The city of Las Vegas is known throughout the world as the entertainment capital of the world. Therefore, it should not be strange to anyone given the number of casinos, parties, nightclubs, and various forms of entertainment that are available in this city. Something that, without a doubt, explains why it is one of the most touristic cities in the world and why many tourists consider that there is no other city in the world like it.
But, although the fascinating city of Las Vegas is known for many things, it also hides some interesting facts that very few know. So we invite you to read on to discover them.
1. The origin of the name
The official name of the city of Las Vegas comes from a Spanish word. And it is that according to the Royal Spanish Academy, “vega” means low, flat, and fertile ground. Although it seems that this contrasts a little with the present-day since today it is not a city that lives from its fertility.
However, to understand the reason for this name we must go back to the year 1829 when the Mexican explorer Rafael Rivera, who together with the merchant Antonio Armijo, was looking for a new commercial route between Santa Fe (New Mexico) and Los Angeles. It is said that this route was considered the most difficult in the United States at that time since it involved many days of travel and very few places to stop, but this would change when Rivera reached a strangely fertile area of springs in the middle of that desert. So he decided to call the place Las Vegas, thus turning this place into a stopover and resting point.
2. It is not the only city of Las Vegas in the United States
Although the city of Las Vegas is the largest city in the State of Nevada and the most famous in the United States, it is not the only one that bears this name in this country. In fact, you can also travel to the State of New Mexico to visit a city of the same name.
However, it is a city that is 70 years older than the city in Nevada and is not as touristy. To be precise, this New Mexico counterpart is a simple city with less than 15,000 inhabitants with deep roots in the Wild West and some tourist attractions, but, it may not provide you with the same excitement or entertainment. Although, by visiting the city of Las Vegas in New Mexico you will also be able to say that you have been to Las Vegas.
3. The city of Las Vegas is the brightest in the world
Paris is known by the nickname of the City of Light, but when viewed from space the city of Las Vegas is the most illuminated area of the planet according to NASA. Something that should not surprise anyone because when night comes, everything lights up and millions of neon lights come into action. Although it should be mentioned that Las Vegas is not the largest city in the world, but the fact that it is the most illuminated has to do with the density of light that is concentrated in such a small area.
One of the most important lights of this city and that becomes the center of attention in the night light show, is in the pyramid of the Luxor Hotel, as it turns out that the beam of light it emits can be seen from space. Amazing, isn’t it?
4. There are no clocks inside the casinos
One of the most important attractions of the city are its casinos, so many people will probably succumb to a casino visit during their stay in Las Vegas. However, all casinos have something in common besides gambling and it is that in all of them there is an interest that the player leaves enough money, so one strategy to achieve this is to make the player lose track of time.
That is the reason why we will not find any clock in the casinos of the city. To this, we must add the fact that no casino has windows near the gaming area, which makes it even more difficult to know what time is it or how much time someone has spent gambling.
5. You cannot only gamble at casinos
Those who travel to the city of Las Vegas will not have to worry about a lack of gambling options, as not only will they have a vast amount of casinos to explore, but they will also have other options to consider. You will be able to find slot machines and video poker machines in different places throughout the city. For example, movie theaters, airports, liquor and convenience stores, among others, all of which have their own gaming area.
6. Las Vegas Black Book
Although it seems like part of a movie or an urban legend, the Las Vegas black book does exist. In fact, each casino has a list of people to whom it prohibits access, but all casinos share a black book.
Obviously the clients listed in this book are not welcome in any casino in the city, as they are alleged cheaters and criminals. Although the restrictions for these people not only include casinos, but also airports, bars, restaurants and any store with gaming machines, even if they do not have tables. The history of this list dates back to its creation between 1959 and 1960 days when the mafia dominated the city, but curiously, at that time there were only eleven names on the list.
7. Many casinos in the city of Las Vegas do not have a fourth floor.
Although in American culture thirteen is a number that is considered unlucky, many people who visit the city come from the Asian continent, where some countries such as China or Japan consider the number four as an unfortunate number, since the pronunciation in their languages is similar to the word death.
This is the reason why Las Vegas hotels avoid using it to number, for example, rooms, floors or elevator buttons, as it seeks to avoid any superstition associated with this number and death.
8. It is the main wedding destination in the United States.
Las Vegas is not only known for its casinos and nightclubs but also for the number of marriages that take place there. We are talking about approximately 10,000 marriage ceremonies per month, which is equivalent to 300 per day. Something that makes it the number one wedding destination in the United States and the second in the world below Istanbul, which holds the title as the city with the highest number of weddings.
9. The city has more than 150,000 hotel rooms
When visiting the city, those who are looking for a place to stay will hardly have a hard time finding empty rooms. Without a doubt, this is one of the strengths of one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, to which we must add that Las Vegas is home to 15 of the 25 best and largest hotels in the world. Among them The Venetian, Caesar’s Palace and Bellagio, just to name a few. To get an idea of what we are talking about, only the MGM Grand hotel has 6,852 rooms
10. The largest bronze statue in the United States is in Las Vegas
This is another fact that you will have to think about when you visit Las Vegas because this giant beast that is at the MGM Grand Hotel, in addition to being golden and gleaming, weighs no more and no less than 50 tons, undoubtedly, something that many do not know and hardly realize, but that makes it the largest bronze statue in the country and the second largest in the world.
ALFA