For decades, Monopoly has been one of the most recognizable board games in American households.
Featured VideoFamilies pull it out for holidays, vacations, or just long weekends, spending hours buying up properties and arguing over who gets stuck with Baltic Avenue.
But what many are only now finding out is that those street names aren’t fiction. They’re pulled straight out of Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Two viral TikTok videos have sparked fresh interest in this fact, with several viewers admitting they had no idea the board game they grew up with was based on a real city.
AdvertisementTikToker connects the dots while driving through Atlantic City
TikTok creator @chiefgirlbossjaa filmed herself driving through Atlantic City, pointing out streets that any Monopoly fan would recognize instantly.
“This is your reminder that Monopoly is based on Atlantic City,” she said. As her car passed familiar signs, she added, “Pacific, Atlantic Ave, Baltic, Park Place right here. Look, Indiana Avenue. Atlantic City is literally just Monopoly land.”
Her clip, which got over 93,200 views, left many commenters baffled at the connection.
Advertisement@chiefgirlbossjaa atlantic city: the land of casinos, the beach, and monopoly😂 #jerseytiktok #southjersey #monopoly #atlanticcity #nj ♬ original sound – jaa evans👸🏽
Another creator asks, how is this news?
Not long after, TikToker @captain_ahabb mentioned the video with text on-screen that read: “Just watched a video of a girl going through Atlantic City to see all the Monopoly board streets and the whole comment section is BAFFLED that Monopoly is based off AC. Is this not common knowledge?”
That second video pulled in more than 584,500 views and opened a debate about whether this was obvious to everyone—or only to those in the tri-state area.
AdvertisementHow Monopoly and Atlantic City became tied together
The version of Monopoly we know today first came out in the 1930s, published by Parker Brothers.
But it was Charles Darrow, an unemployed salesman from Pennsylvania, who added the Atlantic City streets. He had vacationed there and thought the names—Boardwalk, Ventnor, Marvin Gardens—would resonate. Parker Brothers bought his version, and the rest is history.
Other versions exist around the world now, but the “classic” American edition is forever tied to New Jersey’s famous seaside town.
Advertisement@captain_ahabb and some even said they were from Jersey, I am speechless #monopoly #atlanticcity #nj #monopolyboard ♬ Gives You Hell – The All-American Rejects
On @chiefgirlbossjaa’s video, people were stunned. “Hello how am I just finding this out?!” one person wrote.
Another added, “I’ve lived in NJ 95% of my life and just learned this.” A third chimed in: “NJ is truly just the best state.”
AdvertisementOver on @captain_ahabb’s video, the confusion continued. “Wait WHAT?? I thought they were just random street names… this is wild information,” one viewer said.
Another explained, “Not common knowledge outside of the tristate area.”
Someone else admitted, “For the longest time I barely even knew Atlantic City and Atlanta were different places.”
The discovery might not change the way you play Monopoly, but for a lot of people, it’s changing the way they look at the board.
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