THE CITY OF LAS VEGAS
The Las Vegas metropolitan area includes the Las Vegas Valley, a 600-square-mile (1600 km²) basin, and surrounding areas, that are part of Clark County in southern Nevada. The area contains the largest concentration of people in the state. The history of the Las Vegas metropolitan area largely coincides with the history of the city of Las Vegas. "Las Vegas" is often used generically to describe the entire area covered in this article. It is currently the fastest growing metropolitan area in the nation, with a population rise of nearly 25% from 2000 to 2006, and a current population of approximately 2.0 million. The metropolitan area consists of the cities of Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, Boulder City, and other unincorporated locales surrounding these cities. In 2005, the valley hosted 34.7 million visitors. The area is part of the Las Vegas-Paradise Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is by defined by the United States Census Bureau to include all of Clark County.
State Route 604 is better known as Las Vegas Boulevard. The route begins in Jean, Nevada where it intersects with State Route 161 and ends north of Las Vegas at Interstate 15 near Apex. The road is not paved or graded for much of the length between Jean and Primm.
State Route 604 was a former section of US-91, and was co-signed with US-466 south of Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas and was co-signed with US-93 north of Downtown Las Vegas.
The section south of Las Vegas was commonly known as the Los Angeles Highway and passes though Sloan, Nevada and Jean before ending in the Mojave Desert. Just north of Jean, Nevada Historical Marker 195 marks the place where the last spike on the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad line was driven. The Boulevard shows up again in Primm, Nevada but is currently not connected to the northern sections.
The Las Vegas Valley lies in a relatively high-altitude portion of the Mojave Desert, and this can result in drastic changes of temperature between seasons, and even between day and night. The Valley generally averages less than five inches (130 mm) of rain annually. Daily summer temperatures from June through August typically exceed 100 °F (38 °C). While low ambient humidity tempers the effect of these temperatures, dehydration, heat exhaustion, and sun stroke can occur after even a limited time outdoors in the summer. The interiors of automobiles often prove deadly to small children and pets during the summer and surfaces exposed to the sun can cause first- and second- degree burns to unprotected skin. The late summer, especially in July and August, is marked by "monsoon season" when moist winds from the Gulf of California soak much of the Southwestern United States. While raising humidity levels, these winds develop into dramatic desert thunderstorms that cause flash flooding.
Winter temperatures are very mild with lows of around 30 °F (-1 °C). Snow accumulation at the valley floor is rare but the surrounding mountains receive as much as ten feet (3 m) in the winter.
The native flora does little to help the soil retain water. During the intense rains of monsoon season or (relatively) wet months of January and February, a network of dry natural channels, called washes or arroyos, carved into the valley floor allows water to flow down from the mountains and converge in the Las Vegas Wash which runs through the Clark County Wetlands Park. The wash system used to form a large natural wetlands which then flowed into the Colorado River until the construction of Hoover Dam on the Colorado River led to the creation of Lake Mead. Further development in the 1980s and 1990s made Lake Las Vegas, which required directing the Las Vegas Wash into tunnels which run under Lake Las Vegas and into Lake Mead.
The Las Vegas area is limited to about 300,000 acre feet (370,000,000 m³) of water each year from Lake Mead, with credits for water it returns to the lake. The allocations were made when Nevada had virtually no people or agriculture. The allocations were also made during a wet string of years which overstated the available water in the entire watershed. As a result, precipitation that is below normal for a few years can have a major impact on the Colorado River Reservoirs.
Early Vegas depended on the aquifer which fed the springs, but the pumping of water from these caused a large drop in the water levels and ground subsidence over wide areas of the valley. Today, the aquifers are basically used to store water that is pumped from the lake during periods of low demand and pumped out during periods of high demand.
Las Vegas (often abbreviated as "Vegas") is the most populous city in the state of Nevada, United States, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally renowned major resort city for shopping, entertainment, and gambling. Although established in 1905, Las Vegas officially became a city in 1911. With the growth that followed, Las Vegas became the largest American city founded in the 20th century, proceeding the 19th century founding of Chicago. As the 28th largest city in the United States, Las Vegas is one of the largest cities in the American West.
The name Las Vegas is often applied to the unincorporated areas of Clark County that surround the city, especially the resort areas on and near the Las Vegas Strip. This 4½ mile (7.2 km) stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard is mostly outside the city limits, in the unincorporated towns of Paradise and Winchester.
Las Vegas, billed as The Entertainment Capital of the World, is famous for massive and lavish casino resorts, the unrestricted availability of alcoholic beverages (as is true throughout Nevada), and adult entertainment. Once officially referred to as Sin City, this image made Las Vegas a popular setting for films and television programs.
Las Vegas has expanded into shopping, especially high end merchandise, as it deversifies away from gaming as the major attraction. Major malls include:Bonanza Gift Store, Boulevard Mall, Grand Canal Shoppes, Fashion Outlets of Las Vegas, Fashion Show Mall, The Forum Shops at Caesars, Las Vegas Premium Outlets, Miracle Mile Shops, Stratosphere Tower Shops, Town Square .
The Grand Canal Shoppes is a 500,000 sq ft shopping mall adjacent to The Venetian Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada
The mall was opened along with the Venetian in 1999. The mall has a Venetian theme, and has indoor canals where gondolas will take you around the mall. The mall has a few major national chains, such as Ann Taylor and Banana Republic, and many designer and upscale shops. Live performances can be found throughout the mall.
The city of Las Vegas is also known as city of gambling. There are many casino.
The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino is a Venice-themed hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, on the site of the old Sands Hotel. The Venetian is owned and operated by the Las Vegas Sands Corporation.
The Venetian has 4,049 suites and a 120,000 square foot (11 000 m²) casino. It is located on the east side of the Strip, between Harrah's and the Wynn Las Vegas.
Combined with the adjacent Sands Expo Convention Center and The Palazzo Hotel and Casino Resort, The Venetian is a part of the largest hotel and resort complex in the world --- featuring 7,074 hotel rooms and suites.
The Excalibur Hotel and Casino hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, in the United States. It is owned and operated by MGM Mirage.
Excalibur, named for the mythical sword of King Arthur, uses the Arthurian theme in several ways. Its facade is a stylized image of a castle, with a wizard like figure representing Merlin looking out from a high turret. The style of the hotel is heavily based on the castle in Carcassone, France.
Excalibur is situated at the Tropicana - Las Vegas Boulevard intersection. The intersection is so busy that pedestrians are not allowed to cross at street level. Instead, Excalibur is linked by overhead pedestrian bridges to its neighboring casinos to the north (the New York-New York Hotel & Casino, across Tropicana Avenue) and to the east (the Tropicana Resort & Casino, across the Strip). There is also a free tram that connects Excalibur to its sister MGM Mirage properties to the south, the Luxor and Mandalay Bay hotel and casinos. The three casinos are also connected to each other, so it is possible to walk between the three of them without having to go outside.
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