Happy Birthday Las Vegas!

By Eugene Cummins - 18th April 2005

It's amazing to think of it but Las Vegas will be 100 years old on the 15th May 2005. For such a young city, it's amazing the attraction and pull it has to so many, including myself. Happy Birthday Las Vegas!

The party and build up for the big day is well in progress. The Las Vegas 's Hotels and tourist board have advertised on our TV and radio stations throughout March and April. It promises to be a party you won't be able to forget with the worlds largest birthday cake being cut by the Mayor, 100 weddings to take place under the lights of the Fremont Street experience, not to mention the huge street party which, like all things that happen in Vegas, will be sure to blow you away.

With more and more people wanting to get out to Las Vegas, Virgin Atlantic are putting on more direct flights from the UK. From the 4th July 2005 they will be adding a flight on Monday's direct flight from Gatwick and in September they will be adding a flight every Friday. Now you can fly direct six days a week with Virgin. This is a sure sign of the popularity of the city.

In October 2004 BMI decided they would also offer direct flights from Manchester airport on Sunday's and Thursdays. It's getting easier to fly out to Vegas and now with the great exchange rate a holiday to Vegas can work out cheaper then a lot of the popular European destinations.

Starting off as a small Railway town with just a few small shops, Las Vegas was set up for the workers on the railroad. Drinking and Gambling seemed like a good way to break the monotony of working in the middle of the desert. This soon changed when in 1910 gambling became outlawed in Las Vegas.

In 1931 the legalized gambling bill was brought in by Phil Tobin, a Northern Nevada rancher. Tobin had never visited Las Vegas and had no interest in gambling. He said "the legalized gambling legislation was designed to raise needed taxes for public schools".

The construction of the Boulder Canyon Dam Project (which was later renamed the Hoover Dam after Herbert Hoover) employed over five thousand people. The Hoover Dam employees worked under dangerous conditions seven days a week, with just two days off unpaid in a year. And we think we have it hard!

It's no wonder that in their time off they needed to let off some steam and relax. Although Vegas was not a big gambling town at this point, it was a place where the employees did go to spend some of there money. This kept Vegas going strong in a time the rest of the country was suffering economic hardship.

In the early 1940's the small Casino Hotels started to spring up in Vegas. These were nothing like the glamorous casinos we all know now. However then came along The Flamingo which opened on New Year's Eve 1946. This hotel casino was a step above the rest. It brought luxury and before long it was the place to be for the 'in crowd'.

Las Vegas has continued to grow with new hotels springing up all the times. As soon as a hotel is dated it is pulled down and replaced by a new shiny complex. Las Vegas attracts visitors from all over the world, as well as the best entertainers. It's a great place to visit.

I didn't even get around to mentioning poker!