History of Las Vegas-(1950-1980)

September - 21 - 2007 Reporter: Rick

1952 – October 7^th Sahara opens with 240 rooms.
1952 – December 15^th Sands opens with 200 rooms.
1955 – April 19^th the Royal Nevada opens.
1955 – Dunes opens with 200 rooms.
1955 – Moulin Rouge, Las Vegas’ first racially integrated hotel, opens its doors
1955 – Gaming Control Board created within the Nevada Tax Commission by the Legislature.
1957 – April 4^th Tropicana opens with 300 rooms.
1957 – Topless Showgirls debut on the Strip with "Minsky’s Follies."
1958 – July 2^nd Stardust Resort & Casino opens with 1000 rooms.
1959 – "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign is created by Betty Willis.
1959 – The Nevada State Legislature creates the Nevada Gaming Commission.
1959 – Las Vegas Convention Center opens.
1960 – San Souci Opens
1960 – Population = 64,405. Las Vegas has more than 22 percent of Nevada’s total population on less than .02 percent of the State’s land.
During the 1960s, a phenomenon lead by Howard Hughes, occurs in Las Vegas. Corporations are building and/or buying hotel/casino properties. They have the capital necessary and the profitability makes entrance into the casino industry extremely attractive. Gambling becomes "gaming" and starts the transition into legitimate business.
1963 – Westward-Ho opens a “motel" resort.
1966 – April 1^st The Aladdin opens with 335 rooms.
1966 – August 5^th Caesar’s Palace opens with 700 rooms.
1966 – Howard Hughes arrives to live at Desert Inn.
1967 – Nevada’s legislature passes a law allowing publicly traded corporations to obtain gambling licenses. The law is refined in 1969.
1967 – July 1^st Bonanza Hotel and Casino opens with 160 rooms.
1969 – Elvis Presley opens at the International Hotel, now known as the Las Vegas Hilton.
1972 – Circus Circus Hotel Casino Resort opens with 400 rooms.
1973 – July 2^nd Holiday Casino opens.
1973 – Riata casino opens.
1975 – Nevada gaming revenues crack $1 Billion.
1975 – Marina Hotel and Casino opens.
1979 – March, Barbary Coast opens with 150 rooms.
1979 – November 1^st Imperial Palace opens.
1979 – Slots-a- Fun opens.
1980 – Population = 164,674
1981 – 5oth anniversary of legalized gambling.
1980’s – Annual population increases averaging nearly 7 percent causes the city’s population to almost double between 1985 and 1995, increasing from 186,380 to 368,360, a 97.6 percent increase. That is equivalent to building a city larger than Reno in 10 years!