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Laughlin is an unincorporated town〔http://www.clarkcountynv.gov/Depts/admin_services/laughlin/Pages/LaughlinTownAdvisoryBoard.aspx Laughlin Town Board〕 and census-designated place in Clark County, Nevada, United States, and a port located on the Colorado River. Laughlin is south of Las Vegas, located in the far southern tip of Nevada. It is best known for its gaming, entertainment, and water recreation. As of the 2010 census, the population was 7,323.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Laughlin CDP, Nevada )〕 The nearby communities of Bullhead City, Arizona; Needles, California; Fort Mohave, Arizona; and Mohave Valley, Arizona, bring the Laughlin area's total population to about 100,000. Its name comes from Don Laughlin, an Owatonna, Minnesota, native who purchased the southern tip of Nevada in 1964 (informally called South Pointe). At the time, Don Laughlin operated the 101 Club in Las Vegas. He opened what would become the Riverside Resort, offering all-you-can-eat chicken dinners for 98 cents, 12 slot machines and two live gaming tables, along with eight motel rooms (although four of the rooms were occupied by Don Laughlin's family). He wanted to call the community Riverside or Casino, but the post office opted for Laughlin instead. Laughlin is the third most visited casino and resort destination in the state after Las Vegas and Reno, and is one of the top five destinations for American RV enthusiasts. A September 2013, article in the ''Las Vegas Review-Journal'' is quoted as saying "Once a boomtown, Laughlin has seen nothing but declines for a dozen years, almost exactly coinciding with the loss of regular airline flights after Sept. 11, 2001. The 2.1 million visitors recorded last year by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is less than half the 1997 peak. Through July, the count has dropped another 2.2 percent compared to 2012." 〔http://www.reviewjournal.com/business/laughlin-continues-pursue-resumption-regular-flights〕 Laughlin is advertised as a family-friendly destination. Being located on the river, outdoor and family activities are emphasized. Many of the casinos that line the Colorado River are linked by an unofficial pedestrian thoroughfare known as the Laughlin Riverwalk. ==History== The southernmost tip of Nevada, along the Colorado River, where Nevada, California, and Arizona meet, has become a major national tourist destination and gambling resort within the last few decades. The townsite of Laughlin was established in the 1940s as ''South Pointe'' because of the proximity to the southern tip of the state of Nevada. The early town consisted of a motel and bar that catered to gold and silver miners, construction workers building Davis Dam, and fishing enthusiasts. In the 1950s, construction workers left, and the town all but disappeared. In 1964, a man by the name of Don Laughlin, owner of the 101 Club in Las Vegas, flew over the site and saw its tourism potential. He offered to buy the land, and within a few years, the small motel and casino, consisting of only 12 slots and two live tables, was bustling. In 1966, the Riverside Resort built the first 14-floor high-rise; in 1972, 48 rooms were added, followed by several additions. A second casino, the Bobcat Club, opened in 1967, where the Golden Nugget Laughlin currently operates. In 1968, a third casino, the Monte Carlo, opened its doors. Across the river, Bullhead City, Arizona, flourished in the glow of the casino light. Shuttle boats transported customers from the Arizona side of the river to Laughlin's resorts and back. The 1980s saw the construction of several more hotels and casinos. The Colorado Hotel (now the Pioneer), The Regency, Sam's Town Gold River (now the Laughlin River Lodge), and The Edgewater opened in the early 1980s. Other investors saw the growth as an opportunity to get in on the action. A second boom resulted in the construction of The Colorado Belle, Harrah's Del Rio, and The Ramada Express (now The Tropicana Express). In 1987, Don Laughlin funded and built the Laughlin Bridge at a cost of $3.5 million. He donated the bridge to the states of Nevada and Arizona. The bridge carries 30,000 vehicles daily. The Flamingo Hilton, now known as The Aquarius, was built in 1990. Today there are nine hotel/casinos and one motel in Laughlin providing over 10,000 rooms, of meeting space, 60 restaurants, two museums, a 34-lane bowling center, and a variety of boutiques, spas, and salons. More than 14,000 casino workers now cross the Colorado by shuttle boat or the Laughlin Bridge each day. The city by the river currently attracts less than 2 million visitors annually who visit Laughlin to gamble, enjoy water sports on the Colorado, and attend many high-profile special events hosted by the community. The Mohave Power Station opened in 1971, but closed down on December 31, 2005. In April 2002, Laughlin was the scene of a deadly fight between two rival California motorcycle gangs, the Hells Angels and the Mongols. The fight broke out inside Harrah's Laughlin during the annual Laughlin River Run. Mongol Anthony Barrera, 43, was stabbed to death, and two Hells Angels, Jeramie Bell, 27, and Robert Tumelty, 50, were shot to death. Six members of the Hells Angels, as well as six members of the Mongols were sent to prison as a result of the event, and 36 other people had their charges dismissed. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Laughlin, Nevada」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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