In Las Vegas Myths Debunked, it's revealed that the city actually has around 15,000 miles of glittering neon lights.
Travel, real estate, and legal websites often try to attract more visitors than they should by sharing impressive facts about the cities they operate in. A common claim repeated about Las Vegas is that it has "15,000 miles of neon."
However, this isn't a surprising fact; it's simply a Las Vegas legend.
No one has a precise measurement of the neon tubes that adorn the Las Vegas Strip and downtown area. If we were to straighten out all the neon lights, their total length would be an estimate, taken straight from someone's imagination.
Emily Fellmer, the collections manager at the Neon Museum, told us, "[It would be] nearly impossible to accurately obtain that figure." She added, "We don't even have a count of how many linear feet of neon we currently have functioning in the Boneyard."
The disagreement about the amount of neon in just one building is illustrated by an example mentioned by Fellmer. Binion's Horseshoe was said to have had 8 miles of neon during a 1961 renovation, while other sources mentioned 6 miles and 4 miles.
The Myth's Origin
The origin of the 15,000 miles of neon myth seems to be a May 2, 2000 article about Las Vegas Boulevard published in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Although the Strip is only 3 miles long, the reporter wrote, "There are more than 15,000 miles of neon tubing blazing on all the casinos lining the road" without providing a source.
This estimate then appeared in a December 20, 2001 article in the Nevada Appeal, and it has been commonly repeated ever since. On September 14, 2023, even the Las Vegas Visitors and Convention Authority tweeted it:
When asked where the LVCVA got this information, a spokesperson replied, "Let me do some digging," but never followed up.
Chasing the Rainbow of Neon
It would be challenging to measure the distance of the neon lights visible on signs and structural details even if there were a way to do so when the R-J article was published 23 years ago. But since then, much of these neon lights have been replaced with more energy-efficient LED lighting.
For example, a 2018 press release from Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO), which operates the Vegas Vic and Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas signs, noted that they removed "15,000 linear feet of neon" from the Bellagio and replaced it with LED lighting.
Interestingly enough, all neon measurements are always given in terms of 15,000 (whichever unit).
Look out for "Vegas Myths Busted" every Monday on [website] to read more debunked Las Vegas legends. Got a suggestion for a Las Vegas legend that needs busting? Email [email address].
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Source: www.casino.org
