The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard South in Clark County, Nevada, internationally known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos along its route. The Strip is approximately 4.2 miles (6.8 km) in length, located immediately south of the Las Vegas city limits in the unincorporated towns of Paradise and Winchester (however, the Strip is often referred to as being "in Las Vegas"). Most of the Strip has been designated an All-American Road, and is considered a scenic route at night. Many of the largest hotel, casino, and resort properties in the world are located on the Las Vegas Strip. Fifteen of the world's 25 largest hotels by room count are on the Strip, with a total of over 62,000 rooms.
One of the most visible aspects of Las Vegas' cityscape is its use of dramatic architecture. The rapidly evolving skyline and constant modernization of hotels, casinos, restaurants, residential high-rises, and entertainment offerings on the Strip, have established it as one of the most popular destinations for tourists in the United States, and the world.
Boundaries
Historically, the casinos that were not in Downtown Las Vegas along Fremont Street were limited to outside of the city limits on Las Vegas Boulevard. In 1959 the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign was constructed exactly 4.5 miles (7.2 km) outside of the city limits. The sign is today about 0.4 miles (0.64 km) south of the southernmost entrance to Mandalay Bay (the southernmost casino).
In the strictest sense, "the Strip" refers only to the stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard that is roughly between Sahara Avenue and Russell Road, a distance of 4.2 miles (6.8 km). However, the term is often used to refer not only to the road but also to the various casinos and resorts that line the road, and even to properties which are not on the road but in proximity. Phrases such as Strip Area, Resort Corridor or Resort District are sometimes used to indicate a larger geographical area, including properties 1 mile (1.6 km) or more away from Las Vegas Boulevard, such as the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino, Palms Casino Resort and Hooters Casino Hotel.
The traditional definition considers the Strip's northern terminus as the SLS, though travel guides typically extend it to include the Stratosphere, 0.4 miles (0.64 km) to the north. At one time, the southern end of the Strip was Tropicana Avenue, but continuing construction has extended this boundary to Russell Road. Mandalay Bay is located just north of Russell Road and is the southernmost resort considered to be on the Strip (The Klondike is formerly southernmost until 2006, when it was closed, despite being not included in Las Vegas Strip on some definitions and travel guides).
Because of the number and size of the resorts, the Resort Corridor can be quite wide. Interstate 15 runs roughly parallel and 0.5 to 0.8 miles (0.80 to 1.29 km) to the west of Las Vegas Boulevard for the entire length of the Strip. Paradise Road runs to the east in a similar fashion, and ends at St. Louis Avenue. The eastern side of the Strip is bounded by McCarran International Airport south of Tropicana Avenue.
North of this point, the Resort Corridor can be considered to extend as far east as Paradise Road, although some consider Koval Lane as a less inclusive boundary. Interstate 15 is sometimes considered the western edge of the Resort Corridor from Interstate 215 to Spring Mountain Road. North of this point, Industrial Road serves as the western edge.
The famous Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign is located in the median just south of Russell Road, across from the now-demolished Klondike Hotel & Casino. Another similar sign is in the median at the north end of the Strip near the intersection of East St. Louis and South Main Streets. Newer resorts such as South Point and the M Resort are on Las Vegas Boulevard South as distant as 8 miles south of the Welcome to Las Vegas sign. Marketing for these casinos usually states that they are on southern Las Vegas Boulevard and not "Strip" properties.
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History
Early years (1930s-1990s)
The first casino to be built on Highway 91 was the Pair-o-Dice Club in 1931, but the first on what is currently the Strip was the El Rancho Vegas, opening on April 3, 1941, with 63 rooms. That casino stood for almost 20 years before being destroyed by a fire in 1960. Its success spawned a second hotel on what would become the Strip, the Hotel Last Frontier, in 1942. Organized crime figures such as New York's Bugsy Siegel took interest in the growing gaming center leading to other resorts such as the Flamingo, which opened in 1946, and the Desert Inn, which opened in 1950. The funding for many projects was provided through the American National Insurance Company, which was based in the then notorious gambling empire of Galveston, Texas.
