For more than a century, the seaside town of Atlantic City, NJ has drawn summer visitors to the Boardwalk, the beach, and the Atlantic Ocean.
In 1976, a Casino Gambling Referendum was passed. Old Atlantic City hotels were revived and large new ones built along the Boardwalk and the nearby Atlantic City Marina, adding gaming to the area's vacation activities.
Birthplace of Monopoly Picture
Before gambling, the big game in these parts was Monopoly (check prices), invented by Charles Darrow in 1934, at the height of the Depression. In his youth, Darrow had spent summers in Atlantic City.
This commemorative sign on a Boardwalk railing reads:
- "In 1930 an unemployed Philadelphian named Charles Darrow dubbed a board game MONOPOLY. He labeled its streets after avenues along the Boardwalk. It become the most popular board game of all time, and gave new meaning to the word "gaming" in Atlantic City.
"For more than 7 decades, millions of families have been taking virtual tours of Atlantic City's Boardwalk on the MONOPOLY board.
"Darrow sold his homemade game to department stores in Philadelphia before Parker Brothers bought the rights in 1934. MONOPOLY added millions to Darrow's personal Community Chest."
Park Place, Atlantic City Picture
Boardwalk sign at the original Park Place in Atlantic City, NJ.
Atlantic City was also the home of the Miss America Pageant for 85 years. In 2006, it relocated to Las Vegas.
Fralinger's Saltwater Taffy Picture
Atlantic City is known as the home of saltwater taffy. Its leading purveyor was Fralinger's Saltwater Taffy, which boasted "sea air and sunshine in every box."
The family-owned company sells the sugary-tough confection (a boon to dentists all along the Eastern seaboard) online, on the Boardwalk on Atlantic City, and in area gift shops.
Fralinger's Saltwater Taffy is available in a range of cavity-flaunting flavors including piña colada, watermelon, passion fruit, sour cherry, and peppermint pattie (sic).
Boardwalk in Atlantic City Picture
In winter, the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, NJ can be a lonely, windswept place. All the action is inside casinos.
Caesars Atlantic City hotel stands at far left in the photograph.
Bally's in Atlantic City Picture
A tall monolith, Bally's looms over the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, NJ and has a free, one-way moving sidewalk that pulls visitors from the Boardwalk into the hotel.
Claridge & Sands Atlantic City Casino Hotels Picture
Along with Bally's, the Sands casino hotel is clustered near a midpoint on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, NJ.
Harrah's Atlantic City Casino Hotel Picture
Considered more upscale than the Boardwalk casino hotels, Harrah's Atlantic City Casino Hotel is situated beside the city's Marina.
An expanded entertainment and retail center, new hotel tower, Elizabeth Arden Red Door spa, and fabulous pool-and-party area are attracting renewed attention to Harrah's Atlantic City.
Trump Marina Hotel Casino was purchased by Landry's Inc. in 2011 and renamed the Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino.
Thirty years of legalized gambling have not been profitable for all in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
A block away from the glittering Boardwalk hotels, two blocks from the Boardwalk itself, the town was mired in poverty.
"Cash for Gold" and psychic and tarot-card readers' storefronts were plentiful, drawing the desperate and the unlucky from the underside of Atlantic City, New Jersey.