Las Vegas
How can economic development deny Bugsy Siegel his rightful place as Las Vegas’ city-builder? We can’t–1947 is when he started his noble endeavor. True, Las Vegas was around a bit before Bugsy arrived. It was “founded” in 1905 (110 acres adjacent to the Union Pacific railroad) and incorporated in 1911. Its big year, 1931, followed Nevada’s approving casino gambling, extremely reduced divorce residency requirements, and the start of Hoover Dam construction (Las Vegas served “the licit and the illicit demands of workers” (Abbott, 1998, p. 70)). In1941, Las Vegas attracted military investment: Army Air Corps Gunnery School (currently Nellis Air Force Base—home of the Thunderbirds). In 1940, Las Vegas was the permanent home of 8,000 hardy civilian souls.
Thanks to reformer Fletcher Bowron (Mayor of LOS ANGELES) in 1938 ”entrepreneurs of vice” got evicted from Los Angeles and moved to Las Vegas just “in time to capitalize on the war boom”. Taking over downtown entertainment, they built the first resorts on the Strip south of downtown. Competing with the “neon gulch” of Fremont Blvd, two streets over, were additional “clubs and resorts”. The original theme of this semi-suburban development was “the Wild West”; names like Frontier, Pioneer, El Rancho, and Last Frontier “decorated with wagon wheels and cattle horns” characterized Las Vegas’ early city-building. The breakout was Bugsy’s 1947 Flamingo Hotel which competed with similar investments in Havana and Miami. The Flamingo which “combined the sophisticated ambiance of a Monte Carlo casino with the exotic luxury of a Miami Beach Caribbean resort” (Moehring, 1989, p. 49), changed the image of Las Vegas from a place to gamble while getting your divorce, to a legitimate tourist and resort area for families (and gamblers) (Abbott, 1998, p. 71).
It worked fairly well. First attracting weekenders from California, then after 1960 become the “entertainment capital of the world” and a leading convention trade city. The City of Las Vegas accommodated all this with its building of a first class, city-owned and operated airport as well as a convention center. “Direct employment in hotels, motels and resorts more than doubled from 1958 to 1967, and doubled again to 47,000 by 1980. By the 1970’s Las Vegas attracted more than 3 percent of the total convention attendance in the United States. And, by the way, from the 8,400 population in Bugsy’s Las Vegas, the City of Las Vegas in 1970 was home to 125,000 residents. Today, of course, it exceeds 600,000. How all this fits into the “typical western city” framework, I haven’t a clue. I was offered a deal I couldn’t refuse.
Las Vegas: duplicate above???
How can economic development deny Bugsy Siegel his rightful place as Las Vegas’ city-builder? We can’t; and 1947 is when he started his noble endeavor. Of course, Las Vegas was around a bit before Bugsy arrived on the scene. It was “founded” in 1905 (110 acres adjacent to the Union Pacific railroad) and incorporated in 1911. It’s big year, 1931, witnessed Nevada approving casino gambling, extremely reduced divorce residency requirements, and the beginning of construction for the Hoover Dam (Las Vegas served “the licit and the illicit demands of workers”[1]). In1941, Las Vegas attracted federal military investment with the Army Air Corps Gunnery School (currently Nellis Air Force Base—home of the Thunderbirds). In 1940, Las Vegas was the permanent home of more than 8,000 hardy souls.
Thanks to the election of reformer Fletcher Bowron as mayor of LOS ANGELES in 1938,
The ”entrepreneurs of vice” moved to Las Vegas “in time to capitalize on the war boom”[2] by taking over the local downtown entertainment and they built the first resorts on the Strip south of downtown. Competing on the “neon gulch” of Fremont, two streets over were additional clubs and resorts. Since the original theme of this semi-suburban development was “the Wild West” names like Frontier, Pioneer, El Rancho, and Last Frontier “decorated with wagon wheels and cattle horns” characterized Las Vegas’ early city-building. The breakthrough was Bugsy’s 1947 Flamingo Hotel which was intended to compete with similar investments in Havana and Miami. The Flamingo “combined the sophisticated ambiance of a Monte Carlo casino with the exotic luxury of a Miami Beach Caribbean resort”. [3] Among other innovative city-building initiatives Bugsy Siegel was attempting to change the image of Las Vegas from a place to gamble while getting your divorce, to a legitimate tourist and resort area.
