Las Vegas History Up to 1899

- Southern Paiute inhabited area long before the arrival of the first Europeans.

1776 - "Spanish Explorers" came through southern Nevada.

1829 - The Spanish Scout Rafael Riviera becomes first European in the Las Vegas Valley.

1829 - Antonio Armijo arrives after his scout Rafael Riviera.

1844 - John C. Fremont Arrives.

1855 - Mormons arrive in Las Vegas and establish fort.

1855 - First Post Office established and is named Bringhurst after Mission President William Bringhurst.

1857 - Mormons abandon fort.

1864 - Nevada is admitted to the Union by President Lincoln.

1865 - Octavius Decatur Gass takes over old Mormon Fort and Establishes Las Vegas Rancho.

1880 - Archibald and Helen Stewart acquire Las Vegas Rancho from Octavius Decatur Gass for $5000.00.

1882 - Helen Stewart gives birth to Evaline La Vega Stewart named after Las Vegas.

1884 - Archibald Stewart murdered at Kiel Ranch - First Las Vegas Murder - Unresolved.

Las Vegas History 1900-1989

1903 - Helen J. Stewart Sells Las Vegas Rancho to Montana Senator William A. Clark for $55000.00

1905 - Town of Las Vegas established with the opening of the Salt Lake, San Pedro & Los Angeles Railroad.

1905 - First Train Arrives in Las Vegas

1907 - First Telephone wires installed in Las Vegas

1909 - Clark County, Nevada Created

1909 - First Theater the Isis opens

1910 - State of Nevada Bans Gambling

1911 - The City of Las Vegas is incorporated.

1912 - The Majestic Theater Opens

1914 - First Movie Filmed - The Hazards of Helen

1920 - First Airplane Lands in Las Vegas - Randall Henderson and his Jenny

1923 - First Rodeo

1927 - First Golf Course built

1926 - First commercial airline flight, Western Air Express

1929 - Las Vegas High School opens

1931 - Hoover Dam construction begins in Black Canyon.

1931 - Gambling legalized in Nevada.

1931 - First Gaming License Issued to Las Vegas resident Mayme Stocker

1933 - Historic Downtown US Post-Office and Federal Courthouse Opens

1935 - Hoover Dam dedicated by President Franklin Roosevelt.

1934 - First Helldorado Days Parade Held

1939 - Basic Magnesium Plant opens

1940 - Clark County population 16,414 (Las Vegas - 8,422).

1941 - El Rancho Vegas opens on the Strip. El Cortez Hotel opens in downtown Las Vegas. El Rancho destroyed by fire 19 years later.

1942 - Last Frontier Hotel opens. (Later called New Frontier and Frontier.)

1944 - Liberace makes his Las Vegas Debut

1946 - Bugsy Siegel opens Flamingo Hotel. State levies first gaming taxes.

1948 - Thunderbird Hotel and Casino Opens

1948 - Clark County buys Alamo Air Field and opens first Airport - Later called McCarran International Airport

1949 - Las Vegas News Bureau founded by Maxwell Kelch

1950 - Clark County population 48,289. (Las Vegas - 24,624.)

1950 - Desert Inn Hotel and Casino Opens

1950 - Silver Slipper Casino Opens

1951 - Vegas Vic is erected on Fremont Street

1951 - First Atomic Test detonated at the NTS

1951 - Senator Estes Kefauver begins hearings on organized crime - first televised senate hearings - A publicity bonanza for Las Vegas

1952 - The Sahara Hotel and Casino Opens

1952 - The Sands Hotel and Casino Opens

1955 - Gaming control strengthened. Gaming Control Board created within the Nevada Tax Commission by the Legislature.

1955 - The Royal Nevada Hotel and Casino Opens

1955 - The Dunes Hotel and Casino Opens

1955 - The Moulin Rouge Hotel and Casino Opens

1956 - The Hacienda Hotel and Casino Opens

1957 - Tropicana Hotel and Casino Opens

1958 - The Stardust Hotel and Casino Opens

1959 - Las Vegas Convention Center opens. The Nevada Gaming Commission is created by the Legislature.

1960 - Clark County population 127,016. (Las Vegas - 64,405.)

