Las Vegas is just like any other city in the continental US and is mostly famous for it's huge and glitzy resorts. I remember as far back staying in the Dunes, Sahara, and Sands before resorts like The Mirage started the building boom. My earliest memory of Vegas was back in 1989 when I was sitting outside the Sands with my mom and watched The Mirage just open it's doors to the public.
I miss the old shows like:
Siegfried and Roy - The Mirage
Folies Begere - Tropicana
Enter The Night - Stardust
Radio City Rockettes - Flamingo Hilton
Mama Mia - Mandalay Bay (Recently Closed)
Different eras of Vegas:
Classic Vegas = Bugsy featuring Warren Beatty
Old Vegas = Clark Griswalds Vegas Vacation
New Vegas = The Hangover
Now they have shows like Peepshow, Cris Angel (Both just laughable) and Cirque shows that represent a new trend of entertainment and the occasional concert venues.
What I also like about Vegas is the weather, the openness of the desert compared to California, friendly locals and NO INCOME TAX! The corruption in the casinos have some incentives towards Las Vegasans! :P