The first edition of Sun, Sin & Suburbia was published in 2004 and the second edition in 2012 by Stephens Press. This University of Nevada Press edition is a reprint of the 2012 edition.
University of Nevada Press, Reno, Nevada 89557 USA
Copyright 2015 by University of Nevada Press
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
Design by Sue Campbell
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress
ISBN-13: 978-0-87417-988-0 (paper)
ISBN-13: 978-0-87417-989-7 (e-book)
Preface to the Revised and Expanded Edition
The first edition of Sun, Sin & Suburbia was published in the fall of 2004at the apex of the Las Vegas boom years. Eight years and one devastating recession later, the community had undergone such profound changes that we thought it was time to update the story of modern Las Vegas.
This new edition has been extensively rewritten and updated to reflect developments over the past several years, from the rise of CityCenter to the fall of the economy. Sections have been added to recognize new players and initiatives. Some things that seemed important in 2004 turned out not to be historically relevant, and so they were omitted. A lot of ground is covered in this new edition, but it is not a comprehensive history. Modern Las Vegas is just too big and complex to get that treatment in a single volume.
Its often said that the one constant in Las Vegas is change. A cursory comparison of the first and second editions of Sun, Sin & Suburbia gives credence to this adage.
Introduction: Making a Life in the City of Sun, Sin, and Suburbia
Vegas is a town... where the vast majority of the population arises every morning absolutely delighted to have escaped Hometown, America and the necessity of chatting with Mom over the back fence.
DAVE HICKEY, AIR GUITAR
There may be some who feel that Las Vegas is an abomination and should be destroyed. They would then have to argue, with me at least, that the oil companies are straight, the stock market is not a flimflam, and that our South American policy is not insane. They would even have to argue that the Democratic Party and the Republican Party are more honest than the Mafia.
MARIO PUZO, INSIDE LAS VEGAS
Several years ago, while perusing the shelves of a used bookstore, I happened upon a 1979-80 edition of Arthur Frommers Guide to Las Vegas. A quick flip through the chapters sparked a swirl of nostalgia about the pre-megaresort city and what dramatic changes had occurred over the past two decades. The guide painted a picture of a Las Vegas that was quite different from today. For example, Steve Wynns name was mentioned only once in the guide, in passing reference to his ownership of the Golden Nugget. Also, a map of the area did not show the U.S. 95 expressway, and Rancho Drive was called Tonopah Highway.
The guide listed just two hospitals: Sunrise and Southern Nevada Memorial (now University Medical Center), although a few others were operating at the time. There are a dozen major hospitals today and counting. The main movie house in town was the Red Rock Theatres on West Charleston Boulevard, which closed several years ago and was demolished. The guide made no mention of master-planned communities. The Las Vegas Hilton was the states tallest building, a distinction it lost well before the Stratosphere Tower was finished in the mid-90s. Frommers listed only one disco, Jubilation, owned by Paul Anka and described as Las Vegass answer to Studio 54. A quarter-century later, Las Vegas had forty dance clubs, including one called Studio 54.
The top ten hotels in 1980 were MGM Grand (now Ballys), Caesars Palace, Las Vegas Hilton, Desert Inn, Flamingo Hilton, Tropicana, Aladdin, Riviera, Dunes and Sands. Today, four of those hotels had been torn down (Dunes, Sands, Aladdin, Desert Inn), and only one of them (Caesars Palace) would make anyones top ten list. Thats not a criticism, just an acknowledgement that the modern megaresorts have eclipsed the industry leaders of the past.
Of course, Las Vegas residents dont need a musty Frommers Guide to know the place has changed significantly over the past thirty years. Just walk outside and the evidence is everywhere. Clark Countys population in 1980 was 463,087. Today, the county population is two million. Those additional people have radically altered almost every aspect of life. Thousands of acres of scrub brush and lizards are now covered with houses, apartment complexes, shopping centers, casinos, bars, restaurants, schools, parks and other accouterments of suburban living. The city has spread from the valleys center in all directions, its momentum slowed only by time, money and mountain ranges. During the 90s, the critics mantra was that Las Vegas was developing at a rate of two acres every hour.
As dozens of new neighborhoods cropped up at the edges, the urban core suffered. Downtown lost its luster. The tourist numbers on Fremont Street plummeted as the Strip, with its myriad extracurricular attractions, came to dominate visitors interest. McCarran International Airport expanded to accommodate the growing tourist hordes, which required the acquisition of hundreds of homes to be demolished to make way for new gates and runways, as well as an ever-widening noise corridor. The expansion of U.S. 95 and construction of the Las Vegas Beltway required the demolition of hundreds more homes across the valley. The rush to the suburbs made residential living along some streets unbearable. Long stretches of Decatur Boulevard and Jones Boulevard, for example, once were lined with houses. Today, many of those houses have been torn down or converted into shops and offices.
Of course, the growth wasnt all bad. More than anything, it gave residents more choices in employment, housing, recreation and culture. Tourism remained the citys economic engine but it was now possible to work in an array of interesting and rewarding fields not linked to the resort industry. Housing options widened. One could live in a brand-new tract house on the outskirts or move close to the action, buying an old place downtown and fixing it up. The apartment market offered an array of options, and condos ran from cheap to the pinnacle of jetset leisure. As for recreation, Las Vegas had almost everything imaginableeven that most unlikely of desert pastimes, ice hockey. Perhaps the most significant benefits of growth were the cultural additions, from museums to art galleries, orchestras to ballet companies, rock n roll concert halls to roller coasters. It seemed physically impossible for one person in one lifetime to sample all of the citys fine dining establishments. Las Vegas evolved well beyond its trademark lounges and buffets.
Some say Las Vegas is completely different from other cities. Others say once you venture beyond the Strip, its basically the same as anyplace else. Theyre both right. Geography distinguishes Las Vegas from many other cities. It isnt by an ocean, lake or river. It isnt in the mountains, and it doesnt sit amid vast farmland. Its location is notable only because its near the halfway point of the railroad line between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles.
