Getting Better All the Time: Las Vegas Writers Explore Progress

Progress is a motive force in every city--and, perhaps, the point of civilization itself. The evolution of Sin City has challenged conventional meanings and methods of forward movement since it began its modernization by embracing both nontraditional behaviors (legalized gambling, liberalized divorce laws) and sizable federal investments (Hoover Dam, Nellis Air Force Base). Through the up and down eras that followed--Rat Pack, Elvis, megaresorts, housing boom, housing bust, and now the Down...