Long Beach Island

Coordinates: 39°38′23″N 74°10′54″W / 39.639835°N 74.181619°W / 39.639835; -74.181619
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the island in New Jersey. For the island in New York, see Long Beach Barrier Island.

39°38′23″N 74°10′54″W / 39.639835°N 74.181619°W / 39.639835; -74.181619

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is situated at the southern tip of Long Beach Island, within Long Beach Township, Ocean County, New Jersey, U.S., on the Jersey Shore
.
Position of Long Beach Island (pink) relative to Ocean County

Long Beach Island (colloquially known as LBI, The LBI Region, or simply The Island) is a

New York Metropolitan Area
.

The island is home to about 10,000 people on a year-round basis. The population is distributed among six separate municipalities, the largest of which is Long Beach Township. However, the island's population swells significantly during the summer months and reaches about 100,000 people, including part-time residents and tourists, who are often referred to as "shoobies".[1] The island's close-knit communities are largely affluent and contain vacation homes for wealthy individuals who reside elsewhere, primarily New Jersey as well as New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut.[2]

The island and its properties and economy are expected to be severely affected by

engineered retreat economically unattractive.[3]

Geography

View southwards over Barnegat Light and the island
Afternoon surf

Long Beach Island is located 24 miles (39 km) north of Atlantic City 61 miles (98 km) east-southeast of Philadelphia and 101 miles (163 km) south of New York City. LBI is approximately 18 miles (29 km) in length, which includes three miles (5 km) of marsh protected as part of Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge located on the southern tip.[4][5] The island is about a half-mile wide (800 m) at its widest point in Ship Bottom, and spans a fifth of a mile (300 m) at its narrowest point in Harvey Cedars.

Long Beach Island is bisected by State Route 72, formerly "South 40", which connects the mainland to the island at Ship Bottom. It is the sole access point for road vehicles to the mainland over Manahawkin Bay. This results in the division of the island into a northern portion and a southern portion. From the bridge northward, the island includes the communities of Surf City, North Beach (a section of Long Beach Township), Harvey Cedars, Loveladies (a section of Long Beach Township), High Bar Harbor (the northernmost section of Long Beach Township), and Barnegat Light. From the bridge southward, the island includes the communities of Ship Bottom, Brant Beach, Long Beach Township (including the census-designated place of North Beach Haven), and Beach Haven, with the Holgate section of Long Beach Township at the southernmost tip of the island.

History

Engleside Avenue in Beach Haven

The island has been continuously settled since 1690, initially being a destination for hunters.

George Gordon Meade, famous for leading the Union forces to victory four years later during the Civil War at the Battle of Gettysburg. The United States Life-Saving Service built Station #17 in Barnegat Light (then known as Brownsville) around 1872, which continues today as a United States Coast Guard
station.

A lone fishing shack, a landmark to drivers entering LBI, stood dilapidated in the marsh alongside Route 72 until it was destroyed in Hurricane Sandy in 2012

A developing tourism sector prompted the Tuckerton Railroad (a short line running from Tuckerton to Whiting) to build a bridge across Barnegat bay that ran from Barnegat city to Beach Haven; the tracks were completed in 1886 and were leased to the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR). The Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916 included a fatal attack in Beach Haven, killing University of Pennsylvania student Charles Vansant in July 1916, which partly inspired the book Jaws. A severe winter storm in 1920 destroyed most of the beaches along the island, several hotels, and reopening the new inlet in Holgate. A storm in 1923 further diminished the tourism sector, resulting in the discontinuation of train service to Barnegat City between 1923 and 1926. In 1935, the railroad bridge to the mainland washed out, leaving the entire island without rail service.

