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In fact, the bustling seaside resort town on the Jersey coast saw immense economic growth and prosperity from 1920 to 1933.
Unlike other towns, Atlantic City had two key factors working in its favor: its location and lack of enforcement of the Eighteenth Amendment — which banned manufacture of alcohol, its transportation, and its sale — on the part of local officials.
Positioned between two commercial hubs, New York City and Philadelphia, Atlantic City was uniquely situated to receive contraband and smuggled goods like alcohol. And with no real enforcement of alcohol bans, gangsters were able to capitalize on their criminal activity and the city became a hub for illicit activities during Prohibition.
Both a political and crime boss, Enoch “Nucky” Johnson, fictionalized in HBO’s series Boardwalk Empire as Nucky Thompson, called Atlantic City his home base. The town also served as host to the Atlantic City Conference which brought Johnson, Meyer Lansky, Al Capone, and Lucky Luciano among other famous gangsters and bootleggers from the time to a first-ever crime summit in 1929.
The booming illegal economy also had a positive effect on the city’s legitimate businesses. While bootlegging and other crime provided jobs for many people, businesses like restaurants and hotels also flourished as they catered to the influx of tourists coming to the city.
This period saw the birth of nightclubs, cabarets, and dancehalls where people could enjoy music, dancing, and entertainment while sipping a “speakeasy” drink.
By flouting Prohibition, Atlantic City became one of the most vibrant cities in America.
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