Welcome to Las Vegas…and History

06/5/09  Print This Post Print This Post    1 Comment      Written by Hal Amen
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Las Vegas welcome sign

Photo above: left-hand, Feature photo: mandj98

Every visitor to the Las Vegas Strip for the past 50 years has been greeted by the same message: “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada.”

The neon sign, one of Vegas’ most recognizable landmarks, was installed in 1959, back in the casino town’s glory days.

Now, it’s been added to the ranks of the National Register of Historic Places — a fitting designation for a structure that very well could be the city’s oldest. Casinos come and casinos go, but the ultra-retro welcome emblem has managed to survive unaltered. Read more on the story here.

Throughout its five decades, the sign has also been featured in countless photos snapped by Strip-goers.

Do you have a good shot of the famous landmark? Share it with the world by posting a link in the comments.

Community Connection

Visitors with a desire to mix some environmentalism with their gambling should check out Matador’s Green Guide to Las Vegas. Or, to truly get in touch with Sin City, hit up The Top Dive Bars in Las Vegas.

For a local’s perspective on this desert oasis, give Walker Rose’s My Hometown in 500 Words: Las Vegas, NV a read.


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About the Author

Matador ID: halamen

Freelance writer and Trips co-editor Hal Amen is currently in the midst of a volunteer year in South America. Find tales of this and other adventures on his personal travel blog, WayWorded.

1 Comment... join the discussion!

  • Ryukyu Mike replied on June 9, 2009

    Hah! Remember it well. Now, it’s a National Treasure. I used to go there once a year and actually left with money in my pockets the first few times. Ten years ago I blew a few months wages all in one night and haven’t been back to Vegas since. They ught to make a sign: You Are Now Leaving Vegas; Feel Any Lighter?

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