Atlantic City, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Atlantic City, New Jersey
City
Sunset on the beach at Atlantic City Ocean Casino Resort Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City The Quarter at Tropicana Bally's Atlantic City Nightlife on the Atlantic City Boardwalk
Flag Coat of arms Logo
Nicknames:  Monopoly City "The World's Famous Playground"
Motto(s):  Consilio et Prudentia (Latin) "By Counsel and Wisdom"
Location of Atlantic City in Atlantic County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Atlantic County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).
Atlantic City, New Jersey Location in Atlantic County, New Jersey Show map of Atlantic County, New Jersey Atlantic City, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Atlantic City, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Atlantic
Incorporated	May 1, 1854
Government
• Type	Faulkner Act (mayor–council)
• Body	City Council
Area
• City	17.21 sq mi (44.59 km2)
• Land	10.76 sq mi (27.87 km2)
• Water	6.45 sq mi (16.72 km2)  37.50%
Area rank	165th of 565 in state 8th of 23 in county
Elevation	7 ft (2 m)
Population  (2020)
• City	38,497
• Estimate  (2023)	38,464
• Rank	61st of 565 in state 2nd of 23 in county
• Density	3,577.8/sq mi (1,381.4/km2)
• Density rank	188th of 565 in state 4th of 23 in county
• Urban	294,921 (US: 138th)
• Urban density	1,810.7/sq mi (699.1/km2)
• Metro	274,534 (US: 179th)
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Codes	08401–08406
Area code(s)	609
FIPS code	3400102080
GNIS feature ID	0885142

Atlantic City, also called A.C., is a fun seaside resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey. It's part of the Jersey Shore.

Atlantic City is linked to Philadelphia and is known for its casinos, exciting nightlife, famous boardwalk, and beautiful Atlantic Ocean beaches. It's often called the "Las Vegas of the East Coast." The city even inspired the American board game Monopoly, using its street names!

In 1976, people in New Jersey voted to allow casinos in Atlantic City. The first casino opened two years later. From 1921 to 2004, Atlantic City hosted the Miss America pageant, which came back from 2013 to 2018.

In 2020, about 38,497 people lived in Atlantic City. The city was officially created on May 1, 1854. It's located on Absecon Island and borders other towns like Ventnor City and the Atlantic Ocean.

History of Atlantic City

Before Atlantic City was founded, the Lenape, a Native American tribe, used the area as a summer home. It's believed that the first European home was built here in 1783 by Jeremiah Leeds.

Atlantic City in the 1800s

In 1850, the area that is now Atlantic City started to become a resort town. It was officially named "Atlantic City" in 1853.

Developers saw Atlantic City as a great spot for a resort because it was on the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by marshlands and islands. The first hotel, the Belloe House, was built in 1853.

The city became official in 1854. That same year, train service started, connecting Atlantic City to Philadelphia. This made it easier for people to visit. Also in 1854, work began on the Absecon Lighthouse.

By 1874, nearly 500,000 people visited Atlantic City by train each year. Jonathan Pitney, known as the "Father of Atlantic City," worked hard to make it a health resort. He helped convince people to build a railroad to the beach. The first big hotel, the United States Hotel, opened with over 600 rooms and covered 14 acres. It was the largest hotel in the country at the time.

The first boardwalk was built in 1870 to help hotel owners keep sand out of their buildings. It was so popular that it was made longer and wider over the years. Before a big hurricane in 1944, the boardwalk was about 7 mi (11 km) long.

The first road connecting the city to the mainland was finished in 1870. By 1878, a second railroad line was built to handle all the tourists. Large, fancy hotels with modern features were built everywhere.

In 1883, salt water taffy was invented in Atlantic City by David Bradley. The story goes that his shop flooded, soaking his taffy with ocean water. He sold some "salt water taffy" to a girl, and the name stuck!

Atlantic City in the 1900s

In the early 1900s, Atlantic City saw a huge building boom. Many small guesthouses were replaced by grand hotels. Two famous ones were the Marlborough-Blenheim Hotel and the Traymore Hotel.

