Las Vegas (/lɑːs ˈveɪɡəs/, also locally /lɑːs ˈvɛɡᵻs/; Spanish:[lazˈβeɣas]) officially the City of Las Vegas and often known assimplyVegas, is a city in the United States, the most populouscity in thestate of Nevada, the county seat of Clark County, andthe cityproper of the Las Vegas Valley. Las Vegas is aninternationallyrenowned major resort city known primarily forgambling, shopping,fine dining and nightlife and is the leadingfinancial and culturalcenter for Southern Nevada.
The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of theWorld,and is famous for its mega casino–hotels andassociatedentertainment. A growing retirement and family city, LasVegas isthe 29th-most populous city in the United States, with apopulationof 603,488 at the 2013 United States Census Estimates.[6]The 2013population of the Las Vegas metropolitan area was 2,027,828Thecity is one of the top three leading destinations in theUnitedStates for conventions, business, and meetings.[7] Inaddition, thecity's metropolitan area has more AAA Five Diamondhotels than anyother city in the world, and is a global leader inthe hospitalityindustry.[8][9] Today, Las Vegas is one of the toptouristdestinations in the world.[