Atlantic City, New Jersey
| Atlantic City, New Jersey | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| State | New Jersey | ||
| County | Atlantic | ||
| Incorporated | May 1, 1854 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Type | Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council) | ||
| - Interim Mayor | Scott Evans | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 17.4 sq mi (53.4 km²) | ||
| - Land | 11.4 sq mi (38.9 km²) | ||
| - Water | 6.0 sq mi (15.5 km²) | ||
| Elevation [1] | 0 ft (0 m) | ||
| Population (2007)[2] | |||
| - Total | 39,684 | ||
| - Density | 3,569.8/sq mi (1,378.3/km²) | ||
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | ||
| ZIP codes | 08401-08406 | ||
| Area code(s) | 609 | ||
| FIPS code | 34-02080[3][4] | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0885142[5] | ||
| Website: http://www.cityofatlanticcity.org | |||
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, USA. Famous for its boardwalk, casino gambling, sandy beaches, spectacular view of the Atlantic Ocean, and the inspiration for the board game Monopoly, Atlantic City 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 Atlantic City–Hammonton metropolitan statistical 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. Atlantic City borders other cities such as Absecon, Brigantine, and Pleasantville.
Atlantic City was incorporated on May 1, 1854 by an act of the New Jersey Legislature. The new city contained portions of Egg Harbor Township and Galloway Township.[6]
Atlantic City contains distinct neighborhoods or districts. The communities are known as: The North Inlet, The South Inlet, Bungalow Park, the Marina District, Venice Park, Downtown (Midtown), Ducktown, Chelsea, and Chelsea Heights.
Contents |
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
The first boardwalk was built in 1870, 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 m) wide, reinforced with steel and concrete. The combined length of the Atlantic City and Ventnor boardwalks—the boardwalk now ends at the Ventor/Margate border—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.[7] Other famous piers included the Steel Pier, now used as an amusement pier (opened 1898) and the Million Dollar Pier (opened 1906), now the Pier Shops at Caesars. (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 themes, 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 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 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 Haddon Hall (now Resorts) survive to this day. The steel frame work of the old Ambassador 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 also survived.
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 was converted into the Resorts International; it was the first legal casino in the eastern United States when it opened on May 26, 1978.[8] Other casinos were soon added along the Boardwalk and later in the marina district for a total of eleven 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.[9] 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 percent smoking ban imposed by Atlantic City's City Council went into effect on April 15, 2007, limiting smoking to no more than 25 percent 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.[10]
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 m) 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 percent) in average home value in the United States.[11]
Geography
Atlantic City is located at (39.364966, -74.439034)[12].
Atlantic City is located on 8.1-mile long Absecon Island, along with Ventnor City, Margate City and Longport to the southeast.[13]
The city has a total area, according to the United States Census Bureau,of 17.4 square miles (44.9 km²), of which, 11.4 square miles (29.4 km²) of it is land and 6.0 square miles (15.5 km²) of it (34.58%) is water.
Climate
Atlantic City has a humid subtropical climate. 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 [14] | ||||||||||||
Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 867 |
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| 1870 | 1,043 | 20.3% | |
| 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% | |
| 1990 | 37,986 | −5.5% | |
| 2000 | 40,517 | 6.7% | |
| Est. 2007 | 39,684 | [2] | −2.1% |
| sources:[15][16] | |||
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 40,517 people, 15,848 households, and 8,700 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,569.8 people per square mile (1,378.3/km²). There were 20,219 housing units at an average density of 1,781.4/sq mi (687.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 44.16% Black or African American, 26.68% White, 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. 19.44% of the population were non-Hispanic whites.
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.[17] The current Mayor is Scott Evans.