1962 - The Tally Ho Hotel Opens

1962 - The La Concha Motel Opens - Designed by famed LA Architect Paul Revere Williams

1963 - Westward Ho Motel Resort Opens

1964 - The Beatles arrive in Las Vegas and performed two sold out shows at the Las Vegas Convention Center

1966 - The Aladdin Hotel and Casino Opens

1966 - Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino Opens

1966 - Howard Hughes arrives to live at Desert Inn. Hughes made his first impact in Las Vegas in the early 1940's when he bought up the land that is now Summerlin to build an aircraft factory

1967 - Nevada's legislature passes a law allowing publicly traded corporations to obtain gambling licenses. The law is refined in 1969.

1968 - Circus Circus casino opens; hotel opens in 1972

1970 - Clark County population 273,288. (Las Vegas - 125,787.)

1973 - The MGM Grand Hotel and Casino Opens - Worlds Largest Hotel

1975 - Nevada gaming revenues first crack $1 billion mark.

1977 - Clark County gaming revenues first crack $1 billion mark. The Nevada Legislature passes a foreign gaming law allowing Nevada -based casino owners to operate casinos outside Nevada's borders.

1980 - Clark County population hits 463,087 (Las Vegas - 164,674) as Las Vegas celebrates 75th birthday.

1980 - MGM Grand Hotel is consumed in a fire - Worst disaster in Las Vegas History

1980 - Hilton Hotel Fire

1981 - Las Vegas celebrates Golden Anniversary of Gaming.

1985 - First National Finals Rodeo held in Las Vegas.

1989 - Mirage opens November 22, with 3,039 rooms.

Las Vegas History 1990-1994

1990 - Clark County population 741,459. (Las Vegas - 258,295.)

1990 - Excalibur opens June 19, to date the world's largest resort hotel with 4,032 rooms.

1992 - First Las Vegas Bowl held at Silver Bowl.

1993 - Flamingo Hilton announces plans to raze Bugsy's suite and office.

1993 - Dunes Hotel sold to Steve Wynn's Mirage Inc.; the north tower and Dunes sign imploded October 27.

1993 - Money won by Nevada casinos tops the $6 billion mark for the first time.

1993 - ITT Sheraton Corp. purchases Desert Inn Hotel from Kirk Kerkorian's Tracinda Corp.

1993 - Dunes Hotel imploded October 27.

1993 - Grand Slam Canyon Adventuredome opens August 23.

1993 - Luxor Hotel opens October 15 with 2,526 rooms.

1993 - Treasure Island Hotel opens October 27 with 2,900 rooms.

1993 - MGM Grand Hotel and Theme Park opens December 18, with 5,005 rooms and a 171,500- square-foot casino; to date the largest resort hotel-casino in the world.

1993 - Nevada Legislature passes enabling legislation for financing of "The Fremont Street Experience."

1994 - Buffalo Bill's in Primm and Boulder Station Casino on Boulder Highway in Las Vegas open.

1994 - Plans to construct New York-New York Hotel Casino at the intersection of the Strip and Tropicana Avenue announced jointly by MGM Grand and Primadonna Resorts.

1994 - Work begins on Fremont Street Experience. Downtown Fremont Street is permanently closed to automobile traffic on September 7.

1994 - The first scheduled Condor charter flight to Las Vegas from Cologne, Germany, lands November 7 at McCarran International Airport.

1994 - Sam's Town on Boulder Highway expands with the opening of a 650-room tower and lush, plant-filled atrium.

1994 - A 300-room hotel-casino named Boomtown opens on Blue Diamond Road at I-15.

1994 - Four skywalks are built over the intersection of Tropicana Boulevard and the Las Vegas Strip.

1994 - McCarran opens Interstate 15-airport connector road system that tunnels under the east-west runways.

1994 - The Fiesta, the first hotel-casino in North Las Vegas, opens with 100 rooms.

Las Vegas History 1995-1999

1995 - Vegas World closes its doors February 1 for work on a casino complex and the Stratosphere Tower.

1995 - The first Hard Rock Hotel opens March 10.

1995 - $25 million monorail begins running between MGM Grand and Bally's hotel-casinos on June 14.

1995 - Bill Bennett retires from Circus Circus Enterprises, then buys the Sahara Hotel-Casino from Paul and Sue Lowden.

1995 - ITT Corp. buys Caesars World Inc. for $1.7 billion, including Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip.

1995 - Construction begins on Steve Wynn's 46-story, $1.7 billion 3,000-room Bellagio, located at the intersection of Flamingo Road and the Las Vegas Strip.

1995 - Circus Circus Enterprises buys Hacienda and surrounding 100 acres.

