What some have referred to as “the most recognizable icon in the world,” simultaneously welcomes people coming into Las Vegas and invites back those who are departing. However, these gestures are just part of the reason that the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Sign compels visitors to line up for a chance to snap a photo of themselves beneath what has become a world-famous icon that has become synonymous with the city itself.
“My Gift to the City”
Designed by Betty Willis and sold to Clark County in 1959, the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Sign is a 25-foot-tall sign that sits in the median of Las Vegas Boulevard, approximately four miles south of the Las Vegas city limits. The Sign welcomed visitors on what was the only road in from Los Angeles, and soon had tourists posing for pictures and even performing marriage ceremonies beneath it.
The south side of the Sign displays the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada” in different sizes and styles, while the north side reads “Drive Carefully Come Back Soon” in a similar display of various sizes and styles. An eight-pointed, red-painted metal star outlined with yellow neon can be seen from both sides of the Sign. The varied colors and styles of the Sign are clearly visible during the day, but are also lit up at night.
Willis never copyrighted the Sign and has referred to it as “my gift to the city,” allowing the image to be freely reproduced on everything from magnets to t-shirts to food. The Sign’s popularity can be seen in the crowds that flock to it on a daily basis but the influence of the piece has also been recognized in an official capacity. In 2009, the Sign was added to the National Register of Historic Places, and it unofficially marks the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip.
This “gift to the city” is one that the economy and culture of the region has benefited from in countless ways.
Ubiquitous Throughout Las Vegas and Beyond
To say that the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Sign is ubiquitous throughout the city is an understatement, with the Sign appearing on items that are designed to appeal to tourists as well as in advertisements geared towards residents. It appears in places that are both familiar and unexpected, further exemplifying the influence it has enacted. The Sign means something distinct to different sets of people, and that appeal has created countless economic opportunities available to anyone since the Sign doesn’t have a copyright owner.
The influence of the Sign goes beyond the figurative impact it has had for the area though, and it’s popularity directly led to improvements to the area. In 2012, a parking lot for cars and tour buses was created in the median. The area was also expanded to accommodate the influx of pedestrians and traffic.
The Sign’s pervasiveness extends beyond the limits of Las Vegas though, with replicas and recreations appearing all across the world. Sometimes the name of the city is simply swapped out, while others rearrange the shapes and text of the Sign in especially creative ways.
These imitations and impersonations further exemplify the influence the Sign has had, all of which is driven by the thousands of people who flock to the Sign to commemorate or celebrate everything from vacations to group outings to marriages. This appeal continues to grow and influence the legacy of the Sign across Las Vegas.
No Bigger Las Vegas Icon
In a city that features larger than life displays, people and events, the fact that the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Sign has achieved such notoriety proves that monuments can take any form, and come from the most unexpected places. There likely isn’t a bigger icon of Las Vegas than the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Sign, and that popularity has and will continue to have a monumentous impact on visitors and the entire region.
