Atlantic City, New Jersey
Skyline of Atlantic City Skyline of Atlantic City
Flag Seal
Map of Atlantic City in Atlantic County (click image to enlarge; also see: state map) Map of Atlantic City in Atlantic County (click image to enlarge; also see: state map)
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Atlantic
Incorporated	May 1, 1854
Government
- Interim Mayor[1]	William "Speedy" Marsh
Area
- City	17.4 sq mi (44.9 km)
- Land	11.4 sq mi (38.9 km)
- Water	6.0 sq mi (15.5 km)
Elevation	7 ft (2 m)
Population (2006)[1]
- City	39,958
- Density	3,569.8/sq mi (1378.3/km)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	08401-08406
Area code(s)	609
FIPS code	34-02080GR2
GNIS feature ID	0874413GR3
Website: [1]

Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, USA. Famous for its boardwalk and casino gambling, it is a resort community located on Absecon Island on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. As of the United States 2000 Census, population was 40,517 in the city, and 271,015 in the combined metropolitan area. Other municipalities on the island are Ventnor City, Margate City, and Longport. The main routes into Atlantic City are the Black Horse Pike (US 322/40), White Horse Pike (US 30) and the Atlantic City Expressway.

On May 1, 1854 Atlantic City was incorporated by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature. The new city contained portions of Egg Harbor Township and Galloway Township.^[2]

Like all major cities, Atlantic City contains distinct neighborhoods or districts. The communities are known as: The North Inlet, The South Inlet, Bungalow Park, the Marina District (also known as Back Maryland), Venice Park, Downtown (Midtown), Ducktown, Chelsea, and Chelsea Heights.

History

Atlantic City has always been a resort town. Its location in South Jersey, hugging the Atlantic Ocean between marshlands and islands, presented itself as prime real estate for developers. The city was incorporated in 1854, the same year in which train service began, linking this remote parcel of land with Philadelphia. Atlantic City became a popular beach destination because of its proximity to Philadelphia.

Boardwalk

In 1870, the first boardwalk was built along a portion of the beach to help hotel owners keep sand out of their lobbies. The idea caught on, and the boardwalk was expanded and modified several times in the following years. The historic length of the boardwalk, before the 1944 hurricane, was about 7 miles (11.2 kilometers) and it extended from Atlantic City to Longport, through Ventnor and Margate. Today, it is 4.12 miles (6.63 kilometers) long and 60 feet (18 meters) wide, reinforced with steel and concrete. The combined length of the Atlantic City and Ventnor boardwalks is approximately 5.75 miles (9.25 kilometers), currently the world's longest boardwalk.

Piers

Ocean Pier, the world's first oceanside amusement pier, was built in Atlantic City in 1882.^[3] Other famous piers included the Steel Pier, now used as an amusement pier (opened 1898) and the Million Dollar Pier (opened 1906), now the site of a shopping mall. (The oldest cast-iron pier in the world was built at Gravesend, Kent, England, in 1814.)

Historic hotels

During the early part of the 20th century, Atlantic City went through a radical building boom. Many of the modest boarding houses that dotted the boardwalk were replaced with large hotels. Two of the city’s most distinctive hotels were the Marlborough-Blenheim Hotel and the Traymore Hotel.

In 1903, Josiah White III bought a parcel of land near Ohio Avenue and the boardwalk and built the Queen Anne style Marlborough House. The hotel was a hit and, in 1905–06, he chose to expand the hotel and bought another parcel of land next door to his Marlborough House. In an effort to make his new hotel a source of conversation, White hired the architectural firm of Price and McLanahan. The firm decided to make use of reinforced concrete, a new building material invented by Jean-Louis Lambot in 1848 (Joseph Monier received the patent in 1867). The hotel’s Spanish and Moorish theme capped off with its signature dome and chimneys represented a step forward from other hotels that had a classically designed influence. White named the new hotel the Blenheim and merged the two hotels into the Marlborough-Blenheim. Bally's Atlantic City was later constructed close to this same location.

