Atlantic City and Hammonton are the two principal municipalities of the Atlantic City-Hammonton metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses those cities and all of Atlantic County for statistical purposes. Atlantic City had been the home of the Miss America pageant from 1921 to 2004, which later returned to the city from 2013 to 2018.Īs of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,497, a decline of 1,061 (−2.7%) from the 2010 census count of 39,558, which in turn reflected a decrease of 959 (−2.4%) from the 40,517 counted in the 2000 census. New Jersey voters legalized casino gambling in Atlantic City in 1976, and the first casino opened two years later. version of the board game Monopoly, which uses various Atlantic City street names and destinations in the game. Located in South Jersey on Absecon Island, the city is prominently known for its casinos, nightlife, boardwalk, and Atlantic Ocean beaches and coastline. Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S.