Las Vegas Boulevard runs the length of the Las Vegas metropolitan area in Clark County. "The Boulevard", as it is sometimes called by longtime Las Vegas residents, starts at about southwest of the
ghost town of
Crystal, and continues south to about south of
Jean, in the
Mojave Desert. The Boulevard shows up again in
Primm, but is currently not connected to the northern sections. There are plans to connect the existing section at Primm to the northern section at Jean via
Southern Nevada Supplemental Airport. Las Vegas Boulevard serves as the Valley's east/west address demarcation boundary line south of
The Strat onwards. The road's own north/south street address demarcation boundary is located at its intersection with Fremont Street. Unlike most other cases, where using the more traditional nomenclature of putting the direction before the road name is common practice, The Boulevard is an exception, as it is rarely referred to as "North Las Vegas Boulevard" and "South Las Vegas Boulevard". The road instead is usually referred to as "Las Vegas Boulevard North" (abbreviated LVBN) and "Las Vegas Boulevard South" (stylized LVBS) by both residents and various media outlets. At its northern end, the Boulevard starts at the south end of Moapa Paulite Solar Road. Running north of, but roughly parallel with I-15, it heads southwest toward Las Vegas, passing through an
industrial complex of
manufacturing plants and
power plants running along the
Union Pacific Railroad line in
Apex. Traveling south, the road meets
Nellis Air Force Base on the east side and the
Las Vegas Motor Speedway on the west side. As the road enters the city of
North Las Vegas, it passes through some of the older commercial areas in the region. As the road approaches the city of Las Vegas proper, some of what historical Las Vegas became visible, as some of the older
casinos appear along with some of the more famous and long-operating
strip clubs. Upon entering the city limits of Las Vegas, the Boulevard showcases the area's past with many
museums, including the
Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park, the
Neon Museum and the
Fremont Street Experience and downtown casino sector. On crossing Washington Avenue, the Boulevard is designated as the
Downtown Las Vegas Boulevard Scenic Byway by the state. This designation continues south to Sahara Avenue. Further south is a stretch of road that has many of the older
motels,
bars and
wedding chapels that were among the high points of the old Vegas before the era of the
megaresorts.
Las Vegas Strip , picture taken looking north up the strip in 2009 The Boulevard leaves the city of Las Vegas at Sahara Avenue and assumes its unofficial name the
Las Vegas Strip for the next . This portion of Las Vegas Boulevard begins a few blocks to the north at
The Strat (the only major Strip hotel/casino sited within the Las Vegas city limits) and runs through
Winchester and
Paradise with the Strip technically ending at
Russell Road. This is the section of the road most people are familiar with; it is home to casino megaresorts with their world-famous lights, huge video signs and other attractions. It is designated as an
All-American Road. Just past the end of "The Strip", the road passes the
Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign (located in the median) as it abuts the western edge of the
Harry Reid International Airport property. The sign is often considered the south end of the Strip. "South Strip" is now used to describe the section of Las Vegas Boulevard between Russell Road and Blue Diamond Road. Along this stretch, development thins out, except for newer
shopping malls,
hotels,
resorts,
casinos and
condominiums (such as
South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa and
The Grandview at Las Vegas) as the Boulevard continues to travel south, just to the east of
Interstate 15. After passing the
M Resort, the Boulevard enters rural desert areas. It continues to parallel Interstate 15 and eventually arrives at
Jean. South of Jean, the road ceases to be a major artery for a stretch of several miles before resuming just north of
Primm, where it runs alongside two of the resort's hotels and shopping mall; just short of the Nevada/California state line, the road changes its name to Lotto Store Road (appropriately serving a
convenience store across the state line whose only purpose is to sell
California State Lottery tickets to Nevadans), then loops around the shopping mall as Fashion Outlet Way before ending at Primm Valley Boulevard. ==Traffic Safety==