1954 Map of Las Vegas

About this map

The Spring Mountains and the Sheep Range define the dramatic topographical basin where Las Vegas began its mid-century expansion. This 1954 data, revised in the late 1960s, documents the city before its massive late-twentieth-century sprawl, showing distinct early residential clusters like North Las Vegas, Henderson, and Victory Village. The presence of the Stardust International Raceway and McCarran International Airport signals the region's burgeoning transition into a global destination. Beyond the neon, the map traces the critical infrastructure of the era, from the Hoover Dam and the Union Pacific railroad lines to the extensive Nellis Air Force Range and the Test Site (AEC) to the northwest. This survey provides a rare look at the valley's original spring-fed landscape, noting sites like Indian Springs and Cactus Springs before intensive modern development altered the groundwater and surface footprint of the Mojave.