The Marlborough-Blenheim was built with a new material called reinforced concrete. It had unique Spanish and Moorish designs, including a dome and chimneys. The Traymore Hotel, built in 1914, was 16 stories tall and became a city landmark.

More large hotels like the Brighton, Chelsea, and Ritz Carlton were built. The Chalfonte-Haddon Hall Hotel became the city's largest with almost 1,000 rooms. By 1930, the Claridge, known as the "Skyscraper by the Sea," also opened.

The 1920s were Atlantic City's "golden age" for tourism. During Prohibition (when alcohol was illegal from 1919 to 1933), many people still drank and gambled secretly. The city was known as "The World's Playground."

During this time, Mayor Edward L. Bader helped build the city's airport and high school stadium, both later named Bader Field. He also helped create the Miss America competition.

From the 1930s to the 1960s, Atlantic City was famous for its nightclubs. There were popular spots for both white and Black visitors, especially on Kentucky Avenue, which was a lively area for African American entertainment.

After World War II, Atlantic City faced challenges. More people had cars, so they didn't stay as long. Also, home air conditioning and pools made beach resorts less special. Cheap flights meant people could travel to places like Miami Beach.

By the late 1960s, many big hotels were empty or turned into apartments. Many were torn down in the 1970s and 1980s to make way for casinos.

Legalized Gambling in Atlantic City

To help the city recover, New Jersey voters approved casino gambling for Atlantic City in 1976. The first casino, Resorts International, opened on May 26, 1978. It was the first legal casino in the eastern United States.

More casinos were built along the Boardwalk and in the marina area. While gambling brought visitors, it didn't solve all the city's problems right away.

Famous boxer Mike Tyson fought many of his matches in Atlantic City in the 1980s. This helped make Atlantic City a well-known place for gambling and vacations. Many tall apartment buildings were also built for people to live in or use as second homes. By the end of the 1980s, Atlantic City was a very popular tourist spot.

Atlantic City in the 2000s

Legalized Sports Betting

In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court made a big decision that allowed states to legalize sports betting. New Jersey was one of the first states to do so. Soon after, many casinos in Atlantic City opened special areas for sports betting.

In the 2000s, Atlantic City's tourism began to slow down. New casinos opened in nearby states, and places like Las Vegas became more popular. To help, a new road called the Atlantic City-Brigantine Connector was built in 2001. It helped guide traffic to the city's marina district.

This new road led to the building of the Borgata casino, which opened in 2003. Its success brought new ideas for building big, Las Vegas-style casinos. However, due to economic problems, many of these plans didn't happen. For example, the Sands Atlantic City casino was torn down in 2006 to make way for a new one, but the new casino was never built.

The Revel Casino was a large project that faced many challenges. It opened in 2012 but closed in 2014 due to financial problems. It later reopened in 2018 as the Ocean Casino Resort.

In 2014, Governor Chris Christie considered allowing casinos in other parts of New Jersey. This was because Atlantic City's casino income had dropped a lot.

In October 2012, "Superstorm Sandy" hit Atlantic City. It caused some flooding and power outages but didn't badly damage the main tourist areas.

In 2019, Atlantic City had many homes facing foreclosure, meaning people were losing their homes. This problem was worse in neighborhoods that had faced unfair housing rules in the past. After casino closures and the COVID-19 pandemic, casino workers in 2022 wanted better pay and threatened to strike.

Food Access in Atlantic City

Atlantic City is known as a "food desert." This means it's hard for many people to find fresh, healthy food. The closest full-size supermarket is about 3 miles (4.8 km) away in Ventnor City.

City leaders have been working to bring a new supermarket to Atlantic City. In 2021, a groundbreaking ceremony happened for a ShopRite store. However, construction has not yet started, and the original plan with the supermarket company ended. The city is now looking for new companies to build a grocery store.

Geography of Atlantic City

Atlantic City covers about 17.21 square miles (44.59 km²). About 10.76 square miles (27.87 km²) is land, and 6.45 square miles (16.72 km²) is water.

The city is located on Absecon Island, which is about 8.1 mi-long (13.0 km). Other towns on the island include Ventnor City and Longport.

Atlantic City is about 60 mi (97 km) southeast of Philadelphia and 125 mi (201 km) south of New York City.

