C’mon Down, The Jersey Shore’s Just Fine

Atlantic Ocean shore at Atlantic City, New Jersey (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Before we do anything, let’s address the giant elephant in the room – and we’re not talking about Lucy of Margate.

Nearly seven months ago, Sandy wrought devastation on the Jersey Shore like never before:  The largest Atlantic storm on record created more than $30 billion in damage up and down the state’s 127-mile coastline. More than 346,000 structures were damaged or destroyed when Sandy whipped across the state on Oct. 29.

Some of the places that held memories so dear for many of us – beaches, homes, boardwalks, piers, shops, amusements, and restaurants – got washed away.  We wondered whether we’d have the chance to enjoy our beloved Shore again.

Well, just as surely as the air and sand and sea will be delightfully warm again, there will be plenty to celebrate this summer.  There are still dozens of great destinations and plenty of fun at the Shore this year.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/travel/shoreguide/20130517_C_mon_down__the_Shore_s_just_fine.html#DPMkWhhvuP2Zxs3V.99

Jersey Shore Rentals Up, Down Due To Sandy

NEW YORK — Superstorm Sandy shifted the sands of the New Jersey shore‘s summer rental landscape, where some resort towns are suffering lasting effects of the barrage and others are, as they say, cleaning up.

Summer rentals are a backbone of the tourist season along the 127-mile stretch of coastline and barrier islands, where vacationers flock to the beaches and boardwalks that are convenient to New York and Philadelphia and more affordable than the celebrity-studded Hamptons on New York’s Long Island.

Some 59 million people visited the Jersey Shore last year, according to state figures.

In Ocean County alone, which is one of the four shore counties and boasts of 44 miles of coastline, the population typically doubles in the summer months to 1.2 million.  In some of its small towns, the population grows ten-fold in the summer, according to county statistics.

Read more:  http://www.mcall.com/news/mc-jersey-shore-sandy-summer-rentals-20130419,0,2941227.story

South End Residents Call For Ocean City, NJ Beach Rebuilding

Map of New Jersey (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

OCEAN CITY, N.J. – At the north end of town, a 309-foot dredge operated by Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. of Oak Brook, Ill., has been operating 24 hours a day for several days, in a project that will pump 1.8 million cubic yards of sand from the ocean floor onto the beaches.

There’s no such whoosh of beach-rebuilding at the south end, leaving homeowners there puzzled and upset, especially since Sandy left their shoreline in even worse shape.

City officials said that the north-end project was in the works even before the storm struck and that they are unsure what federal aid might be forthcoming to do more right away.

That’s not a good enough explanation for south-end homeowners, many of whom also depend on vacation-rental income.

Read more:  http://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/20130221_South_end_residents_call_for_Ocean_City_beach_rebuilding.html