Fun Facts: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Las Vegas

Vegas is the entertainment capital of the world. We all know that. But here’s 10 things you probably didn’t know about Las Vegas.

1. Las Vegas means “the meadows” in Spanish, named by the first Spanish explorers who saw the lush green valley fed by underground water.
2. Las Vegas is the largest city in Nevada, with a population of over 2 million in the metropolitan area.
3. Las Vegas is known as the Entertainment Capital of the World, with more than 150,000 hotel rooms and over 42 million visitors annually.
4. The famous Las Vegas Strip is not actually located in the city of Las Vegas, but in the unincorporated towns of Paradise and Winchester.
5. The first casino to open on the Las Vegas Strip was the El Rancho Vegas in 1941, and it featured 70 hotel rooms and a casino with a craps table, roulette wheel, and two blackjack tables.
6. The Golden Gate Hotel and Casino in downtown Las Vegas was the first hotel to have a phone in every room, in 1907.
7. Las Vegas is home to the world’s largest gold nugget, the Hand of Faith, which weighs in at 61 pounds and is on display at the Golden Nugget hotel and casino.
8. Las Vegas has more hotel rooms than any other city in the world, with over 150,000 rooms spread across more than 350 hotels and resorts.
9. The famous “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign was designed by Betty Willis in 1959, and it’s located on the south end of the Strip.
10. Las Vegas is also known as the Wedding Capital of the World, with over 80,000 weddings performed each year.