Shore Region

The Shore Region covers the central Atlantic coast of New Jersey, the popular two-county shoreline running from Sandy Hook south through the Jersey Shore to Long Beach Island. The terrain is flat coastal plain — sandy barrier islands stretching most of the length of the region, salt marsh and Barnegat Bay inside the islands, and the wider coastal-plain country opening west toward the Pinelands. The Atlantic shoreline is nearly continuous beach. Monmouth and Ocean counties cover the region. Monmouth holds Asbury Park (with the Stone Pony, where Bruce Springsteen built his career), Long Branch, Red Bank, Sandy Hook, and Freehold; Ocean holds Toms River (the largest city), Lakewood, Point Pleasant Beach, Seaside Heights, Beach Haven, and Long Beach Island. Sandy Hook (Gateway National Recreation Area), Island Beach State Park, and the Barnegat Lighthouse handle the major public-land scenery. Most trips here run summer-beach focused. Asbury Park’s boardwalk, music venues, and the Stone Pony anchor the cultural side; Point Pleasant Beach and Seaside Heights handle the carnival-boardwalk traffic; Long Beach Island runs quieter family-beach weekends; Sandy Hook’s federal beach and Fort Hancock fill the northern end.