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Monday, June 10, 2024

Early June 2024 Cultural Information.

  

Las Vegas, during the 1970's and the 1980's, experienced massive growth. Las Vegas and Clark County had incredibly high growth rates. The population more than doubled in most decades. The rate slowed down in the 1970s with the decrease of the white birth rate but never dropped below 60% (1980–1990), and even accelerated after 1990 due to immigration. By 2000, Las Vegas was the largest city founded in the 20th century, and by 2006 it was the 28th largest city in the U.S., with a population of 552,000 in the city and nearly 1.8 million in Clark County. The explosive growth resulted in the rapid development of commercial and residential areas throughout the Las Vegas Valley. The strong boom in the resort business led to many new condominium developments all along the Strip and downtown area. Also, urban sprawl development of single-family homes continued across the valley, building the areas of Henderson, North Las Vegas, Centennial Hills, and Summerlin. The rapid development and population growth both halted abruptly in the late 2000s recession. The famous American author and journalist Hunter S. Thompson wrote and published his seminal novel called "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," describing the experience of his 1971 trip to the city. By November 21, 1980, the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino suffered a devastating fire. A total of 85 people died and 785 were injured in what remains the worst disaster in Nevada history. The property eventually was sold and reopened as Bally's Las Vegas, and MGM moved south to Tropicana Avenue. From 1989 to 2007, there was the megaresort era of Las Vegas The Rat Pack and Mafia ended by the 1980's. The World War II generation started to retire in massive numbers, and the rise of Baby Boomer entrepreneurs started a new era in the city's history. The megaresorts grew in Vegas. Therefore, Las Vegas began to become a more commercialized, family-oriented place with large corporations coming to own the hotels, casinos, and nightclubs in place of Mafia bosses. The megaresort era kicked off in 1989 with the construction of The Mirage. Built by developer Steve Wynn, it was the first resort built with money from Wall Street, selling $630 million in junk bonds. Its 3,044 rooms, each with gold-tinted windows, set a new standard for Vegas luxury and attracted tourists in droves, leading to additional financing and rapid growth on the Las Vegas Strip. More landmark hotels and other structures were razed to make way for even larger and more opulent resorts including Rio and Excalibur in 1990, Mandalay Bay, Venetian, and Paris in 1999, Planet Hollywood (formerly Aladdin) in 2000, Palms existed in 2001, and Wynn was opened in 2005.  



The home mortgage crisis (2007-2010) and the late 2000s recession affected Las Vegas' economic success. New home construction was stalled, and construction projects either were canceled, postponed, or continued with financial troubles. Some of these projects included the MGM Mirage property of CityCenter, Fontainebleau, Echelon, and The Plaza. The global financial situation also had a negative effect on gaming and tourism revenue, causing many of the companies to report net loss. By 2010, empty lots on the Strip were affecting the foot traffic of other casinos. The new landmark hotels and resorts are the Encore from 2008, CityCenter in 2009, Sphere at the Venetian Resort in 2023, and Fontainebleau in 2023. In the 2010s, multiple analysts agreed that the Las Vegas economy was recovering, with improving conditions in tourism and the housing market for 2013. Prices are rising and there has been a large increase in the million dollar home market, with many new custom homes being built. January 2013 marked the 19th consecutive month with home sales higher than the same month in the previous year. In addition, Las Vegas was named America's Top Turn Around Market for 2012 by Trulia.


During the late evening of October 1, 2017, Las Vegas became the scene of the deadliest mass shooting committed by a single gunman in the history of the United States. A gunman opened fire on Route 91 Harvest festival-goers from the Mandalay Bay resort, killing 60 and injuring 867. The Alpine Motel Apartments fire occurred in downtown Las Vegas in December 2019, killing six people. It is the deadliest fire to occur in city limits. During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic casinos were ordered to close, nearly unheard of in Las Vegas. The COVID-19 pandemic reached the city in March 2020, having various effects such as business closures and time. This has also led to mass cancellation of events and festivals. 



Due to concerns about climate change in the wake of a 2002 drought, daily water consumption in Las Vegas has been reduced from 314 gallons per resident in 2003 to around 205 gallons in 2015. Despite these conservation efforts, local water consumption remains 30 percent more than in Los Angeles, and over three times that of San Francisco. In June 2017, a heat wave grounded more than 40 airline flights of small aircraft, with American Airlines reducing sales on certain flights and Las Vegas tying its record high at 117 degrees Fahrenheit.


