City history
From a desert oasis of natural springs to the world's premier entertainment capital, Las Vegas has undergone a rapid temporal transformation driven by gaming and tourism.
Chapter one
Earliest documented name
"The Meadows"
No specific indigenous name for the city site is reliably documented; the Spanish name refers to the vegetation near the local springs.
The Meadows
Named by Spanish explorers for the verdant area surrounding the natural desert springs.
Municipal entity
Official incorporation of the city in the state of Nevada.
Chapter two
The United States transitioned to standardized time zones, placing the region within the Pacific Time zone.
The Uniform Time Act helped standardize the start and end dates of daylight saving time across the United States.
Chapter three
Antonio Armijo and his expedition documented the area's springs, providing the first written records of the site.
Las Vegas was officially incorporated, marking the beginning of its organized municipal and legal history.
The Nevada legislature legalized gambling, fundamentally altering the city's economic trajectory and its global identity.
The rapid development of the Las Vegas Strip began to shift the city's economic center away from downtown.