logo
Brief Publisher Logo
FACT BRIEF

Is the Las Vegas Strip located in Las Vegas?

By Jannelle Calderon
View this fact brief on The Nevada Independent
Copy link
email
Copy featured image
email
NO

The 4.2-mile stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard lined by hotels and casinos and known as the Strip is located in unincorporated Clark County, not within Las Vegas city limits.

The hotel corridor is part of Paradise, an unincorporated town that was formed on Dec. 8, 1950. The City of Las Vegas was mainly contained to the downtown area that was established in 1905. In 1941, the El Rancho Vegas Hotel and Casino became the first resort on what is known today as the Strip.

The Strip’s location outside of city limits enticed hoteliers seeking to avoid municipal taxes. In 1950, then-Las Vegas Mayor Ernie Cragin proposed annexing the Strip to capture tax revenue, but casino owners pushed the county to create an unincorporated township to block the mayor.

Today, the “room tax” in unincorporated Clark County is 12 percent, while the City of Las Vegas’ is 13.38 percent.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
maps.clarkcountynv.gov Clark County Map
City of Las Vegas City of Las Vegas History Timeline
Las Vegas Review-Journal Knowing Vegas: Why isn’t the Strip in Las Vegas?
Google Books “Las Vegas: The Fabulous First Century” - By Thomas Ainlay, Judy Dixon Gabaldon
files.lasvegasnevada.gov City of Las Vegas Transient Lodging Establishment Room Tax Instructions and Guidelines
clarkcountynv.gov Amendment to Clark County Code updating transient lodging tax rates
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
The Nevada Independent
The Nevada Independent is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news and opinion website founded in 2017 by veteran political journalist and commentator Jon Ralston. The site and its supporting channels are focused on ethical, unbiased and transparent journalism. In general, we aim to gather and disseminate important public information and increase civic engagement. We are supported by corporate donations, memberships, event ticket sales and sponsorships and foundation grants. We disclose all our members and donors. Donors have no influence over our content, ever. The Nevada Independent is the dba for Nevada News Bureau, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 2010 by Elizabeth Thompson, who now serves as one of The Nevada Independent's managing directors and its Editor.
FACT BRIEF BY
Brief Publisher Logo
Latest fact briefs from The Nevada Independent
facebook
twitter
email
email
About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.