Las Vegas is famous for gambling ( now called gaming - it sounds less offensive ) and for the top star entertainment. It is also home to Lake Mead, Hoover Dam (aka Boulder Dam), Valley of Fire, the Air Force Thunderbirds, Mt. Charleston Ski Resort, Red Rock Canyon State Park, & the Valley of Fire State Park. We are home to the three largest conventions in the world: Consumer Electronics Winter Show , Comdex Computer Show, The National Association of Home Builders, plus the NFR - National Finals Rodeo - each year.

Sports wise, Las Vegas is kind of different. While were are not slack about our sports, it seems were not that enthused about supporting some of them either. Auto racing, basketball, baseball, hockey and football all have had representation here - at least for a while. Strong support is gathered for a couple of sports though. Home to a first class NASCAR-INDY racetrack - Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a minor league baseball team that was called "The Las Vegas Stars" and was a call-up for the San Diego Padres. On September 27, 2000 they switched to the LA Dodgers. On December 19, 2000, they changed the name of the team to the Las Vegas 51s to mark the transition from being the San Diego Padres' Triple-A affiliate to the Los Angeles Dodgers' top farm club. In the area of what has come and gone, we have had a host of football attempts, a couple of hocky and basketball teams. If you would like to see a list of sports and teams that have popped up and what happened to them, go to Las Vegas Sports Teams.

However, what you may not know, is how much of a world class golfing city Las Vegas has become. Just look at who has designed courses here: Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Fazio, Pete Dye Designs, PGA Tour Designs, Schmidt-Curley and a host of PGA Players : Ray Floyd, Chi Chi Rodriques, Billy Casper, Greg Nash, Fuzzy Zoeller, and Johnny Miller. You can find a page listing all the architects and the courses they have designed in Las Vegas at: Course Architects. Just a added note, Hotel Reservations Network, a provider of discount hotel accommodations worldwide, ranked Las Vegas as its most popular destination for 2001. And for the 15th consecutive year, Nevada continued its reign as the nation's fastest-growing state according to 2001 Census Bureau.