The Traymore Hotel was located at the corner of Illinois Avenue and the boardwalk. Begun in 1879 as a small boarding house, the hotel grew through a series of uncoordinated expansions. By 1914, the hotel’s owner, Daniel White, taking a hint from the Marlborough-Blenheim, commissioned the firm of Price and McLanahan to build an even bigger hotel. Sixteen stories high, the tan brick and gold-capped hotel would become one of the city’s best-known landmarks. The hotel made use of ocean-facing hotel rooms by jutting its wings farther from the main portion of the hotel along Pacific Avenue.

One by one, additional large hotels were constructed along the boardwalk, including the Brighton, Chelsea, Shelburne, Ambassador, Ritz Carlton, Mayflower, Madison House, and the Breakers. The Breakers had snob appeal, for only the highest class of person roomed there and enjoyed its roof top garden lounge. The Quaker-owned Chalfonte House and Haddon Hall opened in the 1890s, would by the twenties merge into the Chalfonte-Haddon Hall Hotel and would become the city's largest hotel with nearly 1,000 rooms. By 1930, the Claridge, the city's last large hotel before the casinos, opened its doors. The 400-room Claridge was built by a partnership that included renowned Philadelphia contractor John McShain. At 24 stories, it would become known as the "Skyscraper By The Sea."

1964 Democratic National Convention

The city hosted the 1964 Democratic National Convention which nominated Lyndon Johnson for President and Hubert Humphrey as Vice President. The ticket won easily that November. The convention and the press coverage it generated, however, cast a harsh light on Atlantic City, which by then was in the midst of a long period of economic decline. Many felt that the friendship between Johnson and the Governor of New Jersey at that time, Richard J. Hughes, led Atlantic City to host the Democratic Convention.

Demise and Rebirth

Like many older east coast cities after World War II, Atlantic City became plagued with poverty, crime, and disinvestment by the middle class in the mid to late 20th century. The neighborhood known as the "Inlet" became particularly impoverished. The reasons for the resort's decline were multi-layered. The automobile became available to many Americans after the war. Atlantic City had initially relied upon visitors coming by train and staying for a couple of weeks. The car would allow people to come and go as they pleased, and many people would spend only a few days, rather than weeks. Also, the advent of suburbia played a huge role. With many families moving to their own private houses, luxuries such as home air conditioning and swimming pools diminished the necessity for people to flock to the beach during the hot summer. Perhaps the biggest factor in the decline in Atlantic City's popularity came from cheap, fast jet service to other premiere resorts. Places such as Miami Beach and Nassau, Bahamas superseded Atlantic City as favored vacation spots.

By the late 1960s, the typical Atlantic City tourist was invariably poor, elderly, or both. Many of the resort's great hotels, which were suffering from embarrassing vacancy rates, were either closed, converted to cheap apartments, or converted to nursing home facilities. Prior to and during the advent of legalized gambling, many of these hotels would be demolished. The Breakers, the Chelsea, the Brighton, the Shelburne, the Mayflower, the Traymore, and the Marlborough Blenheim were demolished in the 1970s and 1980s. Of all the pre-casino resorts that bordered the boardwalk, only the Claridge, the Dennis (now part of Bally's Park Place), the Ritz Carlton, and the Chalfonte-Haddon Hall Hotel survive to this day. The steel frame work of the old Ambassodor Hotel was used for the Tropicana Hotel and Casino, although its distinctive brick facade was removed and replaced with a more modern one. Smaller hotels off the boardwalk, such as the Madison House, also survive.

