Atlantic City Boardwalk Facts

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Located in the eastern state of New Jersey, Atlantic City hugs the Atlantic Ocean between marshlands and islands. A prime location for real estate developers, the city has always been a resort town. Enjoying over 200 days of sunshine a year, Atlantic City is heaven for those who enjoy fast-paced excitement, nonstop activities and long days at the beach. From exploring the world's first boardwalk to surfing, swimming or trying your hand with lady luck, there is always something to do in Atlantic City!

The Boardwalk at Atlantic City, N.J. Italo2712 Atlantic City’s mild winter climate, tempered by the Gulf Stream, made it a popular resort. Its famous Boardwalk, initially 8 feet (2 metres) wide and 1 mile (1.6.

Atlantic City Boardwalk Facts

Historical fact: The first Miss America pageant took place in Atlantic City in 1921 and the city. 2715 Boardwalk Apt 1202, Atlantic City, NJ 08401 is currently not for sale. Condo is a 0 bed, 1.0 bath unit. This condo was built in 1921 and last sold on for. View more property details, sales history and Zestimate data on Zillow. Settled in 1783, Atlantic City today has a year-round population of 38,000. Atlantic City is just 11.92 square miles long but boasts many historic firsts, such as being the site of the world’s first Boardwalk and salt-water taffy’s first development. Atlantic City Boardwalk The backbone of Atlantic City, the Boardwalk is the world's first! Explore the great wooden way and learn about its history through walking tours, access the hotels, casinos, resorts.



  • Lucy the Elephant, built in 1881 to attract potential buyers to land holdings, is now known as the oldest roadside attraction in the U.S. and the most popular non-gaming attraction in the greater Atlantic City region!
  • Ocean Pier, the world's first oceanside amusement pier, was built in Atlantic City in 1882.
  • Atlantic City has its Green side -- it's the home to New Jersey's very first wind farm.
  • Atlantic City Casinos
    Enjoy the thrill of Atlantic City gambling and experience the best casinos this side of the Mississippi River. Try your luck at Caesar's and its 135 table games hosting the highest limits in town; visit the exciting Harrah's; or play in the Tropicana, Atlantic City's 'Luckiest Casino', offering the latest slot machines and all of the best table games. Atlantic City gambling halls offer everything: slots, poker, blackjack, roulette, craps, baccarat, keno, race books and specialty table games. The cocktails flow for free and the casinos' all-you-can-eat buffets are famous for incredible food at low, low prices.
  • Atlantic City Boardwalk
    The backbone of Atlantic City, the Boardwalk is the world's first! Explore the great wooden way and learn about its history through walking tours, access the hotels, casinos, resorts and shops. Take a leisurely stroll down to the beach with the best waves on the Atlantic coastline. Make way for fun packed New Jersey vacation activities at the several piers stemming from Atlantic City Boardwalk. Steel Pier features an amusement park with great rides, games and food, while Garden Pier is the arts and cultural center of the Boardwalk, complete with Atlantic City Art Center. This Jersey Shore boardwalk is home to no less than five roller coasters, three complete water parks, bungee jumping, costume photo booths and shops loaded with boogie and surf boards, swimsuits and all the sunscreen that may be needed!
  • The Quarter at the Tropicana
    A heaven for those looking for a dazzling shopping, pampering and dining experience, The Quarter at the Tropicana, located in the Tropicana Casino and Resort, offers a great alternative to the casino scene. This Atlantic City attraction is a world within itself with a world-class day spa; an Irish Pub filled with atmosphere; five lively nightclubs with every kind of music for dancing; some of the finest retail shops in the world and a highly-rated comedy club. Go wild for a change and experience the glitz of the most exotic getaway destination in the eastern United States.
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This is a copy of a page from the Library of Congress (LOC) website. It was featured on the LOC website on June 26, 2001, in honor of the birthday of the famed Atlantic City Boardwalk.


On the Boardwalk


Rolling Chairs on the Boardwalk,
Atlantic City, New Jersey,
between 1905 and 1920.
Touring Turn-of-the-Century America, 1880-1920

On June 26, 1870, the first section of the Atlantic City Boardwalk opened along the New Jersey beach. Dr. Jonathan Pitney and civil engineer Richard Osborne began developing the area on Absecon Island in 1850. Long before this time though, the Lenni-Lenape tribe were the first seasonal visitors to enjoy the summer splendor of the island.

Beautiful beaches, fresh sea air, luxurious hotels, fine restaurants, alluring shops, and a connecting railroad line from Camden, New Jersey drew visitors from all over the world. Atlantic City soon became a popular summer resort and winter health spa.

Alexander Boardman, a railroad conductor, conceived the idea of constructing a boardwalk as a means of keeping sand out of the railroad cars and hotels. The city used its tax revenues to build an eight-foot-wide temporary wooden walkway from the beach into town which could be dismantled during the winter.

The

In the Good Old Summertime,
Atlantic City, New Jersey,
© 1905.
Touring Turn-of-the-Century America, 1880-1920

The rolling chair, introduced in 1884, was the only vehicle allowed on the Boardwalk, which was soon extended by enormous amusement piers such as Steel Pier, visible in the background of the photograph above.1

Any consideration of the boardwalk demands at least a nod to salt water taffy, a favorite beach-side treat. Taffy is a candy made of corn syrup and white sugar: the boiled confection is pulled and folded, then rolled into a long strip from which shorter (about two inch long) strips are cut, wrapped in stick resistant paper, and sold. Along the Atlantic City Boardwalk folks have purchased the product since at least the early 1880s. In presenting its opinion on a case concerning the right to label one's product the 'original' salt water taffy, the Supreme Court long ago held that no one company might claim that right as salt water taffy, '. . . is born of the ocean and summer resorts and other ingredients that are the common property of all men everywhere.'

Early bathers wore bathing dresses of wool flannel with stockings, canvas shoes, and large straw hats. The more daring bloomer suits and stockings worn by these bathing beauties were not introduced until 1907. Censors roamed the beaches monitoring bathers' self-exposure and looking for offenders who showed more flesh than the local code allowed.

Search on Atlantic City in these collections to find more images of this summer attraction.

Atlantic City Boardwalk Facts

Atlantic City Boardwalk Hours


Bathing Beauties,
Atlantic City, New Jersey,
between 1890 and 1910.
Touring Turn-of-the-Century America, 1880-1920

Atlantic City Boardwalk Facts Page

  • Search on Atlantic City in the Alexander Graham Bell Papers, 1862-1939 to find correspondence Bell wrote during a 1901 stay in Atlantic City.
  • Inventing Entertainment: Early Motion Pictures and Sound Recordings from the Thomas A. Edison Companies contains two panoramic films of a moving boardwalk, or platform mobile, a novelty featured at the 1900 Paris Exposition. Search on boardwalk to find them.

Library of Congress
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Atlantic City New Jersey Boardwalk Facts

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