Ever wondered how the creators of Monopoly got their inspiration, or what the properties looked like in real life? Well, look no further, because every colored spot on the board is spoken and accounted for. Thanks to ScoutingNY, we’re able to take a little tour through famous Atlantic City, NJ, home to the Monopoly properties and their street names.
These sights might not be what you expect, seeing as things have changed a lot since Ruth Hoskins created her Atlantic City-inspired game back in 1929. But you will still be able to get a feel for what she was getting at, and enjoy a blast back into your childhood, reminiscing of long nights of screaming and bickering, ridiculous trade offers, and tarnished relationships.
Mediterranean Ave
Running northeast through the city, Mediterranean Ave mostly consists of low-rise residential properties. This least expensive property on the board is as we’d expect, and indicative of the real Atlantic City most visitors are used to.
Baltic Ave
Baltic ave. has changed quite a bit since 1929, when it was most likely riddled with slums or tenement housing. Now it is home to outlet stores and eateries, a thriving center of retail that presents an opportunity for all the non-gamblers to still donate to the city.
Oriental Ave
This row of beach houses is a nice touch to a town that you’d have no idea was beachfront unless you walked over to the beach. If you look closely, the house closest to the right of the photo has a giant monopoly deed card hanging from the porch.
Vermont Ave
The centerpiece of Vermont is the Absecon Light, the tallest lighthouse in New Jersey at 171 feet. Built in 1854, it was officially deactivated in 1933 but still lights up every night. You can now take a tour of the lighthouse by climbing to the top.
Connecticut Ave
This property runs perpendicular to the boardwalk and puts you in direct line to the massive Revel casino which was built in 2012 and has since filed for bankruptcy.
St. Charles Place
St. Charles Place is gone forever, built over by the Mardis Gras-themed Showboat Casino in 1987. Worth it though, Showboat is a blast.
States Ave
Just a single block of States Ave remains today, running along the west side of the Showboat Casino.
Virginia Ave
Lined by mostly new residential developments, Virginia Ave ends directly at the Trump Taj Mahal.
St. James Place
St. James Place runs for just a few short blocks, but has some really classic buildings along it that feel like Atlantic City of old. New Jerseyans feel right at home here amidst nearly downtrodden estates with yet a historic feel.
Tennessee Ave
Tennessee Ave runs pretty much the whole length of Atlantic City. Property owners can count a Super 8 and the NJ Casino Control Commission among their possessions, not that they’re worth anything. Damn Casino Control Commission.
New York Ave
The property is now vacant lot after vacant lot, most likely cleared by big fat cats hoping to build the next magnificent casino. Another aspect of the real Atlantic City.
Kentucky Ave
Lots of parking here for the historic Madison Hotel, which dates to 1929. Closed since 2006, it was purchased in 2013 for $4 million with plans to reopen.
Indiana Ave
Not much to see here except the rear of Bally’s Casino.
Illinois Avenue
Illinois Ave still exists but was renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd in the 1980s. The Carnegie library is the centerpiece of this property, which was abandoned in 1994 and has since been re-purposed as a Stockton College library center.
Atlantic Ave
This property runs eight miles from Atlantic City to Longport and has plenty of shops and eateries.
Ventnor Ave
Finally a property living up to it’s value in the game. Ventnor Ave is actually in Ventnor City, southwest of Atlantic City and is home to much nicer residential properties.
Marvin Gardens
A housing community founded in the 1920s and 1930s, the homes and gardens have been immaculately maintained and are literally picture perfect. This property isn’t in Atlantic City either, located in Margate City.
Pacific Ave
The closest thing AC has to a “strip,” Pacific Ave is the closest street running parallel to the boardwalk and is loaded with casinos.
No. Carolina Ave
A few older casinos and maybe a bar here and there to wash away the gambling sorrows.
Pennsylvania Ave
It’s the third-most expensive property in the game, but Pennsylvania Ave is mainly the backside of Resorts.
Park Place
Once an actual park, the property has since been built on by Bally’s and is now some type of little amphitheater.
Boardwalk
Perhaps the most famous board game space in history, the real Atlantic City boardwalk was the first of its kind in the United States, having opened in 1870. The boardwalk is now very modernized and looks like many of the other boardwalks you know and love, but the pushcarts give it a nice feel.
And there you have it, where’s my $200?
