| 1892 Perron map CAPE MAY, ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY, #50 |
Nice map titled Cap May, from wood engraving with fine detail and clear impression. Overall size approx. 19 x 16 cm, image size approx. 10 x 10 cm. From: Les Etats Unis, volume no. 16 of La Nouvelle Géographie universelle, la terre et les hommes, 19 volumes (1875-94), great work of Elisee Reclus. Cartographer is Charles Perron.
Cape May
city, Cape May county, at the southern tip of New Jersey, U.S.
Originally called Cape Island, it was renamed in 1869 for the Dutch explorer
Cornelius Jacobsen Mey, who visited there in 1623. It is the oldest beach resort
in the nation, dating to the beginning of the 19th century; in the 1850s the
Mount Vernon (later destroyed by fire), accommodating 2,000 guests, was the
largest resort hotel in the United States. The city's concentration of more than
600 Victorian-style houses remains a major attraction. The beach promenade, more
than 1 mile (1.6 km) long, replaced the original boardwalk, which was destroyed
by storms in 1962. Cape May lighthouse (dating from 1744; reconstructed 1823 and
1859) and a U.S. Coast Guard base are near the city. The dunes in Cape May Point
State Park, just to the south, provide vantage points for observing bird
migrations along the Atlantic Flyway. Tourism is the mainstay of the economy,
although commercial fishing and seafood processing are also important.
Cape May Court House, the county seat (1745), is 18 miles (29 km)
north-northeast and also has fine Victorian homes. The Wildwood resorts, with a
3-mile (5-km) boardwalk and sandy beaches, are on a barrier island to the
northeast. Inc. 1851. Pop. (2000) 4,034; (2010) 3,607.
Atlantic City
resort city, Atlantic county, southeastern New Jersey, U.S., on the Atlantic
Ocean. It lies on low, narrow, sandy, 10-mile- (16-km-) long Absecon Island,
which is separated from the mainland by a narrow strait and several miles of
meadows partly covered with water at high tide. The area was inhabited by
Delaware Indians before English settlers arrived in the late 1670s. Development
of the island as a summer resort was first envisioned by physician Jonathan
Pitney, who arrived about 1820 and wanted to establish a health resort. He later
headed a group that persuaded the Camden and Atlantic Railroad to make the place
its eastern terminus. Its success spurred construction of another line, the
Narrow Gauge Railroad, in 1877.
Atlantic City's mild winter climate, tempered by the Gulf Stream, made it a
popular resort. Its famous Boardwalk, initially 8 feet (2 metres) wide and 1
mile (1.6 km) long, was built in 1870; it was later extended to a width of 60
feet (18 metres) and a length of 5 miles (8 km). Other innovations enhancing the
resort's reputation included the rolling chair (1884), in which guests were
wheeled about, the introduction from Germany of the picture postcard (1895), and
saltwater taffy. Amusement piers, jutting from the Boardwalk into the ocean,
brought a carnival atmosphere with their vendors, shows, and exhibits. The
largest, Steel Pier, is 2,300 feet (700 metres) long. The construction of
Convention Hall (1929, new wing completed in 1972), with its 41,000-seat
auditorium, made Atlantic City a popular convention site. The Miss America
Pageant, held there annually in September, was established in 1921, discontinued
in 1928, and revived in 1935.
Atlantic City's resort trade declined in the decades following World War II. In
hopes of reviving the city's stagnating economy, a statewide referendum
legalizing gambling in Atlantic City was passed in 1976. As a consequence, the
first legal gambling casino in the United States located outside the state of
Nevada opened on the Boardwalk in May 1978. The development of gambling resorts
provided an influx of jobs and money, but much of Atlantic City beyond the
Boardwalk remained blighted and impoverished.
Tourism remains the mainstay of the economy. The city also is a trade and
shipping centre for agricultural products and seafood and has light
manufacturing (textiles, candy, glassware, and china). Absecon Lighthouse State
Historic Site is nearby; the 167-foot (51-metre) lighthouse was in service from
1857 to 1933. The Historic Towne of Smithville, 6 miles (10 km) north, has
restored 18th- and 19th-century buildings including a general store, a
gristmill, and an inn. Greater Atlantic City embraces the down-beach communities
of Ventnor, Margate, and Longport and the mainland communities of Absecon,
Pleasantville, Northfield, Linwood, and Somers Point. On October 29, 2012,
Hurricane Sandy made landfall at the New Jersey shore, causing extensive damage;
in Atlantic City, it destroyed large portions of the Boardwalk, severely eroded
the beach, and inundated some four-fifths of the city. Inc. 1854. Pop. (2000)
40,517; Atlantic City–Hammonton Metro Area, 252,552; (2010) 39,558; Atlantic
City–Hammonton Metro Area, 274,549.