In an effort at revitalizing the city, New Jersey voters in 1976 approved casino gambling for Atlantic City; this came after a 1974 referendum on legalized gambling failed to pass. The Chalfonte-Haddon Hall Hotel became Resorts International; it was the first legal casino in the eastern United States when it opened on May 26, 1978. Other casinos were soon added along the Boardwalk and later in the marina district for a total of 13 today. The introduction of gambling did not, however, quickly eliminate many of the urban problems that plagued Atlantic City. Many have argued that it only served to magnify those problems, as evidenced in the stark contrast between tourism-intensive areas and the adjacent impoverished working-class neighborhoods. ^[4] Drug-infested tenements in poor condition stand directly beside multi-billion dollar casino hotels along the ocean in some locations. In addition, Atlantic City has played second-fiddle to Las Vegas, Nevada, as a gambling mecca in the United States, although in the late 1970s and 1980s, when Las Vegas was experiencing a massive drop in tourism due to crime, particularly the Mafia's role, and other economic factors, Atlantic City was favored over Las Vegas. The rise of Mike Tyson in boxing, having most of his fights in Atlantic City in the '80s, also helped Atlantic City's popularity. On July 3, 2003, Atlantic City's newest casino, The Borgata, opened with much success. Another major attraction is the oldest remaining Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium in the world.

A 75% smoking ban imposed by Atlantic City's City Council went into effect on April 15, 2007, limiting smoking to no more than 25% of the casino floor. Casino operators, especially Donald Trump have claimed that the ban places Atlantic City casinos at a competitive disadvantage with casinos in neighboring states and is leading to a revenue decline.^[5]

Atlantic City is home to New Jersey's first wind farm. The Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm consists of five 1.5 megawatt turbine towers, each almost 400 feet (120 meters) high.

Gambling halted for the first time since 1978 at 8:00 a.m. on July 5, 2006, during the 2006 New Jersey State Government Shutdown mandated by the state constitution when the legislature failed to present a budget. The casinos generally remained open for entertainment and hotel services, but ceased gambling functions due to the absence of state regulators. The casinos resumed gambling functions at 7:00 p.m. on July 8, 2006.

From 2005 to 2006, Atlantic City had the highest percentage increase (25.9%) in average home value in the United States.^[6]

Geography

Atlantic City is located at (39.364966, -74.439034)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 44.9 km² (17.4 mi²). 29.4 km² (11.4 mi²) of it is land and 15.5 km² (6.0 mi²) of it (34.58%) is water.

Climate

Atlantic City has a humid continental climate, but it is almost on the borderline of the humid continental/subtropical climate zones. In the winter, the city does not get as much snowfall as northern New Jersey or inland areas because it is moderated by the ocean. In the summer, Atlantic City gets a sea breeze off the ocean that makes temperatures stay cooler than inland areas.

Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Rec High °F	78	75	87	94	99	106	104	103	99	90	84	77
Norm High °F	41.4	43.9	51.9	61.3	71.1	80	85.1	83.3	76.6	66.3	56	46.4
Norm Low °F	22.8	24.5	31.7	39.8	49.8	59.3	65.4	63.7	56	43.9	35.7	27.1
Rec Low °F	-10	-11	5	12	25	37	42	40	32	20	10	-7
Precip (in)	3.6	2.85	4.06	3.45	3.38	2.66	3.86	4.32	3.14	2.86	3.26	3.15
Source: USTravelWeather.com [7]

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%
1860	867		—
1870	1,043		0%
1880	5,477		0%
1890	13,055		0%
1900	27,838		0%
1910	46,150		0%
1920	50,707		0%
1930	66,198		0%
1940	64,094		0%
1950	61,657		0%
1960	59,544		0%
1970	47,859		0%
1980	40,199		0%
1990	37,986		0%
2000	40,517		0%
Est. 2005	39,958	[1]	0%
sources:[9][10]

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 40,517 people, 15,848 households, and 8,700 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,378.3/km² (3,569.8/mi²). There were 20,219 housing units at an average density of 687.8/km² (1,781.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 26.68% White, 44.16% Black or African American, 0.48% Native American, 10.40% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 13.76% from other races, and 4.47% from two or more races. 24.95% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 15,848 households out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 24.8% were married couples living together, 23.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.1% were non-families. 37.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.26.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,969, and the median income for a family was $31,997. Males had a median income of $25,471 versus $23,863 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,402. About 19.1% of families and 23.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.1% of those under age 18 and 18.9% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

Atlantic City is governed under the Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council) system of municipal government. The current Mayor of Atlantic City is currently vacant due to Mayor Bob Levy going absent without leave (See below).

