Cheap Flights to Nevada
by Roger Wade
July 5th, 2006
Most visitors go to Las Vegas to gamble and experience luxury hotels and an uninhibited nightlife. Vegas also draws conventions and trade shows to the state, Reno brings in more gamblers, and snowbirds and gamblers flock to Laughlin and Bullhead City.
How legalized gambling came to Nevada goes back to the Comstock Lode. Discovered in 1857, this was the largest silver deposit ever mined. As it was mined out, the population declined, and then the Depression closed the mines. In 1900, in what Lawrence Friedman dubbed “a burst of ingenuity,” Nevada started to legalize things that were illegal in California, and in 1931 legalized gambling as a revenue source and tourist attraction. And it worked.
Nevada does have other attractions. The state is largely untouched wilderness. Most of the wilderness is federally owned, so there’s lots of rugged terrain and desert valleys to explore. Outdoor activities include hiking, climbing, biking, geocaching, and exploring ghost towns. Nevada is also a popular retirement area, with retirement communities that are more like mini-resorts.
