Skip to main content
Home

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center

Main Menu

  • EROS Home
  • Image Gallery
  • Video Library
  • Earthshots
  • Remote Sensing Classroom

Earthshots

  • Earthshots
    • Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
      • Western Urban Expansion
      • Southwestern Las Vegas
      • Change Animation
      • Lake Las Vegas
      • Lake Mead
      • Land Cover Maps
      • Near Lake Mead
      • Impervious Surface
  • Download Cards
  • More Information
  • Contact Information
Earthshots Logo

Western Urban Expansion A Las Vegas, Nevada, USA story

Cities  / 
Deserts  / 
Water
  1. Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
  2. Western Urban Expansion
Description

In these false-color images, bright green indicates vegetation. As the city expands, you can see a sort of land cover succession as people build on the desert landscape.

  • Non-developed land cover appears orange-brown in the Landsat 5–8 images. This color comes from sparse desert vegetation, reddish soils, and rock.
  • Construction land appears brighter than surrounding land. Bulldozed soil, bare of vegetation, is very reflective of light.
  • A young neighborhood appears a little paler green than older neighborhoods. The trees are small, and some developments conserve water by landscaping with rock and desert plants rather than grass.
  • An old neighborhood is slightly darker green than new neighborhoods from the mature trees and more grass.
  • Golf courses appear bright green because they are mostly pure pixels of vegetation. Residential areas are darker green because the pixels there are a mixture of trees and grass along with structures. New golf courses tend to be incorporated into residential developments, while older courses tend to be separate.
  • Water (2) appears almost black because water typically absorbs solar radiation at the wavelengths depicted in these images. Like golf courses, water is sometimes integrated into residential developments for recreational purposes.
View Related Imagery & Stories

Location

Sep. 13, 1972, Landsat 1 (path/row 42/35) — western Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Sep. 13, 1972, Landsat 1 (path/row 42/35) — western Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Sep. 10, 1986, Landsat 5 (path/row 39/35) — western Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Sep. 10, 1986, Landsat 5 (path/row 39/35) — western Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Sep. 10, 1992, Landsat 5 (path/row 39/35) — western Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Sep. 10, 1992, Landsat 5 (path/row 39/35) — western Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Sep. 24, 2000, Landsat 7 (path/row 39/35) — western Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Sep. 24, 2000, Landsat 7 (path/row 39/35) — western Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Aug. 11, 2010, Landsat 5 (path/row 39/35) — western Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Aug. 11, 2010, Landsat 5 (path/row 39/35) — western Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Aug. 9, 2021, Landsat 8 (path/row 39/35) — western Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Aug. 9, 2021, Landsat 8 (path/row 39/35) — western Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Sep. 13, 1972, Landsat 1 (path/row 42/35) — western Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Sep. 10, 1986, Landsat 5 (path/row 39/35) — western Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Sep. 10, 1992, Landsat 5 (path/row 39/35) — western Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Sep. 24, 2000, Landsat 7 (path/row 39/35) — western Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Aug. 11, 2010, Landsat 5 (path/row 39/35) — western Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Aug. 9, 2021, Landsat 8 (path/row 39/35) — western Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA Additional Imagery & Stories

Change Animation
Change Animation

If you could speed up time and watch a fast-growing city like Las Vegas change, what would it look like? From the perspective of the Landsat satellite...

Read More
Impervious Surface
Impervious Surface

NLCD images of western Las Vegas show that much more urban expansion took place here between 2001 and 2006 than over the next 5 years. The land cover ...

Read More
Lake Las Vegas
Lake Las Vegas

Between 1986 and 1992, a lake appeared east of the city, along Las Vegas Wash, a riparian area. This is Lake Las Vegas, a privately owned lake that is...

Read More
Lake Mead
Lake Mead

How is Las Vegas getting enough water for its expanding population? Most of it comes from Lake Mead on the Colorado River. The Colorado River provides...

Read More
Land Cover Maps
Land Cover Maps

The images displayed in this section show a different way of looking at change over time. These images are part of the National Land Cover Database (N...

Read More
Near Lake Mead
Near Lake Mead

These close-up NLCD images show the water level changes to western Lake Mead. The water classification (blue) changes to barren ground (gray) as the l...

Read More
Southwestern Las Vegas
Southwestern Las Vegas

Zooming in on the southwestern portion of the city reveals further urban and suburban changes. McCarran International Airport expanded in this timefra...

Read More
  • DOI Privacy Policy
  • Legal
  • Accessibility
  • Site Map
  • Contact USGS

  • U.S. Department of the Interior
  • DOI Inspector General
  • White House
  • E-gov
  • No Fear Act
  • FOIA