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Jersey Shore

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Jersey Shore can also refer to Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania.
File:Familyfunandsunresort.JPG
Casino Pier, Seaside Heights, NJ

The Jersey Shore is a term used in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States to refer to the both 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 Jersey shore represents one of the most booming real estate markets on the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]] as its prominence as a tourist destination and vacation spot has risen greatly in the past decade.

The Jersey Shore is home to many world-famous [neutrality is disputed] boardwalks in towns including Asbury Park, Belmar, Point Pleasant Beach, Seaside Heights, Atlantic City, Ocean City, Wildwood, and Cape May.

Jersey Shore locals (Generally from Ocean and Monmouth Counties) are known for their mild-mannered yet staunch disdain for rowdy tourists (shoobie or benny in the local vernacular), usually from the New York and Philadelphia Metropolitan Areas.[citation needed] The origin of the word "benny" is disputed. Some believe it may be derived from the word "benefit"; early day-trippers to the Jersey Shore were given free trips as an economic "benefit" to the area. Locals in the northern part of the Jersey Shore - usually the beaches of Monmouth County - will customarily explain the origin of the word as an acronym for "Bayonne, Elizabeth, Newark, New York," which are the four main areas of which "bennies" were originally residents. Most tour guides to the area cite the former explanation as correct and claim the latter is simply a backronym. However, in either usage, the term "benny" is usually infused with scorn by locals. The word "shooby" is said to have originated from vacationers who brought pack lunches to the area, often in shoe boxes.

Location and region

Geographically, the term encompasses the New Jersey coast from Sandy Hook in the north to Cape May in the south and excludes the estuaries of New York Bay and Delaware Bay. The Jersey Shore area includes Monmouth, Atlantic, Cape May and Ocean counties.

Citizens of certain areas of the Shore are unique in New Jersey because some communities often have mixed affiliations between New York and Philadelphia.[citation needed] 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.[1] 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.

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 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

Jersey shore houses numerous rock and roll bars. Most famously in Asbury Park, where Bruce Springsteen honed his skills at The Stone Pony and other local clubs and still makes periodic live appearances either as 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.

The Springsteen song "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" is one of several Springsteen songs that contains many references to the Jersey shore scene of the early 1970s. A style of music known as the Jersey Shore sound evolved from this scene.

In recent years, the fortunes of the shore have improved[needs update] 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 and real estate boom, particularly in Monmouth and Ocean counties, where the population is steadily rising.

References

  1. ^ 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."
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