Located on Abscon Island off of the coast of New Jersey, Atlantic City rests like well set jewel on the sandy beach. Even though the city hugs the coast it is accessible by three major thoroughfares; The Whitehorse Pike, The Blackhorse Pike and the Atlantic City Expressway. These major roads provide access to the nine distinct neighborhoods of the city. They are: the North Inlet, the South Inlet, Bungalow Park, Chelsea, Chelsea Heights, the Marina District, Venice Park, Downtown, and finally Ducktown. A total of about 36,000 residents populate the districts permanently while tourism brings thousands more each year. Atlantic City’s incorporation in 1854 led to its resort destiny from the beginning. The resort town’s proximity to Philadelphia ensured that tourists would visit, especially since the train service connected the two cities. The major attraction for the city dwellers was the sandy beaches. However, the same sand which delighted beach goers mortified hotel owners whose desire to keep sand out of the hotels led to the construction of the boardwalk. The boardwalk, a broad, raised walkway built over the sands of the beach, reached a length of seven miles before the 1944 hurricane made reconstruction necessary. Today the boardwalk extends about 4 miles, long enough to be the world’s longest (when combined with the Ventnor boardwalk) a
nd perhaps the world’s toughest boardwalk being constructed with concrete and steel for reinforcement. From photo’s it’s easy to mistake the boardwalk for a normally paved road complete with painted lines and reaching a width of 60 feet. The boardwalk also branches off into various piers. Some piers, like Ocean Pier, were built purely for amusement. Others, like the modern Pier Shops at Caesars, serve as malls and shopping venues. Given the versatility and length of the boardwalk it’s no wonder the hotels and casinos populate its length. Hotels, because of the tourists flocking to Atlantic City during hot summers, have always played an important part in the city. During the first half of the twentieth century the largest hotel by room capacity was the Chalfonte-Haddon Hall Hotel which had 1,000 guest rooms. The tallest, at twenty four stories was the Claridge, built in 1930, and was known as the "skyscraper by the sea." These early historic hotels grew out of the demand for space along the beaches. Post World War II the city saw in general saw a decline with the advent of personal cars, jets, personal pools and air conditioning, all of which let people come and go as they pleased, be whisked off to better places like the Bahamas, or simply relax. Not until the introduction of casinos did the city reestablish itself as a resort town.
