Las Vegas may be famous for its luxury hotels, fine dining and cirque shows but there are many interesting facts that the average visitor does not know. Here is a list of interesting facts about Las Vegas that you may not be aware of.
Interesting Las Vegas Facts
The famous strip is 4.2 miles and is not even located in Las Vegas proper. It actually sites in the town of Paradise which is within Clarke County. Las Vegas proper would be Downtown or Fremont St, where the original hotels and casinos are located.
It is estimated that 41 million people visit Las Vegas every year. There are not shortage of rooms for those visitors. Statistics show that in 2017 there were 104 Casinos and 148,690 hotels rooms in Las Vegas.
NASA has dubbed Las Vegas as the brightest spot on earth. There are 9,900,000 light bulbs just on the strip. The Luxor Light Beam which sits on top of the Luxor Pyramid can be seen from 100 miles away and the beam is only at half power. That light beam cost $51 an hour to operate.
The design for the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign was never copyrighted. The sign was designed by Betty Willis and erected in 1959. The circles around the word “welcome” represents silver dollars. They are a tribute to Nevada being the “silver state”.
Las Vegas really is the wedding capital of the United States. There are anywhere from 300 – 500 wedding a day. They make it pretty easy, you only need a driver’s license or passport around $50 to get a marriage licence.
You won’t find lottery tickets in Vegas. Looking for a power ball ticket? You will have to go to Utah as lottery tickets are not allowed in the state of Nevada.
Prostitution is not legal in Las Vegas. It is against the law in Clarke County.
There are an estimated 1,000 people living in the tunnels below the city. Matthew O’Brien a reporter who first brought the story to light has published a book called Beneath The Neon.
Seafood is king in Vegas. It is estimated that 60,000 pounds of shrimp is consumed every day. Resorts like the Aria are moving to recycle their food waste and sell it to farmers to be used as pig slop.
Thinking of swimming the Bellagio fountains? You might want to think again as the water used is referred to as “grey water”. The water in many of the fountains and displays is recycled from sinks, bathtubs, and showers.
Elvis Presley performed 837 consecutive sold out shows at what is now the Westgate Casino and Hotel. Elvis still has a strong presence in Las Vegas with impersonators and shows being found all over the strip and downtown Fremont St.
