Atlantic City is a city located in Atlantic County, New Jersey, USA. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city had a total population of 40,517. It is a resort community located on Absecon Island, off the Atlantic Ocean coast of New Jersey. Other municipalities on the island are Ventnor City, Margate City, and Longport.
Atlantic City is located at 39°21'54" North, 74°26'21" West (39.364966, -74.439034).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 44.9 km2 (17.4 mi2). 29.4 km2 (11.4 mi2) of it is land and 15.5 km2 (6.0 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 34.58% water.
As of the census of 2000, there are 40,517 people, 15,848 households, and 8,700 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,378.3/km2 (3,569.8/mi2). There are 20,219 housing units at an average density of 687.8/km2 (1,781.4/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 26.68% White, 44.16% Black or African American, 0.48% Native American, 10.40% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 13.76% from other races, and 4.47% from two or more races. 24.95% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 15,848 households out of which 27.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 24.8% are married couples living together, 23.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 45.1% are non-families. 37.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 15.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.46 and the average family size is 3.26.
In the city the population is spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 93.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $26,969, and the median income for a family is $31,997. Males have a median income of $25,471 versus $23,863 for females. The per capita income for the city is $15,402. 23.6% of the population and 19.1% of families are below the poverty line. 29.1% of those under the age of 18 and 18.9% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Atlantic City has always been primarily a resort town. Its location in South Jersey, hugging the Atlantic Ocean between marshlands and islands, presented itself as prime real estate for developers. The city was incorporated in 1854, the same year in which train service began, linking this remote parcel of land with the more populated, urban centers of New York City and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Atlantic City became a popular beach destination because of its proximity to Philadelphia.
In 1870 the first boardwalk was built along a portion of the beach to help hotel owners keep sand out of their lobbies. The idea caught on, and the boardwalk was expanded and modified several times in the following years. Today, it is several miles long and sixty feet wide, reinforced with steel and concrete.
The city hosted the 1964 Democratic National Convention which nominated Lyndon Johnson for President and Hubert Humphrey as Vice President. The ticket won in a landslide that November. The convention and the press coverage it generated, however, cast a harsh light on Atlantic City, which by then was in the midst of a long period of economic decline.
Although a small city, it had been plagued with many large city problems, especially poverty and crime. The neighborhood known as the "inlet" was particularly impoverished. In an effort at revitalizing the city, New Jersey voters in 1976 approved casino gambling for the city of Atlantic City. Resorts International became the first legal casino in the eastern United States when it opened on May 26, 1978. Other casinos were soon added along the boardwalk and later in the marina district for a total of twelve today. The introduction of gambling did not, however, quickly eliminate many of the urban problems that plagued Atlantic City. Many have argued that it only served to magnify those problems, as evidenced in the stark contrast between tourism-intensive areas and the adjacent impoverished working-class neighborhoods. In addition, Atlantic City has played second-fiddle to Las Vegas, Nevada as a gambling mecca in the United States. On July 3, 2003, Atlantic City's newest casino, The Borgata, opened with much success.
Atlantic City is home to New Jersey's first wind farm, consisting of five turbine towers approximately 300 feet high each.
Source:
AtlanticCityNewJersey.com
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