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.[18]
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[19] claiming that Levy had personally asked to take over in his absence – a claim City Council disputed. On October 5, 2007, 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.[20]
On October 10, 2007 Bob Levy tendered his resignation.[21] William "Speedy" Marsh was officially sworn as Interim Mayor following Levy's resignation.[22] Six weeks later, on November 21, 2007, Scott Evans was selected by City Council to serve the remaining unexpired term of former Mayor Bob Levy.[23]
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)[24]
- Ward 2: Marty Small
- Ward 3: Steven L. Moore
- 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.[25]
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 Jim Whelan (D, Atlantic City), and in the Assembly by John F. Amodeo (R, Margate) and Vincent J. Polistina (R, Egg Harbor Township).[26] The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).[27]
Atlantic County's County Executive is Dennis Levinson (Linwood).[28] The Board of Chosen Freeholders, the county's legislature, consists of nine members elected to three-year terms on a staggered basis, with three seats coming up for election each year. As of 2008, Atlantic County's Freeholders are Freeholder Chairman Joseph F. Silipena, (Egg Harbor City, term expires December 31, 2008), Freeholder Vice Chairman Frank Sutton (Egg Harbor Township, 2008), Alisa Cooper (Linwood, 2008), James Curcio (Hammonton, 2009), Richard Dase (Galloway Township, 2010), Charles Garrett (Atlantic City, 2010), Frank V. Giordano (Hamilton Township, 2009), Joseph McDevitt (Ventnor City, 2010) and Thomas Russo (Atlantic City, 2009).[29]
Education
The Atlantic City School District serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grades. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[30]) are Brighton Avenue School for preschool (72 students), eight K-8 elementary schools — Chelsea Heights School (383), Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School Complex (613), New Jersey Avenue School (403), New York Avenue School (587), Richmond Avenue School (378), Sovereign Avenue School (792), Texas Avenue School (411) and Uptown School Complex (732) — Atlantic City High School for grades 9-12 (2,574), along with Venice Park School (35) and Viking Academy.[31]
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.[32]
Our Lady Star of the Sea Regional School is a Catholic elementary school, operated under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Camden.[33]
Nearby colleges in the area include Atlantic Cape Community College and Richard Stockton College of New Jersey.
Casino resorts
| Name | Address | Ownership |
| Atlantic City Hilton | Boston Avenue and the Boardwalk | Colony Capital |
| Bally's Atlantic City 1 | Park Place and the Boardwalk | Harrah's Entertainment |
| The Borgata | One Borgata Way | Marina District Development Corporation |
| Caesars Atlantic City | Pacific Avenue and the Boardwalk | Harrah's Entertainment |
| Harrah's Atlantic City | 777 Harrah's Boulevard | Harrah's Entertainment |
| 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 | Currently operating under observation of a state appointed Trustee/Conservator[34] |
| Trump Marina | Huron Avenue and Brigantine Boulevard | Trump Entertainment Resorts2 |
| 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.
- 2 On May 30, 2008 it was announced that Trump Marina is being sold to Coastal Development LLC and converted into a Margaritaville themed resort.[35]
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 (46,000 m2) 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.[36][37]
- Pinnacle Entertainment purchased the Sands Atlantic City, at the time Atlantic City's smallest casino, and permanently closed it on November 11, 2006 at 6:00 AM. The resort was demolished in a dramatic, Las-Vegas styled implosion which took place on Thursday, October 18, 2007. The company intends to replace it with a $1.5 - 2 billion casino resort on 18 contiguous oceanfront acres, which was set to open by 2011, but harsh economic times have caused the company to largely delay construction indefinetly.[38]
- Morgan Stanley has purchased 20 acres directly north of the Showboat Hotel and Casino and plans to build a $2 billion-plus resort casino.[39] Revel Entertainment Group has been named as developer and has broken ground on construction. The resort will feature 2 hotel towers, Atlantic City's first vegas-style wedding chapel and more.The property is set to open by 2011 and they are already working rapidly to meet their set deadline.[40]
- AC Gateway LLC, a development group headed by former Caesars CEO Wallace Barr and former New Jersey Casino Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Curtis Bashaw, is planning to build a US$1.5 to $2 billion casino, hotel and entertainment complex to be known as Atlantic Beach Resort & Casino.[41] The complex would be constructed on land south of the Atlantic City Hilton that was recently purchased from Hilton's parent company, 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 presently zoned for casino 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 |
| Pinnacle Atlantic City | Never completed, Credit problems |
| 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 (Old) | 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 |
Two former teams, Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies of the ECHL, and the Atlantic City CardSharks of the NIFL played at Boardwalk Hall.
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.
Atlantic City is attempting to attract the Philadelphia Phantoms of the American Hockey League. The Phantoms will be forced to move out of Philadelphia after the 2008-09 season due to the planned demolishion of their home arena, the Wachovia Spectrum.
Media outlets
Newspapers and magazines
- See also: Newspapers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- The Press of Atlantic City (official website)
- Atlantic City Weekly (official website)
- Su Voz (official website}
- La Estrella De Atlantic County
- Casino Connection (official website)
- Dan Klein's South Jersey Insider (official website)
Radio stations
Atlantic City's radio market is ranked #139 in the nation.
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WAYV 95.1 FM - Hot AC
WTTH 96.1 FM - Urban AC (The Touch)
WFPG 96.9 FM - AC (Lite Rock 96.9)
WXKW 97.3 FM - News/Talk
WTKU 98.3 FM - Oldies (Kool 98.3)
WZBZ 99.3 FM - Top 40 (Kiss FM)
WZXL 100.7 FM - Rock (The Rock Station)
WJSE 102.7 FM - Alternative
WMGM 103.7 FM - Classic Rock (The Shark)
WSJO 104.9 FM - Hot AC (Sojo 104.9)
WPUR 107.3 FM - Country (Cat Country 107.3)
WWJZ 640 AM - Kids (Radio Disney)
WMID 1340 AM - Oldies
WOND 1400 AM - News/Talk
WENJ 1450 AM - ESPN Radio/Sports
WTAA 1490 AM - Spanish
Television stations
- See also: Media of Philadelphia#Television stations
- 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. Within the city, public transportation is provided by New Jersey Transit along seven routes, and by the Atlantic City Jitney Association (ACJA) on another four fixed-route lines and on shuttles to and from the rail terminal.