The City Council is the governing body of Atlantic City. Members of Council are elected to serve for a term of four years. There are nine Councilmembers, one from each of six wards and three serving at-large. The City Council exercises the legislative power of the municipality for the purpose of holding Council meetings to introduce ordinances and resolutions to regulate City government. In addition, Councilmembers review budgets submitted by the Mayor; provide for an annual audit of the City’s accounts and financial transactions; organize standing committees and hold public hearings to address important issues which impact Atlantic City.^[11]

On September 26, 2007 the City Council reported that Mayor Bob Levy was AWOL (Absent without Leave) not informing the council that he was leaving or where he was going, following his disappearance city Business Administrator Domenic Cappella declared himself the defacto Acting Mayor^[12] claiming that Levy had personally asked to take over in his absence -- a claim the City Council disputes. On October 5th City Councilman Bruce Ward asked the New Jersey Superior Court to declare the Mayor's office vacated so that City Council President William Marsh could assume the office of Mayor.^[13]

On October 10, 2007 Mayor Bob Levy tendered his resignation^[14] William "Speedy Marsh was officially sworn as Mayor following Levy's resignation.^[15]

As of 8 October 2007, members of the Atlantic City Council are:

• Ward 1: G. Bruce Ward (appointed to replace Gibb Jones, who resigned for health reasons)^[16]
• Ward 2: Marty Small
• Ward 3: Joyce Mollineaux (appointed to replace Craig Callaway, who resigned on August 30, 2006)^[17]
• Ward 4: William "Speedy" Marsh, Council President
• Ward 5: Dennis Mason
• Ward 6: Tim Mancuso
• At Large: John Schultz
• At Large: Eugene Robinson
• At Large: George Tibbitt

Federal, state and county representation

Atlantic City is in the Second Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 2nd Legislative District.^[18]

New Jersey's Second Congressional District, covering all of Atlantic County, Cape May County, Cumberland County and Salem County and portions of Burlington County, Camden County and Gloucester County, is represented by Frank LoBiondo (R, Ventnor). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).

The 2nd legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by James J. McCullough (R, Egg Harbor Township), and in the Assembly by Francis J. Blee (R, Absecon) and Jim Whelan (D, Atlantic City). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).

Atlantic County's County Executive is Dennis Levinson. The executive, along with the Board of Chosen Freeholders, administers all county business. Atlantic County's Freeholders are Freeholder Chairman Joseph F. Silipena, Freeholder Vice Chairman Thomas Russo, Alisa Cooper, James Curcio, Frank V. Giordano, Joe Kelly, Rev. Lawton Nelson, Francis Sutton and Sue Schilling.

Education

The Atlantic City School District serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grades. Schools in the district are eight elementary schools — Chelsea Heights School, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School Complex, New Jersey Avenue School, New York Avenue School, Richmond Avenue School, Sovereign Avenue School, Texas Avenue School and Uptown School Complex — Atlantic City High School for grades 9–12, along with Venice Park School and Viking Academy.