Several storms throughout the island's history have resulted in the island being split in two, with the division occurring at the island's narrowest point in Harvey Cedars. The most famous of such storms was the Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962, which split Long Beach Island into numerous pieces and nearly destroyed the island in its entirety. The storm caused the destroyer USS Monssen to run aground in Beach Haven Inlet, Long Beach Township. The existing Route 72 Causeway was erected in the late 1950s, which replaced a low-level two-lane automobile bridge which in itself had replaced the previously destroyed railroad bridge.[6]

Hurricane Sandy

New Jersey National Guard vehicles navigating floodwaters along Route 72 in Ship Bottom
during Hurricane Sandy
Holgate
after Hurricane Sandy

In late October 2012, portions of Long Beach Island were significantly damaged by Hurricane Sandy. Residents were evacuated, and portions of the island were severely flooded, with the ocean meeting the bay in isolated spots. Streets were left covered with up to four feet of sand in some spots. The nine-foot storm surge and 18-foot seas that pounded the barrier island damaged several homes along the ocean and bayfront communities.[7]

The Manahawkin Bay Bridge remained closed to residents for a full 13 days following the storm. Locals were prohibited from returning to the island except for brief visits to retrieve belongings. Bulldozers and front-end loaders moved hundreds of tons of sand, along with power lines and boats, in an attempt to make the roadways passable. Long Beach Island was finally re-opened to residents and building owners on November 10, with the exception of the Holgate section of Long Beach Township, where infrastructure and road damage was still too dangerous. However, island officials warned that some areas were still without sewerage, water and electric service at that time.[8]

Damage was distributed unevenly throughout the island. Areas with a protective dune system had limited damage, while areas without dunes or where dunes were breached received significantly more damage. In those neighborhoods — in sections like

North Beach. Areas where the dune system was in place fared much better, such as Harvey Cedars, Ship Bottom, Surf City and Barnegat Light.[10]

Electricity was restored to 70% of the Island by November 4, 2012.[11] By November 20, 2012, natural gas service was restored to nearly the entire Island.[12]

By mid-November, many businesses were re-opened on Long Beach Island with life resuming as normal for much of the Island by mid-December.[13]

Demographics

There are six separate municipalities on Long Beach Island. Long Beach Township is the largest of these, and subdivides into multiple neighborhoods:

Looking south from Barnegat Lighthouse in Barnegat Light, New Jersey

Culture

In the 1970s, an article in

Philadelphia Magazine quipped that, "The haves turn right (south) and the have mores turn left (north)," referring to the option of turning right or left when arriving on the island from the bridge. Nominally accurate, the low-density northern end of the island, Loveladies, North Beach, and the surrounding neighborhoods are home to an assortment of large-scale waterfront homes[14] which attract considerable attention from visitors and are often the source of rumors regarding vacationing celebrities during the summertime. The southern community of Beach Haven features historic and elegant Victorian homes that have survived the many storms. The south end contains significantly more commercial zoning, which generally decreases north of the bridge. Year-round residents and businesses in operation are more common toward the southern end of the island, particularly in the larger boroughs of Beach Haven
and Ship Bottom.

Long Beach Island typically attracts a family-oriented crowd during the summertime, unlike more frenzied beach vacation destinations such as

jet-skiing, walking, shopping, and relaxing on the beaches. The island has a reputation as a base for many long-range recreational fishing and charter boats, whose trips can range from 10 to 100 miles (16 to 161 km) from one of the island's two inlets (at Barnegat Light in the north and Beach Haven in the south.) In 2009, the Lighthouse International Film Festival was launched on the island. The three-day event screens films in venues throughout the island. Other art venues include the Surflight Theatre
in Beach Haven and numerous art galleries throughout the island. The Surflight Theatre was closed due to foreclosure but has now reopened with plans to expand the number of shows presented yearly.

Beach replenishment

Some of the island's 18 miles (29 km) of beaches have experienced significant erosion in recent decades, threatening the multimillion-dollar waterfront homes in the area.[14] In 2005, with the help of the Army Corps of Engineers, work began on a $75 million project to build a 22-foot (6.7 m) high, 30-foot (9.1 m) wide dune the length of the island using sand pumped from offshore. In front of the dunes, a 200-foot (61 m) wide stretch of sand separates the dune from the ocean.[14] The beach replenishment project began in Ship Bottom and Surf City. With work on those beaches now complete, the project continues toward the northern end of the island. Beach replenishment has been a hugely controversial topic. Many surfers and swimmers argue that pumping the sand destroys the sandbars that create waves and provide a better swimming environment. Some homeowners claim dunes will reduce property value, while island officials argue dunes are necessary to counter beach erosion and protect the island from storms.

