The Jersey Shore (known by locals simply as the Shore) is the coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Geographically, the term encompasses about of oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy in the north to Cape May Point in the south. The region includes Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Atlantic, and Cape May counties, which are in the central and southern parts of the state. Located in the center of the Northeast Megalopolis, the northern half of the shore region is part of the New York metropolitan area, while the southern half of the shore region is part of the Philadelphia metropolitan area, also known as the Delaware Valley. The Jersey Shore hosts the highest concentration of oceanside boardwalks in the United States.
Famous for its wide beaches, many boardwalks with arcades, amusement parks, and water parks, the Jersey Shore is a popular vacation spot with residents of North Jersey, New York, Maryland, Delaware, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. Certain shore communities are also popular with visitors of the Canadian province of Quebec. Due to New Jersey's peninsular geography, both sunrise and sunset are visible over water from different points on the Jersey Shore.
Hurricane Sandy in 2012 devastated much of the northern part of the region, spawning the demolition and rebuilding of entire neighborhoods, with reinvention on a physically and financially elevated, and economically upscale level; this process of gentrification is rapidly escalating property values and transforming many communities on the Jersey Shore into a second home for the New York financial community, akin to the more established Gold Coast and Hamptons on Long Island.
Notable shore towns
The Jersey Shore is lined with over 40 different towns and communities, each with a different character, flavor, and vibe. Many towns cater extensively to summer tourists, while others are increasingly or completely full-year residential communities. The towns listed below are ordered geographically from north to south.
Middlesex County
The Amboys
Perth Amboy, along with neighboring South Amboy across the Raritan River, make up The Amboys. Perth Amboy was a resort town in the 19th century and early 20th century, located on the northern edge of the Raritan Bayshore. Since the early 1990s Perth Amboy has seen redevelopment. Small businesses have started to open up, helped by the city's designation as an urban enterprise zone. The waterfront has also seen a rebirth, with new parks, a new promenade and an expansion of the marina complementing the old Victorian homes along the bay. Local attractions include the Perth Amboy Ferry Slip and Kearny Cottage. The Raritan Yacht Club, it is one of the oldest yacht clubs in the United States. As of 2023, hundreds of millions of dollars were being invested in the redevelopment of Perth Amboy's waterfront area, in part related to its strategically-located industrial area.
Laurence Harbor (Old Bridge)
Laurence Harbor is an unincorporated community located in Old Bridge. The waterfront neighborhood looks directly upon many points in New York City, including Staten Island's South Shore; the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge; Lower Manhattan (and the Empire State Building in Midtown Manhattan on a clear night); and Brooklyn. The New Jersey Transit Railroad no longer has a station in Laurence Harbor. It had a Morgan station during most of the 1st half of the 20th century, located right across Cheesequake Creek, sometimes referred to locally as "The Front", from Laurence Harbor, dividing the community into eastern and western sections. Cliffwood Beach also borders Laurence Harbor when traveling south. Morgan is named after the 1703 family that had 645 acres (2.61 km2) here and were cousins of the infamous pirate captain Henry Morgan. Morgan is located one mile to the northwest, across the Cheesequake Creek and the Morgan Bridge on New Jersey Route 35. The Morgan Draw carries the North Jersey Coast Line.