Overall, Las Vegas continues to evolve, with many places being constructed and built. The city also continued to open more retail, which are largely high end. Furthermore, it continues to attract and gain more tourists from around the world. Many recent buildings of 2020s decade include Area15, Circa, and Resorts World, all of which are unique to Las Vegas. It will continue the urban sprawl of Las Vegas and its county. Las Vegas Strip will look different in 2020s since the brand new decade will bring new designs such as reshapes and these new LED lights on the edges of the Luxor and the debut of Mayfair Supper Club. The Las Vegas Convention Center completes its extension to the Strip with the convention business being bigger than other buildings, which will get its own renovation from 2021 to 2024. Allegiant Stadium opened in 2020, which welcomed the Raiders and their fans, and was selected to host Super Bowl LVIII. Other new events include MSG Sphere rounding out the Vegas skyline, Flamingo Steakhouse's rebirth in the vintage style, mysterious Area15 opening its doors, complicated relationship with Asian dining, a lot of new residencies, Resorts World preparing a newer debut, Caesars Forum emerging as a new event space, Wynn getting a few recent restaurants, Hard Rock transforming into a Virgin Resort, new kind of food tour that hits The LINQ in the Strip, new burger and drive-in, and Truth & Tonic being the first all-vegan restaurant on the Strip of Las Vegas. It is suggested that the downtown will look different with the overhead of Vision video and $15 million renovation of its own with new roadwork in the Fremont East District. Also, Downtown Grand in Las Vegas is expanding widely with this establishment of a second hotel rise. On April 2, 2024, Tropicana Las Vegas closed after 67 years of operation. It is set to be demolished and replaced by New Las Vegas Stadium which will be the home of the Oakland Athletics after they relocate to Las Vegas. 



In conclusion, Las Vegas is known for many things from hotels to casinos. Yet, many people forget that Las Vegas is very diverse with a wide-ranging cultural power. The city has over 640,000 people with restaurants, churches, fine dining, entertainment locations, stadiums, and other forms of entertainment that has enriched people for over one century. We know about the Rat Pack, Toni Braxton, Usher, Celine Dion, Elvis Presley, Wayne Newton, and other artists performing in Las Vegas for years and decades. From the Clark County Government Center to the World Market Center, social and technological power exists in Las Vegas. Las Vegas has been called by many names like City of Lights, Capital of Second Chances, The Silver City, America's Playground, and The Marriage Captial of the World. The mayor of Las Vegas is the Independent Carolyn Goodman. Las Vegas is also the second largest city in the Southwest being a cultural staple of West Coast culture. There are tons of prominent people who were born in Las Vegas, Nevada like Vashti Cunningham (a professional track and field high jump athlete, who is the daughter of football legend Randall Cunningham), Ricky Davis, Greg Anthony, and other human beings. Las Vegas is a heavily middle-class, working-class city. The myth is that Las Vegas consists of mostly wealthy corporate leaders. The reality is that chefs, teachers, judges, plumbers, engineers, janitors, factory workers, nurses, doctors, Uber drivers, architects, and other people make massive social contributions to Las Vegas on a daily basis fully. The people in Las Vegas of every color and every background have made Las Vegas an outstanding cultural location. 


 


When thinking about the 1400's, we see a massive amount of technological, social, and cultural changes. This century saw the Late Middle Ages, the Early Renaissance, and the early modern period. There were advanced banking, accounting, and new infrastructure. This era of human history saw a decisive French victory over the English in the Battle of Castillon. Financial troubles in England following the conflict resulted in the Wars of the Roses, a series of dynastic wars for the throne of England. The conflicts ended with the defeat of Richard III by Henry VII at the Battle of Bosworth Field, establishing the Tudor dynasty in the later part of the century. Fashion by the 1400's was heavily divided based on class. Many super-wealthy human beings in Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania, Australia, and the Americas had luxury textiles, elaborate dagging, and personal emblems. Nobles, commoners, and other people of the poor plus middle class wore diverse clothing. Back then, many women wore the linen called chemise. There were silk skirts and gowns that many women wore back then. One of the most important accessories worn by women during the 15th century were headdresses. There were two types called the bourrelet and the wired veil. Both had a hairstyle too. Many headdresses had jewelry on them. Many men back then wore woolen tunics and various capes. The doublet or pourpoint (from the French verb pourpoincter, to pierce through or quilt) had already replaced the loose-fitting, knee-length tunic for upper-class men in the mid-1300s (Van Buren and Wieck 314). Knights wore armor and the doublet. Many people wore a variety of colors on their clothing to make political statements, denote class, and represent royalty. Gold necklaces were worn by men and women Tons of people wore pointy shoes too. 


 


One major part of Diana Ross's legacy is about women leadership in music and entertainment. She was a boss long before boss women were more commonplace by the early 21st century. By the 1970's, she was a well-known businesswoman. Her work ethic was cultivated by her family and friends from the projects of Detroit. Diana Ross has been through adventures via tours, creating music, making friends, and loving her children. What remains constant in her life is the love of the culture of musical expression. She also is a very humble woman who has shown respect to legendary people like Beyonce, Brandy, and other artists. She was in The Supremes being one of the greatest groups of all time. There is no En Vogue, Destiny's Child, SWV, Brownstone, Total, Allure, and other groups without The Supremes breaking records, eliminating barriers, and showing outstanding songs like Where Did Our Love Go, Love Child, Baby Love, Come See About Me, Stop! in the Name of Love, Back in My Arms Again, You Keep Me Hangin' On, I Hear a Symphony, You Can't Hurry Love, and other hits. Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard were legends of The Supremes with their great vocal ability and supreme humbleness. Also, Diana Ross is her own woman who made great solo projects in her own right too. She had a long friendship with Michael Jackson filled with creative energy, love, and strength. Her children like Rhonda Ross Kendrick, Tracee Ellis Ross, and Evan Ross have been involved in acting and singing for years. Diana Ross promoted The Jackson 5, Brandy, and tons of other musicians for generations. Diana Ross has a lengthy legacy as one of the premier women entertainers of the 20th and 21st centuries.



By Timothy








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