Transportation

Bisecting the developed region is the sole access point for road vehicles, via

water transport. A $155 million plan unveiled by the New Jersey Department of Transportation in 2005 added a second span and will replace the existing bridge.[15]
The new southern span was opened in 2016 and the original bridge was built over during the next 3 years, with the project finishing in 2019.

County Route 607 in Ship Bottom

Within the island, one road forms the backbone of all transportation:

County Route 607
. This road, which is known as Bay Avenue in Beach Haven, Central Avenue and Broadway in Barnegat Light, and Long Beach Boulevard across the remainder of the island, runs the length of LBI and connects all the separate municipalities on the island as well as the separate sections of Long Beach Township.

For public transit,

559 Lakewood-Atlantic City runs to Manahawkin
. Ocean Ride local service is provided on the OC9 Long Beach Island route.[16][17][18]

TransportAzumah offers daily service during the summer season between Midtown Manhattan in New York City and Long Beach Island with a stop at Newark Liberty International Airport.[19]

The LBI Shuttle runs the 18-mile length of the island on Long Beach Boulevard. It provides $2 service from 10am to 10pm and $5 service from 10pm to close.

Holgate.[21]

Notable locations

Barnegat Lighthouse on the north tip of Long Beach Island

The historic Barnegat Lighthouse is located in Barnegat Lighthouse State Park at the northern tip of the island, along the Barnegat Inlet. The conical tower stands 165 feet (50 m) tall, and the park includes several trails through native foliage and along the jetty constructed in the 1990s. The scallop boat Lindsay L, docked near Viking Village in Barnegat Light, was used in the movie The Perfect Storm. The lighthouse is open daily from 10 AM to 4:30 PM (weather permitting) from Memorial Day through Labor Day. There is a $3 fee per person to enter the lighthouse from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Children ages 6 to 11 are $1, and children ages 5 and under are free and must be accompanied by an adult. Visitors can also catch the views from the top without climbing the 217 steps, thanks to four cameras that transmit live images of the view to a display in the adjacent Interpretive Center.[22]

Dawn on the beach

Loveladies is home to the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences,[23] established in 1948 by artist Boris Blai. The organization provides arts, science and recreation programs to area residents and visitors. The Foundation offers an After School Arts Education Program to area schools, an Artists Residency and Retreat Program for New Jersey Artists, Visiting Artists in Ceramics during the summer season, and ceramics scholarships and residency opportunities.

To the south, in Beach Haven, the Fantasy Island Amusement Park is the only full-time location on the island with standard-fare

Brant Beach, a candy that was first created in nearby Atlantic City. Lucille's candy also has a location on Route 72 in Manahawkin
. Thundering Surf Water Park, the island's only water park, offers fun for all ages. With six water slides, a kids' area, a lazy river, miniature golf, and a Flow House, the water park is a popular attraction for families.

Two significant commercial establishments are Schooner's Wharf/Bay Village, in Beach Haven, and Viking Village, in Barnegat Light. The latter includes numerous family-owned shops generally oriented toward the local fishing industry and the many fishing charter boats that set sail there, though a variety of handmade crafts can also be found. The former is geared more specifically toward the tourism industry, featuring a variety of eateries and more mainstream shops. Across from the Thundering Surf Water Park, Bay Village began in 1965 when John Maschal purchased a half-block around his shop "Country Kettle Fudge" — which had opened four years earlier — and developed it into the existing shopping area. When Bay Village opened, it adjoined the Lucy Evelyn, a 3 masted schooner that had been set on land and turned into a gift shop and museum. The Lucy Evelyn, 140' long with a 32' beam and 10' draft, built in 1917 in Harrington, Maine, burned to the ground in January 1972. It was replaced by a building that resembles a schooner. One of the original "Seaman's Shacks" that surrounded the Lucy Evelyn still remains on the north-western outskirts of Bay Village. The annual Chowderfest clam chowder competition is held at Schooner's Wharf/Bay Village in Beach Haven every October, drawing a significant influx of tourists during the off-season. For the past 20 years, island restaurants have competed in Manhattan and New England clam chowder categories. Recent winners include Stefano's Pizza and Pasta, Howard's Restaurant, Country Kettle Chowda, Buckalew's Restaurant and Tavern, and The Black Whale Bar and Fish House.[24]