	Absecon	Galloway Township	Brigantine
	Egg Harbor Township Pleasantville		Atlantic Ocean
		Atlantic City
	Egg Harbor Township Pleasantville	Ventnor City Margate City	Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic City's Climate

Atlantic City has a humid subtropical climate. This means it has warm, somewhat humid summers and cool winters. It rains throughout the year. In summer, a cool ocean breeze often blows, but it can get very hot and humid. In winter, it can get very cold and windy.

The average snowfall from November to April is about 12 to 18 in (300 to 460 mm). February usually has the most snow.

People and Population

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	687		—
1870	1,043		51.8%
1880	5,477		425.1%
1890	13,055		138.4%
1900	27,838		113.2%
1910	46,150		65.8%
1920	50,707		9.9%
1930	66,198		30.6%
1940	64,094		−3.2%
1950	61,657		−3.8%
1960	59,544		−3.4%
1970	47,859		−19.6%
1980	40,199		−16.0%
1990	37,986		−5.5%
2000	40,517		6.7%
2010	39,558		−2.4%
2023 (est.)	38,464		−2.8%
Population sources: 1860–2000 1860–1920 1870 1880–1890 1890–1910 1860–1930 1940–2000 2000 2010 2020

In 2010, Atlantic City had 39,558 people. There were 15,504 households and 8,558 families. The city had about 3,680 people per square mile.

• 26.65% White
• 38.29% Black or African American
• 0.61% Native American
• 15.55% Asian
• 14.03% from other races
• 4.82% from two or more races
• 30.45% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

About 24.6% of the people were under 18 years old. The average age was 36.3 years.

Atlantic City's Economy

In 2014, the Atlantic City area had a high unemployment rate of 13.8%. This meant many people were looking for jobs.

Tourism and Casinos

In 2010, Governor Chris Christie announced plans to help Atlantic City's economy. He wanted to make it easier for businesses to grow. In 2011, the Atlantic City Tourism District was created. This state-run area includes the boardwalk casinos, marina casinos, and shopping outlets.

The district aims to have more police, make the area look nicer, and improve roads. The goal is to attract new businesses and fun things to do. Sometimes, the government buys private land for these new projects.

The tourism district covers key areas like the Marina District and the Boardwalk. It also includes roads leading into the city.

Atlantic City is known as the "Gambling Capital of the East Coast." It currently has nine large casinos. In 2011, the casinos had 28.5 million visitors and made $3.3 billion in gaming money. They also paid $278 million in taxes.

Current Casinos in Atlantic City

Casino	Opening date	Casino Operator	Theme	Hotel rooms	Section of city	Total Gaming Space
Resorts	May 26, 1978	DGMB Casinos	Roaring Twenties	942	Uptown	100,000 sq ft
Caesarsa	June 26, 1979	Caesars Entertainment	Roman Empire	1,141	Midtown	145,000 sq ft
Bally'sa	December 29, 1979	Bally's Corporation	Modern	1,214	Midtown	225,756 sq ft
Harrah's	November 27, 1980	Caesars Entertainment	Marina Waterfront	2,587	Marina	160,000 sq ft
Tropicana	November 26, 1981	Caesars Entertainment	Old Havana	2,364	Downbeach	125,935 sq ft
Golden Nugget	June 19, 1985	Landry's	Gold Rush Era	717	Marina	74,252 sq ft
Borgata	July 2, 2003	MGM Resorts	Tuscany	2,767	Marina	161,000 sq ft
Hard Rock	June 27, 2018	Hard Rock International	Rock and roll	2,032	Uptown	167,000 sq ft
Ocean	June 27, 2018	AC Beachfront, L.L.C.	Ocean	1,900	Uptown	130,000 sq ft
Total				15,602		1,144,943 sq ft

^a The Wild Wild West Casino was part of Bally's Atlantic City until 2020, when it became part of Caesars.

The Boardwalk

The Atlantic City Boardwalk first opened on June 26, 1870. It was a temporary structure for the summer, but it was the first boardwalk in the world! At 5+1⁄2 miles (8.9 km) long, it's also the world's longest and busiest boardwalk.