1995 - The face of downtown Las Vegas changes forever with the December 13 opening of the $70 million Fremont Street Experience.

1995 - Las Vegas reports a 29 million visitor volume for the year. Statewide gross gaming revenue surpasses $7.3 billion. Clark County produced $5.7 billion of the state's gaming revenue total.

1995 - Landmark Hotel imploded November 7.

1996 - Ground breaking ceremonies for Las Vegas Hilton's "Star Trek: The Experience" held on January 24.

1996 - The $13 million Las Vegas Strip beautification project, in which 76,000 palms, shrubs, flowering foliage and ground covers were planted, is finished in March.

1996 - Wayne Newton celebrates 25,000th Las Vegas performance. Siegfried and Roy celebrate 15,000th Las Vegas performance.

1996 - Work is completed on the Desert Inn Road arterial, creating the first tunnel under the Las Vegas Strip.

1996 - Stratosphere Tower, the tallest free-standing observation tower in the U.S. and the tallest structure west of the Mississippi River, opens April 30.

1996 - Hilton Hotels Corp. purchases Bally's Entertainment Corp., parent company of Bally's hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip for $3 billion.

1996 - Caesars Magical Empire, a multimillion dollar dining and entertainment complex opens in Caesars Palace June 18.

1996 - Monte Carlo, a joint venture between Circus Circus Enterprises Inc. and Mirage Resorts Inc. opens June 21.

1996 - The $72 million, 1,100-acre Las Vegas Motor Speedway with tracks for drag, stock car and formula car races opens in September.

1996 - Clark County Commission grants building permits for the $500 million, 2,900-room Paris Casino Resort on the Las Vegas Strip.

1996 - Hyatt Hotel Corp. announces plans to build a 500-room hotel on the shores of Lake Las Vegas

1996 - Circus Circus Enterprises announces a joint venture with Four Seasons Regent to build a 400-room, five star non-gaming hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.

1996 - The Sands Hotel, after 44 years of continuous operation, is closed June 30 by owner Sheldon Adelson who announces plans to build a 6,000-room megaresort on the Las Vegas Strip site. Sands tower imploded November 26.

1996 - Flamingo Hilton celebrates 50th anniversary. Caesars Palace celebrates 30th anniversary.

1996 - State Line, NV, at the Southern Nevada-California border, is renamed Primm in honor of the community's founder Ernest Primm.

1996 - Ground breaking held for 3,000-room Planet Hollywood Hotel Casino adjacent to The Desert Inn at Sands Avenue and the Las Vegas Strip. Construction on the joint venture between ITT Corp. and Planet Hollywood was never started.

1996 - Circus Circus implodes Hacienda Hotel Casino December 31 to make way for megaresort.

1996 - 29.6 million people visit Las Vegas in 1996; state gross gaming revenue totals $7.45 billion, and Clark County population hits 1.1 million.

1997 - The Tropicana Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip celebrates its 40th anniversary.

1997 - New York-New York Hotel Casino opens on the Las Vegas Strip January 3. More than 100,000 people a day visit the new resort during the casino's first days in operation.

1997 - Hilton Hotels Corp. makes a $10.5 billion hostile takeover move on January 28 against ITT Corp., which resists the bid. ITT shareholders reject Hilton takeover in favor of a more lucrative offer by Starwood Lodging. The deal involves ownership of Caesars Place and The Desert Inn on the Las Vegas Strip.

1997 - The 6,945-yard, par 71 Lakes Course opens February 7, the first golf course located in Primm, NV.

1997 - Sheldon Adelson breaks ground in April to build the 6,000-suite, $1.8 billion Venetian Hotel and Resort on the grounds of the original Sands Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.

1997 - Steve Wynn, builder of Las Vegas Strip megaresorts, calls for a "go slow" approach to future expansion in Las Vegas.

1997 - The U.S. Air Force celebrates its 50th anniversary in an unequaled display of military aviation might attended by 80 foreign, high-ranking NATO and Pacific Air command officials, and 300,000 spectators.

1997 - Coca Cola Co. opens its World of Coca Cola(r) store in the Showcase Mall marked by a 100-foot-tall glass Coca Cola bottle.

1997 - The first non-stop scheduled commercial flight from Frankfurt-Mein International Airport in Germany lands May 7 with 215 passengers at McCarran International Airport.

1997 - Sunset Station Hotel-Casino opens June 10.

