Greater Atlantic City Region

The Greater Atlantic City Region covers Atlantic County in southeastern New Jersey, the single-county region built around the Atlantic City casino-and-boardwalk economy. The terrain is flat coastal plain — barrier islands holding Atlantic City, Ventnor, Margate, and Longport along the Atlantic shore, salt marsh and bay water inside the islands, and the inland Pinelands stretching west toward the Burlington County line. Atlantic County is the only county in the region. Anchor cities include Atlantic City (the largest), Absecon, Galloway, Somers Point, Hammonton (the Blueberry Capital of the World), and the barrier-island communities of Ventnor City, Margate, and Longport. The Atlantic City Boardwalk (the first in the country, dating to 1870), the city’s nine casino properties, the Steel Pier, the Absecon Lighthouse, and Lucy the Elephant in Margate (a 65-foot 1881 elephant-shaped building) anchor the major attractions. Most trips here run casino-and-boardwalk focused. Atlantic City handles the casino-resort itinerary — Borgata, Hard Rock, Ocean Resort, the Tropicana, and the Boardwalk Hall concert venue; the Boardwalk pulls summer day-trippers from across the Mid-Atlantic; the Pine Barrens just inland draws birders and quieter weekend visitors. Ventnor and Margate run the family-beach itinerary.