The Boardwalk runs along the beach from north to south. Casinos, hotels, shops, and restaurants line the boardwalk. Fun places like the Boardwalk Hall and the Ripley's Believe It or Not! museum are there.

In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy damaged the northern part of the boardwalk. But the main oceanfront part in front of the casinos was mostly fine.

The first pier, Applegate's Pier, opened in 1884. The famous Steel Pier opened in 1898 and was once called "The Showplace of the Nation." It closed in 1978 but was rebuilt and is now an amusement pier.

Garden Pier is home to the Atlantic City Historical Museum.

Shopping in Atlantic City

Atlantic City has many places to shop, often inside or next to the casino resorts. Some casinos have their own themed shopping areas.

Popular shopping spots include:

• Playground Pier: A fancy indoor shopping center on the Million Dollar Pier. It has different themed floors.
• Tanger Outlets The Walk: An outdoor outlet mall with many stores. It opened in 2003 and is still growing.
• The Quarter at Tropicana: An indoor shopping center at the Tropicana casino. It has over 40 stores, restaurants, and nightclubs with an old Havana theme.

Convention Centers

Boardwalk Hall, also known as the "Historic Atlantic City Convention Hall," is a large arena on the boardwalk. It was the main convention center until the new Atlantic City Convention Center opened in 1997. The new center has a huge showroom, meeting rooms, and parking. Both are managed by the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority.

Arts and Culture in Atlantic City

Monopoly Game Connection

Atlantic City is famous for being featured in the U.S. version of the board game Monopoly. The properties on the game board are named after places in and around Atlantic City.

The game wasn't originally about Atlantic City. A woman named Ruth Hoskins learned the game and then made a new board using Atlantic City street names. She taught it to friends, and eventually, Charles Darrow copied it and claimed it as his own. The prices of the properties on the board reflected how important or wealthy those streets were at the time.

• Marvin Gardens on the board is actually a misspelling of "Marven Gardens." The mistake was never fixed!
• Illinois Avenue was renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in the 1980s.
• St. Charles Place no longer exists.
• The "Short Line" might refer to a local streetcar or bus line.
• The "Electric Company" and "Water Works" are real utility companies in Atlantic City.

Fun Attractions

Atlantic City has always had many fun attractions. In the early 1900s, the Steel Pier featured exciting shows like horse diving. It also had a Diving Bell and human high-divers.

Rolling chairs have been a boardwalk tradition since 1876. These wicker chairs on wheels are pushed by attendants, like a rickshaw. A tram service also started in 2015.

The Absecon Lighthouse is a tall lighthouse in Atlantic City. It's the tallest lighthouse in New Jersey and the third tallest in the U.S. It was first lit in 1857. Even though it's no longer used for navigation, its light still shines every night. Nearby is Gardner's Basin, with the Atlantic City Aquarium and shops.

About 2 mi (3.2 km) south of Atlantic City, in Margate City, is Lucy the Elephant. Lucy is a six-story, elephant-shaped building made of wood and tin. Built in 1882, she was meant to attract tourists. Over the years, Lucy has been a restaurant, office, and even a tavern. She was saved from being torn down in 1970 and is now a museum.

Miss America Pageant History

Atlantic City was the longtime home of the Miss America competition. It hosted the event from its start in 1921 until 2004, and again from 2013 to 2018. The competition began as a beauty contest to extend the tourist season after Labor Day.

The pageant has been shown on national TV since 1954. It was very popular in the 1960s. At the Atlantic City Convention Center, there's a 400 lb (180 kg) statue of the longtime host, Bert Parks. If you put your head in the crown, you'll hear his famous "There She Is..." line!

Boardwalk Empire TV Show

The TV show Boardwalk Empire on HBO made Atlantic City famous again. The show is set in Atlantic City during the Prohibition era (when alcohol was illegal). It's based on a book about a historical figure named Enoch L. Johnson, who was a powerful leader in the city.

