<P> North of this point, the Resort Corridor can be considered to extend as far east as Paradise Road, although some consider Koval Lane as a less inclusive boundary . Interstate 15 is sometimes considered the western edge of the Resort Corridor from Interstate 215 to Spring Mountain Road . North of this point, Industrial Road serves as the western edge . </P> <P> The famous "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign is located in the median just south of Russell Road, across from the now - demolished Klondike Hotel & Casino . Another similar (and newer) "Welcome to Fabulous Downtown Las Vegas" sign is in the median a mile north of the Strip at the intersection of Las Vegas Blvd and South 4th St. Newer resorts such as South Point and the M Resort are on Las Vegas Boulevard South as distant as 8 miles south of the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign . Marketing for these casinos usually states that they are on southern Las Vegas Boulevard and not "Strip" properties . </P> <P> The first casino to be built on Highway 91 was the Pair - o - Dice Club in 1931, but the first on what is currently the Strip was the El Rancho Vegas, opening on April 3, 1941, with 63 rooms . That casino stood for almost 20 years before being destroyed by a fire in 1960 . Its success spawned a second hotel on what would become the Strip, the Hotel Last Frontier, in 1942 . Organized crime figures such as New York's Bugsy Siegel took interest in the growing gaming center leading to other resorts such as the Flamingo, which opened in 1946, and the Desert Inn, which opened in 1950 . The funding for many projects was provided through the American National Insurance Company, which was based in the then notorious gambling empire of Galveston, Texas . </P> <P> Las Vegas Boulevard South was previously called Arrowhead Highway, or Los Angeles Highway . The Strip was named by Los Angeles police officer and businessman Guy McAfee, after his hometown's Sunset Strip . </P>

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