FAMILY LIFE:

• In 1960, over 70 percent of all American households were made up of a working father, a homemaker mother, and their children. Today, "traditional" families with a working husband, an unemployed wife, and one or more children make up less than 15 percent of the nation's households. As American families have changed, the image of the family in the media has changed accordingly. Today's families vary from both parents working to single mothers and their children and unmarried couples who live in the same house.

• In a decade, divorce rates doubled. The rapid increase in the divorce rates contributed to a dramatic increase in the number of single-parent households or what used to be known as broken homes. The number of households consisting of a single woman and her children has tripled since 1960.

• As late as 1940, less than 12 percent of white married women were in the work force; today the figure is nearly 60 percent and over half of all mothers of pre-schoolers work outside the home.

• As wives have assumed a larger role in their family's financial support, they have felt justified in demanding that husbands perform more child care and housework. Today, over two-thirds of all three-to-five year olds take part in a day care, nursery school, or pre-kindergarten program, compared to a fifth in 1970.

HOUSING:

TIME ZONES:
PDT - Pacific Daylight Time (Left, Blue) - 1pm
MDT - Mountain Daylight Time (Pink) - 2pm
CDT - Central Daylight Time (Green) - 3pm
EDT - Eastern Daylight Time (Right, Blue) - 4pm 

WEDDINGS:

To get married in Las Vegas: You must present some identification and proof of your age. (A valid passport is acceptable). You must be over 18 years old. (You can be married if you are 16 or 17 years old only if you are accompanied by at least one of your parents or if you have an official document verifying your parent's permission.) If you were previously married and divorced, you must have a copy of your final divorce decree that clearly indicates the date and place that the final decree is registered. 

Both the bride and groom must appear in person at the Marriage License Bureau at 200 South Third Street downtown. The office is open from 8AM until midnight on weekdays and from 8AM Friday until midnight Sunday every weekend. They are also open 24 hours on all holidays. A marriage license cost $30. Once you have the license, any person authorized by the state of Nevada can perform the marriage ceremony. One witness must be present at the ceremony. Most wedding chapels will supply the witness if you have none.

Drive Thru Wedding: There are many places to get married in Las Vegas and many types of wedding ceremonies. You can have anything from a short simple civil ceremony to an elaborate, romantic wedding. You can have a themed wedding, an outdoor wedding even a helicopter wedding. 

A Civil Ceremony: The simplest way to get married is by having a brief civil ceremony performed by the Las Vegas Marriage Commissioner. It can be completed in the Marriage Commissioner's Office. It will require only half of an hour and will cost about $50. 

Wedding Chapels: The famous wedding chapels are part of the legend of Las Vegas. Years ago, many couples journeyed to Las Vegas to take advantage of the lenient divorce and marriage laws in Nevada. They usually came for a speedy divorce and often for a swift marriage soon afterward. A small industry developed around quick weddings. The more enterprising businesses built small quaint-looking chapels to attract their romantic customers.