Las Vegas satellite anigif
 

The last frame looks different because it's higher res.

The "strip" is immediately to the left and just above of the McCarran Natl Airport, an L shape of two runways, at center bottom.

Note especially the draining of manmade Lake Mead, LV's water source, on the right.

Whoa. That's nuts!

wow. Why the fuck would so many people want to live in the middle of the stinking desert?

Vegas will make a mighty fine ghost town someday.

Vegas has grown, but look how much Lake Mead has shrunk.

The dropping lake level caught my eye immediately. Cool shot. They should get more of those from around the globe.

Apparantly, the only thing that happens in Vegas that DOESN'T stay in Vegas is VEGAS!

Except OJ.

We took a dinner cruise on Lake Mead last year. It's amazing when you look up the walls of the lake and realize that the water is 20-30 feet lower than it used to be.

Here is an interesting chart of Lake Mead water levels going back 70 years. It's based on feet above sea level, so the lake is not 1000+ feet deep. Notice that the lake is at least 50 feet lower than it was in 2003. It's also dipping to lows it had in the 1950's and 60's, serving a population that was significantly lower. Except for a brief spike in 2005, the decline has been consistent.

When I flew out of Vegas last year, I had a great look at the lake. Absolutely amazing amount of bleached white rock showing where the level used to be.

I was watching a show on the Atacama desert the other night... parts of which have not seen rain in 23 million years. Wow, that's a freakin desert. [/totally unrelated]

Still, the resemblance is remarkable.

What are the black outlined boxes/shapes mainly on the upper left of the later images?

Subdivision pavement?