Jersey Shore?qsrc=3044
- This article is about the region. For the MTV reality show, see Jersey Shore (TV series). For other uses, see Jersey Shore (disambiguation).
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.
The New Jersey State Department of Tourism 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]
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Location and region
Geographically, the term encompasses about 131 miles of the New Jersey coastal area 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. According to Ocean County tourism director Barbara Steele.
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's visitors come from both New York and Philadelphia.
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]
Pollution controversies
During the 1980s, the beaches of the Jersey Shore gained a reputation for being polluted, popularized in part by incidents of medical waste from the now-closed 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. While the number of beach closings has dropped significantly since the 1980s, environmental issues such as medical waste, fecal bacteria and stormwater runoff contributed to 208 beach closures in the state in 2008.[4]
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 continues to rise. In recent years, the fortunes of many large shore towns such as Long Branch, Asbury Park and Belmar 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 significant 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. Some of the largest beach nourishment projects in the world have or are being conducted along the Jersey Shore to fight continued beach erosion. Notable nourishment projects have taken place in Monmouth County, Atlantic City, Harvey Cedars, Surf City, Ship Bottom, Ocean City, Avalon, and Cape May. Future projects are slated for other areas of Long Beach Island and the Barnegat Peninsula, both in Ocean County.[5]
The Jersey Shore area rose to national fame in 2009 after MTV started airing the reality series Jersey Shore. The popular show, filmed mostly in Seaside Heights, debuted amid large amounts of controversy regarding the use of the words "Guido/Guidette," portrayals of Italian-American stereotypes and scrutiny from locals because the cast members are not residents from the area.[6][7][8] MTV also used Seaside Heights as the location of their Summer Beach House in 1998 and again in 2002, and two episodes of True Life took place in Jersey Shore towns.
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.
- ↑ http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/07/nj_beaches_ranked_10th_highest.html
- ↑ "Long Beach Island Storm Damage Reduction Project". US Army Corps of Engineers. December 28, 2009. http://www.nap.usace.army.mil/Projects/LBI/index.htm.
- ↑ "Shore Residents Express Anger with MTV". PointPleasantChamber.com. http://www.pointpleasantchamber.com/index.php/local-ocean-and-monmouth-county-news/76-shore-residents-express-anger-with-mtv-qjersey-shoreq-shows-premise.
- ↑ "Shore residents express anger with MTV's Jersey Shore premise". app.com. November 29, 2009. http://www.app.com/article/20091129/NEWS/91129051/1004/NEWS01/Shore+residents+express+anger+with+MTV+s++Jersey+Shore++premise+.
- ↑ "MTV's Jersey Shore Garners Critics Over Use of Term 'Guido'". abcnews.com. December 11, 2009. http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/mtv-show-jersey-shore-angers-italian-american-groups/story?id=9292815.
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
- Historical Postcards - Jersey Shore
- Visit New Jersey Shore
- Jersey Shore
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Coordinates: 40°02′53″N 74°03′07″W / 40.048°N 74.052°W