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Asbury Park, a Bustling Beach Spot South of New York City, Is Thriving

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Asbury Park, a Bustling Beach Spot South of New York City, Is Thriving



First developed as an oceanfront resort in the late 1800s, the once down-at-the-heels Jersey Shore community of Asbury Park has seen quite a renaissance and rebirth in recent years.

Celebrated on the cover of Bruce Springsteen’s debut album in 1972, “Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.,” the 1.6-square-mile Monmouth County city is still famous for its music scene along with its great Atlantic Ocean beach and bustling centerpiece boardwalk.

“One of the great things about Asbury Park is that it’s open year-round, and some of these shore towns are not,” said Joe Scheeler, broker associate and office manager, Ward Wight Sotheby’s International Realty in Asbury Park. In some nearby beach communities, restaurants start closing just after Labor Day. “Ours stay open. The off-season is busy.”

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Scheeler and his husband, Tim Cantrell, started coming down to Asbury Park about 15 years ago as weekenders from their primary residences in the North Jersey cities of Hoboken and Jersey City.

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“We decided to migrate here full time about 10 years ago,” and they now live in a single-family house a couple of blocks from the beach, Scheeler said.

With an office on Cookman Avenue, Asbury’s main commercial drag, Scheeler now works full time selling real estate while Cantrell commutes to his job in New York City five days a week by train.

“That’s another great thing about Asbury,” Scheeler said. “It has a really strong connection to New York, and it’s easy to get down here.” 

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“We were concerned about leaving the New York area, but there is always something to do here,” he said. “Our weekends are oversubscribed.”

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Along with the train option, many commuters drive to Highlands, New Jersey, and hop on a high-speed ferry to Manhattan, said Jim Kesling, sales associate, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Signature Properties in Asbury Park.

“The big things about Asbury are diversity, entertainment, access and our historic architecture,” he said, also noting its “thriving music scene.”

“My grandparents owned a house in Asbury in the 1960s,” Kesling said. “I remember that big Beaux-Arts-style palace on the beach as a five-year-old.”

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As an adult looking for a good spot for a second home, “I made my first trip down from the city in the spring of 2002,” he said. “I made offers on two places my first day down here.” 

Kesling kept his house in North Jersey for about three years before buying a 1921 one-and-a-half-story house across from Deal Lake and moving to Asbury full time.

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Boundaries

The 158-acre Deal Lake forms the northern and part of the western boundary of Asbury Park, with the communities of Allenhurst and Deal on the other side of the lake, Kesling said. The Atlantic Ocean forms the eastern edge of the city, with Ridge Avenue and Ocean Township forming the remainder of the western boundary.

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To the south, the next-door communities of Ocean Grove and Bradley Beach are just on the other side of Lake Avenue.


Price Range

“It’s a pretty wide price range here,” Scheeler said. “Prices are very dependent on proximity to the beach.”

Most condos sell from about $230,000 up to $3.8 million for a prime unit at a full-service building, such as the Asbury Ocean Club, that offers a hotel component and lots of amenities, he said. 

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Citywide, the median price for condos is $534,000, Scheeler said. “Anything in the mid-$500,000s is doing well.”

The median price for a single-family house is $699,000, Scheeler said.

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At the very top of the market, a single-family house in town sold for a record-breaking $2.2 million this past summer, Kesling said. “It was a flip, and they added an in-ground pool.”

Because of Covid-19, single-family homes over the last couple of years have fared better than condos because people “want that privacy and a backyard, their own private spaces,” Scheeler said. “Condos with outdoor spaces have also done well.”

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“Houses with pools are very attractive now,” which was not the case five years ago, he said. Unsurprisingly, Asbury homes closest to the ocean tend to be larger and with higher price points.


Housing Stock

A lot of the single-family homes in town were built in the 1920s, with condos going up in the 1960s and ’70s, Scheeler said. There are still some areas that are getting full gut renovations and some newer construction. 

Single-family homes are predominant in the northeast part of town, with condos more prevalent downtown and in other parts of the southeastern section of the city, Scheeler said.

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A lot of houses in town have a composite style of architecture, Kesling said. His own house, an “Arts and Crafts house with Colonial and Federal characteristics,” is typical.

The city also has an “interesting mix of grand old Victorian houses from the 1870s onward,” many of which were divided up into multi-family homes and rooming houses, he said.

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Kesling remembers seeing lots of boarded-up buildings after he moved to town and began selling real estate. “I used to bring a screwdriver with me to show houses,” in case he needed a tool to take down plywood to get inside, he said.

“Back then, the beach was pretty desolate,” he added. These days, he estimated nine out of 10 houses in the northwest section of the city have been redone, he said. In the southwestern part of the city, it’s two-and-a-half out of 10.

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“Most of town has pretty much been renovated now, but there are still a few blocks, even close to the ocean, that are not all spic and span,” Kesling said.

