Timeline of Las Vegas
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Las Vegas, Nevada, United States.
20th century
1900s–1950s
- 1900
- * Five years before the city was founded, the population was 22 people.
- 1905
- * January, J. T. McWilliams sold subdivisions of between modern A and H streets It was estimated that "McWilliamstown," now referred to as the Historic West Side, had about 2,000 residents by the early 1910s.
- * May 5, the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad sold subdivisions of of Stewart Ranch the railroad had purchased from Montana Senator William A Clark, after whom Clark County was named.
- * San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad begins operating, linking Southern California with Salt Lake City and making Las Vegas an ideal refueling point and rest stop due to the availability of water.
- 1906
- * Golden Gate Hotel, originally the "Las Vegas Hotel," opens.
- * Las Vegas and Tonopah Railroad built.
- 1908
- * The Las Vegas Age newspaper was founded.
- 1909
- * Las Vegas becomes seat of Clark County.
- * Clark County Review newspaper begins publication.
- * Las Vegas Evening Review and Journal newspaper in publication.
- 1910
- * Victory Hotel opens.
- 1911
- * June 1: Citizens of Las Vegas vote 168 to 57 in favor of incorporation.
- * June 1: Peter Buol is elected first mayor of Las Vegas, Stewart, VonTobel, McGovern and Gaughlin become city commissioners.
- 1920
- * Population: 2,304.
- 1930
- * Population: 5,165.
- 1931
- * Gambling legalized.
- * Hoover Dam construction begins near Las Vegas.
- 1933
- * Post Office built.
- 1934
- * Helldorado festival begins.
- 1940
- * Population: 8,422.
- * Las Vegas Union Pacific Station built.
- 1941
- * Las Vegas Army Airfield activated.
- 1943
- * Las Vegas YMCA active.
- 1944
- * Huntridge Theater built.
- 1946
- * Flamingo Hotel and Golden Nugget casino open.
- 1949
- * The Desert Sea News Bureau is established to promote the city, and is later renamed the Las Vegas News Bureau.
- 1950
- * Population: 24,624.
- * U.S. military Nellis Air Force Base dedicated.
- * Las Vegas Morning Sun newspaper begins publication.
- * Desert Inn casino opens.
- 1951
- * Binion's Horseshoe casino opens.
- 1952
- * Unitarian Universalist congregation founded.
- * Sahara Hotel and Casino opens.
- * Sands Hotel and Casino opens.
- 1953
- * City of Henderson chartered in vicinity of Las Vegas.
- * KLAS-TV, Las Vegas' first television station, signs on the air.
- 1955
- * Riviera Hotel and Casino opens.
- * Las Vegas' second television station, KLRJ-TV, signs on from Henderson; it will move to Las Vegas by the end of the year.
- 1956
- * The City of Las Vegas annexes one square mile of land, the first such addition of land since incorporation 45 years earlier.
- * Las Vegas Air Force Station in use.
- * Fremont Hotel opens.
- * KSHO-TV signs on.
- 1957
- * University of Nevada, Las Vegas and United Way of Southern Nevada established.
- * Tropicana opens on the Strip.
- 1958
- * Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada established.
- 1959
- * The Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign is built, designed by Betty Willis at the request of a local salesman who sold it to Clark County.
- * Oran K. Gragson becomes mayor.
- * Las Vegas Convention Center opens in Winchester.
1960s–1990s
- 1960
- * The population of Las Vegas has grown to 64,405, which represents more than 22 percent of Nevada's total population, even though with just 25 square miles it occupies less than 0.02 percent of the state's land.
- 1964
- * Bonanza Air Lines Flight 114, flying from Phoenix, Arizona to McCarran International Airport, crashes on a hill just southwest of Las Vegas during a landing approach in poor weather conditions. All 26 passengers and 3 crew members were killed when the plane exploded on impact.
- 1966
- * Aladdin casino opens.
- * Caesars Palace casino opens on the Strip
- 1967
- * Las Vegas Marathon begins.
- * Barrick Museum of Natural History established.
- * Nevada's first independent station, KVVU-TV, signs on in nearby Henderson.
- 1968
- * Circus Circus opens on the Strip.
- * KLVX, Nevada's first ETV station, signs on.
- 1970
- * Population: 125,787.
- 1973
- * Las Vegas City Hall built.
- 1979
- * Liberace Museum opens near city.
- * Faith Lutheran Middle School & High School opens.
- 1980
- * November 21: In nearby Paradise, the MGM Grand fire occurs.
- * Population: 164,674; metro 463,087.
- 1981
- * Cinedome movie theatre opens.
- * KUNV college radio begins broadcasting.
- * February 10: In nearby Winchester, a fire occurs at Las Vegas Hilton hotel.
- 1982
- * Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas established.
- 1983
- * Harry Reid becomes U.S. representative for Nevada's 1st congressional district.
- 1984
- * Spanish Trail Country Club opens.
- * Meadows School established.
- 1985
- * Paradise 6 cinema opens.