Students from Brigantine, Longport, Margate City and Ventnor City attend Atlantic City High School as part of sending/receiving relationships with the respective school districts.^[19]

Casino resorts

Name	Address	Ownership
Bally's Atlantic City 1	Park Place and the Boardwalk	Harrah's Entertainment
The Borgata	One Borgata Way (Also known as 1501 MGM Mirage Boulevard)	Marina District Development Corporation
Caesars Atlantic City	Pacific Avenue and the Boardwalk	Harrah's Entertainment
Harrah's Marina Atlantic City	777 Harrah's Boulevard	Harrah's Entertainment
Hilton (New)	Boston Avenue and the Boardwalk	Colony Capital
Resorts Atlantic City	North Carolina Avenue and the Boardwalk	Colony Capital
Showboat	South States Avenue and the Boardwalk	Harrah's Entertainment
Tropicana	Brighton Avenue and the Boardwalk	Columbia Sussex
Trump Marina	Huron Avenue and Brigantine Boulevard	Trump Entertainment Resorts
Trump Plaza	Mississippi Avenue and the Boardwalk	Trump Entertainment Resorts
Trump Taj Mahal	Virginia Avenue and the Boardwalk	Trump Entertainment Resorts

¹ Claridge Tower and the Wild West Casino are considered part of Bally's.

Planned casino/resorts

• MGM Grand Atlantic City – In October 2007 MGM Mirage board approved the MGM Grand Atlantic City which will sit on 60 of 72 acres it owns adjacent to Borgata. The project nicknamed City Center East, will be the biggest and tallest in Atlantic City, featuring three separate towers that will total more than 3,000 rooms and suites, each with a different guest experience. In addition, it will feature a 1,500-seat theater, a convention center, a spa a variety of restaurants, nightclub and entertainment opportunities, as well as a 500,000 square-foot retail center. It would also have the largest casino floor in the state, with 5,000 slot machines, 200 table games and a poker room. It is expected to break ground in 2008 with a completion date in 2012. 12 acres will be put aside for future development such as a possible residential tower. ^[20][21]
• Pinnacle Gaming purchased the Sands Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City's smallest casino, and permanently closed it on November 11, 2006 at 6:00 AM and demolished it in a dramatic Las-Vegas styled implosion of the resort took place on Thursday, October 18th, 2007. The company intends to replace it with a $1.5 - 2 billion casino resort on 18 contiguous oceanfront acres, to open by 2011.
• Morgan Stanley has purchased 20 acres directly north of the Showboat Hotel and Casino and plans to build another $1 billion-plus resort casino.^[22] Revel Entertainnment has been named as developer and has announced that it has begun pre-development and design work.^[23]
• A company headed by former Caesars CEO Wallace Barr and former New Jersey Casino Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Curtis Bashaw recently purchased land south of the Atlantic City Hilton, owned by its parent Colony Capital. The tract includes the site of the former Atlantic City High School and the planned but failed Dunes casino. Only the former Dunes site is currently zoned for casino space.
• The parent company of Tropicana Casino and Resort, Columbia Sussex, is seeking a partner to develop a boutique casino and/or condominium complex on a square city block of boardwalk property north of the Ritz Carlton Condominium Building.
• As reported by the Press of Atlantic City (April 19, 2007), The Atlantic City Hilton is planning a $1 billion (USD) expansion of its physical plant, including a parking garage, 1000-room tower and doubling its casino floor space.

