The first visitors arrived by train from Camden, N.J., on July 1, 1854. Pitney and Osborne charmed investors, laid 60 miles of railroad track, plugged in their publicity machine and Atlantic City rose from the sand dunes. The pair touted the island as a convalescent cure-all, a place where salt water and sea breezes could cure thousands of ailments - consumption, insanity, cardiac dropsy, Bright’s disease and many other 19th century afflictions that have since faded away or been renamed. Jonathan Pitney hit upon a stroke of marketing genius. Then Richard Osborne, a civil engineer from Philadelphia, and Dr. (Photo by Rob Baker, Special to SunSpot)Ītlantic City sits on Absecon (pronounced ab-seek-in) Island, a barrier island that, until 1850, was inhabited by more blacksnakes and mosquitoes than people. Before its incarnation as the gambling capital of the East Coast, Atlantic City was the “Queen of Resorts” and she set the standard for middle-class American vacations.Ītlantic City’s Steel Pier recalls vacations of the past. But the casinos didn’t arrive until 1978. Each year they attract 30 million visitors who spend $8 million a day on the gaming tables and slot machines. Today, the city is perhaps best known for its 14 casinos. If you envisioned the beach vacations of your childhood, many of Atlantic City’s features might come to mind.
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