sahara Avenue is in Clark County's unincorporated Township of Paradise, Nevada.


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Many of the largest hotel, casino and resort properties in the world are located on The Strip. Over the years, Las Vegas Boulevard South has been called Arrowhead Highway, "Salt Lake Highway", U.S. Highway 91, and Los Angeles Highway. The Strip was reportedly named by Los Angeles police officer Guy McAfee, after his hometown's Sunset Strip.[1]

Boundaries

A similar view of the Strip at night

At the northern point of the Strip is the Stratosphere while Mandalay Bay marks the southern tip. Nearly 3.5 miles of the 4-mile length are located in the township of Paradise, Clark County. Depending on the definition, very little to none of it is within the Las Vegas city limits. McCarran Airport (LAS) is located at the southern end of The Strip, along with the famous Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign, which also appears in the median of Las Vegas Boulevard at the north end near the intersection of east St. Louis and south Main Streets. The "South Strip" is used to describe the section of Las Vegas Boulevard between Sunset Road or Blue Diamond Road and St. Rose Parkway.

History

The first casino to be built on Highway 91 was the Pair-o-Dice Club in 1931; the first on what is today's Strip was the El Rancho Vegas, opening on April 3 1941 with 63 rooms and standing for almost 20 years before being destroyed by fire in 1960. Its success spawned a second hotel on what would become The Strip, the Hotel Last Frontier, in 1942. The Flamingo opened a few years later, on December 26 1946.

In 1968, Kirk Kerkorian purchased the Flamingo and hired Sahara Hotels Vice President Alex Shoofey as President. Alex Shoofey brought along 33 of Sahara's top executives. The Flamingo was used to train future employees of the International Hotel, which was under construction. Opening in 1969, the International Hotel, with 1,512 rooms, became the largest hotel in the world, and began the era of mega-resorts. The International is known as the Las Vegas Hilton today.

The first MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, also a Kerkorian property, opened in 1973 with 2,084 rooms. At the time, this was the largest hotel in the world by number of rooms. On November 21 1980, the MGM Grand suffered the worst resort fire in the history of Las Vegas, killing 87 people as a result of electrical problems. It reopened eight months later. In 1986, Kerkorian sold the MGM Grand to Bally Manufacturing, and it was renamed Bally's.

Las Vegas Strip at night with the Aladdin (Now Planet Hollywood)

The opening of The Mirage in 1989 set a new level to the Las Vegas experience, as smaller hotels and casinos made way for the larger mega-resorts. These huge facilities offer entertainment and dining options, as well as gambling and lodging. This change impacted the smaller, well-known and now historic hotels and casinos, like The Dunes, The Sands and the Stardust.

In 1995, following the death of Dean Martin, the lights along the strip were dimmed in a sign of respect to him. In 2005, Las Vegas renamed Industrial Road "Dean Martin Drive", also as a tribute to the famous Rat Pack singer, actor, and frequent Las Vegas entertainer.

In an effort to attract families, resorts offered more attractions geared toward youth, but had limited success. The (current) MGM Grand opened in 1993 with Grand Adventures amusement park, but the park closed in 2000 due to lack of interest. Similarly, in 2003 Treasure Island closed its own video arcade and abandoned the previous pirate theme, adopting the new ti name.

View of the Strip, looking north from the Tropicana intersection

Downtown Las Vegas hotels and casinos suffered heavily from the Strip's boom. They have funneled money into remodeling the facades of casinos, adding additional security and new attractions, like the Fremont Street Experience and Neonopolis (complete with movie theaters).

In addition to the large hotels, casinos and resorts, The Strip is home to a few smaller casinos, motels and other attractions, such as M&M World, Adventuredome and the Fashion Show Mall. Starting in the mid-1990s, The Strip became a popular New Year's Eve celebration destination. Wet 'n Wild water park, located next to the Sahara hotel, closed permanently at the end of the 2004 season.

In 2004, MGM Mirage announced plans for Project City Center, a 66-acre (600,000 m²), $7 billion multi-use project on the site of the Boardwalk hotel and adjoining land. It will consist of hotel, casino, condo, retail and other uses on the site. When completed, City Center will be the largest such complex in the world. Construction began in April 2006, and the first elements of this project are expected to be available in 2009.

In December 2006, the Las Vegas Strip lost its longtime status as the world's largest gambling center, falling to second place behind Macao.[2] Nonetheless, the Strip continued to grow, and that same month it was announced that a 1,888-foot (575 m) high-rise hotel and condominium would be built on the Las Vegas Strip on the former Wet 'n Wild site. The building is seeking FAA approval, and if built, the tower would be the tallest building in the United States.[3]

The Strip today

The Las Vegas Strip by night with Project City Center construction on the bottom right

Transportation

While not on The Strip itself, the Las Vegas Monorail runs on the east side of The Strip from Tropicana Avenue to Sahara Road.

File:The deuce CAT ticket.jpg
A 24-hour pass for The Deuce bus costs $5.

