A major announcement came out of L.A.’s backyard this week: the resort that ushered in the Modern Era of Las Vegas will be shutting its doors forever. The impact that the Mirage had on Las Vegas was like no hotel since the Flamingo opened in 1946 and kicked off The Strip, and it literally changed Vegas as a town, a community, and is single-handedly responsible for turning into a world-class metropolis. Here’s the story of the impact of the Mirage on the city that 4.8 million people from Los Angeles visit each year.