Las Vegas Sign History –

I don’t think it is any secret that one of the most famous signs in the world today is the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign located on the southern part of the Las Vegas Strip.  The Las Vegas sign history started when it was designed in 1959 by Betty Willis, who was working for Western Neon and cost $4,000 to build and install.  She designed the iconic Las Vegas sign to greet visitors driving in from Los Angeles on Highway 91 which was inspired by her father, Las Vegas pioneer S.R. Whitehead, Clark County’s first tax assessor, who died 18 years before the sign went up.  “We thought the town was fabulous, so we added the word,” Willis told the New York Times in 2005.  On April 19, 2015, Betty Willis, died in her home in Overton, Nevada. She was 91 years old.  The design of the sign was never copyrighted since Willis considered this her gift to the city and wanted it to be in the public domain. It is no secret that Betty could have made millions, but what an awesome gift to the city and all the visitors.

On May 1, 2009, the “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign was added to the National Register of Historic places.  On May 5, 2015, Clark County commissioners declared May 5th ‘Betty Willis Day’ honoring the designer of the sign

Updates to the Las Vegas sign area have also been steady over the last several years as there is now a mini-parking lot located on the south end of the sign.  This is a good change for pedestrians as years ago a person had to basically dodge traffic to get to the sign for a picture. The city has also updated the Las Vegas sign to solar power.

If you have been to Las Vegas, and have not visited “the famous sign”, I welcome you to take the time to do that and give a “thank you” to Betty Willis for making it happen, something we all truly enjoy!