Editing Atlantic City, New Jersey (section)

===19th century===
In 1850, present-day Atlantic City was developed into a [[resort town]]. Three years later, in early 1853, it was named Atlantic City.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://acfpl.org/ac-history-menu/atlantic-city-faq-s/15-heston-archives/147-atlantic-city-history-22.html |title=Atlantic City History |website=Atlantic City Free Public Library |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101035934/http://acfpl.org/ac-history-menu/atlantic-city-faq-s/15-heston-archives/147-atlantic-city-history-22.html |archive-date=2021-11-01 }}</ref>

Because of its location in [[South Jersey]], which hugs the [[Atlantic Ocean]] between [[marshlands]] and islands, Atlantic City was then viewed by developers as prime real estate and a potential resort town. In 1853, the city's first commercial hotel, the Belloe House, was built at the intersection of Massachusetts and Atlantic Avenues.<ref>[https://cityofatlanticcity.org/?page_id=14 About Us] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329033528/https://cityofatlanticcity.org/?page_id=14 |date=March 29, 2019 }}, City of Atlantic City. Accessed June 24, 2019. "The first commercial hotel the Belloe House, located at Massachusetts and Atlantic Ave., was built in 1853, and operated till 1902."</ref>

The following year, in 1854, the city was incorporated. The same year, train service began on the [[Camden and Atlantic Railroad]].<ref>Thomas R. Winpenny, [http://www.ebhsoc.org/journal/index.php/journal/article/viewFile/88/84 ''The engineer as promoter : Richerd B. Osborne, The Camden and Atlantic Railroad, and the creation of Atlantic City''], Essays in Economic and Business History, 2004</ref> Built on the edge of the bay, this served as the direct link of this remote parcel of land with [[Philadelphia]], the second-most populous city in the United States at the time and the largest city in [[Pennsylvania]]. The same year, construction of the [[Absecon Lighthouse]], designed by [[George Meade]] of the [[Corps of Topographical Engineers]], was approved, with work initiated the next year.<ref name=LighthouseHistory>[http://www.abseconlighthouse.org/history/index.asp#top History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729015224/http://abseconlighthouse.org/history/index.asp#top |date=July 29, 2017 }}, [[Absecon Lighthouse]]. Accessed July 27, 2017. "1854 – After a decade of prompting from Jonathan Pitney, considered by most to be the 'father' of Atlantic City, the U.S. Lighthouse Service requested and received a $35,000 appropriation from Congress for a lighthouse on Absecon Island.... 1855 Construction began under the direction of Major Hartman Bache."</ref>

By 1874, almost 500,000 passengers a year were coming to Atlantic City by rail. In ''Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City'', "Atlantic City's Godfather"<ref>Strauss, Robert. [http://njmonthly.com/articles/jersey-living/people/atlantic-citys-godfather/ "Judge Nelson Johnson: Atlantic City's GodfatherA Q&A with Judge Nelson Johnson, whose book—Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City—was made into an HBO miniseries."], ''[[New Jersey Monthly]]'', August 16, 2010. Accessed October 15, 2015.</ref> [[Jonathan Pitney]], known as the "Father of Atlantic City",<ref>Cunningham, John T. [https://archive.org/details/thisisnewjersey0000cunn/page/241 ''This is New Jersey''], p. 241. [[Rutgers University Press]], 1994. {{ISBN|9780813521411}}. Accessed October 15, 2015.</ref> initially sought to develop Atlantic City as a health resort. Pitney persuaded municipal authorities that a railroad to the beach in Atlantic City would be beneficial. His successful business relationship with Samuel Richards, an entrepreneur and member of what was then the most influential family in [[South Jersey]], was designed to construct the railroad with the first 600 riders, who "were chosen carefully by Samuel Richards and Jonathan Pitney":<ref name="Johnson, Nelson 2010 30">{{cite book|title=''Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City''|publisher=Medford, New Jersey: Plexus Publishing, Inc.|year=2010|last=Johnson|first=Nelson|others=Foreword by Terence Winter|page=30}}</ref>

