Atlantic City is synonymous with a good time for many people today, but what most of us don't realize is that the history of the city is long and colorful.  Before the first dice were ever thrown or before the first wager was ever placed, the city existed, though in a different state than we now know it.  Atlantic City has been a city in the making for hundreds of years and without all of that history it wouldn't be the entertainment hub that we know it as today.

Atlantic City Overview

Atlantic City rests on Absecon Island, and the first inhabitants of this area were the Lenni-Lenape Indians.  These people would spend the summer months on the island, as they were able to take advantage of all that the ocean had to offer in the way of wildlife and flora found only on the island.  While the first inhabitants were of Native American descent the first known owner of the island was an Englishman, by the man of Thomas Budd.  He arrived in the area in the 1670's and was given the land as a result of a legal settlement.

The next 100 years were not all that exciting for the island in terms of growth, though many came to the area to hunt.  The first man to build on the island was a hunter by the name of Jeremiah Leeds.  Both Leeds and his grandfather would build on the island and they were the first official residents of the island.  They had the Leeds Plantation and they grew corn and raised their own cattle.  It would be Leeds second wife, Millicent Leeds that would open the first business on the island, Aunt Millie's Boarding House.

By 1850 there were seven dwellings on the island all of them being descendents of Leeds, except one. The other was Jonathan Pitney, a doctor.  It was Pitney and an engineer from Philadelphia by the name of Richard Osborne that had the idea to bring the railroad to the island and in 1852 construction began, which brought tourists.  Osborne and Pitney are credited with the naming of what would become Atlantic City.  In 1870 the first boardwalk was constructed, with the city being formally opened in 1880. By 1902 Atlantic City was a full fledged city complete with beautiful hotels, restaurants, and shops. 

By the 1940's, Atlantic City became the place to be for those that were looking for true entertainment.  The Miss America Pageant was held in the city and this brought in a lot of people.  The city was developing at a rapid pace until World War II, when the world seemed t be less enthused by Atlantic City. It wasn't until the 1970's when gambling became legal that people started to travel to the area once again. While some argue that Atlantic City isn't as glamorous as it once was, people still come in record numbers to visit what was once one of the world's most glamorous playgrounds.