Climate

According to the

plant hardiness zone at 9th St Beach, Ship Bottom is 7a with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of 3.8 °F (-15.7 °C).[25] The average seasonal (Nov-Apr) snowfall total is between 12 and 18 inches (300 and 460 mm), and the average snowiest month is February which corresponds with the annual peak in nor'easter
activity.

Climate data for ninth St Beach, Ship Bottom, NJ (1981-2010 Averages)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 40.2
(4.6) 		42.4
(5.8) 		49.1
(9.5) 		57.8
(14.3) 		68.1
(20.1) 		77.2
(25.1) 		82.6
(28.1) 		81.5
(27.5) 		75.6
(24.2) 		65.1
(18.4) 		55.0
(12.8) 		45.1
(7.3) 		61.7
(16.5)
Daily mean °F (°C) 33.1
(0.6) 		35.2
(1.8) 		41.5
(5.3) 		50.3
(10.2) 		60.2
(15.7) 		69.6
(20.9) 		75.3
(24.1) 		74.3
(23.5) 		67.9
(19.9) 		56.9
(13.8) 		47.4
(8.6) 		37.9
(3.3) 		54.2
(12.3)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 26.0
(−3.3) 		27.9
(−2.3) 		33.9
(1.1) 		42.9
(6.1) 		52.4
(11.3) 		62.1
(16.7) 		68.0
(20.0) 		67.1
(19.5) 		60.3
(15.7) 		48.7
(9.3) 		39.9
(4.4) 		30.7
(−0.7) 		46.7
(8.2)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 3.34
(85) 		3.01
(76) 		4.10
(104) 		3.60
(91) 		3.09
(78) 		2.99
(76) 		3.94
(100) 		4.23
(107) 		3.08
(78) 		3.53
(90) 		3.14
(80) 		3.55
(90) 		41.60
(1,057)
Average
relative humidity
(%) 		66.9 64.7 63.2 64.3 67.5 71.6 70.9 72.5 71.4 70.0 68.9 67.8 68.3
Average dew point °F (°C) 23.3
(−4.8) 		24.5
(−4.2) 		29.9
(−1.2) 		38.7
(3.7) 		49.4
(9.7) 		60.0
(15.6) 		65.2
(18.4) 		64.9
(18.3) 		58.3
(14.6) 		47.2
(8.4) 		37.7
(3.2) 		28.2
(−2.1) 		44.0
(6.7)
Source: PRISM[26]
Climate data for Atlantic City, NJ Ocean Water Temperature (24 SW Long Beach Island)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Daily mean °F (°C) 37
(3) 		35
(2) 		42
(6) 		48
(9) 		56
(13) 		63
(17) 		70
(21) 		73
(23) 		70
(21) 		61
(16) 		53
(12) 		44
(7) 		54
(12)
Source: NOAA[27]

Ecology

According to the

Coastal Prairie (20).[28]

Media

The Press of Atlantic City provides daily news coverage of the towns, as does WPGG radio. The governments of the towns provide columns and commentary to The Southern Ocean Times, which is one of seven weekly papers from Micromedia Publications. There is also a website called LBI Eats, which is written by locals and shares island news, restaurant and bar reviews and details about the destination's best features.[29]