Former, closed and never opened casino/resorts

Name	Reason For Closure/Not Opening
Atlantis	License revoked on July 4, 1989; sold and renamed Trump Regency (non-casino)
'''Bally's Park Place	Renamed Bally's Atlantic City
'''Bally's Grand	Renamed The Grand
Boardwalk Regency	Renamed Caesars Boardwalk Regency
Brighton	Renamed Sands Atlantic City
Caesars Boardwalk Regency	Renamed Caesars Atlantic City
Claridge	Renamed Claridge Tower at Bally's
Del Webb's Claridge Hotel and Hi-Ho Casino	Renamed Del Webb's Claridge
Del Webb's Claridge	Renamed Claridge
Dunes	Never completed, land sold; currently a parking lot
Golden Nugget	Sold and Renamed Bally's Grand
Harrah's Marina	Renamed Harrah's Atlantic City
Harrah's at Trump Plaza	Sold to Trump Casinos & Resorts, renamed Trump Plaza
Hilton (Original)	Casino licensure denied, sold and renamed Trump's Castle Hotel/Casino
Le Jardin	Project scrapped due to Mirage Resorts-MGM Grand merger
Merv Griffin's Resorts	Sold and renamed Resorts International
Mirage Atlantic City	Renamed The Borgata before construction was completed
MGM Grand Atlantic City	Pervious plans were not developed; MGM is going to develop– See MGM Grand Atlantic City
Park Place	Renamed Bally's Park Place
Penthouse International	Never completed, developer ran out of money; property sold
Playboy Hotel & Casino	Sold and renamed Atlantis
Resorts International	Renamed Resorts Atlantic City
Sahara Atlantic City	Planned but not developed; land sold to Golden Nugget
Sands	Closed 11/11/06 at 6:00 AM; building demolished
The Grand	Renamed the Atlantic City Hilton Casino/Hotel
Tropicana Casino and Resort	Renamed TropWorld
TropWorld	Name reverted back to Tropicana Casino and Resort
Trump's Castle	Renamed Trump Marina
Trump Regency	Reopened as Trump World's Fair at Trump Plaza
'''Trump World's Fair at Trump Plaza	Closed, building demolished; currently an empty lot

Sports

Club	Sport	League	Venue
Atlantic City Diablos	Soccer	NPSL	St. Augustine Prep School
Atlantic City Surf	Baseball	Can-Am League'''	Bernie Robbins Stadium

On November 16, 2006, Hal Handel, CEO of Greenwood Racing, announced that the Atlantic City Race Course would increase live racing dates from four days per year, to up to 20 days per year. www.saveacrc.com has been actively involved in expanding racing at the Atlantic City Race Course and created the movement to bring full time racing back to ACRC in 2005.

Media outlets

Media outlets without a link do not currently have a website.

Newspapers

• The Press of Atlantic City
• '''Atlantic City Weekly
• '''Catamaran Media: 17 Atlantic City area community newspapers
• La Estrella De Atlantic County - Hispanic Newspaper
• The Courier-Post
• Philadelphia Daily News
• The Philadelphia Inquirer
• Star-Ledger
• '''The Trenton Times
• The Trentonian
• '''The Hammonton News
• Hammonton Gazette
• Atlantic Daily Sentinel
• '''Cityatlantic Magazine - Glossy Monthly Atlantic City Magazine
• '''Casino Connection

Radio stations

Atlantic City's radio market is ranked #139 in the nation.

Television stations

See also: Television stations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

• WQAV-LP Channel 34 Atlantic City (AsiaVision/Independent)
• WMGM-TV Channel 40 Atlantic City (NBC)
• WMCN-TV Channel 53 Atlantic City (ShopNBC)
• W60CX Channel 60 Atlantic City (TBN)
• WWSI-TV Channel 62 Atlantic City (Telemundo)

Transportation

Rail and Bus

Atlantic City is connected to other cities in several ways. New Jersey Transit's Atlantic City Line runs from Philadelphia and several smaller South Jersey communities directly to the Atlantic City Rail Terminal at the Atlantic City Convention Center.

On June 20, 2006, the board of New Jersey Transit approved a three-year trial of express train service between New York Penn Station and the Atlantic City Rail Terminal. The estimated travel time will be 2½ hours with a few stops along the way and is part of the Casinos' multi-million dollar investments in Atlantic City. Most of the funding for the new transit line will be provided by Harrah's Entertainment (owners of both Harrah's Atlantic City and Caesars Atlantic City) and the Borgata. The line is expected to be in service by the end of 2007, but details on the line's operation are scant.^[24]

The Atlantic City Bus Terminal is the home to local, intra-state and interstate bus companies including New Jersey Transit and Greyhound bus lines. The Greyhound Lucky Streak Express offers service to Atlantic City from New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

There are also many buses owned and operated by Chinese immigrants from Chinatown New York to Atlantic City Resorts, many of them will reimburse the cost of the trip upon arrival as a way to attract tourists and gamblers.

