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Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is a major city in southern Nevada, noted for its casinos, entertainment, conventions and desert setting. It is the largest city in Nevada and the county seat of Clark County.

Author: Leandro Alegsa Creation date: November 13, 2022 Last updated: June 2, 2026

simple.wikipedia.org · Public domain

Overview

Las Vegas sits in the Mojave Desert in southern Nevada and serves as the principal city of a large metropolitan area. It is the largest city in the state and the county seat of Clark County. Official counts have varied by year; a mid‑2010s estimate put the city's population in the six‑hundred‑thousand range and the metropolitan population above two million. The city is widely known for its concentration of resort hotels, casinos and entertainment venues concentrated along the nearby Las Vegas Strip.

Characteristics and districts

Las Vegas combines a range of urban districts: the internationally famous Strip with large resorts and casinos, downtown Las Vegas with older hotels and the Fremont Street Experience, and expanding suburban neighborhoods. The city operates in a desert climate with hot summers and mild winters, which influences water use, landscaping and infrastructure planning. Transportation is dominated by an international airport and a network of major highways.

History and development

Originally a stopping point on westward routes, Las Vegas grew after railroad connections and later from construction projects such as the Hoover Dam in the 1930s. The legalization of gambling in Nevada during the early 20th century reshaped its economy, attracting investment in gaming and hospitality. Over subsequent decades the city developed a reputation as a center for tourism, large conventions and live performance.

Economy and importance

The local economy is heavily oriented toward tourism, hospitality, gaming and conventions. Major annual events and trade shows draw international visitors, and the concentration of resorts supports restaurants, retail and entertainment industries. Efforts to diversify the economy include conventions, technology conferences and growing cultural offerings outside traditional gaming.

Attractions and culture

The Strip — large integrated resorts, shows and nightlife.
Downtown — historic casinos, pedestrian entertainment areas.
Concerts, residencies and theatrical productions that attract performers worldwide.
Outdoor recreation nearby, including desert landscapes and day trips to Hoover Dam and Red Rock Canyon.

Government, identity and notable facts

Las Vegas functions as a municipal government and regional hub. Its mayor since 2011 has been Carolyn Goodman, and the city continues to manage growth, water resources and tourism impacts. The area is sometimes called "Sin City" in popular media for its nightlife and adult entertainment industries, a nickname that reflects part of its identity while omitting the broader civic, cultural and economic roles the city plays. For more information on travel, history and services see additional resources: History, Visiting, State context.

Climate

The climate of Las Vegas is a desert climate (BWh) with long, very hot, dry summers and short, cool winters.

Las Vegas

Climate diagram

J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
12 14 1	12 17 4	11 20 7	5.3 25 10	7.1 31 16	3 38 21	8.9 41 25	12 40 23	7.1 35 19	5.3 28 12	11 20 6	9.7 14 1
Temperature in °C, precipitation in mm
Source: World Meteorological Organisation Climatological data are based on monthly averages from 1961 to 1990; wetterkontor.de

Monthly average temperatures and precipitation for Las Vegas

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Max. Temperature (°C)	14,1	17,4	20,4	25,3	31,0	37,9	41,1	39,6	34,8	27,8	19,7	14,2	Ø	27
Min. temperature (°C)	0,9	3,8	6,6	10,4	15,7	20,8	24,6	23,4	19,0	12,4	5,9	1,1	Ø	12,1

Precipitation (mm)	12,2	12,2	10,7	5,3	7,1	3,0	8,9	12,4	7,1	5,3	10,9	9,7		104,8

Sunshine hours (h/d)	7,9	8,7	10,2	11,5	12,5	13,4	12,6	11,9	11,2	9,8	8,2	7,6	Ø	10,5

Rainy days (d)	2,1	1,8	2,1	1,2	0,9	0,5	1,6	2,0	1,2	1,0	1,3	1,7		17,4

Humidity (%)	44	38	33	24	21	16	21	25	25	28	36	44	Ø	29,6

Temperature

14,1

0,9

17,4

3,8

20,4

6,6

25,3

10,4

31,0

15,7

37,9

20,8

41,1

24,6

39,6

23,4

34,8

19,0

27,8

12,4

19,7

5,9

14,2

1,1

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Precipitation	12,2	12,2	10,7	5,3	7,1	3,0	8,9	12,4	7,1	5,3	10,9	9,7
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec

Source: World Meteorological Organisation Climatological data are based on monthly averages from 1961 to 1990; wetterkontor.de

Typical desert landscape around Las Vegas

Population

→ Main article: Las Vegas demographics

Population development
Year	Inhabitants¹
1930	5.165
1940	8.422
1950	24.624
1960	64.405
1970	125.787
1980	164.674
1990	258.295
2000	480.042
2010	584.313
2016	632.912

Las Vegas is Nevada's largest city with a population of 632,912 (2016) and was the 28th largest city in the United States in 2016. With a land area of 339.8 km², this corresponds to a population density of 1,862 inhabitants per square kilometre. Annual population growth is 2.0 percent (average, 2000-2008). The closed settlement area (Urban Area) of Las Vegas has 1.31 million inhabitants, the metropolitan area 1.87 million.

Las Vegas was founded in 1905 as a railroad town and grew rapidly from the beginning. In the 1940s, the population exceeded 10,000, and 20 years later, the city already had 100,000 residents. Between 1990 and 2016, the population more than doubled. Due to the now dense settlement of the urban area, growth is increasingly shifting to the suburbs of the metropolitan region, which have now reached the mountainous area.

A young city even by American standards, Las Vegas is heavily influenced by immigration. In 2008, 78 percent of residents were born outside of Nevada. Immigration from abroad (predominantly from Mexico) has increased significantly in recent decades - while in 1990 only one in ten residents was born abroad, this figure has now risen to almost one in four. The proportion of foreigners has risen from six percent to 15 percent in the same period. Just under half of the residents are non-Hispanic whites (47.9 percent), although their share is clearly declining. In 2009, Las Vegas became what is known as a Majority-Minority City. This means that non-Hispanic whites, who make up a slim two-thirds majority nationwide, make up less than half of the residents in their respective cities. Hispanics are the second-largest and fastest-growing demographic group at 31.5 percent: in 1980, their share was 7.8 percent.

English is the primary language for two-thirds of Las Vegas residents. Due to the immigration of Latin Americans, the proportion of Spanish has increased sharply in recent years, so that it is now used by a quarter of the population at home. The other languages together account for eight percent. Overall, 16 percent of respondents say they do not speak English very well.

Las Vegas had the highest suicide rate in the United States in 2007.

Illustration of ethnic population distribution in Las Vegas in 2010. white , black, Asian , Latino .

Questions and Answers

Q: What is Las Vegas?

A: Las Vegas is a city in the American state of Nevada.

Q: How many people lived in Las Vegas in 2015?

A: There were 640,932 people living in the city in 2015.

Q: How many people live in the metropolitan area of Las Vegas?

A: More than 2,000,000 people live in the metropolitan area of Las Vegas.

Q: Is Las Vegas the largest city in Nevada?

A: Yes, Las Vegas is the largest city in Nevada.

Q: Who is the mayor of Las Vegas?

A: Carolyn Goodman became the mayor in 2011.

Q: What is the county seat of Clark County?

A: Las Vegas is the county seat of Clark County.

Q: What state is Las Vegas in?

A: Las Vegas is in the American state of Nevada.

Author

AlegsaOnline.com - Las Vegas - Leandro Alegsa

Creation date: November 13, 2022
Last updated: June 2, 2026

URL: https://en.alegsaonline.com/art/56117