Betty Willis: The Woman Behind The Welcome To Las Vegas Sign

Las Vegas is known for many things, one being the city’s famous “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign. Betty Willis saw her art as a gift to Sin City, and today the iconic sign is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world.

Her name might not be nearly as recognizable as Bugsy Siegel, Howard Hughes or Steve Wynn, but Betty Willis made an equally important contribution to the history and image of Las Vegas. Designed in 1959, her famous “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign that sits at the south end of the Las Vegas Strip has stood as an icon of Sin City for decades. Due to her decision not to copyright the design, the sign has been used in a whole range of Vegas souvenirs, advertisements, pop-culture depictions and parodies.

History

Born in nearby Overton and raised in Las Vegas, Willis attended art school in Los Angeles before returning to her hometown in 1943, spending the rest of her life in the Vegas area, and working steadily until age 77. As an employee of Western Neon, she came up with the design during a time when she was also working on the signs for legendary Las Vegas hotel-casinos The Mint and the Moulin Rouge. However, the Las Vegas sign remains her most enduring contribution to the city that has also grown in prominence over the decades.

Inspiration for the sign

Inspired by wooden signs that Willis had seen welcoming visitors to Los Angeles, her design reflects the Googie style of architecture that was popular at the time. The wording on the front of the sign (“Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada”) was created on just as much of a whim, but “fabulous” has become the city’s go-to designation. “There was no other word to use […], Las Vegas was fabulous, and we wanted to advertise that,” Willis said at the Las Vegas’ Springs Preserve panel discussion in 2008. The same goes for the wording on the back (“Drive carefully, come back soon”), which Willis argued for over a sentiment that would encourage people to leave their money at the casinos. “Repeat business is always better,” she told the panel audience.

As she purposefully decided not to copyright her design, other areas like downtown Las Vegas and Boulder Highway have used the sign to attract visitors. The physical sign was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009 and is currently owned by the Young Electric Sign Company and leased to Clark County. However, the design belongs to people everywhere. Willis’s work on the signs for the Moulin Rouge, The Mint and the Blue Angel has been preserved at the Neon Museum in downtown Las Vegas, although none of those signs can rival the visitor numbers of her welcome sign. Although Willis passed away in 2015 at the age of 95, her mark remains all over Las Vegas, from the Strip to the suburbs.

landscape with balloons floating in the air

KEEN TO EXPLORE THE WORLD?

Connect with like-minded people on our premium trips curated by local insiders and with care for the world

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.