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Hi, not sure if you are still looking for advice, but I would just like to share my experience. I lived in Rahway, NJ (with no traffic, roughly about 40 mins from JC) and the commute with traffic would sometimes take more than 2 hrs. Timing is everything whether taking the Turnpike or 1&9 Pulaski.
I would suggest Sayreville if you are still in a hunt for "beach housing". Easy access to Turnpike. The area is certainly a beach community with oldtown shops and overall just a cute and quiet residence.
Hi,
We're moving to New Jersey as soon as we can sell our place here in MA. My husband already spends Mon - Fri in Jersey City and I stay here in MA readying our house for sale hopefully by May. We hope to rent a small place in a beach town for the summer months and if our house in MA doesnt sell by the end of that time - we'll rent a regular home some place close to jersey city until we do and can then buy in NJ.
Does anyone have a suggestion for a family friendly safe beach town that is as close as possible to jersey city? Also is anyone familiar with a good source for longish rentals on the jersey shore?
Thanks very much for any help!
I would suggest Atlantic Highlands or Sea Bright. Monmouth Beach is also a nice beach town. Good Luck!
Highlands is another option. It may not be as nice as Atlantic HIghlands or other spots, but there is a ferry there as well to get to the city. I live in Highlands and work in Jersey City. The drive is about an hour and a half, door to door. I take the Seastreak ferry once a week from Highlands, to Pier 11 in the city, and then a commuter ferry from the same pier over to Jersey City.
You can go over the George Washington Bridge, into NY and go to Long Beach, the E. Hamptons, or Fire Island. None of which are within an hours drive though. As stated above, Jersey City is not a beach town-
Point Pleasant is fun for families, exit 98 off the Garden state Parkway. And, The Beach house on Ocean Avenue (1412 Ocean Avenue) is right smack on the beach, privately owned, and rents rooms, very clean, for less than $180.00 a night ! That's cheap for beach front property. I've been staying there in the summer, for 8 years now and I LOVE it !!!!
Here is a link to all accommodations in the area:
Point Pleasant Beach New Jersey Shore NJ (http://www.pointpleasantbeachnj.com/accommodations.cfm - broken link)
To be truthful, there is really nothing very "beachy" close to Jersey City. That being said, a lot of the towns mentioned in previous posts here are not what I would exactly call beach towns, although they are by the water (and I live in Laurence Harbor). Towns like South Amboy and Sayreville, although being the gateway to the shore are not really what comes to mind when one thinks Jersey Shore. Maybe 50 or 60 years ago, but not now. I wouldn't wade past my knees in the Raritan Bay.An option for your husband might be to take the North Jersey Coast Line (train) from the beach to Hoboken. He can then take a cab or the lightrail into JC. Or, he could drive the Turnpike to the GSP to hit the shore. The train makes stops in Asbury Park (good for Ocean Grove, which is a dry town, btw), Bradley Beach, Belmar, Spring Lake, Manasquan, Point Pleasant Beach, and ends in Bay Head. A lot of these towns are year-round residences, and a lot of them can be expensive (Spring Lake and surrounding Sea Girt, have multi-million dollar homes. You might want to check out places like Lavalette, Ortley Beach and Seaside Park. Depends on what your budget is. It may be a bit late in the season to get something, but I own a home in Ortley, and I see houses for rent all the time. Check the local realtors' websites. I would stay away from Seaside Heights, which can be a bit dodgy, if you don't know what you are looking for. Teens tend to rent in this town, and there are parts of it that are run down. Of course, there are lots of nice sections of SSH as well, but it's better if you are familiar with the area. Ortley is relatively low key, with a lot of cottage-style homes, and is very family-oriented. Beach is walking distance because the peninsula it is located on is narrow. Same with Lavalette, houses are usually larger there, though.Good luck to you. I hope you get a place and enjoy your summer at the beach.
Keep in mind that Seaside Park is quite nice and family oriented, while Seaside Heights is a little crummy, crowded and honky-tonk--a big party destination for the younguns. I can't even think of an equivalent in MA--I've lived here for 8 years--think bars bars bars.... There's an insanely huge boardwalk there with thousands of people there every night. It's kind of wild. Definitely worth a day trip at least--there are two large piers over the ocean with tons of rides, lots of games, food. It's about a mile long.
While I wouldn't want to stay in Seaside Heights all summer, I love visiting (and have spent many a full summer in Seaside Park). And the beaches are totally fantastic. Warm water, soft white sand, big waves. You will love the Jersey Shore.
Last edited by clevedark; 01-13-2009 at 06:44 PM..
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