Introduction to Atlantic City, New Jersey

You’ve seen the post-Hurricane Sandy photos of the roller coaster sitting in the ocean.  That’s not here.  Though Atlantic City is an island, with an ocean on one side and a bay on the other, Sandy didn’t flatten it, and the city has been ready for fun-seekers and gamblers ever since things dried out. 

Atlantic City began in the mid-1800s when a few entrepreneurs imagined the seaside location as a health spa and resort town.  A 600-room hotel built here was at that time the nation’s largest.  The first city to have gambling outside of Nevada, it features 12 casinos in close proximity--providing for a pulsating nightlife and an easy casino-hopping experience.  Nine casinos front the Boardwalk, putting the Atlantic Ocean and a magnificent beach at your doorstep.  Three more are positioned about 5 minutes away in the Marina District.

skyline of Atlantic City, New Jersey

It is the city that inspired the most popular board game ever—Monopoly—which uses the city’s street names, and it is where the Rat Pack first got together.  And you’ve probably seen it on episodes of “Seinfeld” and “Sex and the City.” 

Some Atlantic City firsts include:

●Boardwalk, which opened in 1870.

●salt water taffy, which originated in 1883 on the Boardwalk after a storm flooded a candy store.

●rolling chairs, which debuted here in1887.
And this year the Miss America pageant returned to town. 



More things to do in Atlantic City.

More information on Atlantic City.

More ideas for exploring the U.S.

image c2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers