Boulder City was established in 1931 to house the builders of Hoover Dam and to be a model of the brighter future Americans could expect under President Hoover’s administration. To protect its residents from the wild ways of
Las Vegas, only 23 miles away, the town was established with an anti-gaming ordinance that is still in effect today.
More than 1 million visitors tour Hoover Dam every year, and Boulder City is the perfect place to begin your tour. Be sure to tour the Boulder City/Hoover Dam Museum to see how the Stock Market Crash, the Depression and eventually the Hoover Dam impacted American life. Visitors to Boulder City can also tour the
Nevada State Railroad Museum or walk along the track that was used to ferry materials from the town site to the dam during the construction years. Boulder City’s layout makes for an interesting walk on a sunny afternoon, as you can see how the dam builders lived and how the town was built in a distinctly structured fashion to separate the classes of citizens at the time.
Lake Mead was created with the completion of Hoover Dam and is now a recreational paradise for boaters and water-sports enthusiasts. Houseboating, water skiing and wakeboarding are all activities you can find virtually year-round on the lake. On the other side of Hoover Dam, the Colorado River still flows free and offers visitors exciting rafting options.
Recently Boulder City has become an outdoor activity center, with an impressive system of mountain-bike trails in Bootleg Canyon, aptly named as the place where bootleggers produced liquor during Prohibition.
A visit to Boulder City would not be complete without a stay at the Boulder Dam Hotel, built in 1933 to host visiting government officials and dignitaries during the construction of the dam. Its Dutch Colonial walls have housed celebrities from Bette Davis to Shirley Temple, business tycoons from Howard Hughes to George Pepperdine, and dignitaries from Archduke Otto Hapsburg to Cardinal Pacelli, who later became Pope Pius XII. The hotel is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Looking for something to do? Boulder City has an impressive lineup of annual events, including the Best Dam Barbecue, Fourth of July Damboree, and Santa’s Electric Light Parade.
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