Las Vegas Boulevard South was previously called Arrowhead Highway, or Los Angeles Highway. The Strip was reportedly named by Los Angeles police officer Guy McAfee, after his hometown's Sunset Strip.
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, began the era of mega-resorts. The International is known as Westgate Las Vegas today.
The first MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, also a Kerkorian property, opened in 1973 with 2,084 rooms. At the time, this was one of the largest hotels in the world by number of rooms. The Rossiya Hotel built in 1967 in Moscow, for instance, had 3,200 rooms; however, most of the rooms in the Rossiya Hotel were single rooms of 118 sq. ft (roughly 1/4 size of a standard room at the MGM Grand Resort). On November 21, 1980, the MGM Grand suffered the worst resort fire in the history of Las Vegas as a result of electrical problems, killing 87 people. It reopened eight months later. In 1986, Kerkorian sold the MGM Grand to Bally Manufacturing, and it was renamed Bally's.
The Wet 'n Wild water park opened in 1985 and was located on the south side of the Sahara hotel. The park closed at the end of the 2004 season and was later demolished. 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 affected the smaller, well-known and now historic hotels and casinos, like The Dunes, The Sands, the Stardust, and the Sahara.
The lights along the Strip have been dimmed in a sign of respect to five performers and one other major Las Vegas figure upon their deaths. They are Elvis Presley (1977), Sammy Davis Jr. (1990), Dean Martin (1995), George Burns (1996), Frank Sinatra (1998), and former UNLV basketball head coach Jerry Tarkanian (2015). In 2005, Clark County renamed a section of Industrial Road (south of Twain Avenue) as 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.
In addition to the large hotels, casinos and resorts, the Strip is home to a few smaller casinos 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.
Recent years (2000-present)
With the opening of Bellagio, Venetian, and Wynn resorts, the strip trended towards the luxurious high end segment through most of the 2000s, while some older resorts added major expansions and renovations, including some de-theming of the earlier themed hotels. High end dining, specialty retail, spas and nightclubs increasingly became options for visitors in addition to gambling at most Strip resorts. There was also a trend towards expensive residential condo units on the strip.
In 2004, MGM Mirage announced plans for Project CityCenter, a 66-acre (27 ha), $7 billion multi-use project on the site of the Boardwalk hotel and adjoining land. It consists of hotel, casino, condo, retail, art, business and other uses on the site. City Center is currently the largest such complex in the world. Construction began in April 2006, with most elements of the project opened in late 2009. In 2006, the Las Vegas Strip lost its longtime status as the world's highest-grossing gambling center, falling to second place behind Macau.
In 2012, two large Ferris wheels and a retail district called The LINQ broke ground, in an attempt to further diversify the attractions offered on the strip beyond that of casino resorts. The diversification continued in 2013 with MGM Resorts International's announcement of plans to build a major indoor arena and retail district behind New York-New York resort in partnership with Anschutz Entertainment Group.
An ongoing series of new retail offerings as well as several resort renovations and rebrandings like with The Cromwell Las Vegas and the SLS Las Vegas continue to transform the Las Vegas Strip. MGM is also constructing the City of Rock (Las Vegas) to host the first ever Rock in Rio USA in 2015.
After a recent pause in new strip resort development, the Malaysian gaming company Genting Group bought the unfinished Echelon Place project with plans to build a new resort called Resorts World Las Vegas to open in 2018. Also, Crown Resorts has purchased the land where the New Frontier Hotel and Casino once stood with plans for a new resort named Alon Las Vegas to open by 2018.
Transportation
RTC Transit (previously Citizens Area Transit, or CAT) provides bus service on the Strip with double decker buses known as The Deuce. The Deuce runs between Mandalay Bay at the southern end of the Strip (and to the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign and South Strip Transfer Terminal after midnight) to the Bonneville Transit Center (BTC) and the Fremont Street Experience in Downtown Las Vegas, with stops near every casino. RTC also operates an express bus called the Strip and Downtown Express (SDX). This route connects the Strip to the Las Vegas Convention Center and Downtown Las Vegas to the north, with stops at selected hotels and shopping attractions (Las Vegas Premium Outlets North & South).