<blockquote>After arriving in Atlantic City, a second train brought the visitors to the door of the resort's first public lodging, the United States Hotel. The hotel was owned by the railroad. It was a sprawling, four-story structure built to house 2,000 guests. It opened while it was still under construction, with only one wing standing, and even that wasn't completed. By year's end, when it was fully constructed, the United States Hotel was not only the first hotel in Atlantic City but also the largest in the nation. Its rooms totaled more than 600, and its grounds covered some 14 acres.</blockquote>

The first [[Boardwalk (entertainment district)|boardwalk]] was built in 1870 along a portion of the beach in an effort to help hotel owners keep sand out of their lobbies. Businesses were restricted and the boardwalk was removed each year at the end of the peak season.<ref>[http://www.atlanticcitynj.com/mediaonline/story_ideas_detail.aspx?NewsID=80 "Atlantic City Boardwalk: A Stroll On the Wooden Way is Steeped in History"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513130643/http://atlanticcitynj.com/mediaonline/story_ideas_detail.aspx?NewsID=80 |date=May 13, 2013 }}, Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority. Accessed August 23, 2013.</ref> Because of its effectiveness and popularity, the boardwalk was expanded in length and width, and modified several times in subsequent years.

Prior to the destructive [[1944 Great Atlantic Hurricane]], the historic length of the boardwalk was about {{cvt|7|mi|km}} and it extended from Atlantic City to [[Longport, New Jersey|Longport]], through [[Ventnor City, New Jersey|Ventnor]] and [[Margate City, New Jersey|Margate]].<ref>Schwartz, David. [http://casinoconnectionac.com/issue/september_2005/article/storm_of_the_century "Storm of the Century: The Hurricane of '44 pounded Atlantic City like no other storm"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121101033322/http://casinoconnectionac.com/issue/september_2005/article/storm_of_the_century |date=November 1, 2012 }}, ''Casino Connection AC'', Vol. 2, No. 9, September 2005. Accessed August 23, 2013.</ref>

The first road connecting the city to the mainland at [[Pleasantville, New Jersey|Pleasantville]] was completed in 1870 and charged a 30-cent toll. Albany Avenue was the first road to the mainland available without a toll.<ref>[http://www.cityofatlanticcity.org/about.aspx History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130703055539/http://cityofatlanticcity.org/about.aspx |date=July 3, 2013 }}, City of Atlantic City. Accessed June 19, 2013.</ref>

By 1878, because of the growing popularity of the city, one railroad line could no longer keep up with demand. Soon, the [[Philadelphia and Atlantic City Railway]] was also constructed to transport tourists to Atlantic City. At this point massive hotels like the United States Hotel and Surf House, as well as smaller rooming houses, had sprung up all over town. The United States Hotel took up a full city block between Atlantic, Pacific, Delaware, and Maryland Avenues. These hotels were not only impressive in size, but featured the most up-to-date amenities, and were considered quite luxurious for their time.

In 1883, [[salt water taffy]] was conceived in Atlantic City by David Bradley. The traditional story is that Bradley's shop close to the beach was flooded with ocean water after a storm, soaking his taffy. He sold the "salt water taffy" to a girl, who walked down to the beach to show her friends. Bradley's mother was in the back of the store when the sale was made, and loved the name, giving the candy its name.<ref>Donohue, Jeanne. [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AC&p_theme=ac&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=11224176B7C4EAA0&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM "Family / Boardwalk Tradition: Salt Water Taffy"], ''[[The Press of Atlantic City]]'', June 8, 2006. Accessed December 19, 2011.</ref><ref>[http://www.atlanticcitynj.com/media/story-ideas/details.aspx?NewsID=84 "Taffy Madness"], AtlanticCityNJ.com. Accessed December 21, 2016. "The year was 1880. Mr. Bradley, a young candy merchant, had a stand on the Boardwalk. One night the little stand, which was only a couple steps from the sand, was swamped by an evening storm."</ref>