Now there’s a Shore area???Hij802 t1_isw6k0q wrote
TL/DR below
As someone from “Central” (in this map) Monmouth, I partially agree but have a major critique. The Shore shouldn’t stop in Ocean County, it needs to go all the way down to Cape May. However, I also feel that there’s a North Shore and South Shore.
This article shows the percentage of people who actually live in NJ who live there year-round. In Monmouth County, out of the 15 shore towns, 13 have over 80% year round residents, 11 over 85%, and 5 over 90%. Deal is the only one with less than 50%, being at 39%. These towns all essentially feel like Central NJ to me, but still generally have a distinct shore town feeling to them.Ocean County has only 5/12 over 80%, and all of them are north of LBI, ending in Seaside Park. The lowest is Beach Haven at 67%.
I believe this is where the distinction truly begins. Island Beach State Park is where things become more summer-only touristy. Once you get to Atlantic & Cape May, the further south you go the less people actually live there. In Atlantic, the highest is Atlantic City at 74%. 2 towns are below 50%. Then you get it Cape May, where only 2/9 towns have over 50%, the lowest being Avalon at only 28%. And mind you these are only based on ownership of housing by in-state residents, meaning that these numbers don’t necessarily reflect the actual amount of people who live there.
TL/DR: Based on this, I would argue that there’s a
North Shore - Monmouth east of the Route 35, Ocean east of the Garden State Parkway minus Island Beach State Park (even if it’s connected)
South Shore - IBSP + Atlantic (only the 5 towns on the Ocean) + all of Cape May.
Hij802 t1_isw8rq9 wrote
TL/DR below
As someone from “Central” (in this map) Monmouth, I partially agree but have two major critiques. The Shore should be extended down to Cape May but split into North Shore/South Shore.
First:
This article shows the percentage of people who actually live in NJ who live there year-round. In Monmouth County, out of the 15 shore towns, 13 have over 80% year round residents, 11 over 85%, and 5 over 90%. Deal is the only one with less than 50%, being at 39%. These towns all essentially feel like Central NJ to me, feeling alive year-round and being highly connected to the rest of Monmouth but still generally have a distinct shore town feeling to them. I would go to Long Branch or Asbury Park any time of year. Ocean County has only 5/12 shore towns over 80%, and all of them are north of LBI, ending in Seaside Park. The lowest is Beach Haven at 67%.
I believe this is where the distinction truly begins. Island Beach State Park is where things become more summer-only touristy. Once you get to Atlantic & Cape May, the further south you go the less people actually live there. In Atlantic, the highest is Atlantic City at 74%. 2 towns are below 50%. Then you get it Cape May, where only 2/9 shore towns have over 50%, the lowest being Avalon at only 28%. The only town I would ever really consider going to outside the summer is Atlantic City, and maybe if there’s a famous restaurant that’s open year-round in say Wildwood or Cape May, but solely for that reason. These towns don’t really feel connected to anything else in their counties or in South Jersey. Hell 30 minutes outside AC you’re in the Pine Barrens.
Second:
As someone from Central Monmouth, I feel no relation to Camden or anything over there whatsoever. South Jersey is more influenced by the Philadelphia metro, while Central Jersey is generally more influenced by New York and Trenton. The line for Central Jersey needs to be moved up a lot higher. I’d argue Burlington is almost entirely South, and Ocean is Central but is South Jersey below Toms River.
TL/DR: Based on this, I would argue that there’s a
North Shore - Monmouth east of the Route 35, Ocean east of the Garden State Parkway minus Island Beach State Park (even if it’s connected)
South Shore - IBSP + Atlantic (only the 5 towns on the Ocean) + all of Cape May.
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