Why were settlements started in places like Vegas and Pheonix if they weren’t connected to a river that connected to the ocean like the Mississippi River for trade and had no viable farmland?

Question

Why were settlements started in places like Vegas and Pheonix if they weren’t connected to a river that connected to the ocean like the Mississippi River for trade and had no viable farmland?

In: 4650

Answer 1

Vegas has water from the Colorado River. Prior to the introduction of gambling, it was tiny. The population in 1940 was a bit over 8,000. Even after the introduction of gambling, it still had less than 25,000 inhabitants in 1950. But gambling is really profitable (for the casinos) and the money drew more people and it has grown, using Colorado river water. If gambling get turned off, it will shrink really fast and will be a tiny fraction of its current size in a few years.