West Las Vegas

West Las Vegas is an historic neighborhood in Las Vegas, Nevada. This 3.5 sq mi (9.1 km2) area is located northwest of the "Spaghetti Bowl" interchange of I-15 and US 95. It is also known as Historic West Las Vegas and more simply, the Westside.[1] The area is roughly bounded by Carey Avenue, Bonanza Road, I-15 and Rancho Drive.[2][3]

This is about the specific historic area. In many uses, West Las Vegas can mean any portion of the area west of I-15.

History

As a time when segregation was common, blacks in effect created their own Las Vegas that offered everything the real city did. The area even had its own version of the Las Vegas Strip, the Black Strip in an area around Jackson Avenue.[4]

Once segregation lost its hold on the city by 1960, the area fell into disrepair as the more prosperous blacks moved to other areas of the community.[4]

The Moulin Rouge Hotel opened on May 24, 1955 and was the first integrated hotel casino in Las Vegas.

In 1992, the West Las Vegas riots created havoc for the entire area.

Culture

In Popular Culture

Las Vegas documentary film-maker, Stan Armstrong has produced three documentaries about the history of West Las Vegas based on his family's experiences while living there between the 1950s through the 1980s. In 2006, He made Invisible Las Vegas, which recounts the history of West Las Vegas, emphasizing the town's development by the thousands of blacks from the Deep South who came seeking a better way of life only to find other forms of racism. Recently, he made a documentary, The Rancho High School Riots, about the turbulent years at Rancho High School between the White and African-American students attending the school during the late 60s and early 70s. Armstrong plans to release his completed documentary,The Las Vegas Misunderstood Legend of the Moulin Rouge, a film examining the brief history of the Las Vegas hotel.

References

  1. ↑ "West Las Vegas Workshop - American Planning Association (APA)". City of Las Vegas. 2007. Retrieved 2009-09-19.
  2. ↑ "West Las Vegas Plan". City of Las Vegas. 2007-12-19. Retrieved 2009-09-19.
  3. ↑ "West Las Vegas Zoning". City of Las Vegas. 2008-01-23. Retrieved 2009-09-19.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Struggling district first needs residents". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 2008-04-28. Retrieved 2009-09-19.
  5. ↑ "West Las Vegas Library". Las Vegas-Clark County Library District. Retrieved 2009-09-19.

Coordinates: 36°08′04″N 115°17′21″W / 36.13454°N 115.28915°W

External links