Situated in Southern Nevada on the road from Las Vegas to Arizona, Boulder City is the main gateway town for visiting the Hoover Dam, formerly the world's largest dam. Unlike elsewhere in Nevada, gambling is not permitted here, offering a quiet and quaint atmosphere.

Rising above the Colorado River, Hoover Dam is a monumental feat of engineering close to Boulder City. The Visitor Center provides a detailed narrative on its construction in the 1930s and is the starting point for a range of tours. The Power Plant Tour includes part of the Dam while the full impression of its scale can be discovered on the Dam Tour. Hoover Dam is located in the Black Canyon on the state boundary where visitors are still allowed to drive on the old road over the Hoover Dam from Nevada to Arizona. In Boulder City itself, the Boulder City and Hoover Dam Museum details how the city was established as a base for construction workers in the 1930s. Lake Mead is another nearby attraction, with an excellent view of the lake and where the desert can be enjoyed on a Skydive Las Vegas tour departing from Boulder City Airport.

A bus service connects Boulder City with Henderson and Las Vegas, which is 40 kilometres to the north. McCarran International Airport is a 25-minute drive away. The city is on US Route 93 between Las Vegas and Kingman, Arizona.

When Hoover Dam construction began, workers lived in ramshackle tents along the river known as “Ragtown”. Boulder City was built by the government to house the 5,000 employees and most of the original buildings remain, with larger houses reflecting the residences of managers and essential employees.