- * National Finals Rodeo is first held Las Vegas with the help of Benie Binion.
- 1989
- * Mirage casino opens on the Strip.
- 1990
- * Guinness World Records Museum is established.
- * Population: 258,295; metro 741,459.
- * Excalibur casino opens on the Strip.
- 1992
- * Cannon Aviation Museum established near city.
- 1993
- * MGM Grand, Treasure Island, and Luxor casinos open on the Strip.
- * Las Vegas Business Press begins publication.
- * Defcon hacker convention begins.
- 1994
- * Zen Center is founded.
- 1995
- * March: Hard Rock Hotel and Casino opens
- * December: Fremont Street Experience officially opens
- 1996
- * September: Murder of Tupac Shakur.
- * Neon Museum is founded.
- * Las Vegas CityLife weekly newspaper begins publication.
- * Stratosphere and Monte Carlo casinos open on the Strip.
- 1997
- * January: New York-New York Hotel & Casino opens on the Strip.
- * November: Mike Tyson bit off part of Evander Holyfield's ear during a boxing match at the MGM Garden Arena.
- 1998
- * Bellagio opens on the Strip.
- * Las Vegas Weekly newspaper begins publication.
- * Las Vegas Philharmonic Orchestra founded.
- 1999
- * Mandalay Bay, Venetian, and Paris casinos open on the Strip.
- * Oscar Goodman becomes mayor.
- * A flood strikes on July 8, killing two people, damaging 353 homes, and causing $20 million in public property damage.
- 2000
- * Population: 478,434.
- * Aladdin Casino rebuilt on the Strip.
21st century
2000–2019
- 2001
- * Palms Casino opens near the Strip.
- 2004
- * Las Vegas Urban League established.
- 2005
- * World Market Center built.
- * Wynn casino opens on the Strip.
- 2006
- * Miss Exotic World Pageant and Burlesque Hall of Fame relocated to Las Vegas.
- 2007
- * Palazzo casino opens on the Strip.
- 2008
- * Encore casino opens on the Strip.
- 2009
- * CityCenter opens, which includes Aria Resort and Casino, Vdara, Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas, and The Shops at Crystals.
- 2010
- * Population: 583,756; metro 1,951,269.
- * Cosmopolitan casino opens on the Strip.
- 2011
- * Sahara Hotel closes.
- * Carolyn Goodman becomes mayor.
- * Population: 589,317; metro 1,969,975.
- 2012
- *The Mob Museum opens.
- * Smith Center for the Performing Arts opens.
- * Las Vegas City Hall rebuilt.
- 2013
- * SLS Las Vegas opens, post-renovation, at the former Sahara Hotel.
- * Zappos.com headquartered in city.
- 2014
- * June 8: 2014 Las Vegas shootings occur.
- * Downtown Summerlin opens.
- * Downtown Project continues expanding the Fremont East district.
- 2015
- * May 2: Mayweather-Pacquiao boxing match takes place.
- * Riviera Hotel and Casino closes.
- 2016
- * T-Mobile Arena opens.
- * Riviera Hotel and Casino imploded by new owners, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to make room for new development.
- 2017
- * June 20: A heat wave grounded over 40 small aircraft as Las Vegas tied its record high temperate of 117 degrees Fahrenheit.
- * October 1: A mass shooting left 60 dead and 867 injured by shooter Stephen Paddock, who fired from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay resort into the Route 91 Harvest country music festival.
- * October 9: The Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League, Nevada's first major professional sports team, plays its first home game at T-Mobile Arena, defeating the Arizona Coyotes 5–2.
- 2018
- * Park MGM opened on May 9, following its remodel from the former Monte Carlo Resort and Casino.
- * The NoMad Las Vegas hotel opened on the top four floors of Park MGM in October, in affiliation with The NoMad in New York.
- * Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas replaces Mandarin Oriental Hotel in September.
- * Sphere (venue) breaks ground on September 27.
- 2019
- * Sahara returns to its original name from "SLS."
- * Alpine Motel Apartments fire occurs in downtown Las Vegas, killing six people in the deadliest fire to occur within city limits.
2020–present
- 2020
- * Hard Rock Hotel and Casino closes.
- * COVID-19 arrives at the city, impacting the economy
- * The Oakland Raiders of the National Football League relocates to Las Vegas and becomes the Las Vegas Raiders.
- * Circa Resort & Casino opens as the first new downtown resort in 40 years.
- 2021
- * Virgin Hotels Las Vegas opens at former site of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.
- * Resorts World Las Vegas opens on the former site of the Stardust.
- 2023
- * Sphere opened near the Strip.
- * Las Vegas Grand Prix took place on and near the Strip.
- * Vegas Golden Knights wins its first Stanley Cup
- * Fontainebleau Las Vegas opens
- 2024
- * Super Bowl LVIII took place at Allegiant Stadium.
- * Tropicana Las Vegas closed after 67 years of operation.
- 2025
- * 2025 Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion took place in front of the Trump International Hotel.