1997 - Players Island Resort Hotel and Spa in Mesquite is purchased by Virgin River Casino and renamed CasaBlanca on July 1.

1997 - The Forum Shops at Caesars on August 29 opened 35 new shops, stores and restaurants in a 276,000-square-foot expansion. Growth doubles the size of the upscale shopping mall adjacent to Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip.

1997 - The Aladdin Hotel closes on the Las Vegas Strip November 25 making way for a $1.2 billion gambling and hotel complex. Plans call for development of a Middle East-theme shopping center, a 2,600-room hotel as well as a joint venture with Planet Hollywood Inc. for development of a neighboring $250 million, 2,000-room music-theme resort. Planet Hollywood drops out of the deal in 1998.

1997 - The Desert Inn Hotel Casino completes $200 million renovation and expansion.

1997 - Owners change the name of the Boomtown Hotel Casino to Silverton after Majestic Realty Co. takes control of the struggling resort from Boomtown Inc.

1997 - Harley Davidson Cafe opens on the Las Vegas Strip, continuing the theme restaurant proliferation.

1997 - Caesars Palace opens new tower in December.

1997 - Harrah's Entertainment Inc. buys Showboat Inc. in a $1.154 billion deal.

1997 - The Frontier Hotel, owned by the Elardi family, is sold to Phil Ruffin, a Kansas industrialist, for $165 million.

1997 - Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino opens Masquerade Village and new 41-story, 1,025-room tower giving the resort a total of 2,556 suites.

1997 - Alan Paulson, California entrepreneur, buys the Gold River Casino/Hotel in Laughlin. The property is renamed River Palms Resort.

1998 - "Star Trek: The Experience" opens January 4 at the Las Vegas Hilton.

1998 - Circus Circus officials announce that Mandalay Bay will be the name of the company's new resort at the Strip and Russell Road. The hotel's working name was Project Paradise.

1998 - Starwood Hotels & Resorts buys ITT Corp. for $14.6 billion. The purchase includes acquisition of Caesars Palace and The Desert Inn hotel/casinos on the Las Vegas Strip.

1998 - Eagle Canyon Airlines buys Las Vegas-based Scenic Airlines.

1998 - The Aladdin Hotel is imploded on April 27.

1998 - Northwest Airlines inaugurates non-stop service June 1 from Tokyo to Las Vegas.

1998 - Japan Airlines inaugurates non-stop service October 2 from Tokyo to Las Vegas.

1998 - Koren Airlines makes history in August with three non-stop charter flights from Seoul, Korea, to Las Vegas.

1998 - Country Star restaurant on the Strip is acquired by Mirage Resorts Inc. and closes

1998 - Bellagio, billed as the most expensive hotel in the world ($1.7 billion) opens October 15 on the Las Vegas Strip and initiates a policy barring persons under 18 years of age who are not registered guests of the hotel.

1998 - Las Vegas Convention Center opens an expansion, boosting its total space to 1.9 million square feet.

1998 - The Debbie Reynolds hotel-casino, a half block east of the Las Vegas Strip on Convention Center Drive, is sold at public auction August 5 to the World Wresting Federation for $9.27 million.

1998 - The Las Vegas Motor Speedway is sold in December by founders Bill Bennett and Ralph Englestad to North Carolina -based Speedway Motorsports Inc., headed by O. Bruton Smith, for $215 million.

1998 - Proposition 5 is passed by California voters in November, opening the door for casino-style gambling on American Indian reservations.

1998 - A 66-year-old Las Vegas resident hits a $27.58 million progressive Megabucks jackpot November 15 at the Palace Station Hotel Casino.

1998 - The D gates open at McCarran International Airport.

1998 - Annual gross gaming revenue in Nevada hits the $8.1 billion mark.

1998 - Annual number of visitors to Las Vegas totals 30.6 million people.

1998 - On December 31, Hilton Hotels Corp. spins off its gaming division to Park Place Entertainment Corp., including the Las Vegas Hilton, Flamingo Hilton, Bally's and Paris Las Vegas on the Strip

1999 - Harrah's Entertainment Inc. purchases the Rio Hotel-Casino Inc. for $888 million, Jan. 1.

1999 - MGM Grand Inc. buys Primadonna Resorts Inc., taking 100 percent ownership of New York-New York Hotel-Casino on the Las Vegas Strip and Whiskey Pete's, Buffalo Bill's and Primm Valley Resort & Casino in Primm, NV, March 1.