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.[42]
The Atlantic City Bus Terminal is the home to local, intrastate 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..
Highways
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.
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 or rezoned for Casino.
Shopping
- Atlantic City Outlets, also called "The Walk", which is an outdoor outlet shopping center.
- Two nearby regional malls include the Shore Mall in Egg Harbor Township and the Hamilton Mall in Mays Landing.
- Atlantic City is home to three large malls specifically geared towards tourists:[43]
Shopping Malls in the Casino/ Resorts
- The Quarter at Tropicana, an old Havana-themed indoor restaurant/shopping center.
- Pier Shops at Caesars, a shopping center on a pier across from Caesars Atlantic City.
- Spice Road- Trump Taj Mahal
Popular culture references
Atlantic City has been referenced many times in popular culture, including:
- The Oscar-nominated 1980 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."
- The streets of Atlantic City are used in the original American version of the board game Monopoly, although Marven Gardens is misspelled (as "Marvin Gardens").
- A popular Bruce Springsteen song, "Atlantic City", depicting a young couple's escape to the city, appears on Springsteen's 1982 album Nebraska.
- 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.
- Atlantic City is cited as the Sundance Kid's birthplace in the 1969 classic western film, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
- 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.
- The sticky confection salt water taffy is closely associated with the Boardwalk, and some have claimed that it was invented there after a flood.[44]
- Episode 5.3 of Sex and the City was set primarily in Atlantic City's Trump 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.
- The HBO documentary Atlantic City Hookers detailed the lives of Atlantic City street prostitutes.
- The opening scene of Ocean's 11 features Danny Ocean heading to Atlantic City shortly after being released from prison.
- 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.
- Seinfeld makes frequent references to driving down to Atlantic City.
- Atlantic City is a place frequented in the 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.
- Nicolas 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.
- On the hit CBS television show How I Met Your Mother, the characters head to Atlantic City, for two characters to get hitched. While there, the city is referred to as "always declining, but never hitting rock bottom."
- One episode of The Nanny with Fran Drescher, "A Decent Proposal," took place in Atlantic City.
- Many of the significant events of the crime noir comic book series 100 Bullets take place in Atlantic City.
- WrestleManias IV (1988) and V (1989) took place in Atlantic City, at Boardwalk Hall. It is the only time in WrestleMania's history that the event has taken place at the same venue two years in a row.
- In the television sitcom Friends, the six friends decide to go on a vacation to Atlantic City just before Phoebe's water bursts and she gives birth to triplets.
Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Atlantic City include:
- Jack Abramoff (born 1959), 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.[45]
- Rosalind Cash (1938-1995), actress nominated for an Emmy Award for her work on the Public Broadcasting Service production of Go Tell It on the Mountain.[46]
- 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.[47]
- Milton W. Glenn (1903-1967), represented New Jersey's 2nd congressional district from 1957-1965.[48]
- Paul Goldberg (born 1959), professional studio / touring drummer used to reside in A.C. where he played many casino shows.
- William Green (born 1979), running back who currently is a free agent of the NFL.[49]
- Pete Hunter (born 1980), cornerback for the NFL's Seattle Seahawks. A fifth-round pick in 2002.[50]
- Candy Jones (1925-1990), fashion model, writer and radio talk show host.[51]
- John P. O'Neill (1952-2001), FBI Terrorist Specialist, Director of Security World Trade Center, died in the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks.[52] [[PBS Frontline[53]]]
- Chris Pallies (born 1957), professional wrestler known widely by his stage name King Kong Bundy.[54]
- Alfredo Silipigni (1932-2006), conductor and founder of the New Jersey State Opera.[55]
- Rex David "Dave" Thomas (1932-2002), founder of Wendy's fast-food restaurant, was born in Atlantic City.[56]
- Jim Whelan (born 1948), member of the General Assembly who represents the 2nd legislative district. Whelan was Mayor of Atlantic City from 1990-2001.[57]
External links
- Atlantic City School District's 2006-07 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- Data for the Atlantic City School District, National Center for Education Statistics
- Atlantic City Regional Chamber of Commerce
- Atlantic City travel guide from Wikitravel
- Atlantic City, New Jersey is at coordinates
- Atlantic City Free Public Library
- Atlantic City Tourism Information
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