Las Vegas is a suburb.
Las Vegas . The city anchors the Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area and is the largest city within the greater Mojave Desert . The city 's tolerance for numerous forms of adult entertainment earned it the title of Sin City , and has made Las Vegas a popular setting for literature , films , television programs , and music videos . At the close of the 20th century , it was the most populated American city founded within that century ( a similar distinction earned by Chicago in the 1800s ) . A suburb is a residential area or a mixed use area , either existing as part of a city or urban area or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city .