1999 - Mandalay Bay Resort opens March 2 with 3,300 rooms.

1999 - Four Seasons Hotel opens March 2 with 424 rooms.

1999 - Japan Airlines adds a fourth nonstop flight per week in April from Tokyo to Las Vegas.

1999 - Phase I of the Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino opens May 3 with 3,036 suites.

1999 - The Las Vegas Convention Center celebrates its 40th birthday.

1999 - Circus Circus Enterprises changes its name to Mandalay Resort Group

1999 - The Resort at Summerlin opens July 15.

1999 - Paris Las Vegas Casino Resort opens September 1.

1999 - Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, Rod Stewart, Elton John, Tina Turner, Wayne Newton and Don Rickles are among the many entertainers booked by Las Vegas resorts to ring in the new century.

Las Vegas History 2000-2004

2000 - A $3 billion deal closes to sell Caesars World Inc., including Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip, to Park Place Entertainment.

2000 - The Resort at Summerlin changes its name to The Regent Las Vegas.

2000 - MGM Grand Inc. announces the purchase of Mirage Resorts Inc., creating the largest corporate buyout in gaming history.

2000 - Station Casinos plans a $55 million expansion for its Texas Station in North Las Vegas.

2000 - The Clark County Department of Aviation unveils $1 billion plan for expansion and renovation of McCarran International Airport.

2000 - The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority awards a $113 million contract to PCL Construction Services to expand the Las Vegas Convention Center.

2000 - The two largest carriers to the Las Vegas market-Southwest Airlines and America West-add 2,762 seats.

2000 - Construction begins on Station Casinos' latest hotel-casino, Green Valley Ranch.

2000 - Virgin Atlantic Airways begins first regular flights from England to Las Vegas.

2000 - Station Casinos purchases the Santa Fe hotel-casino for $205 million.

2000 - The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority opens an affiliate office in Sydney, Australia.

2000 - Caesars Palace announces plans to build a third hotel tower.

2001 - The Orleans plans $100 million expansion that will include the addition of a 620-room hotel tower, a 9,000-seat arena and a 40,000-square-foot casino.

2001 - Aloha Airlines announces daily round trips to Las Vegas from Honolulu and Maui.

2001 - Mandalay Resort Group announces plans to add a 1.8-million-square-foot convention center to Mandalay Bay.

2001 - ESPN Regional assumes ownership of the Las Vegas Bowl from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

2002 - NEONOPOLIS entertainment center opens downtown at the Fremont Street Experience.

2002 - JetBlue Airways announces daily service from Las Vegas to Long Beach.

2002 - For the first time, La Cumbre, the world's largest trade show promoting travel to the United States among residents of the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central and South America, comes to Las Vegas.

2002 - Wynn Resorts goes public with IPO for $1.85 billion megaresort, Le Rêve.

2003 - The $105 million '40s themed property, The Cannery, opens its doors.

2003 - The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority debuts its new advertising campaign, "Vegas Stories" with the tagline, "What Happens Here, Stays Here."

2003 - America West increases its number of daily trips between Las Vegas and Denver, Phoenix, San Diego, San Jose, Calif., and San Francisco.

2003 - The Stratosphere releases plans for its latest thrill ride, a teeter-totter like device situated nearly 900 feet above Las Vegas Boulevard, aptly called X Scream.

2003 - Steve Wynn changes the name for Las Vegas' newest megaresort from Le Rêve to Wynn Las Vegas.

2003 - Las Vegas Premium Outlets open in downtown Las Vegas.

2003 - The Fashion Show mall completes a $1 billion expansion, including a towering outdoor multimedia platform called, "The Cloud."

2003 - McCarran International Airport introduces new electronic ticketing kiosk system.

2003 - Mandalay Bay opens new 1,120-suite tower, THEhotel.

2004 - Park Place Entertainment Corp. officially changes its name to Caesars Entertainment.

2004 - Harrah's Entertainment purchases Binion's Horseshoe.

2004 - Boyd Gaming Corporation merges with Coast Resorts.

2004 - Mergers abound in Las Vegas. MGM MIRAGE announces plans to purchase the Mandalay Resort Group. One month later, Harrah's Entertainment announces its plans to purchase Caesars Entertainment.

2004 - The Strip dims its lights for President Ronald Reagan's passing. Other dignitaries to receive such a remembrance upon their passing have included President John F. Kennedy; Rat Pack members Sammy Davis, Jr., Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin; and George Burns.