Highways and taxicabs

Access to Atlantic City by car is available via the 44 mile (70 km) Atlantic City Expressway, US 30 (commonly known as the White Horse Pike), and US 40/322 (commonly known as the Black Horse Pike). Atlantic City has an abundance of taxi cabs and a local Jitney providing continuous service to and from the casinos and the rest of the city.

• A&C Transport (609) 573-5163 A&C Transport offers private sedan service to all of Atlantic City, and surrounding areas, at very competitive prices. A&C Transport

Airline service

Commercial airlines serve Atlantic City via Atlantic City International Airport, located 9 miles (14 km) northwest of the city in Egg Harbor Township. Many travelers also choose to fly into Philadelphia International Airport or Newark Liberty International Airport, where there are wider selections of carriers from which to choose. The historic downtown Bader Field airport is now permanently closed and plans are in the works to redevelop the land; most likely it will be torn down for mixed development use.

Shopping

Atlantic City is home to two malls, Pier Shops at Caesars and Atlantic City Outlets The Walk. Two nearby regional malls include the Shore Mall in Egg Harbor Township and the Hamilton Mall in Mays Landing.

Popular culture references

• Atlantic City has been a rather frequent subject in popular culture. The eccentric 1972 Bob Rafelson film The King of Marvin Gardens with Jack Nicholson, Bruce Dern, and Ellen Burstyn was shot on location there and strongly conveys a feel for the pre-casino/post-glory-days limbo the city was mired in at the time. The powerful Oscar-nominated 1981 movie, Atlantic City, by French director Louis Malle, starring Burt Lancaster and Susan Sarandon, reflects the city at the dawn of its casino-driven "rebirth". Atlantic City is cited as the Sundance Kid's birthplace in the 1969 classic western film, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. A popular Bruce Springsteen song, "Atlantic City", depicting a young couple's escape to the city, appears on Springsteen's 1982 album Nebraska.
• Several episodes of Donald Trump's television show The Apprentice have been based and filmed in Atlantic City.
• In the Peter George novel Red Alert (which was the basis for the movie Dr. Strangelove), Atlantic City is proposed as the target for nuclear attack by the Soviet Union.
• In Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow, the family escapes to Atlantic City in the midst of the Colehouse Walker debacle. It is a song feature in Ragtime: The Musical. Two musicals by John Kander and Fred Ebb are set in Atlantic City: 1984's The Rink, which starred Chita Rivera and Liza Minnelli and deals with a decaying roller rink by the seashore, and 1997's Steel Pier, about a dance marathon during the Great Depression.
• It was the home of the Miss America pageant from 1921 to 2005. In August 2005, it was announced that the pageant would no longer be held in Atlantic City. On January 21, 2006, the first pageant to occur outside Atlantic City took place in Las Vegas, at the Aladdin Casino and Resort.
• The streets of Atlantic City were used in the original American version of the board game Monopoly, although Marven Gardens is misspelled (as "Marvin Gardens").
• The sticky confection salt water taffy is closely associated with the Boardwalk, and some have claimed that it was invented here after a flood.^[25]
• Episode 5.3 of Sex and the City was set primarily in the Taj Mahal casino.
• A Disney Vacation Club (DVC) resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Disney's BoardWalk Villas, is based on Atlantic City in the 1930s.
• The Simpsons visited Atlantic City in Catch 'Em if You Can, with Homer making a derogatory remark towards the New Jersey state flag by pointing out that it has a fat man kissing a woman on it. In reality it does not. In another episode, after Homer's plan to build a casino run by South Pacific island natives goes awry, he remarks to the islanders, "I gave you a glittering Vegas, and you turned it into a skanky Atlantic City." Banners on the boardwalk in the show read "Atlantic City: Where New York comes to smoke".
• In the opening scenes of Empire Records, Lucas visits Atlantic City in an attempt to raise enough money to save the record store he works in. He ends up losing $9,000 which sets the scene for the rest of the movie.
• In one scene of Clerks, Jay tells Dante that he and Silent Bob are heading over to Atlantic City to "drink some beers, get ripped, and hopefully get laid."
• Seinfeld makes frequent references to driving down to Atlantic City.
• Atlantic City is a place frequented by New Jersey based mob drama The Sopranos.
• One of the deceased ex-husbands of Nancy Travis' character in the film So I Married an Axe Murderer hailed from Atlantic City. She possesses an oversized poster of the city in her San Francisco apartment, which Mike Myers' character draws attention to.
• In the Chevy Chase-headlined movie Nothing But Trouble, he and his associates plan to head from Manhattan to Atlantic City before being sidetracked in rural New Jersey.
• Edward Norton and Matt Damon take a trip to the Taj Mahal casino to play poker in Rounders. They also meet John Turturro there while playing. Several times "The Taj" is mentioned in the film.
• Nicholas Cage plays an Atlantic City detective in the movie Snake Eyes (film). The real mayor of Atlantic City, Jim Whelan, mayor from 1990-2001, plays the mayor in the movie.
• The Sands Atlantic City, demolished on October 18, 2007 was the last casino in the United States to bear the Sands moniker and the first in New Jersey to be imploded. The casino was imploded the less than 24 hours after the last surviving member of Rat Pack, Joey Bishop, died at age 89.

