Downtown Las Vegas (commonly abbreviated as
DTLV) is the
central business district and historic center of
Las Vegas,
Nevada. It is the original townsite and was the gambling district of Las Vegas prior to the Strip, and the area still incorporates
downtown gaming. As the urban core of the
Las Vegas Valley, it features a variety of hotel and business
highrises, cultural centers, historical buildings and government institutions, as well as residential and retail developments. Downtown is located in the center of the Las Vegas Valley and just north of the
Las Vegas Strip, centered on
Fremont Street, the
Fremont Street Experience and
Fremont East. The city defines the area as bounded by I-15 on the west, Washington Avenue on the north, Maryland Parkway on the east and Sahara Avenue on the south.