As I was explaining in a previous post, Las Vegas was founded in 1905 as a railroad town and refueling stop between Southern California and Salt Lake City. In those early years, the town was just a few blocks located in the area now known as Downtown, north of the Strip's more modern casinos and hotels.
The town starts growing due to the construction of the nearby Hoover Dam, which brings lots of workers to the area; the liberal residency laws which allowed faster divorces also help this population growth. In the 1930s and 1940s gambling is legalized, Hoover Dam is completed and atomic testing begins in the desert areas. Hotels and casinos start opening and progressively it all grows into the city we now know.
Many of Las Vegas visitors stay on the modern Strip area where most hotels and casinos are and don't visit the old part of town (which of course is not really old, everything has been rebuilt, refurbished or completely changed). After my visit to the Neon Museum I decided to walk around downtown to see the hotels and casinos and the famous Fremont Street Experience (which of course was not on at the time of my visit - 11 a.m.). Here are some pictures:
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