The El Rancho Vegas awaits commuters on Highway 91 (which would later become The Strip) in this late 1940s photo. The El Rancho was the first hotel casino on The Strip to offer gaming, lodging and dining in one location. A long train car can be seen in the distance heading toward downtown. At the time, the economy of Las Vegas was still reliant on the railroad between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. View photo »

An aerial view of Highway 91 in the mid-1950s shows the isolation of the Flamingo and Dunes hotels (near the bottom of the photo) from the rest of Las Vegas. The large golf course, now the Wynn Golf Club, is one of the few plots of land that has maintained its boundaries throughout the years, although it's layout and landscaping have seen significant alterations. View photo »

Development along the Las Vegas Strip came at a time when the nation was just beginning to embrace a complete car culture. Trolleys and commuter rail systems were being pulled out of major cities to make way for retrofitted freeways and extra lanes. Planners considered Las Vegas a fresh start for a revolutionary type of city building. The Strip was designed to function without traffic lights or stop signs as this 1968 picture shows. View photo »

A 1964 aerial view of the Las Vegas Strip shows the Desert Inn and New Frontier hotels. The control tower-like Landmark hotel wouldn't open until 1968 after it was purchased by Howard Hughes. Hughes himself would come to live in the penthouse suite of the Desert Inn in 1966, where he would negotiate purchases that would change the face of Las Vegas. View photo »

The first iteration of the Las Vegas Convention Center, a flyng saucer-inspired circular building with a shiny metal roof, can bee seen in this March 2, 1965 aerial shot of Las Vegas. In front of it is the incomplete 31-story Landmark Hotel. Early suburban development can also be seen in the distance. View photo »

The late 1970's Strip. Culturally the city was going through a golden age with books and movies set in its environs, but new investment lagged as the city reeled from the loss of traffic from LA due to the 1973 oil crisis. Kirk Kerkorian is largely credited with maintaining the city's growth, opening the International Hotel and signing Elvis Presley then opening the MGM Grand Hotel. After Atlantic City legalized gambling in 1976 and swooped up the majority of east coast gaming business, few thought the region would grow much beyond its 1980 population of around 450,000. View photo »

A 1985 aerial view of Las Vegas Boulevard. Traffic lights were not installed until well after the Strip was established. Today the Wynn occupies the block between the Sands Avenue and Desert Inn Road. The Sands, Lobster House and small hotels on the bottom right have been replaced by the Venetian and sister property the Palazzo. View photo »

An aerial view of the Las Vegas Strip, looking south from Treasure Island, August 19, 2004. The late 1990s and early 2000s saw a construction boom on the south Strip with new resorts and tower addition projects. Pools and lush landscaping replaced the sandy desert highway of the early Strip. View photo »

The 2005 Las Vegas Strip from Mandalay Bay. Megaresorts like the New York, New York, Wynn, Aladdin, Venetian and Stratosphere dominate the modern Las Vegas skyline. View photo »

The Dunes and the under-construction Caesars Palace can be seen in this aerial photo of Las Vegas, 1962. The Dunes along with its 18-hole golf course would later become the Bellagio, while Caesar's, although very different, is still with us. View photo »