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Destinations » North America » United States » New Jersey » Atlantic City » City Guide: Historical Background

Atlantic City, NJ » Historical Background

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After centuries of being fertile hunting and fishing grounds, this seaside city was acquired in the 1670s by an Englishman, Thomas Budd. Budd made one of the best wagers in history by paying $0.40 an acre and $0.04 for an acre of beach property. Today, the very same land could cost millions.

Budd would never see much of the glitter and glitz that is the modern Atlantic City. Over the next few centuries the land was primarily visited by hunters and fishermen, and it was not until 1785 when the first permanent resident built a house in the city. He was Jeremiah Leeds and his wife would later open one of the first Atlantic City businesses, Aunt Millie's Boarding House, a tavern.

Many new residents succeeded Leeds and the city would soon experience a major growth. In 1870, a boardwalk was constructed in front of a few hotels to keep the lobbies free of sand. Other hotel owners decided to follow suit and the boardwalk expanded, at one time being seven miles long before it was damaged by a hurricane in 1944.

Hotels arose from the boardwalk like weeds. Posh hotels like the Ambassador, Ritz-Carlton, and the Madison House were soon known around the area. People from all over the country wanted to visit the booming city by the sea. Tourists flocked in by the hundreds and it was indubitable that transportation must be improved to handle the influx of visitors. The first road from the mainland to the island was finished in 1870, and the city continued its growth from there.

Thanks to the natural beauty of the beach and the arrival of swanky hotels, it proved inevitable that Atlantic City would attract Hollywood stars and starlets. These headliners brought with them glamor and luxury and put the name, Atlantic City, on the tongues of travelers all over the country. After World War II, its popularity declined due to a variety of reasons. Yet, as always, Atlantic City once again dusted itself off when the good people of New Jersey voted to pass the Casino Gambling Referendum in 1976 that legalized gambling within the city limits of Atlantic City. A mere two years later the first casino, Resorts International, opened and changed the face of Atlantic City forever. Gambling joints soon dotted along the stretch of the Boardwalk. Legalized gambling in New Jersey, specifically Atlantic City, since around 1980 has seen the Boardwalk become a full-fledged gaming mecca. The resort's success has made Atlantic City a robust rival to Las Vegas, which has been in serious gaming since at least 1946. No small feat, and a real triumph of the hospitality industry's magnetism when joined with legalized gambling.

Now, up and down the Boardwalk, marquee names like Atlantic City Hilton Casino Resort, Resorts Casino, Tropicana Casino, Trump Plaza Casino, and Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa guarantee that Atlantic City will be an international tourist center of gravity for years to come. Atlantic City is a legendary international destination hotspot. Known for the casinos, resorts, The Boardwalk, and the Miss America pageant, it is no wonder people from all over the world travel here. Atlantic City found its way out of the marshlands and is what it is today because of a simple gamble placed by Thomas Budd.

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