Jersey Shore
The Jersey Shore is a colloquial term used in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States to refer to the ocean-facing coast of New Jersey, together with the adjacent resort and residential communities. Its popularity as a tourist destination is due in large part to the nearly continuous stretch of beaches along its length.
Geographically, the term encompasses the coast from Sandy Hook in the north to Cape May in the south and excludes the estuaries of New York Bay and Delaware Bay.
The Jersey Shore has long been an important tourist destination for the surrounding regions, specifically for residents of New Jersey and nearby New York City and Philadelphia. Nonlocals are often referred to as "bennies" (or "shoobies" in Atlantic and Cape May counties) by residents of the Shore. It has gone through several waves of popularity and decline throughout the 20th century. Most of the decline was a direct result of the famous Jersey Shore Shark Attacks of 1916. However, as time passed, the Jersey Shore quickly regained its former glory as a tourist attraction.
The town of Asbury Park along the northern shore was popular in the early 20th century, having been linked by the New York and Long Branch Railroad to New York City. It went through a period of sharp decline from the 1960s-1990s, but in the past decade has been reemerging as a popular resort and population center.
Along the southern coast, Atlantic City was a popular beach destination before falling into decline after World War II. The introduction of legalized gambling in the 1970s led to a vigorous revival of the community and it is now regarded as one of the popular tourist destinations on the East Coast. However, most of the cityscape that is removed from the popular boardwalk and casino area remains run-down and dangerous to non-locals.
Denizens of the Shore often note the divide that appears to exist between the New York and Philadelphia spheres of influence, the most oft-cited border between the two being the Manasquan River. Most transportation links in Monmouth county filter north, while those in Ocean County and below (especially south of Toms River) filter west.
During the 1970s, the beaches of the Jersey Shore gained a somewhat unsavory reputation for being polluted, popularized in part by incidents of medical waste from Fresh Kills Landfill in New York City washing up on the shore. New York was forced to pay for the cleanup after New Jersey took them to court.
For some time, the Jersey Shore has also been known as a live music mecca, due to the numerous rock and roll bars, most famously in Asbury Park, where Bruce Springsteen honed his skills and still makes not-infrequent live appearances either as a solo act, with the E Street Band, or appearing in local bars with other artists of varied renown. The Springsteen song "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" contains many references to the Asbury scene of the early 1970s. A style of music known as the Jersey Shore sound evolved from this scene.
In recent years, the fortunes of the shore have improved and it has once again become a heavily-used destination for beachgoers and resort vacationers during the summer months (with the exception of Atlantic City, which is popular year-round). The area is also undergoing a population and real estate boom, particularly in Monmouth and Ocean counties, where the population is steadily rising.
The Monmouth-Ocean county area has frequently been named by Money Magazine as one of the 10 best places to live in America.
Some of the more popular Jersey Shore destinations are:
- Red Bank
- Long Branch
- Sandy Hook
- Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport
- Asbury Park
- Ocean Grove
- Belmar
- Manasquan
- Neptune
- Point Pleasant
- Seaside Heights
- Island Beach State Park
- Long Beach Island
- Ocean City
- Atlantic City
- Sea Isle City
- Avalon
- Stone Harbor
- Wildwood
- Cape May
Some of the less popular towns are:
