Las Vegas History
It seems as though Las Vegas was always destined to be the play place for millions, even before exotic rental cars were available! Read on to learn about Benjamin “Bugsy” Seigel and his special place in Las Vegas’ not so innocent history!
With the arrival of the Union Pacific Railroad in 1905 it was obvious that Las Vegas was growing into a typical frontier town, but little did the world know just how unique it was t become! Las Vegas was fairly insulated from the Great Depression due to the plentiful jobs and money created by the railroad development, legal gambling and the construction of the Hoover Dam.
Tourists actually flocked to Las Vegas, bringing in even more money, just to watch the men work on the damns construction. It wasn’t long before the Nevada legislature realized the potential of a legalized gambling market and in 1931 Sin City’s number one industry was born. El Rancho Vegas was the first ‘resort’ to open founding what is now the world-famous Las Vegas Blvd. Strip.
The modern age of gambling began to take shape after World War II with the Flamingo Hotel and the infamous Bugsy Seigel. Bugsy was a well known gangster, who controlled the crime scene of the lower east side of Brooklyn until he moved to Las Vegas in 1945. The Lansky-Seigel mob ran America’s first murder-for-hire business and became masters of the bootlegging game. When he opened the Flamingo in 1945 Las Vegas was the talk of the town. Mega-stars like Clark Gable and Joan Crawford attended the opening.
Sadly the Flamingo didn’t do as well as assumed, plus Bugsy had overshot the original budget 4 fold. Bugsy was killed on June 20th, 1947 at about the time the Flamingo was finally making a profit. It isn’t known for certain who actually was behind the assassination but many believe that Meyer Lansky, Bugsy’s long time partner, had become fed up with his partners handling of syndicate funds.
Since Bugsy’s day that casino businesses has done nothing but grow. Luxury exotic car rentals have been filling the streets since the 1950s after the Riviera opened becoming the first high-rise on the Strip at an unheard of 9 stories. During the late 1980s there weren’t even construction workers available to meet the demand for casinos on the Las Vegas Strip.
Not only were people flocking to the Strip in exotic rental cars, but they were also moving to the desert due to the promise of more jobs. The opening of the Mirage in 1989 jump started the next boom of commercial enterprising in the 90’s, with the newly designed themed mega-resorts dominating the market.
At the end of the millennium casino resorts were still popping up all over the Las Vegas horizon. With over 30 million tourists visiting Las Vegas everyday, it isn’t hard to see why more real-estate is crucial. Las Vegas has long been coined the “Gaming Capital of the World” for its strangle hold on the gaming industry, but it is also known as “Sin City” and the “Forbidden City”… because we all know what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.
Although gaming has made a dramatic comeback all over the comeback, Las Vegas still stands at the top, with a future that shines bright. Book your exotic rental car today and check out all the excitement out here in the desert!
