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The Jersey Shore is a term used in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States to refer to both the Atlantic coast of New Jersey and 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, classic themes (antique, quaint, and classic), and boardwalks filled with hundreds of rides.
The New Jersey State Department of Tourism further considers the Shore Region, Greater Atlantic City, and the Southern Shore to be distinct, each having different character. The other three tourism marketing areas are the Gateway, the Delaware Valley, and the Skylands.[1]
The Jersey Shore is home to many renowned boardwalks including Asbury Park, Atlantic City, Belmar, Cape May, Ocean City, Keansburg, Long Branch, Point Pleasant Beach, Seaside Heights, and Wildwood.
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Location and region
Geographically, the term encompasses the New Jersey coast from Sandy Hook in the north to Cape May in the south. The Jersey Shore area includes the easternmost portions of Monmouth, Atlantic, Cape May and Ocean counties.
There are also areas that get both New York and Philadelphia tourists. While there is no defined border between North and South, the Manasquan River or Interstate 195 are often mentioned.[2] However, since New York City and Philadelphia are just 90 miles apart, there is a lot of overlap between where each metropolitan area's residents go for beach tourism. Long Beach Island is split between New York and Philadelphia. Below it is Philadelphia territory and above it is New York territory for the most part.
It is a popular vacation spot for Pennsylvanians, so much so that during the 1994 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, the Tom Ridge campaign used aerial advertising along the Jersey Shore.[3]
Points of interest
- Shore Institute for Contemporary Art
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Monmouth County, New Jersey
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Ocean County, New Jersey
- Church of the Presidents
Pollution controversies
During the 1980s, the beaches of the Jersey Shore gained a somewhat unsavory reputation for being polluted, popularized in part by incidents of medical waste from the now non-existant Fresh Kills Landfill in New York City washing up on the shore (an example of this is the "Syringe Tide" in 1987). New York was forced to pay for the clean-up after New Jersey took it to court.
Jersey Shore sound and culture
The Jersey Shore is home to numerous rock and roll bars, most famously in Asbury Park, where Bruce Springsteen honed his skills at now defunct clubs like The Upstage and the Student Prince. He still makes periodic live appearances at The Stone Pony bar or at Convention Hall as either a solo act, with the E Street Band, or with other artists. Furthermore, Bill Haley and the Comets performed "Rock Around the Clock" for the first time live at the Hoff Brau in Wildwood.
A style of music known as the Jersey Shore sound evolved from this scene. The Springsteen song "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" is one of several Springsteen songs that contains references to the Jersey shore scene of the early 1970s.
The Jersey shore represents one of the most booming real estate markets on the East Coast as its prominence as a tourist destination and vacation spot has risen greatly in the past decade. In recent years, the fortunes of the shore have improved[dated info] 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 boom, particularly in Monmouth and Ocean counties, where the population is steadily rising. The area also experienced a real estate boom in the early 2000s, but since early 2008, real estate prices have seen a dramatic drop like many other areas of the United States.
The region was also the site of the MTV reality series "Jersey Shore" where 8 roommates lived together in Seaside Heights, NJ for one month in August 2009.
- Avon-by-the-Sea, New Jersey
- Atlantic County, New Jersey
- Barnegat Peninsula (also known as the Island Beach Peninsula)
- Cape May County, New Jersey
- Monmouth County, New Jersey
- Ocean County, New Jersey
- Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916
- Max's Famous Hotdogs
- The Windmill (hotdog stand)
- Lucy the Elephant, Margate, New Jersey
- Cape May Light
- Atlantic City Casinos
- Long Beach Island
- Island Beach State Park
- Bay Head, New Jersey
- Point Pleasant Boardwalk
- Manasquan Inlet
- Sandy Hook, Gateway National Recreation Area
- Raritan Bayshore
See also
Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916
References
- ^ "Visitor Information - Regional Tourism". http://www.state.nj.us/travel/regional.html.
- ^ Galant, Debra. "JERSEY; South Jersey Is Friendlier? Oh, Shut Up And Drive", The New York Times, April 9, 2000, accessed April 11, 2008. "For the purposes of dividing North Jersey from South Jersey, Gannett drew a line between Monmouth County and Ocean County. I decided that it would be amusing to drive down to this dividing line -- which turned out to be the Manasquan River -- and test the hypothesis."
- ^ "PoliticsPA's Top Summer Vacation Spots". PoliticsPA. Archived from the original on 2003-02-02. http://web.archive.org/web/20030202110025/www.politicspa.com/features/top_vacation_spots.htm.
External links
- Jersey Shore Boardwalks, a multimedia site with information and history on the Jersey Shore.
- Shore Region Tourism Council (covering Ocean and Monmouth Counties).
- 17 New Jersey Shore Newspapers serving Atlantic and Cape May Counties.
- The Cape May Gazette Newspaper :: Southern Jersey Shore.
- Atlantic City Area Events Blog.
- Historical Postcards - Atlantic City
- Historical Postcards - Jersey Shore
- Visit New Jersey Shore .
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