Atlantic City, city (2020 pop.
39,497), Atlantic co., SE N.J., an Atlantic resort and convention center; settled c.1790, inc.
1854. Situated on Absecon Island, a barrier island 10 mi (16.1 km) long, Atlantic City was a
fishing village until the construction in 1854 of a railroad that made it a fashionable resort
for Philadelphians and New Yorkers. Atlantic City's chief industry remains tourism, with some
27 million visitors
annually. The first boardwalk was built in 1870, and its present incarnation, lined with
casinos, hotels, shops, and amusements, is 6 mi (9.7 km) long. The casino industry, which was
legalized in 1976 and began in 1978, at one time rivaled that in Las Vegas, Nevada, but the
industry contracted after legalized gambling became more common in neighboring states, and by
2016 the city suffered from significant financial problems and faced a five-year state
financial takeover. Urban blight, which continued during the casino boom years, remains a
problem. Atlantic City has a large convention center. The Democratic national convention took
place in the city in 1964, and the Miss America Pageant was held there annually from 1921 to
2005. Absecon Lighthouse, in operation 1854–1932, attracts tourists. The first Ferris
wheel was built in Atlantic City in 1869. The board game Monopoly, which makes use of area
street
names, was invented here in 1930. In 2012 the city suffered significant flooding from
Hurricane Sandy.
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