LAS VEGAS — The secret to looking good at 100 is great lighting, and this city has never looked better.

Modern Las Vegas can be traced to May 15, 1905, when the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad, which controlled the rights to the water supply, auctioned parcels of land totaling 110 acres. Who could have guessed those parcels would one day become the casino-lined Glitter Gulch?

MARLENE KARAS/Special (ENLARGE)
Installed in 1951, Vegas Vic stands 75 feet tall and weighs 12,000 pounds. The neon sign was refurbished in the 1990s.
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The railroad's headquarters moved north in the 1920s, followed by three events that shaped the modern city. In 1931, gambling became legal in Nevada. Second, the "quickie divorce" was even easier to obtain; visitors only had to meet a six-week residency requirement. Third, the construction of Boulder Dam, now known as Hoover Dam, brought in thousands of workers and an influx of federal dollars.

This insulated the area from most of the hardships of the Great Depression.

In 1941, hotelier Tommy Hull opened the El Rancho Vegas Hotel on what is now Las Vegas Boulevard. Other hotel-casinos soon followed, and by the late 1940s, the last few miles of the two-lane road from Los Angeles to Las Vegas became known as the Las Vegas Strip.

Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel opened his Flamingo Hotel, the most celebrated of the early resorts, on New Year's Eve 1946. So it's appropriate that Las Vegas, which is celebrating its centennial, began the yearlong party this past New Year's Eve.

A noteworthy event is scheduled for Oct. 7-9. For the first time in 20 years, the Japan Sumo Association will bring wrestlers to the United States for a three-day professional event at Mandalay Bay. The association, which seldom sends its athletes abroad, accepted the invitation from the centennial committee in an effort to globalize a sport that is more than 1,500 years old. Tickets: $75-$325. 1-877-632-7400, http://mandalaybay.com/entertainment.

If you're planning a trip this year, here are four things you can investigate:

• Elvis: Elvis is still in the building and he is everywhere. On slot machines, at wedding chapels and "in person." Among the best is Pete Vallee as Big Elvis at the Barbary Coast. He takes requests and the show is free. 3-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays. 1-888-227-2279, http://www.barbarycoastcasino.com.

• The buffets: Though not $1.99 anymore, you may still find a few that are not that much more expensive. Almost every hotel still has one. When money is no object, the Bellagio buffet (http://www.bellagio.com) is one that should not be missed.

• Neon: It's everywhere. On Fremont Street, Vegas Vic is still in front of the Pioneer Club. Erected in 1951, he may now be considered politically incorrect because he is smoking a cigarette, but he is among the most enduring symbols of old Las Vegas. He was spruced up in the late 1990s by the Neon Museum, a nonprofit that restores old neon and displays it in a museum (http://www.neonmuseum.org), also on Fremont Street.

• Poker: Because of the popularity of Texas Hold 'Em Poker tournaments on television, every casino has sprouted a poker room that usually has a waiting line. If you're not sure how to play, you can take a class on gaming at several of the casinos. Did you ever want to learn to play Pai Gow poker? Go to http://vegas.com/gaming/gamingclasses.html to see a list of hotels that offer classes.