Las Vegas, Arizona (Alternity)

Las Vegas is the third-largest city in the state of Arizona (after only Phoenix and Tucson), the 29th-largest city in the United States (with a population of roughly 650,000), and the seat of Mead County.

Initially established as a railroad stopover in 1905, Las Vegas grew to become an incorporated city with a population of just over 1,000 in 1912, shortly after Arizona achieved statehood. The completion of Hoover Dam (and the creation of Lake Mead, the largest man-made lake in the country) in 1935 brought a major influx of permanent residents and tourists alike into the area, adding to the legalization of gambling in 1931 and the subsequent founding of the casinos for which the city is famous. Since then, it has rapidly expanded to become the fastest-growing city of the United States founded in the 20th century, while many of the city's famous casinos are actually situated along the Las Vegas Strip (located to the south, in the unincorporated city of Paradise). It is also known as "The Desert Paradise" or "Sin City".