2004 - The Las Vegas Hilton is sold to Colony Resorts for $280 million.

2004 - The Las Vegas Monorail, a $654 million mass transit system, opens to the public.

2004 - Las Vegas Sands releases new details about its planned $1.6 billion Palazzo casino resort on the Strip.

Las Vegas History 2005 to Present

2005 - Las Vegas celebrates is Centennial year throughout 2005, beginning with the New Year's fireworks display. Las Vegas will celebrate its 100th birthday on May 15, 2005, with the world's largest birthday cake and a recreation of the 1905 land auction that started the Las Vegas community as we know it today.

2005 - Wynn Las Vegas, the destination's newest megaresort, opens April 28, 2005.

2005 - Visitor volume for 2004 breaks tourism records with 37.4 million.

2005 - Wynn Las Vegas opens April 28, 2005. At $2.7 billion, the resort becomes the most expensive hotel and casino in the world.

2005 - "Condomania" hits Las Vegas. A multitude of developers ranging from Donald Trump to MGM MIRAGE announce plans for high-rise luxury condominium projects. By 2010, 10,000 to 15,000 condominium-hotel units are expected to be added to the current room inventory.

2005 - Las Vegas Sands breaks ground for The Palazzo, a $1.6 billion, 3,000-room resort adjacent to The Venetian.

2005 - MGM MIRAGE announces Project CityCenter, an "urban metropolis" with 4,000 hotel rooms and 1,650 condominium units. Project CityCenter will cost nearly $5 billion, making it the largest privately funded project in the United States.

2005 - Houston-based Landry's Restaurants takes over downtown's largest casino, the Golden Nugget.

2005 - The National Basketball Association selects Las Vegas as the host for the 2007 All-Star game. This will be the first time this high-profile sporting event is held in a city without an NBA team.

2005 - Megamergers galore in 2005. In June, MGM MIRAGE and Mandalay Resort Group complete its $7.9 billion merger. One month later, Harrah's Entertainment buys Caesars Entertainment for $9.4 billion, making it the largest casino company.

2005 - The destination's tagline, "What Happens Here, Stays Here" firmly cements itself into the American lexicon. The wildly popular phrase is included in countless television shows such as First Lady Laura Bush's interview on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and Billy Crystal's opening monologue during "The Academy Awards."

2006 - Boyd Gaming Corp. announces Echelon Place, a $4 billion development project. The 5,300-room resort will be located on the 63-acre site now occupied by the Stardust.

2006 - The Castaways, the property formerly known as The Showboat, is imploded. Within 18 seconds, the 19-story hotel is reduced to a 20,000-ton pile of rubble.

2006 - Cirque du Soleil opens its fifth resident show, ' Love' at The Mirage, replacing long-time Las Vegas magicians, Siegfried & Roy. The show is based on The Beatles music.

2006 - Nevada celebrates 75 years of legalized gaming.

2006 - Red Rock Resort Casino Spa, the newest property from Station Casinos, opens. The property is the first billion-dollar resort to be built off the Las Vegas Strip.

2006 - Fantasy Suites opens at The Palms Casino Resort. Located on the tower's 25th and 26th floors, the Fantasy Suites take the themed hotel room to exotic extremes.

2006 - Palms Casino Resort breaks ground on Palms Place Condominium, Hotel and Spa.

2006 - McCarran Airport ranked fifth busiest passenger airport according to the Airports Council International North America's annual traffic ranking.

2006 - Morgans Hotel Group selects Golden Gaming to operate the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino properties.

2006 - Hooters Hotel and Casino Opens in Las Vegas.

2006 - Lady Luck Hotel and Casino in Downtown Las Vegas closes for renovation.

2006 - Nevada becomes #1 in restaurant growth. The National Restaurant Association report shows that Nevada's restaurant industry is growing faster than anywhere else in the country.

2006 - Wynn Resorts breaks ground on Encore.

2007 - NBA All-Star 2007 comes to Las Vegas. For the first time in history, the NBA All-Star game is played in a city without a resident NBA team.

2007 - MGM MIRAGE's CityCenter releases residences for purchase.

2007 - Monty Python's Spamalot debuts at Wynn Las Vegas.

2007 - The Producers debuts at Paris Las Vegas.

2007 - Fremont East Entertainment District Improvement Project celebrates its groundbreaking to revitalize Downtown.