CAT Bus provides service on the strip with double decker buses known as The Deuce. The Deuce stops at most major resorts and continues north to downtown and the Fremont Street Experience. A current list of fares is available.

A tourist trolley service travels up and down The Strip and stops at various, but not all, Strip hotels, along with a stop at the Fashion Show Mall. The fare is $2.00 for a one way ride, regardless how far you travel down the strip. Alternatively, a 24-hour pass is $5, and exact change is required. Trolleys are scheduled to arrive every 15 minutes.

Two small, free cable-pulled trams operate on the Strip. One runs between Treasure Island and The Mirage, while the other provides service to Mandalay Bay, Luxor, and Excalibur.

Taxis can only stop at hotel entrances or designated spots, so when planning to get somewhere ask which is the closest hotel.

Free shuttles

File:LVBlvdRushHourDec2005.JPG
Las Vegas Blvd. traffic during the day

Many free shuttles have a policy requiring a room key from an affiliated casino, but it is not typically enforced.

Walking around

Several Strip hotels have undertaken efforts to make the street more pedestrian-friendly. New casinos design their façades to attract walk-up customers, and many of these entrances have become attractions themselves - the Fountains at Bellagio, the volcano at The Mirage, and the Treasure Island (TI) Sirens of TI are the most well-known. People gather on the sidewalks in front of the casinos to watch these shows.

To alleviate traffic issues at popular intersections, footbridges have been installed to help pedestrians more safely cross the roads. The Tropicana - Las Vegas Boulevard footbridges were the first to be installed, and based on the success of this project additional footbridges have been built on Las Vegas Boulevard at the Flamingo Road intersection; between The Mirage/Treasure Island and The Venetian; and the latest ones at the Las Vegas Boulevard-Spring Mountain and Sands Avenue intersection connecting the Wynn with the Fashion Show Mall.

Golf courses

In recent years, all but one of the on-Strip golf courses (the Desert Inn Golf Course) have fallen prey to the mega-resorts need for land and have closed. Developer Steve Wynn, founder of previously owned Mirage Resorts, purchased the Desert Inn and golf course for his new company Wynn Resorts. In 2005, he opened Wynn Las Vegas, complete with remodeled golf course providing tee times to hotel guests only.

In 2000, Bali Hai Golf Club opened just south of Mandalay Bay and the Strip. Catering to a high-end golf enthusiast, the Bali Hai Golf Course can easily be seen by drivers on Interstate 15.

Major hotel locations

For a full list of hotels on the Strip, see list of Las Vegas Strip hotels.

File:LVStripAtNight.jpg
A view of Las Vegas Strip at night from I-215 (north to south, left to right)
North towards Fremont Street
↑
Stratosphere
Sahara Avenue Sahara Avenue
Circus Circus Sahara
Riviera
Echelon Place
Convention Center Drive
Wynn Las Vegas
Fashion Show Mall
Spring Mountain Road Sands Avenue
Treasure Island The Venetian
Casino Royale
The Mirage Harrah's
Imperial Palace
Caesars Palace Flamingo
Bill's Gamblin Hall and Saloon
Flamingo Road Flamingo Road
Bellagio Bally's
Paris
Planet Hollywood
Harmon Avenue Harmon Avenue
Project City Center
Monte Carlo
New York-New York MGM Grand
Tropicana Avenue Tropicana Avenue
Excalibur Tropicana
Luxor
THEhotel, Mandalay Bay, Four Seasons
Russell Road
↓
South towards Interstate 215

Shopping attractions

Name Description
Bonanza Gift Store
2440 Las Vegas Boulevard South 		World's largest gift store, Purveyors of Las Vegas Pop culture
Fashion Show Mall
3200 Las Vegas Boulevard South 		Opposite Wynn Las Vegas
Grand Canal Shoppes
3355 Las Vegas Boulevard South 		A canal, with gondolas and singing gondoliers, winds along in front of many of the shops.
Miracle Mile
3667 Las Vegas Boulevard South 		Part of the Planet Hollywood hotel.
The Forum Shops at Caesars
Las Vegas Boulevard South

Entertainment

Most of the attractions and shows on the Strip are located on the hotel casino properties. Some of the more popular free attractions include the water fountains and the Conservatory at Bellagio, the Sirens of ti show at Treasure Island Hotel and Casino, and the White Tiger Habitat at The Mirage.

The list of shows playing in Las Vegas include five Cirque du Soleil shows, the Blue Man Group, and some imported Broadway shows like Mamma Mia! and The Phantom of the Opera.

Demolished or closed Strip casinos & hotels

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Las Vegas.

Sources

  • Yahoo! Maps listing distance from Stratosphere to Mandalay Bay.

References

  1. ^ "Las Vegas: An Unconventional History". American Experience. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
  2. ^ Barboza, David (2007-01-24). "Asian Rival Moves Past Las Vegas". New York Times. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  3. ^ Knightly, Arnold M. (2006-12-07). "New Strip development is really going vertical". Las Vegas Business Press. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
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