![\"15](\"https:\/\/www.signs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/thumbnail-2-e1360162643755.jpeg\" "\\"15")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
You know that what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas (unless the paparazzi is watching). And you know that you\u2019ve made it to Vegas when you see the iconic sign. But do you know these surprising facts about the \u201cWelcome to Fabulous Las Vegas\u201d sign?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s located at 5100 Las Vegas Boulevard South, which is in the neighboring town of Paradise. In fact, much of the old Vegas strip is technically located in Paradise. So all that time you thought you were in Vegas… you weren\u2019t.<\/p>\n
It stands only 25 feet tall. Compared to the famous Vegas Vic sign, which stands 40 feet tall, it\u2019s a dwarf.<\/p>\n
Thanks to Hollywood, you probably think of the sign when you think of the gangsters that founded Vegas. But the sign wasn\u2019t actually put into place until 13 years after Bugsy Siegel opened The Flamingo. And while the gangsters of early Vegas certainly were adept at marketing, the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Sign wasn\u2019t their idea.<\/p>\n
Ted Rogich, a World War II vet, moved to Nevada and started a small neon sign company called Western Neon Co. He admired the neon signs of the city, but he noticed that, while there were tons of signs advertising the local casinos, hotels and restaurants, there wasn\u2019t a sign advertising the city itself.<\/p>\n
Think you\u2019ve never heard of \u201cGoogie?\u201d Well, you\u2019ve certainly seen it. This style of design was popular during the 40s and 50s. Remember The Jetsons? Their combination of futurism, the atomic age and space travel was a great example of Googie. When the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign was created, Googie was a typical design style used on motels, restaurants and diners.<\/p>\n
This was a big deal in 1959. Betty Willis, who had attended art school\u00a0 in Los Angeles, was working in Vegas as a commercial artist before she began designing neon signs. In an interview, Betty once said, “Most people are surprised when they find out a woman designed the sign. It was a man’s business back then. It wasn’t a woman’s field because when you work with neon signs, you have to not only design them, but you have to learn the nuts and bolts of how neon, light and electricity work. You have to learn about pressure points and weight and wattage of lamps. You work with engineers as well as artists. Most women back then weren’t interested in such technical stuff.”<\/p>\n
At only $4,000, the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Sign was a bargain. In comparison, the roadside sign for the Stardust Hotel and Casino was replaced in 1967 for $500,000.<\/p>\n
Across the top of the sign are 7 white circles, each with a letter from the word \u201cWelcome.\u201d Those circles are actually designed to portray silver dollars, since Nevada is the \u201cSilver State.\u201d<\/p>\n
Betty gave the design of the sign to the city of Las Vegas as a gift. As such, she never copyrighted her design. So now you can buy a Vegas keychain, Vegas magnet, Vegas bumper sticker, all with the \u201cWelcome to Fabulous Las Vegas\u201d sign and Betty doesn\u2019t get a dime. Considering how many tourists go through the city every year and how many souvenirs they buy, Betty\u2019s gift turned out to be worth a fortune.<\/p>\n
Tourists stood in the middle of the road in order to get their photo with the legendary sign. The city eventually decided that the possibility of dead or injured tourists was bad for business, so in 2008, it installed a parking lot by the sign. Now it\u2019s much easier to get a photo… you just have to wait your turn.<\/p>\n
Because… it\u2019s historic. It was nominated and approved in 2009.<\/p>\n