2007 - Grand Canyon Skywalk Opens. This modern-day marvel becomes the first-ever cantilever-shaped glass walkway to suspend more than 4,000 feet above the canyon's floor and extend 70 feet from the canyon's rim.

2007 - Tropicana Resort & Casino celebrates 50 years on the Las Vegas Strip.

2007 - The Stardust Hotel & Casino is imploded.

2007 - The Aladdin Casino Resort transforms into Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. Desert Passage Shops become Miracle Mile Shops.

2007 - Cirque du Soleil announces its seventh resident production show featuring renowned illusionist Criss Angel.

2007 - MGM Grand's The Signature completes third and final tower.

2007 - The Las Vegas Springs Preserve opens to the public. This 180-acre, cultural and historic attraction, considered the "birthplace" of Las Vegas, features museums, galleries, the future Nevada State Museum and more.

2007 - Las Vegas hosts first MTV Video Music Awards at The Palms Casino Resort.

2007 - Harrah's Entertainment announces $1 billion expansion of Caesars Palace including a new Octavius Tower.

2007 - Luxor unveils renovation plans.

2007 - FIBA Americas Championship is held in Las Vegas for the first time.

2007 - Harrah's Entertainment and AEG announce plans for a 20,000-seat, state-of-the-art sports arena.

2007 - Silverton Casino Lodge begins $130 million expansion.

2007 - The Frontier Hotel & Casino is imploded to make room for a multi-billion dollar project from the Elad Group modeled after New York's The Plaza Hotel.

2007 - Michelin unveils first-ever restaurant and hotel selections for Las Vegas. One of only four U.S. cities to be written up by this guide, Las Vegas joins New York City, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The Michelin Guide Las Vegas 2008 features 127 restaurants and 30 hotels.

2007 - Plans and details announced for Anthony Marnell's The M Resort, Spa and Casino.

2007 - Neon Museum begins the reassembly of the historic La Concha Motel lobby at the site of the Neon Boneyard. The La Concha will serve as part of a permanent museum building for the non-restored historic signs.

2007 - Town Square Las Vegas, a new retail, dining and entertainment project, opens on South Las Vegas Boulevard.

2008 - The Palazzo celebrates its grand opening.

2008 - Golden Nugget completes $60 million expansion including adding convention space and a new nightclub.

2008 - Caesars Palace raises table game limit ceiling to the highest in Las Vegas.

2008 - Bette Midler becomes new resident headliner at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, replacing Celine Dion who had a successful five-year run.

2008 - Lake Las Vegas ownership shifts to the Atalon Group.

2008 - September 1; The Star Trek Experience closes at the Las Vegas Hilton after 12 successful years.

2008 - Donny and Marie headline at Flamingo - Oct. 2008

2008 - Aliante Station celebrates grand opening - Nov. 11, 2008

2008 - Encore Las Vegas opens - Dec. 2008

2009 - CityCenter starts accepting applications for more than 12,000 open jobs - Jan. 5, 2009

2009 - Mamma Mia ends its record-breaking engagement at Manadalay Bay - Jan. 4, 2009

2009 - M Resort, Spa Casino opens - March 1, 2009

2009 - Terry Fator opens show at The Mirage - March 17, 2009

2009 - Las Vegas Convention Center Celebrates 50th Anniversary - April 12, 2009

2009 - Las Vegas celebrates third annual Vegas Uncork'd presented by Bon Appetit - May 7-10, 2009

2009 - Hard Rock Hotel & Casino unveils The New Joint and headliner Carlos Santana - May 2009

2009 - Disney's The Lion King opens at Mandalay Bay - May 15, 2009

2009 - The Smith Center for the Performing Arts celebrates groundbreaking - May 26, 2009

2009 - National Hockey League hosts its 2009 Awards in Las Vegas at The Pearl at Palms - June 18, 2009

2009 - Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas introduces 490-room Paradise Tower - July 31, 2009

2009 - Hotel 32 at Monte Carlo Opens - Aug. 10, 2009

2009 - Charo debuts all new show at Riviera Hotel & Casino - Aug. 2009

2009 - Pink's Hot Dogs opens first location at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas - Sept. 2009

2009 - Las Vegas participates in Third Annual Restaurant Week Aug. 31 - Sept. 6, 2009

2009 - Las Vegas Mayor Oscar B. Goodman and wife Carolyn renew their wedding vows publicly on Fremont Street on 9/9/09