Las Vegas , [ a ] colloquially referred to as Vegas , is the most populous city in the U. The Las Vegas Valley as a whole serves as the leading financial, commercial, and cultural center in Nevada. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city had , residents in , [ 11 ] with a metropolitan population of 2,,, [ 12 ] making it the 24th-most populous city in the United States.
The city bills itself as the Entertainment Capital of the World , and is famous for its luxurious and extremely large casino-hotels. With over It is the third most popular U. Las Vegas was settled in and officially incorporated in Population growth has accelerated since the s and into the 21st century, and between and the population nearly doubled, increasing by Although the city of Las Vegas shares the same history and cultural identity, the Las Vegas strip is not inside the city limits of Las Vegas; it is instead part of the unincorporated towns of Paradise and Winchester.
In , Mexican trader and explorer Antonio Armijo led a group consisting of 60 men and mules along the Old Spanish Trail from modern day New Mexico to California. Along the way, the group stopped in what would become Las Vegas and noted its natural water sources, now referred to as the Las Vegas Springs , which supported extensive vegetation such as grasses and mesquite trees.
The springs were a significant natural feature in the valley, with streams that supported a meadow ecosystem. Over time, the name began to refer to the populated settlement. Nomadic Paleo-Indians traveled to the Las Vegas area 10, years ago, leaving behind petroglyphs.
Ancient Puebloan and Paiute tribes followed at least 2, years ago. A young Mexican scout named Rafael Rivera is credited as the first non- Native American to encounter the valley, in Downtown Las Vegas's Fremont Street is named after him.
