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Vegas is one city I know almost as well as the Wasatch Front and Greater Los Angeles. I've had a lot of extended family and close friends from there. I love Vegas both for the entertainment aspect, but also many of my closest friends have been from there. From the Strip standpoint Vegas seems big or different than most cities. However, hanging out anywhere but the strip Vegas seems actually quite a bit smaller than the Wasatch Front, especially I guess what you would call the scope of downtown. Population wise The Wasatch Front CSA is bigger and as far as spread out desert cities go Phoenix feels much bigger. I'm always amazed at how short the drive is on I-15 between north and south Las Vegas Metro. Especially when compared to the I-15 drive of the Wasatch Front.
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Not trying to be argumentative, but...
My wife grew up in the Vegas Valley so I've spent a lot of time there too. One of my best friends has lived there for 20 years too. I'm quite familiar with the whole area, Henderson, LV, NLV, Boulder City. I go down there at least a half a dozen times a year currently.
I'll agree with you, the actual downtown of Vegas is much smaller (and shorter) than SLC's downtown. My wife and I have this joking discussion all the time. "We're bigger than you are!"
What most people perceive as "Vegas" is the Strip, which is actually unincorporated Paradise, as you know. But yes, I'm lumping them together when saying Vegas the City is way bigger than Salt Lake the City. Score a point for Vegas.
Vegas is a world-level city. Two points for Vegas.
As I also said earlier, Vegas has no old historic architecture either. Score one point for SLC.
Ten years ago, I would've agreed with you on SLC metro and Vegas metro being comparable, or SLC even slightly bigger, but not nowadays.
The development that has taken place up north on Vegas' 215 highway is crazy. It is sprawling and growing dramatically. Henderson is blowing up too, with more than 350,000 population currently. It is crawling up Black Mountain. It has completely merged with Vegas. It is particularly insane when you realize: Henderson didn't exist before 1940!
The Vegas Valley currently has 2.9 million people. That's a lot more people than the Salt Lake, Davis, and Weber Counties combined. Not a little more, a LOT more. It will continue to outpace us too.
If you want to throw in Utah County, it is still somewhat bigger.
Again, this is all perception, namely mine. As I said earlier, I see a large physical barrier to I-15 like the Point of the Mountain. It creates a separation from Utah County to my eye. Sure, I could drive up Suncrest and Traverse Mountain and look down, but I-15 doesn't go there. No major highway does. The Jordan Narrows and the Point essentially are a wall (for me).
Again, not trying to argue, just giving you my POV. I can respect what you are saying too.