9. Atlantic City, NJ
Major Industries: Gambling and tourism
Annual Growth Rate: -0.28%*
The Las Vegas of the East Coast has a little something for everyone, from family style restaurants like Olive Garden to casinos, luxury resorts, and shopping galore. For those who live in Atlantic City though, this glitzy escapist lifestyle couldn’t be further from reality. When gambling was legalized in the 1970s, it lifted the city out of years of economic woe. Today, however, the city is still recovering from the great recession of 2008, Hurricane Sandy, and the closure of four casinos back in 2014.
Although the city has beach access which is appealing to many residents, its cold weather half the year makes it unusable. A place with gambling and casino nightlife like Vegas has warmer weather, making it a more attractive spot to get away. Unfortunately, many of the city’s biggest assets such as casinos have gone bankrupt, which have further contributed to the economic downfall driving people out of “America’s Playground”.
In 2014, the governor of New Jersey said that he and his government would be considering a referendum to end the monopoly that Atlantic City has on gambling. This would allow other municipalities to allow gambling, possibly bringing in more casino revenue to other places. Whether this will succeed is, as of now, unclear.