Did you know that it has been a long-standing local understanding that Las Vegas is considered the unofficial ninth island of Hawaii?
Why is that?
Strange right? Las Vegas is dry, hot, fast-paced, and we have to import our tropical plants. Hawaii, on the other hand, is paradise! The sound of ocean waves in the distance geet you upon your arrival and native grown palm and banana trees sway in the breeze. Not to mention, island life runs at a much slower speed.
How did this happen?
According to some sources, “the ninth island,” moniker came about due to Sam Boyd. Sam, was a staple of the Las Vegas casino industry. He was also the owner of The California Hotel, which caters to the islands. Mr. Boyd lived in Hawaii with his young family for a time and during his stay saw how passionate Hawaiians were about gambling. When he eventually landed on the scene in Las Vegas, he began rising through the ranks of the casino industry. Ultimately leading him to form a marketing campaign to the islands in remembrance of their affinity for gambling.
The icing on the cake!
There are now multiple Boyd Gaming charter jets that arrive at McCarran International airport from Hawaii every week. While at any given time ninety percent of the guestbook at The California Hotel is a Hawaiian resident. Talk about making a marketing campaign work for the longterm!
Statistically, Las Vegas has the most significant population of Hawaiians outside of Hawaii. Adding to our appeal is our cost of living. So much so that there are more than fifty thousand Hawaiians who live, work and play in las Vegas. Not included in that number, are the one in five Hawaiians who visit Las Vegas each and every year from the islands.
“The ninth island” moniker is well known amongst locals. UNLV has had lectures about the subject, local leaders in the Hawaiian community are interviewed about it, and here I am talking about it.
Want to learn more about Hawaiian culture? Check out the Las Vegas Hawaiian Civic Club. http://www.lasvegashcc.org/