Jersey Shore

The Jersey Shore is the coastal area of the state of New Jersey from Sandy Hook in the north to Cape May Point in the south. The shore includes many summer resort areas and public beaches and encompasses five counties: Atlantic, Cape May, Middlesex, Monmouth, and Ocean. Major destinations include Atlantic City, Seaside Heights, and Wildwood. The Jersey Shore is a primary summer destination for residents of the mid-Atlantic region, including Pennsylvania and New York. It has a long and celebrated history in popular culture. In the twenty-first century, the Jersey Shore has been pummeled by major storms, causing it to lose portions of its beaches and iconic boardwalks.

Background

The Atlantic Ocean coast of New Jersey is about 130 miles (209 km) long. The coastal upland is made up of gravel, sand, and silt deposits. The underlying structure is mostly bedrock and subject to erosion from weather and the ocean. Over the last twenty thousand years, rising sea levels have moved the shoreline westward; it is about 85 miles further inland on the mostly flat continental shelf. Since 1650, the shoreline has retreated up to two thousand feet westward. This encroaching saltwater changed the nature of some regions. Ocean water moved inland up river and stream channels and flooded low-lying areas. The seafloor also entered sandy areas to reach salt marshes and cedar peat deposits in some places.

The northern shoreline includes bluffs that are up to twenty-six feet high and stand between the sandy beach and inland communities. Dune sand at times blows over the bluffs. The southern shoreline consists of barrier islands ranging from Long Beach Island at 18 miles (29 km) to the Wildwoods at 5 miles (8 km). Between the barrier islands and the shoreline lie open bay lagoons and salt marshes.

At least ten thousand years ago, the Delaware Indians began living in New Jersey. About eight thousand to twenty thousand people lived in a number of small communities primarily composed of extended families. They dug clams along the shoreline, and the men hunted in the forests. The women farmed, growing beans, corn, squash, and sweet potatoes.

The first European to reach New Jersey, Giovanni da Verrazzano, arrived about 1524. He did not explore inland, but his expedition charted the shores of the East Coast. Henry Hudson explored the region in 1609 and claimed the territory for the Netherlands, the country that hired him to undertake the expedition. He called the area New Netherlands. Trading colonies were established in the areas of modern Hoboken and Jersey City. The British took control of New Netherlands in 1664, and the colony was renamed New Jersey after the Isle of Jersey.

During the eighteenth century, the people of New Jersey were divided in their loyalties. One-third wanted independence, one-third wanted to remain under English rule, and one-third was neutral. The colony declared itself independent in 1776 and fought with the Colonial Army in the Revolutionary War against England. The state's central location meant that it saw a good deal of fighting. Following England's defeat, New Jersey was the third state to ratify the Constitution in 1787.

Overview

The Jersey Shore has an important place in the popular culture of the mid-Atlantic region. Like many recreational areas, it owes its development in part to the railroads. Atlantic City on Absecon Island is a prime example. Jonathan Pitney lived on Absecon Island during the 1850s. He wanted to develop a resort there because he thought the sea air and beach would offer health benefits. However, southern New Jersey was rural, and people had trouble reaching the shore. Pitney and a partner, Richard Osborne, built the Camden-Atlantic City Railroad. The first tourist train from Camden traveled to Atlantic City on July 5, 1854. As the partners had hoped, developers rushed to accommodate visitors, building luxury hotels and rooming houses.

The beach was a big attraction, but a bane of the property owners. Visitors tracked sand everywhere, and business owners and train operators struggled to keep it out. Train conductor Andrew Boardman and hotel owner Jacob Keim came up with the idea of building a wooden boardwalk from the beach to the town. Atlantic City constructed the first boardwalk, a portable structure that could be placed in storage during the winter, in 1870. A larger, permanent boardwalk replaced it ten years later. Other beach communities, including Ocean City and Wildwood, constructed their own boardwalks. In the later nineteenth century, more attractions established along the Atlantic City boardwalk. Amusement piers with rides and games were constructed, and bigger hotels were built.

Although Atlantic City was bustling in the summer months, businesses struggled during the winter. To keep the visitors in town longer, the Atlantic City Pageant was held in September of 1921. The idea drew attention across the country and became an annual event to crown Miss America.

Major highway projects during the 1950s made driving to the Jersey Shore much easier. During the 1950s and 1960s, many Hollywood stars vacationed in Atlantic City. The beaches drew visitors from Pennsylvania and New York. As air travel became more affordable and convenient, however, people traveled away from the East Coast. Atlantic City attempted to bring back visitors with casinos during the late 1970s.

In the twenty-first century, Jersey Shore boardwalks continue to draw visitors. Custard shops, pizzerias, saltwater taffy, popcorn, arcades, rides, and music venues offer entertainment just off the sand. Many attractions have been in families for generations.

Jersey Shore frequently receives mention in popular culture. A reality show, Jersey Shore, featured a number of young Italian Americans sharing a summer home. The song "Jersey Girl"—written by Tom Waits and recorded by a number of artists such as Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band—describes the delights of a Saturday night date at a seaside carnival. Other songs about the shore life include "Atlantic City," "Wildwood Days," "On the Way to Cape May," and "Under the Boardwalk." The cable series Boardwalk Empire (2010–2014) dramatizes the Prohibition era in Atlantic City during the 1920s. The 1983 film Baby, It's You includes scenes in Asbury Park, and the 1996 movie Big Night follows the owners and employees opening a restaurant at the Jersey Shore.

Bibliography

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