Sun, Sin & Suburbia: The History of Modern Las Vegas, Revised and Expanded

More than forty million visitors per year travel to Sin City to visit the gambling mecca of the world. But gambling is only one part of the city’s story. In this carefully documented history, Geoff Schumacher tracks the rise of Las Vegas, including its vital role during World War II; the rise of the Strip in the 1950s; the explosive growth of the 1990s; and the colossal collapse triggered by the real estate bust and economic crisis of the mid-2000s. Schumacher surveys the history of the iconic casinos, debunking myths and highlighting key players such as Howard Hughes, Kirk Kerkorian, and Steve Wynn.

Schumacher’s history also profiles the Las Vegas where more than two million people live. He explores the neighborhoods sprawling beyond the Strip’s neon gleam and uncovers a diverse community offering much more than table games, lounge acts, and organized crime. Schumacher discusses contemporary Las Vegas, charting its course from the nation’s fastest-growing metropolis to one of the Great Recession’s most battered victims.

Sun, Sin & Suburbia will appeal to tourists looking to understand more than the glitz and glitter of Las Vegas and to newcomers who want to learn about their new hometown. It will also be an essential addition to any longtime Nevadan’s library of local history.

First published in 2012 by Stephens Press, this paperback edition is now available from the University of Nevada Press.
1112540557
Sun, Sin & Suburbia: The History of Modern Las Vegas, Revised and Expanded

More than forty million visitors per year travel to Sin City to visit the gambling mecca of the world. But gambling is only one part of the city’s story. In this carefully documented history, Geoff Schumacher tracks the rise of Las Vegas, including its vital role during World War II; the rise of the Strip in the 1950s; the explosive growth of the 1990s; and the colossal collapse triggered by the real estate bust and economic crisis of the mid-2000s. Schumacher surveys the history of the iconic casinos, debunking myths and highlighting key players such as Howard Hughes, Kirk Kerkorian, and Steve Wynn.

Schumacher’s history also profiles the Las Vegas where more than two million people live. He explores the neighborhoods sprawling beyond the Strip’s neon gleam and uncovers a diverse community offering much more than table games, lounge acts, and organized crime. Schumacher discusses contemporary Las Vegas, charting its course from the nation’s fastest-growing metropolis to one of the Great Recession’s most battered victims.

Sun, Sin & Suburbia will appeal to tourists looking to understand more than the glitz and glitter of Las Vegas and to newcomers who want to learn about their new hometown. It will also be an essential addition to any longtime Nevadan’s library of local history.

First published in 2012 by Stephens Press, this paperback edition is now available from the University of Nevada Press.
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Sun, Sin & Suburbia: The History of Modern Las Vegas, Revised and Expanded

Sun, Sin & Suburbia: The History of Modern Las Vegas, Revised and Expanded

by Geoff Schumacher
Sun, Sin & Suburbia: The History of Modern Las Vegas, Revised and Expanded

Sun, Sin & Suburbia: The History of Modern Las Vegas, Revised and Expanded

by Geoff Schumacher

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Overview


More than forty million visitors per year travel to Sin City to visit the gambling mecca of the world. But gambling is only one part of the city’s story. In this carefully documented history, Geoff Schumacher tracks the rise of Las Vegas, including its vital role during World War II; the rise of the Strip in the 1950s; the explosive growth of the 1990s; and the colossal collapse triggered by the real estate bust and economic crisis of the mid-2000s. Schumacher surveys the history of the iconic casinos, debunking myths and highlighting key players such as Howard Hughes, Kirk Kerkorian, and Steve Wynn.

Schumacher’s history also profiles the Las Vegas where more than two million people live. He explores the neighborhoods sprawling beyond the Strip’s neon gleam and uncovers a diverse community offering much more than table games, lounge acts, and organized crime. Schumacher discusses contemporary Las Vegas, charting its course from the nation’s fastest-growing metropolis to one of the Great Recession’s most battered victims.

Sun, Sin & Suburbia will appeal to tourists looking to understand more than the glitz and glitter of Las Vegas and to newcomers who want to learn about their new hometown. It will also be an essential addition to any longtime Nevadan’s library of local history.

First published in 2012 by Stephens Press, this paperback edition is now available from the University of Nevada Press.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780874179880
Publisher: University of Nevada Press
Publication date: 09/01/2015
Edition description: 1
Pages: 344
Sales rank: 361,418
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range: 3 Months to 18 Years

About the Author


Geoff Schumacher is the director of content for the Mob Museum in Las Vegas. He was a reporter and city editor for the Las Vegas Sun, editor of Las Vegas CityLife and the Las Vegas Mercury, and director of community publications and a weekly columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Schumacher is also the author of Howard Hughes: Power, Paranoia & Palace Intrigue and the editor of Nevada: 150 Years in the Silver State.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Revised and Expanded Edition 9

Introduction: Making a Life in the City of Sun, Sin, and Suburbia 11

Chapter 1 Downtown: The Revival 23

Chapter 2 The Strip: 1941-1988 67

Chapter 3 The Strip: 1989-2012 85

Chapter 4 Howard Hughes: The Game Changer 115

Chapter 5 Summerlin: Taking the Edge Off Desert Living 137

Chapter 6 Henderson: The Master-Planned City 155

Photographs 189

Chapter 7 North Las Vegas: Two Cities in One 207

Chapter 8 The Federal Role: Balancing Act 225

Chapter 9 Lap of Luxury: Las Vegas Goes Upscale 247

Chapter 10 Transportation: Better Late than Never 265

Chapter 11 The Reckoning: Riches to Rags 291

Chapter 12 The Future: Hope Floats 309

Recommended Reading 325

Acknowledgments 329

About the Author 331

Index 333

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