Festivals and Events

Atlantic City hosts many exciting events:

• The TidalWave Music Festival is held on the beach in August, featuring country music stars.
• The North to Shore Festival started in June 2023, with music and entertainment across New Jersey, including Atlantic City.
• The Adjacent Music Festival, focusing on emo and pop-punk music, also takes place on the Atlantic City beach.
• The Frantic City indie and punk festival happens at the Orange Loop Amphitheater.
• An LGBTQ event called the "Miss'd America Pageant" is held yearly. It features drag queens in a similar style to the Miss America pageant.
• Since 2003, Atlantic City has hosted Thunder over the Boardwalk, an annual airshow. This event attracts over 750,000 visitors each year.

The Orange Loop Area

The Orange Loop is a neighborhood near the beach in Atlantic City. It's known for its live music venues like Anchor Rock Club.

The area gets its name from the orange streets on a traditional Monopoly gameboard. The Orange Loop Amphitheater hosts music festivals.

Sports in Atlantic City

Club	Sport	League	Venue	Year(s)
Atlantic City Blackjacks	Arena football	AFL	Boardwalk Hall	2019
Atlantic City FC	Soccer	NPSL	Silver Eagle Stadium	2018–present
Atlantic City Diablos	Soccer	NPSL	St. Augustine College Preparatory School	2007–2008
Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies	Ice hockey	ECHL	Boardwalk Hall	2001–2005
Atlantic City CardSharks	Indoor football	NIFL	Boardwalk Hall	2004
Atlantic City Surf	Baseball	Can-Am League	Bernie Robbins Stadium	1998–2008
Atlantic City Seagulls	Basketball	USBL	Atlantic City High School	1996–2001

The Atlantic City Race Course was a horse racing track that operated from 1946 to 2015. The ShopRite LPGA Classic is a women's golf tournament held near Atlantic City since 1986.

Professional Boxing Matches

Atlantic City has hosted over 2,500 professional boxing matches since 1887. In the 1980s, Atlantic City became a major spot for big boxing fights, sometimes as popular as Las Vegas. Famous boxers like Mike Tyson fought many of their matches here. Many fights were held at Donald Trump's Trump Plaza.

Parks and Recreation

Atlantic City is one of only five towns in New Jersey that offers free public access to its ocean beaches. Lifeguards watch over these beaches.

Fire Department

Atlantic City Fire Department (ACFD)

Operational area
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
City	Atlantic City
Agency overview
Established	April 4, 1904
Staffing	Career
Fire chief	Scott Evans
EMS level	BLS First Responder
IAFF	198
Facilities and equipment
Divisions	1
Battalions	1
Stations	6
Engines	7
Ladders	3
Rescues	1
HAZMAT	1
USAR	1
Fireboats	2
Light and air	1

The Atlantic City Fire Department (ACFD) helps protect the city from fires and provides first medical help. The ACFD has six fire stations across the city.

Fire Station Locations

• 

  Headquarters;
  2715 Atlantic Ave

• 

  Station 1; Atlantic Ave & Maryland Ave. Engine 1, Tower Ladder 1, Battalion Chief 1, Haz-Mat 1

• 

  Station 2; Baltic Ave & North Indiana Ave. Engine 2, Rescue 1, Collapse Rescue Unit, Fire Boats 1&2

• 

  Station 3; North Indiana Ave & Grant Ave. Engine 3, Ladder 3 (Tiller)

• 

  Station 4; Atlantic Ave & South Carolina Ave. Engine 4, Ladder 2 (Tiller), Deputy Chief 1

• 

  Station 5; Bader Field. Engine 5, Air Cascade Unit 1

• 

  Station 6; Atlantic Ave & South Annapolis Ave. Engine 6, Engine 7

Police Department

The Atlantic City Police Department protects the city. They respond to about 150,000 calls each year. The Chief of Police is James A. Sarkos.

Education in Atlantic City

The Atlantic City School District serves students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. In the 2020–21 school year, the district had 11 schools and 6,553 students.

Schools in the district include:

• Venice Park School (PreK)
• Brighton Avenue School (PreK-5)
• Chelsea Heights School (PreK-8)
• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School Complex (PreK-8)
• New York Avenue School (PreK-8)
• Pennsylvania Avenue School (PreK-8)
• Richmond Avenue School (PreK-8)
• Sovereign Avenue School (PreK-8)
• Texas Avenue School (K-8)
• Uptown School Complex (PreK-8)
• Atlantic City High School (9–12)

Students from nearby towns like Brigantine and Ventnor City also attend Atlantic City High School.

