Ducktown is a historically

Italian-American Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, w ...

district of

Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, stretching from Missouri Avenue to Texas Avenue. ''

The Press of Atlantic City ''The Press of Atlantic City'' is the fourth-largest daily newspaper in New Jersey. Originally based in Pleasantville, it is the primary newspaper for southeastern New Jersey and the Jersey Shore. The newspaper designated market runs from Ware ...

'' called the neighborhood "Atlantic City's

Little Italy Little Italy is a general name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Italians or people of Italian ancestry, usually in an urban neighborhood. The concept of "Little Italy" holds many different aspects of the Italian culture. There are s ...

History

Italian immigrants heavily settled Ducktown in the early 20th century and named it for the duck houses they built along the bayfront, where they raised poultry and waterfowl. As with many American ethnic neighborhoods, after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, residents began leaving the neighborhood for automobile suburbs, sending Ducktown into a decline. Pitney Village, a

housing project Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authorities, government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the d ...

built in the neighborhood, was widely seen as contributing to the decline. St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church has been cited as a focal point of the neighborhood before and after the decline. By the 1990s some families, mostly Hispanic and Asian, were returning to the neighborhood, and the Pitney Village housing project was demolished, leading to a renewal of the community.

Population

Ducktown has a large

community, and

Italian flag The national flag of Italy ( it, Bandiera d'Italia, ), often referred to in Italian as ''il Tricolore'' ( en, the Tricolour, ) is a tricolour (flag), tricolour featuring three equally sized vertical Pale (heraldry), pales of green, white and red, ...

s can be seen adorning buildings. Mobsters

Nicodemo Scarfo Nicodemo Domenico "Little Nicky" Scarfo Sr. (March 8, 1929 – January 13, 2017) was a member of the American Mafia who became the boss of the Philadelphia crime family after the deaths of Angelo Bruno and Phil Testa. During his criminal car ...

and

Salvatore Merlino Salvatore "Chuckie" Merlino (June 29, 1939 – October 22, 2012) was an American mobster who was a member of the Philadelphia crime family. He served as underboss for Nicodemo Scarfo from 1981 to 1986. Biography Merlino was born on June 29, 1939, ...

once lived in Ducktown.Anastasia, George. "'Nicky Jr.': Where Does the Boss' Son Fit In?" ''Philadelphia Inquirer''. March 10, 1991.

Attractions

The district has a number of Atlantic City attractions including:

Entertainment venues

Boardwalk Hall Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, formerly known as the Historic Atlantic City Convention Hall, is a multi-purpose arena in Atlantic City in Atlantic County, New Jersey. It was Atlantic City's primary convention center until the opening of the Atlanti ...

on Mississippi Avenue and the Boardwalk * Dante Hall Theater on Mississippi Avenue *The Noyes Arts Garage of Stockton University on the corner of Mississippi Avenue and Fairmount Avenue

Churches

*St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church on Mississippi Avenue

Food

*The

White House Sub Shop White House Sub Shop is a submarine sandwich deli founded in 1946 at Atlantic City, New Jersey which sells various specialty sandwiches. The deli is considered a historic landmark and has served multiple celebrities. History The White House Sub ...

on Arctic Avenue - Known for the A-list celebrities who frequent this establishment, the White House was opened by Anthony Basile, along with Alfred "Fritz" Sacco, in 1946 when Basile came back from the army while serving in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It has been family owned and operated for over 60 years. *Angelo's Fairmount Tavern on Fairmount Avenue - Family owned and operated since 1935, the restaurant is known for its

Italian cuisine Italian cuisine (, ) is a Mediterranean cuisine#CITEREFDavid1988, David 1988, Introduction, pp.101–103 consisting of the ingredients, recipes and List of cooking techniques, cooking techniques developed across the Italian Peninsula and late ...

as well as steaks and seafood. *Angeloni's II on Arctic and Georgia Avenues - Family owned and operated since 1981, the restaurant is known for its Italiane cuisine and expansive wine list. *Dock's Oyster House on Atlantic Avenue - Atlantic City's oldest restaurant (circa 1897), it features a pianist on many nights. *The Ducktown Tavern on Georgia Avenue - A newly renovated bar and restaurant. *Russo's Liquor Store - Located on the corner of Florida and Pacific Avenues, has been there since 1973 and is the original Ducktown liquor store.

Italian bakeries

Ducktown had several bakeries; there are two still in operation:
Formica Brothers Bakery and Café
– Established in 1919 by Francesco Formica, Formica Brothers Bakery moved to its current location in 1928. Frank D. Formica, third generation owner/operator recently transformed the retail bakery shop located at 2310 Arctic Avenue into a cafe (open daily 7 am – 7 pm, Wi-Fi enabled) serving Seattle's Best coffee. The bakery produces over 30,000 loaves of bread a day for over 300 corporate accounts, including local casinos and restaurants. Product offerings: Italian sub loaves, artisan breads, cannolis, cookies, biscotti, tomato pie. *A. Rando Bakery – Opened in 1909, this bakery focuses on producing subs, dinner rolls, and table bread for area stores and restaurants.

Transportation

*The

Atlantic City Rail Terminal The Atlantic City Rail Terminal is Atlantic City, New Jersey's train station, located inside of the Atlantic City Convention Center. It has five tracks served by three platforms and functions as the easternmost terminus of the NJ Transit Atlanti ...

is located one block from Ducktown at Arkansas and Fairmount Avenues. It is the southern terminus of

New Jersey Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit, and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey, along with portions of New York State and Pennsylvania. It operates bu ...

Atlantic City Line The Atlantic City Line (ACL) is a commuter rail line operated by NJ Transit (NJT) in the United States between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Atlantic City, New Jersey, operating along the corridor of the White Horse Pike. It runs over trackage ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. *The

Atlantic City Bus Terminal The Atlantic City Bus Terminal is a regional bus station and a major stop for New Jersey Transit buses in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Located at the 1900 block of Atlantic Avenue, the station is now only half its original size, as part of it was ca ...

is located four blocks from Ducktown at Michigan and Atlantic Avenues. It provides scheduled service by both

Greyhound Lines Greyhound Lines, Inc. (commonly known as simply Greyhound) operates the largest intercity bus service in North America, including Greyhound Mexico. It also operates charter bus services, Amtrak Thruway services, commuter bus services, and pac ...

and

. *The Atlantic City Jitney Association provides minibus service between Ducktown and other Atlantic City neighborhoods.

Notes

External links

City of Atlantic City - Ducktown
{{Coord, 39.3581, -74.4406, display=title Atlantic City, New Jersey Neighborhoods in Greater Atlantic City, New Jersey Italian-American culture in New Jersey Little Italys in the United States Ethnic enclaves in New Jersey