You Won't Believe The Crazy History Behind Monopoly

Boardwalk. St. Charles Place. Atlantic Avenue. If you grew up playing Monopoly, you’ll be familiar with these place names. While they may sound like they’re from a generic U.S. city, dreamt up by the game’s inventor, they exist in real life—in Atlantic City, New Jersey. But they are no longer what they once were. The once-glamorous casinos and hotels have become a gilded ghost town. https://youtu.be/D4ZNQrOlEqA Want to know what properties from Atlantic City sell for in real life? Click "NEXT" to find out Reported By Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com It is well known that Monopoly, a popular board game by Parker Brothers, is based on Atlantic City streets. When the game — as we now know it — was distributed in the 1930s, property values on the game corresponded with the affluence of that area of the city. But is a place on Boardwalk still more expensive than a home on Vermont Avenue? From the cheapest to the most expensive properties in the game, see how today's real estate prices compare if you're looking to start buying up your own monopoly. Check out the properties below, as listed on trulia.com. (Image shown is a wooden Monopoly game board and property cards, circa 1935, from the Atlantic City Heritage Collections at the Atlantic City Free Public Library) 1215 Mediterranean Ave. - Rent: $2. Today's price: $35,000 Now you can buy a 3-bedroom, 1-bath home here at 1215 Mediterranean Ave. for $35,000, but you'll have to do a little rehabbing yourself. In the 1930s, Mediterranean Avenue was largely "a commercial, light-industrial stretch that featured the likes of Abbotts Dairies and Wrigley's Chewing Gum," according to the book "Monopoly: The Story Behind the World's Best-Selling Game," by Rod Kennedy Jr. and Jim Waltzer, in association with the Atlantic City Historical Museum. 608 Baltic Ave. - Rent: $4. Today's price: $80,000 Today it'll cost you $80,000 for a 3 -bedroom, 2-1/2 bath brick condo with a 2-car garage only a few blocks from Absecon Inlet. Revolutionary War veteran Jeremiah Leeds built the first house on the island on the road that became Baltic Avenue. 107 Oriental Ave. - Rent: $6. Today's price: $600,000 You'll have to fork out $600,000 for a 50x80 foot lot of land with "unbeatable" views of the Atlantic Ocean and next to a new Boardwalk which is currently under construction. "Oriental Avenue boasted apartments, boarding houses, kosher delis and, during World War II, a Boardwalk coastguard tower that kept an eye peeled for enemy subs," according to the book "Monopoly: The Story Behind the World's Best-Selling Game." 131 N. Vermont Ave. - Rent: $6. Today's price: $69,900 Now, a 3-bedroom, 1-1/2 bath home — a block away from two different parks — will cost you less than $70,000. Wait until you see what the value of the other streets go for on the "NEXT" page 553 N. Connecticut Ave. – Rent: $8. Today’s price: $114,900 Today, you can own this two-unit property with rental opportunities for less than $115,000. In the '30s, Connecticut Avenue had a high Jewish population, with the real estate at the far north end being inexpensive, according to the book "Monopoly: The Story Behind the World's Best-Selling Game." 155 S. Tennessee Ave. – Rent: $14. Today’s price: $325,000 You can own this former bed and breakfast, less than a quarter mile to the Boardwalk and beach for $325,000. The Memphis Belle Inn is also steps from the historic St. Nicholas Church. In the 1930s, this part of town was mainly populated by the Irish. 527 N. New York Ave. – Rent: $16. Today’s price: $ 122,991 This 3-bedroom, 1-bath corner-lot home will cost you approximately $123,000. According to the book "Monopoly: The Story Behind the World's Best-Selling Game," New York Avenue "spotlighted Fort Pitt, a nightclub frequented by mobsters and molls and the G-men who chased them." 323 N. Indiana Ave. – Rent: $18. Today’s price: $80,000 Today, this single-family home, with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths, will only set you back $80,000 and is close to churches, schools, and shopping. From 1873 to 1959, the Brighton Hotel, located at Indiana Avenue and the Boardwalk, was one of the premiere locations for vacationers and was the first hotel to remain open year-round in Atlantic City. (Trulia.com photo) 803 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd. – Rent: $20. Today’s price: $49,900 You can own this 3-bedroom, 1-bath single-family home with a fenced-in yard for less than $50,000. Once known as Illinois Avenue, this major roadway through the city was renamed Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard in the 1980s. Click "NEXT" to continue viewing the real estate on the Boardwalk The board game "Monopoly" has been around for a long time, and American families still love playing. The game has a remarkable history that reaches back to the early 20th century. David Begnaud tells us more about the game's history. https://youtu.be/mz5H0cg2uXs Wait until you see what Boardwalk is worth "NEXT" 4121 Atlantic Ave. – Rent: $22. Today’s price: $750,000 Today, this combination residential and commercial property -- one block from the beach -- will cost you $750,000. Atlantic Avenue is the longest street on Absecon Island. "Trolley tracks wound through Atlantic; indeed, the breadth of the street was intended to provide sufficient space between trollies and skittish horses pulling carriages," according to the book "Monopoly: The Story Behind the World's Best-Selling Game." 4505 Ventnor Ave. – Rent: $22. Today’s price: $749,900 This stately 5-bedroom, 4-1/2 bath single family home with an extra large kitchen will set you back $750,000 -- but it also comes with a new indoor heated pool and hot tub. Back in the day, this street was famous for large summer homes in the part of the city closest to neighboring city Ventnor. 526 Pacific Ave. – Rent: $26. Today’s price: $165,000 For $165,000, you can own a 2-bedroom, 2-bath condo in Bella Condominiums -- with a view of the Absecon Lighthouse -- at the northern end of the island. "By the 1880s, large beautiful homes marked Pacific, but soon they were converted to, or replaced by, guest cottages," according to the book "Monopoly: The Story Behind the World's Best-Selling Game." Now the road is lined with casinos and hotels. (Trulia.com photo) 34 S. North Carolina Ave. – Rent: $26. Today’s price: $295,000 Now, you can buy a 4-story, multi-family home -- close to Resorts Casino Hotel and half a mile to the beach -- for less than $300,000. North Carolina Avenue was one of the "high-class streets in the 1920s and '30s, and stood up well to Atlantic City's decline four decades later," according to the book "Monopoly: The Story Behind the World's Best-Selling Game." 4122 Boardwalk – Rent: $50. Today’s price: $2,150,000 Own a 4-bedroom, 4-bath penthouse condo with marble floors and wrap-around balconies which feature panoramic views of the ocean, bay, and marina -- for a mere $2.15 million. The Boardwalk was always a part of the high-rent district in Atlantic City, and it still is. (Trulia.com photo) See vintage photos of Atlantic City For vintage photos of Atlantic City streets represented in the Monopoly board game, check out this photo gallery: Historic photos of Atlantic City. (Photo courtesy Atlantic City Heritage Collections, Atlantic City Free Public Library) (SOURCES: Atlas Obscura, Youtube & NJ.com) RELATED NEWS: Monopoly: Its Game Over For The Iconic Thimble! 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You Won’t Believe The Crazy History Behind Monopoly

By K. Gitter
8 years ago