A YouTube video showcases the lesser-known, abandoned side of Las Vegas. The narrator explores the city's forgotten hotels, casinos, and motels, which were once popular in the 1950s and 1960s. The area's decline began when The Strip emerged, drawing tourists and investment away. Today, the area is mostly inhabited by locals, with some remaining businesses, including tattoo shops, wedding chapels, and operating motels. The narrator notes that some old establishments are being repurposed into successful businesses, such as vintage-themed shops and restaurants, giving the area a possible second life. However, the area also struggles with homelessness, drug abuse, and crime. The video aims to highlight the transience of popularity and the importance of not taking things for granted.
1. The narrator is exploring a part of Las Vegas that is not typically showcased in tourist guides.
2. The area being explored is near Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas.
3. Many of the former casinos, strip clubs, and motels in the area are abandoned.
4. The area saw its peak in tourism in the 1950s and 1960s.
5. Las Vegas was founded in the early 1900s.
6. The first casino in Las Vegas was established around 1906.
7. The casino gained notoriety for selling alcohol during the Prohibition era and hosting illegal bets.
8. In the 1940s, Las Vegas experienced a significant boom, with hotels, restaurants, and casinos sprouting everywhere.
9. The downtown area of Las Vegas witnessed a massive tourism boom from the 1950s to the 1970s.
10. Locals manage many of the abandoned establishments that have been closed for over 20 years.
11. The area is now mostly a local habitation where locals come at night for drugs and prostitution.
12. The Strip in Las Vegas is currently the hot zone, with massive hotels and casinos.
13. The Flamingo hotel was built in the 1940s by a top mobster who invested $6 million.
14. In its first year of operation, the Flamingo generated over $4 million.
15. Casinos used to display $1 million in cash at their entrance doors to assure people that they had enough money to pay winners.
16. The boom of mega-resorts and mega-hotels occurred in the 1990s and persists to this day.
17. Many of the motels in the area began to evacuate in the mid-1990s, following the trend.
18. In 2023, the area is mostly forgotten and uncertain about its future.
19. Despite its decline, the area is not entirely dead, with many people making a living in the region.
20. Some of the abandoned motels are turning into successful businesses, such as tattoo shops, wedding chapels, and supermarkets.
21. Locals see an opportunity in the abandonment to create attractions with a vintage, cool appeal.
22. The area is home to many people experiencing homelessness, and there is evidence of drug abuse in the streets.
23. Some of the old motels are turning into furnished apartment buildings that rent rooms at a reasonable price.