Students can also choose to attend special schools like the Atlantic County Institute of Technology or the Charter-Tech High School for the Performing Arts.

Our Lady Star of the Sea Regional School is a Catholic elementary school that opened in 1908.

Nearby colleges include Atlantic Cape Community College and Stockton University.

Media Outlets

Newspapers and Magazines

• The Press of Atlantic City

Radio Stations

• WEHA 88.7 FM – Gospel music
• WAYV 95.1 FM – Top 40 hits
• WTTH 96.1 FM – Urban AC music
• WFPG 96.9 FM – AC (Lite Rock 96.9)
• WENJ 97.3 FM – Sports talk
• WTKU 98.3 FM – Classic hits (Kool 98.3)
• WZBZ 99.3 FM – Rhythmic (The Buzz)
• WZXL 100.7 FM – Rock (The Rock Station)
• WLRB 102.7 FM – Contemporary Christian (K-Love)
• WMGM 103.7 FM – Active rock (WMGM Rocks)
• WSJO 104.9 FM – Top 40 (SoJo 104.9)
• WPUR 107.3 FM – Country (Cat Country 107.3)
• WWJZ 640 AM – Religious programs
• WMID 1340 AM – Oldies music
• WOND 1400 AM – News and Talk shows
• WPGG 1450 AM – Talk shows
• WBSS 1490 AM – Regional Mexican music

Television Stations

Atlantic City is part of the Philadelphia television market. Six stations are licensed in the area.

• WACP Channel 4 Atlantic City (Independent)
• WMGM-LP Channel 7 Atlantic City (Silent)
• WMGM-TV Channel 40 Wildwood (Justice Network)
• W45CP-D Channel 45 Atlantic City (Daystar)
• W48DP-D Channel 48 Atlantic City (EICB TV)

Transportation and Infrastructure

Roads and Highways

Atlantic City has about 103.67 mi (166.84 km) of roads. Three main roads lead into the city:

• Black Horse Pike/Harding Highway (US 322/40)
• White Horse Pike (US 30)
• Atlantic City Expressway through the Brigantine Connector

Atlantic City is about 132 mi (212 km) south of New York City and 55 mi (89 km) southeast of Philadelphia.

Public Transportation

Atlantic City has several ways to travel to and from other cities. NJ Transit trains run from 30th Street Station in Philadelphia to the Atlantic City Rail Terminal.

From 2009 to 2012, there was a special express train service called ACES (Atlantic City Express Service) that ran from New York Penn Station to Atlantic City.

The Atlantic City Bus Terminal is a hub for local and long-distance buses, including NJ Transit and Greyhound. Greyhound offers direct service to Atlantic City from cities like New York City and Philadelphia. Other bus companies also provide service from Pennsylvania.

Within Atlantic City, NJ Transit buses run on 13 different routes. The Atlantic City Jitney Association (ACJA) also offers bus service on four routes and shuttles.

Airline Service

Commercial flights to Atlantic City use Atlantic City International Airport, which is about 9 mi (14 km) northwest of the city. Many travelers also fly into larger airports like Philadelphia International Airport. The old downtown airport, Bader Field, is now closed.

Atlantic City International Airport is a main hub for Spirit Airlines.

Healthcare

The AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center is a health system in Atlantic City. It has two hospitals. It's the only place in Atlantic City with a cancer institute, heart institute, and special care unit for newborns.

Utilities

South Jersey Industries provides natural gas to the city. Marina Energy operates two power plants that provide energy to casinos. Another plant provides chilled water for hotels along the Boardwalk.

Atlantic City Electric provides electricity to Atlantic City.

The Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm, which opened in 2005, is the first wind farm on the U.S. coast. In 2011, a law was passed to allow windmills for electricity on existing piers, like the Steel Pier.

Notable People from Atlantic City

Many interesting people have lived in or are from Atlantic City:

See also

In Spanish: Atlantic City (Nueva Jersey) para niños