City Town Info

Atlantic City, NJ


  • Overview
  • Almanac
  • People
  • Local
  • Schools
  • Comments

Atlantic City, New Jersey

Introduction to Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Atlantic City is situated on Absecon Island along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in Atlantic County. The town is a popular destination due to its beaches, casino gambling and boardwalk. The street names from the popular Monopoly board game received their names from streets in Atlantic City.

History

The Lenni-Lenapes originally inhabited Absecon Island. An Englishman named Thomas Budd was the first owner of the island and arrived in the late 1670's. Jeramiah Leeds and his family are recognized as the initial settlers of Atlantic City and they established Leeds Plantation around 1785. Tourists began visiting the area after the Camden-Atlantic City Railroad was constructed. The first train reached the island in 1854. The island also became an active seaport. In 1870 the first road that connects the mainland with the island was completed. Soon, major luxurious hotels were being built to accommodate all the tourists. In 1880 Atlantic City had its formal opening with enormous fanfare. The first ocean side amusement pier in the world was constructed in the city in 1882.

After World War II ended, Atlantic City began to decline as a major tourist destination. The decline has been attributed to easy air travel to other destinations, people migrating to the West, desires for different types of entertainment and the deterioration of Atlantic City. In 1976 the Casino Gambling Referendum was approved and soon numerous casinos were built and the city again became a popular tourist destination.

Transportation

Visitors can travel to Atlantic city from Philadelphia and South Jersey towns by the New Jersey Transit Atlantic City Line. New Jersey Transit and Greyhound offer bus transportation. The town is served by the Atlantic City International Airport. Some visitors utilize the Philadelphia International Airport and the Newark Liberty International Airport.

Attractions

  • Atlantic City Aquarium - Ocean Life Center.
  • Absecon Lighthouse offers excellent views of the shoreline.
  • Lucy the Elephant is a large structure and is included in the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Atlantic City Historical Museum showcases numerous exhibits.
  • Monopoly Monument.
  • Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium.
  • Atlantic City Art Center.

Activities

Atlantic City is home to numerous gambling casinos including the Trump Taj Mahal, Caesars & Trump Plaza and the Borgata. The boardwalk features hotels, shops, resorts, casinos and other sites. An amusement park is situated on Steel Pier, which is located next to the Atlantic City Boardwalk. Garden Pier is recognized as the cultural center of the boardwalk. Atlantic City is situated along the shoreline and offers opportunities for fishing, swimming and surfing and enjoying the views.

High Points

Atlantic City strengths, compared to Peers (similar size places nationally) or State (other places in New Jersey):

CategoryTrophy
Public Transportation Use
(vs. Peers)
Top 1%trophyAtlantic City Public Transportation Use
Short Commute Times
(vs. State)
Top 1%trophyAtlantic City Short Commute Times
Affordability of Property Taxes
(vs. State)
Top 1%trophyAtlantic City Affordability of Property Taxes
Walking and Biking to Work
(vs. Peers)
Top 3%trophyAtlantic City Walking and Biking to Work
Affordability of Rents
(vs. State)
Top 4%trophyAtlantic City Affordability of Rents
Racial Diversity
(vs. Peers)
Top 6%Atlantic City Racial Diversity

Comparative Profile of Atlantic City, NJ

Comparing Atlantic City to similar size places nationwide (Peers) and to other places in New Jersey (State):

Ratings range from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).


The People

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Racial Diversity1010
Children Under 5 Years Old79
Senior Citizens76
Male Share of the Population77
Age of the Population52
Female Share of the Population44
Well-Paid Single Men31

Families

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Average Household Size43
Portion of People Married11

Wealth

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
People Above Poverty11
People in Middle Class or Better11
College Educated Adults11
Median Family Income11

Commute & Sprawl

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Public Transportation Use1010
Walking and Biking to Work1010
Short Commute Times810
Working at Home12

Housing

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Studio & One-Bedroom Rentals1010
Seasonal and Vacation Housing1010
People Living Alone1010
Affordability of Rents710
Affordability of Property Taxes510
Housing Recently Built46

Crime

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Low Violent Crime11
Low Property Crime11

Detailed pages on related topics: Atlantic City travel.

You are visiting:
All StatesNew Jersey > Atlantic City

Additional Details

Atlantic City CareersAtlantic City Careers
Atlantic City career and employment information.
Atlantic City Hotels & TravelAtlantic City Hotels & Travel
Atlantic City hotels, landmarks, tourism, transportation.

Career and College Resources on CityTownInfo

Real-World Career Reports

Career Stories from workers: daily activities, job tips, best/worst job aspects, training, etc.

Career Videos. Professional videos on 800+ jobs, featuring actual employees.

Daily Career & Education News from our staff. We're an approved Google News provider!

Career Reference and Data

Resource Center. A starting point for all CityTownInfo career and college resources.

Career Overviews of hundreds of careers: descriptions, salaries, forecasts, schools, more.

Top Cities for each career. Lists and maps; salaries by city.

Top Industries. Lists of major hiring industries by career, with salaries.

City Comparisons, showing most common jobs, highest paying, etc.

Original Career Articles and Studies

Best Careers Not Requiring Degrees: Good pay, job growth, low need for degrees.

Helpful Articles, many in "how-to" format; e.g., "How to Become a Chef".

Interactive College Search Tools

College Search Scout™. Search by degree, location, major, athletics, etc.

CollegeMatch™. Find school most similar to one of interest.

College Directories and Lists

These lists link to thousands of detailed school profiles.

Colleges by State. Nearly every college and trade school in the country.

Colleges Listed Alphabetically. About 7,000 colleges & trade schools, including online schools.

Exceptional Schools. Lists of the "best/most/highest/lowest" schools.

Places Similar to Atlantic City

We've crunched the numbers to create PlaceMatch™, which compares thousands of cities and towns to find the places most similar to each.

Find places similar to Atlantic City

Historic Atlantic City

photo

Marlborough House between 1900 and 1906

Select a photo to view (Source):

Marlborough House between 1900 and 1906

Savoy Hotel between 1900 and 1905

Hotel Traymore 1908

Additional Resources


Large City Map

Info for Atlantic City Government Officials

Are you an official in the Atlantic City government or quasi-government agency such as the chamber of commerce, visitors bureau or economic development council? If so, visit our information page for government officials to see how CityTownInfo can support you.

Spread The Word

Webmasters & Bloggers: Please link to this page on Atlantic City. Just copy the HTML below and paste it into your web page or blog.


Copyright © 2004-2009, Moving Traffic, Inc. All Rights Reserved.