A total of 85 people died and 785 were injured in what remains the worst disaster in Nevada history. On November 21, 1980, the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino suffered a devastating fire. Thompson wrote and published his seminal novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, detailing the experience of his 1971 trip to the city. The rapid development and population growth both halted abruptly in the late 2000s recession.ĭuring this period of time, American author and journalist Hunter S.

The strong boom in the resort business led to many new condominium developments all along the Strip and downtown area.Īlso, urban sprawl development of single-family homes continued across the valley, building the areas of Henderson, North Las Vegas, Centennial Hills, and Summerlin. The explosive growth resulted in the rapid development of commercial and residential areas throughout the Las Vegas Valley. Meanwhile, just up the street, the original MGM Grand (now Bally’s) trumped the Plaza as the largest hotel and casino in the world, with Dean Martin as the opening evening’s host. The year 1973 was eventful: Over at the Tropicana, illusionists extraordinaire Siegfried & Roy began turning women into tigers and themselves into legends in the Folies Bergere. It had, at that time, the world’s largest casino, and its showroom specialized in Broadway productions. In 1971, the 500-room Union Plaza opened at the head of Fremont Street on the site of the old Union Pacific Station. With a few exceptions, investment had slowed to a crawl and Vegas didn’t seem as exciting anymore, especially when it was forced to compete with the sparkling newness of Atlantic City, where gambling was legalized in 1976. The image of Las Vegas that emerged in the 1970s was one that would take decades to shed: a tacky tourist trap with aging casinos, cheap restaurants, and showrooms filled with performers whose careers were on their last legs. Striking pictures capture the glory days and the street scenes of Las Vegas, 1960s-1970s

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