It worked fairly well. First attracting weekenders from California, then after 1960 become the “entertainment capital of the world” and a leading convention trade city. The City of Las Vegas accommodated all this with its building of a first class, city-owned and operated airport as well as a convention center. “Direct employment in hotels, motels and resorts more than doubled from 1958 to 1967, and doubled again to 47,000 by 1980. By the 1970’s Las Vegas attracted more than 3 percent of the total convention attendance in the United States.[4] And, by the way, from the 8,400 population in Bugsy’s Las Vegas, Las Vegas in 1970 had grown to in excess of 125,000 residents.
[1] Carl Abbott, the Metropolitan Frontier, op. cit., p. 70.
[2] Carl Abbott, the Metropolitan Frontier, op. cit., p. 71.
[3] Eugene Moehring, Resort City in the Sunbelt: Las Vegas 1930-1970 (Reno, University of Nevada Press, 1989), p. 49.
[4] Carl Abbott, the Metropolitan Frontier, op. cit., p. 71.
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Policy Cut
Las Vegas:
How can economic development deny Bugsy Siegel his rightful place as Las Vegas’ city-builder? We can’t; and 1947 is when he started his noble endeavor. Of course, Las Vegas was around a bit before Bugsy arrived on the scene. It was “founded” in 1905 (110 acres adjacent to the Union Pacific railroad) and incorporated in 1911. It’s big year, 1931, witnessed Nevada approving casino gambling, extremely reduced divorce residency requirements, and the beginning of construction for the Hoover Dam (Las Vegas served “the licit and the illicit demands of workers”[1]). In1941, Las Vegas attracted federal military investment with the Army Air Corps Gunnery School (currently Nellis Air Force Base—home of the Thunderbirds). In 1940, Las Vegas was the permanent home of more than 8,000 hardy souls.
Thanks to the election of reformer Fletcher Bowron as mayor of LOS ANGELES in 1938,
The ”entrepreneurs of vice” moved to Las Vegas “in time to capitalize on the war boom”[2] by taking over the local downtown entertainment and they built the first resorts on the Strip south of downtown. Competing on the “neon gulch” of Fremont, two streets over were additional clubs and resorts. Since the original theme of this semi-suburban development was “the Wild West” names like Frontier, Pioneer, El Rancho, and Last Frontier “decorated with wagon wheels and cattle horns” characterized Las Vegas’ early city-building. The breakthrough was Bugsy’s 1947 Flamingo Hotel which was intended to compete with similar investments in Havana and Miami. The Flamingo “combined the sophisticated ambiance of a Monte Carlo casino with the exotic luxury of a Miami Beach Caribbean resort”. [3] Among other innovative city-building initiatives Bugsy Siegel was attempting to change the image of Las Vegas from a place to gamble while getting your divorce, to a legitimate tourist and resort area.
It worked fairly well. First attracting weekenders from California, then after 1960 become the “entertainment capital of the world” and a leading convention trade city. The City of Las Vegas accommodated all this with its building of a first class, city-owned and operated airport as well as a convention center. “Direct employment in hotels, motels and resorts more than doubled from 1958 to 1967, and doubled again to 47,000 by 1980. By the 1970’s Las Vegas attracted more than 3 percent of the total convention attendance in the United States.[4] And, by the way, from the 8,400 population in Bugsy’s Las Vegas, Las Vegas in 1970 had grown to in excess of 125,000 residents.
[1] Carl Abbott, the Metropolitan Frontier, op. cit., p. 70.
[2] Carl Abbott, the Metropolitan Frontier, op. cit., p. 71.
[3] Eugene Moehring, Resort City in the Sunbelt: Las Vegas 1930-1970 (Reno, University of Nevada Press, 1989), p. 49.
[4] Carl Abbott, the Metropolitan Frontier, op. cit., p. 71.
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Ron W. Coan 