While not on the Strip itself, the Las Vegas Monorail runs on the east side of the Strip corridor from Tropicana Avenue to Sahara Avenue.
Several free trams operate on the west side of the Strip:
- Mandalay Bay Tram connecting the Mandalay Bay, Luxor, and Excalibur
- CityCenter Tram connecting the Monte Carlo, Crystals, and Bellagio
- Between Treasure Island and The Mirage
Taxis can only stop at hotel entrances or designated spots, so when planning to get somewhere, passengers inquire as to which hotel or taxi stand is closest to the intended destination.
Prior to CAT bus service beginning operations in 1992, mass transit on the Strip was provided by a private transit company, Las Vegas Transit. The Strip route was their only profitable route and supported the whole bus system.
Free shuttles
Several hotel properties on the Strip provide free shuttles between other properties and attractions. Some of the shuttles have a policy requiring a room key from an affiliated casino--enforcement of these policies may vary.
- Between Harrah's and the Rio. Approximately every 30 minutes.
- Between Paris/Bally's and the Rio. Approximately every 30 minutes.
- Between Hard Rock and the Fashion Show Mall. Leaves the Hard Rock every 60 minutes on the hour.
- Between Trump International Hotel and The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. Leaves the Trump Las Vegas every 15 minutes.
- Between Trump International Hotel and the Wynn. Leaves the Trump Las Vegas every 15 minutes.
Pedestrian traffic
Pedestrians can walk the length of the Las Vegas Strip with wide sidewalks in many places. Sidewalks can get crowded in the evenings and early mornings, especially on weekend nights. Crowds also gather near the outdoor shows at The Mirage and Bellagio.
To improve pedestrian safety and help alleviate traffic congestion at popular intersections, several pedestrian footbridges were erected. Some feature designs which match the theme of the nearby resorts. 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 connecting Bellagio, Caesar's Palace, Bally's, and The Cromwell; between The Mirage/Treasure Island and The Venetian, and at the Las Vegas Boulevard-Spring Mountain and Sands Avenue intersection connecting the Wynn with the Fashion Show Mall, The Palazzo and Treasure Island. The latest to be completed connects Planet Hollywood, CityCenter and The Cosmopolitan at the Harmon Avenue intersection.
Attractions on the Strip
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.
Shopping attractions
- Bonanza Gift Shop is billed as the "World's Largest Gift Shop", with over 40,000 square feet (3,700 m2) of shopping space.
- The Shoppes at The Palazzo feature luxury stores including the only Barneys New York department store in Las Vegas.
- Fashion Show Mall is adjacent to Treasure Island and opposite Wynn Las Vegas.
- Grand Canal Shoppes is a luxury mall connected to The Venetian with canals, gondolas and singing gondoliers.
- The LINQ is an open-air retail, dining, and entertainment district located between The Quad and Flamingo resorts that began a soft open in early 2014. It leads from a Strip-side entrance to the High Roller.
- Miracle Mile Shops is part of the Planet Hollywood hotel.
- The Forum Shops at Caesars is a luxury mall connected to Caesars Palace, with more than 160 shops and 11 restaurants.
- Crystals at CityCenter is a luxury high-fashion mall at CityCenter.
- Harmon Corner is a three story retail center located next to Planet Hollywood with shops and restaurants.
- Showcase Mall is next to MGM Grand, and displays a 100-foot Coca-Cola bottle.
- Rue de Monte Carlo, a short east-west street between the Monte Carlo and New York-New York resorts is undergoing reconstruction as a park-like boulevard lined with retail shops and restaurants, leading to the MGM - AEG arena.
Entertainment
Most of the attractions and shows on the Strip are located on the hotel casino properties. The Las Vegas strip, is well known for its lounges, showrooms, theaters and nightclubs. Some of the more popular free attractions visible from the Strip include the water fountains at Bellagio, the volcano at The Mirage, and the Fall of Atlantis and Festival Fountain at Caesars Palace. There are several Cirque du Soleil shows, such as Kà at the MGM Grand, O at Bellagio, Mystère at Treasure Island, Zumanity (for ages 18 and older) at New York-New York, Criss Angel Believe at the Luxor, Zarkana at the Aria Resort and Casino, and Michael Jackson: One at Mandalay Bay.
