Facts about Atlantic City – the Small Vegas

Back in the summer of 2007, while I was working in the United States of America, for 3 ½ months I had plenty of opportunities to visit Atlantic City.

The Small Vegas, as it is known, was just an hour away from the small island town where I used to do my daily routines. Therefore, my friends and I seized almost every day off to go there, unwind, buy some diamonds and clothes, and trot its beautiful boardwalks.

I am sure most of you, my readers, have heard of Atlantic City, but you already know that I always provide some basic facts about the place, so here goes.

Situated in the small “Garden State” of New Jersey, Atlantic City is a resort town very well-known for its beaches, boardwalks, and, of course, shiny casinos. It has a relatively small population of around 40,000 people, but it’s dotted with glitzy nightclubs and ostentatious high-rise hotels. The Atlantic Ocean gracefully embraces the small gambling town.

Curious Historical Facts about Atlantic City

Boardwalks are cool. No doubt about that. 1870 saw the first built boardwalk in the city. Hotel owners’ beautiful effort to keep the sand on the beach and out of their lobbies was successful and soon the boardwalk was further expanded in both width and length. Just before the sweeping Great Atlantic Hurricane in 1944, the boardwalk’s length was 7 miles (11 km).

By the year 1878, many hotels, not impressive in size but utterly opulent, sprung up all over the city.

Salt water taffy! Yes, it was conceived in Atlantic City around the 1880s. For those of you who don’t know what it is – water, sugar, salt, butter, glycerine, corn-starch, and corn syrup unite in a candy which is further infused with different flavourings ranging from watermelon, mint or raspberry through vanilla, banana, and maple to lemon and liquorice. Here is how to prepare it.

The early 20^th century observed a construction boom and large hotels like Caesars and Trump replaced the houses dotting the boardwalk.

Curious fact: the city inspired the U.S. version of the Monopoly board game, especially the street names.

Modern Atlantic City – Hotels and Casinos

Contemporary Atlantic City is crisscrossed by large boulevards sternly overlooked by luxurious hotels, housing casinos and spa centres.

Casino gambling was not legalised until 1974. Along with The Meadows (Las Vegas), both cities were the only two places where you can legally gamble in the United States. Speaking of the “Sin City“, check out this first timers guide to Las Vegas, which has all the must-do things.

Nowadays, only two states exert a 100% ban on gambling – Hawaii and Utah. On the contrary, the only two states where casino-style gambling is legal statewide are Nevada and Louisiana.

Weather – How to Plan Your Visit

The subtropical climate of the city gives you warm and humid summers. The sea breeze off the ocean makes temperatures during the day much cooler than inland areas. This fact makes Atlantic City a fantastic getaway from the heat from June until October.

Winters are cool and windy, but due to its vicinity to the ocean, the town receives much less snow than the rest of New Jersey.

There’s an international airport in the city’s proximity, too.

Time for some photos.

---

Have you been to Atlantic City? Did you gamble? How much did you lose? :))