"This sign is one of the most recognizable images associated with Nevada and its tourism industry," said Ron James, Nevada Historic Preservation officer, in a written statement.

Designed by Betty Willis in 1959, the sign stands in a traffic median on Las Vegas Boulevard, just south of Russell Road. The Young Electric Sign Co. owns the sign and leases it to Clark County.

Much in that area has changed since the sign was first installed. Mandalay Bay towers above where the Hacienda Hotel once stood. The Signature Executive Terminal has replaced the old McCarran airfield. And the boulevard is no longer the main route from Southern California.

In December, the county opened a 12-space parking lot and walkway on the median, making it safer for people to snap pictures of the sign.

"The sign has been not only an important symbol for our community but a magnet for untold thousands who have had their pictures taken in front of it," County Commissioner Rory Reid said.

Contact reporter Scott Wyland at swyland@reviewjournal.com or 702-455-4519.