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Atlantic City include:

• Jack Abramoff, a former American political lobbyist who was embroiled in high-profile political scandals. Abramoff was born in Atlantic City and lived there until the age of ten.^[26]
• John J. Gardner (1845–1921) represented New Jersey's 2nd congressional district from 1885 to 1893, and was mayor of Atlantic City for most of 1868-1875.^[27]
• Milton W. Glenn (1903-1967), represented New Jersey's 2nd congressional district from 1957-1965.^[28]
• Paul Goldberg (Born 1959) (notable, professional Los Angeles based studio / touring drummer) used to reside in A.C., and played numerous casino shows. (This was before the casinos ended their entertainment promise to the city). Paul relocated to the studios of L.A.,CA.
• William Green, running back who currently is a free agent of the NFL.^[29]
• Pete Hunter, Cornerback for the NFL's Seattle Seahawks. A fifth-round pick in 2002.^[30]
• Chris Pallies, American professional wrestler known widely by his stage name King Kong Bundy was born in Atlantic City November 7th 1957.^[31]
• Rex David "Dave" Thomas, founder of Wendy's fast-food restaurant, was born in Atlantic City.^[32]
• Jim Whelan (1948), member of the General Assembly who represents the 2nd legislative district. Whelan was Mayor of Atlantic City from 1990-2001.^[33]

References

External links

• Atlantic City School District's 2005-06 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
• Atlantic City Regional Chamber of Commerce
• * Maps and aerial photos for Coordinates:
• Maps from , Google Maps, Live Search Maps, Yahoo! Maps, or MapQuest
• Topographic maps from TopoZone or TerraServer-USA

This box:  •  • [ edit] Municipalities of Atlantic County, New Jersey (County seat: Mays Landing)
Boroughs	Buena | Folsom | Longport |
Cities	Absecon | Atlantic City | Brigantine | Corbin City | Egg Harbor City | Estell Manor | Linwood | Margate City | Northfield | Pleasantville | Port Republic | Somers Point | Ventnor City
Town	Hammonton
Townships	Buena Vista | Egg Harbor | Galloway | Hamilton | Mullica | Weymouth
CDPs and other communities	Collings Lakes | Elwood-Magnolia | Landisville | Mays Landing | Pomona | Richland | Smithville | Sweetwater

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