Many notable artists have performed in Las Vegas, including Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Wayne Newton Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Liberace, and in more recent years Celine Dion, Britney Spears, Barry Manilow, Cher, Elton John, Bette Midler, Donny and Marie Osmond, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Mariah Carey and Olivia Newton-John have had residencies in the various resorts on the Strip. The only movie theatre directly on the Strip is the 10-screen Regal Showcase Theatre in the Showcase Mall next to the MGM Grand (opened in 1997 and operated by Regal Entertainment Group).
Venues
The strip is home to many entertainment venues, many of them multipurpose. These include:
Major casino locations
Former casino locations
Demolished or closed Strip casinos and hotels
- Aladdin Hotel & Casino: Opened in 1963 as the Tally Ho, became the King's Crown in 1965, the Aladdin in 1966, and was demolished in 1998, and reopened in 2000. In 2007, the Aladdin was renamed Planet Hollywood.
- Big Red's Casino: Closed in 1982. Property developed for CBS Sports World Casino. Changed name to Sports World Casino after CBS threatened to sue. Closed in 2001, now a shopping center.
- Bonanza Hotel and Casino: Closed and demolished December 5, 1973 to make way for Bally's Las Vegas.
- Boardwalk Hotel and Casino: Closed on January 6, 2006, demolished May 9, 2006 to make way for CityCenter.
- Desert Inn: Closed on August 28, 2000, demolished in 2004, now Wynn Las Vegas; Desert Inn golf course was retained and improved.
- Dunes Hotel and Casino: Closed on January 26, 1993, demolished in 1993, now Bellagio. The Dunes golf course is now occupied by parts of Monte Carlo, New York-New York, CityCenter, the now-demolished Boardwalk Hotel and Casino, and Cosmopolitan.
- El Rancho Vegas: Burned down in 1960. The Hilton Grand Vacation Club timeshare now exists on the south edge of the site where the resort once stood; the remainder remains vacant.
- Glass Pool Inn: Demolished in 2006. It was called Mirage Motel until 1988 and changed names due to The Mirage opening down the Strip in 1989.
- Hacienda: Closed in 1996, demolished in 1996, now Mandalay Bay. Until 2015, a separate Hacienda operated outside of Boulder City, formerly the Gold Strike Inn.
- Holy Cow Casino Cafe and Brewery: First micro brewery in Las Vegas. Closed in 2002, property currently vacant.
- Jackpot Casino: Closed in 1977, now part of Bonanza Gift Shop
- Klondike Hotel & Casino: Closed in 2006, demolished in 2008.
- Lucky Slots Casino: Closed in 1981, now a shopping center.
- Money Tree Casino: Closed in 1979, now Bonanza Gift Shop.
- Marina Hotel and Casino: Closed, adapted into MGM Grand, now the West Wing of the MGM Grand.
- The New Frontier: Closed July 16, 2007, demolished November 13, 2007. Was to be replaced by the Las Vegas Plaza, but that project was canceled.
- Riviera (hotel and casino): Opened in 1955; Closed in May 2015
- Sahara Hotel and Casino: Closed on May 16, 2011. Reopened August 23, 2014 as SLS Las Vegas.
- San Souci: Closed in 1962 for the Castaways, which itself was demolished in 1987. Now Treasure Island and The Mirage.
- The Sands: Closed on June 30, 1996, demolished in 1996, now The Venetian.
- Silver City Hotel & Casino: Closed in 1999, now the Silver City Plaza Shopping Center.
- Silver Slipper: Demolished in 1988 for a parking lot. Now the site of the Desert Inn Road Arterial.
- Stardust Resort & Casino: Closed on November 1, 2006, demolished on March 13, 2007. Currently being redeveloped as Resorts World Las Vegas.
- Tally Ho Hotel: Closed in 1966. Became the Aladdin, which in 2007 became Planet Hollywood.
- Thunderbird Hotel & Casino: Closed in 1992 and demolished in 2000. Now the unfinished Fontainebleau.
- Westward Ho Hotel and Casino: Closed in 2005, demolished in 2006.
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