The True Story Behind Las Vegas’s Naked City: From Showgirls to Crime and a TV Show

By jili tutorial · September 19, 2026

The True Story Behind Las Vegas’s Naked City: From Showgirls to Crime and a TV Show

Introduction: A Seductive Myth That Won’t Die

For decades, a colorful legend has surrounded a small neighborhood just north of the Las Vegas Strip. Known today as “Naked City,” this cluster of low‑rent apartments and modest houses sits in the shadow of the Stratosphere tower. The popular story goes that in the 1960s, when the area was still a respectable part of town, showgirls lived there and liked to sunbathe au naturel at their apartment pools to avoid tan lines. That, the tale claims, is how the neighborhood earned its cheeky nickname.

But as with many Vegas myths, the truth is far less titillating—and far more grim. The real origin of “Naked City” has nothing to do with sunbathing showgirls and everything to do with crime, a classic film noir, and a struggling urban community. This guide digs deep into the facts, the history, and the failed attempts to rebrand the area, while preserving every detail from the original myth‑busting report.

The Myth: Showgirls at the Pool

How the Story Spread

The myth claims that the Meadows Addition—the official name of the neighborhood—was a desirable place for Las Vegas entertainers in the 1950s and ’60s. Showgirls from productions like Minsky’s Follies rented apartments there because of low rents and a short commute to the Strip. They allegedly sunbathed naked at their apartment pools, and the sight supposedly gave the neighborhood its nickname.

A famous photograph from 1958 shows a group of Minsky’s Follies showgirls unwinding at producer Harold Minsky’s residence at 5712 Kelly Lane. However, that house was not in the area now known as Naked City. The image has been used out of context to support the myth, but the geographic reality is clear: the showgirls were miles away from the Meadows Addition.

Why the Myth Persists

The story is pleasant and fits the image of a glamorous, carefree Las Vegas. Local business owners and even some city officials later promoted it as a cover story to distract from the area’s real history. As Jeffrey Carlson, historian and publisher of Vintage Las Vegas, explains: “To put it in personal terms, I want to believe the sun‑tanning showgirl story, because the alternative is depressing.”

Historical Origins: The Meadows Addition

Birth of a Post‑War Neighborhood

The Meadows Addition—the name “Las Vegas” is Spanish for “the meadows”—was platted in the late 1940s. Its streets formed a neat grid of 16 blocks, each named after other American cities: New York, Chicago, Cleveland, St. Louis, and Philadelphia, among others. At the time, the area was on the northern fringes of the growing resort corridor.

Before the Sahara Hotel opened in 1952, what is now Sahara Avenue was entirely within this community, where it was known as San Francisco Street. The first apartment buildings rose in 1953, and the Meadows Addition quickly became a popular home for Strip employees, including showgirls, who appreciated the low rents and short commutes.

A Changing City, A Fading Neighborhood

As Las Vegas expanded beyond the Strip, hospitality workers and performers had more choices. Newer, more attractive houses with yards and modern amenities were built farther out. By the late 1970s, the Meadows Addition had been largely forgotten—except by drug dealers, gangs, and illegal sex workers. The neighborhood fell into disrepair, and crime rates soared.

The Real Origin of “Naked City”: A Crime‑Soaked Nickname

The 1948 Film and 1958–1963 TV Series

The true source of the nickname is “The Naked City,” a 1948 film noir that follows New York City police as they hunt a murderer. The film was famous for its gritty, semi‑documentary style and its closing line: “There are eight million stories in the naked city. This has been one of them.” It later inspired a television series of the same name that aired on ABC from 1958 to 1963, known for its realistic portrayal of crime in New York.

How Police Adopted the Name

The first known newspaper reference to “Naked City” in Las Vegas appeared in a June 20, 1982, Las Vegas Review‑Journal cover story headlined: “‘Naked City’ a Las Vegas Battleground.” In that article, homicide Lieutenant John Conner reported investigating ten killings in the neighborhood over 16 months. “Most of them appear to be drug‑related,” he said. The article explicitly stated that the neighborhood was “called ‘Naked City’ by Metro police officers.”

The way the term exploded into the local press—complete with the context that it was police slang—is hard to ignore. Jeffrey Carlson notes that he has spoken to dozens of residents who lived in the area during the 1960s and 1970s, and “never heard the name.” The nickname seems to have been invented by law enforcement in the late 1970s or early 1980s, referencing the TV show’s depiction of crime‑ridden urban streets.

The Neighborhood’s Decline and Attempts at Rebranding

Bob Stupak and the Vegas World / Stratosphere Gamble

The name did not sit well with property owners. Among them was Bob Stupak, a controversial Las Vegas casino entrepreneur. In 1979, Stupak opened the Vegas World casino resort on land he owned in the Meadows Addition. In 1996, he replaced Vegas World with the Stratosphere—whose 1,149‑foot observation tower remains the largest structure west of the Mississippi. (The old Vegas World towers were remodeled for the new property.)

The “Meadows Village” Rebrand

In the late 1980s, Stupak’s allies in city government agreed to officially rename the neighborhood Meadows Village. They also began spreading the showgirl‑sunbathing myth as a sanitized origin story, insisting that the Naked City nickname had nothing to do with crime. Several local businesses, perhaps hoping to capitalize on the catchy name, signed on to celebrate the rewritten history: Naked City Pizza, Naked City Audio, and Naked City Sweets all opened in the area.

Yet the rebranding never fully stuck. The original nickname remained in popular use, and the crime‑based explanation continued to be the dominant local understanding.

The Enduring Legacy: Naked City Today

A Place of Contrasts

Today, a one‑bedroom apartment in the Meadows Addition rents for about $950 per month—relatively affordable by Las Vegas standards. The neighborhood is still a mix of older apartment buildings and houses, but it has seen some revitalization in recent years. The Stratosphere (now the Strat) remains a major landmark, and the area’s proximity to downtown and the Strip continues to attract a diverse population.

Why the Myth Still Matters

The gap between the sunny, titillating legend and the grim reality is striking. As Jeffrey Carlson put it, “The subject is interesting to me because the gap between the sunny, titillating legend and the grim reality of the counter‑story are so distant from one another.” The myth endures because it’s easier to imagine showgirls lounging by a pool than to confront the history of drug‑related violence that gave the area its real name.

Conclusion: Separating Fact from Fantasy

The story of how Las Vegas’s Naked City got its name is a perfect example of how urban legends can overshadow uncomfortable truths. The sunbathing‑showgirl myth is charming, but it’s fiction. The real Naked City was a product of a crime‑plagued era, named by police after a famous TV show about urban decay. Understanding that history provides a more honest—and more human—picture of a neighborhood that has weathered decades of change.