See also

References

  1. ^ Eftimiades, Maria (9 September 1990). "Long Beach Island Journal; When Summer Ends, Residents Take Back Their Way of Life". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
  2. ^ Weaver, Donna (September 3, 2007). "Vacationing New Yorkers invade Long Beach Island". The Press of Atlantic City. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
  3. ^ a b c Titus, James G. "Sea Level Rise and Barrier Islands". papers.risingsea.net. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
  4. ^ Long beach island Archived March 19, 2005, at the Wayback Machine, Ocean County Historical Society. Accessed July 20, 2007. "Long Beach Island lies off the New Jersey Coast about 65 miles (105 km) south of Manhattan and 57 miles (92 km) east and slightly south of Philadelphia. The island follows the coast for a distance of 18 miles (29 km) in a roughly northeast-to-southwest direction. Barnegat Bay, which separates it from the mainland, is approximately two to six miles (10 km) wide. The width of the island ranges from more than a mile to less than 200 yards (180 m)."
  5. Daily News
    (New York), June 9, 2002. Accessed July 9, 2012. "Long Beach Island is 18 miles (29 km) long, from the historical Barnegat Light on the north end (in a huge state park), past Surf City and Ship Bottom in the middle to Beach Haven to the south."
  6. ^ Lloyd, John Bailey (1986). Eighteen Miles of History on Long Beach Island. Atlantic City: Down The Shore Publishing.
  7. ^ Hutchins, Ryan (October 31, 2012). "Extensive damage from Sandy litters Long Beach Island". The Star-Ledger. Newark, NJ. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
  8. ^ Fuoco, Michael (9 November 2012). "In Sandy's Wake: New Jersey Roads Re-Open and Residents Return Home". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
  9. ^ DiUlio, Nick (9 November 2012). "Sandy and the Scientist". New Jersey Monthly. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
  10. ^ Hutchins, Ryan (9 November 2012). "N.J. sand dunes protected Shore towns from Hurricane Sandy's wrath". New Jersey Star-Ledger. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
  11. ^ Township of Long Beach (2012-11-04). "Long Beach Island Joint Emergency Operations Center: Hurricane Sandy Update". Lbieoc.org. Retrieved 2014-07-27.
  12. ^ "Long Beach Island nearing full natural-gas restoration - pressofAtlanticCity.com: Breaking News". pressofAtlanticCity.com. 2012-11-20. Retrieved 2014-07-27.
  13. ^ LBItoday.com. Archive.fo. Accessed March 16, 2019.
  14. ^ a b c Zedalis, Joe. "From sea to shore: Replenishing Long Beach Island" (PDF). Asbury Park Press. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 July 2009. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
  15. ^ "State unveils plan to add second span over bay to island -- PROJECT MAY START IN 2009", Asbury Park Press, July 26, 2005. "STAFFORD - With the Dorland J. Henderson Memorial Bridge literally coming apart at the seams, the state Department of Transportation on Monday unveiled plans to rebuild the existing Route 72 causeway to Long Beach Island and add a second span beside it at a total cost of $155 million."
  16. ^ Ocean County Bus Service Archived 2015-08-14 at the Wayback Machine, Greater Mercer TMA. Accessed August 12, 2015.
  17. ^ Ocean Ride Rider's Guide Archived 2015-06-27 at the Wayback Machine, Ocean County, New Jersey. Accessed August 12, 2015.
  18. ^ Ocean County Transit Guide, Ocean County, New Jersey. Accessed August 12, 2015.
  19. ^ Route TAZ10, TransportAzumah. Accessed March 10, 2015.
  20. ^ "LBI Shuttle - Shuttle Service for Long Beach Island, NJ". www.lbishuttle.com. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  21. ^ LBI Shuttle, Borough of Barnegat Light. Accessed August 9, 2015.
  22. ^ Genovese, Peter. "Today's special: Jersey Shore", The Star-Ledger, July 17, 2005. Accessed October 10, 2007.
  23. ^ Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences
  24. ^ "LBI Chowderfest". Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce. 2010. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
  25. ^ "USDA Interactive Plant Hardiness Map". United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  26. ^ "PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University". Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  27. ^ "Water Temperature Table of All Coastal Regions". Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  28. ^ "U.S. Potential Natural Vegetation, Original Kuchler Types, v2.0 (Spatially Adjusted to Correct Geometric Distortions)". Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  29. ^ LBI Eats

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Long Beach Island.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Long Beach Island.
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