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Single-family homes are predominant in the northeast part of town, with condos more prevalent downtown.


Barry Winiker / Getty Images

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What Makes It Unique

“Asbury Park is like an urban beach town that’s open all year-round,” Scheeler said. 

In recent years, the downtown area of the city, especially along Cookman Avenue, has become a lively mix of restaurants and bars, boutique shops and art galleries.

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“You have the beach and the Atlantic Ocean but additionally you have a really great downtown,” Kesling said. “We have probably one of the top 10-rated downtowns in the state of New Jersey.”

Asbury Park is justly famous for its long boardwalk, an old-fashioned wooden structure that’s open year-round and offers plenty of restaurants and shops, he said.

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The main portion of the boardwalk is bounded by the 1920s Convention Hall and Paramount Theatre complex at the north end and the Casino Arena and Carousel House to the south. Both were designed by Warren Whitney, a Beaux-Arts architect from New York.

The boardwalk extends for miles down the shore, into other neighboring communities, like Bradley and Ocean Grove, Kesling said. “Within 10 minutes, you can see a variety of other nearby towns. It’s our Barcelona. It’s just lively, very culturally diverse and very colorful.” 

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You won’t find much in the way of corporate chain restaurants and coffee houses in Asbury Park, Kesling said. “The town wants individually owned stores.”



Luxury Amenities

The Asbury Ocean Club offers 130 luxury condos and 54 boutique hotel rooms in a new 17-story building rising above the surf. Other boutique hotels include the Asbury Hotel, the Berkeley Hotel and the Empress Hotel, which has a popular pool that’s open all week.

Asbury Park offers plenty of classic Jersey Shore-style arts and entertainment, including the Asbury Splash Park and the Silverball Arcade Museum, which has hundreds of vintage pinball machines. The vintage Asbury Lanes bowling alley has been reborn with a new concert stage and a diner.

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Since it first opened its doors in 1974, the legendary Stone Pony music club has been a centerpiece of the vibrant Asbury music scene, stoking the careers of Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Southside Johnny and Steve Van Zandt.

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Every September, Asbury Park hosts the immersive Sea.Hear.Now festival of surfing, music and art on the beach and boardwalk. Another popular event is the annual Asbury Park Zombie Walk along the boardwalk in October.

For restaurants, Scheeler likes Porta for pasta and pizza, the Japanese-inspired Taka and Dolce Fantasia. 

Many of the restaurants in town are what he calls “upscale casual—you can go there after the beach or out for dinner.”

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 Who Lives There

As of the 2020 census, the city’s population was 15,188.

“A good diversity of people come to visit and live here,” Scheeler said.

“We’re a city,” he said. “We have all different income levels here, which is one of the great things about living here. There is a great mix of people here, and that makes us different from some other Jersey Shore towns.”

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Asbury Park also “has always had a thriving gay scene,” Kesling said. Even in the 1970s, the city had a number of gay bars and clubs.

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Garden State Equality, New Jersey’s LGBTQ+ rights organization, is headquartered on Main Street, and every June the city hosts a gay pride parade and celebration, the state’s largest. The city’s strong gay community “was a piece of it for us,” in deciding to move to Asbury full time, Scheeler said. 

“Our feeder markets are primarily North Jersey and New York City,” he said. “They may have a large home in North Jersey and want a condo close to the beach, or it may be the other way around.”

“We also have people here who are snowbirds and go south for the winter,” he said.

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Notable Residents

Famous residents have included actors Danny DeVito and Vic Morrow, talk show host Wendy Williams, Bud Abbott of the Abbott and Costello comedy team, author Stephen Crane (“Red Badge of Courage”), and longtime Vogue editor-in-chief Edna Woolman Chase, according to published reports.

Outlook

“The real estate market is very strong, and there is very little inventory,” Kesling said. 

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“Asbury Park has become more and more year-round and more and more exclusive,” he said. “People are spending $500,000 to $1 million to restore houses. Asbury is now on par with Ocean Grove and Bradley Beach.”

The Covid-19 pandemic made Asbury Park more desirable, Kesling said. People can telecommute and “maybe go into the city one or two days a week.”

Scheeler agreed. “There is still tremendous value here for real estate and tremendous opportunities to own houses,” he said.

Unlike other nearby Jersey Shore towns like Belmar, where people may have a history of going there with their family or friends from college, “people are still discovering Asbury Park,” he said. “I don’t think everyone knows about us yet.” 

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It’s Election Day. Officials ask for patience in waiting on the results. • New Jersey Monitor

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It’s Election Day. Officials ask for patience in waiting on the results. • New Jersey Monitor


It’s Election Day in America.

Voters are heading to the polls in one of the most consequential elections in American history. In a politically polarized country, potential delays in reporting results might further fuel conspiracy theories that have spread widely.

Across the country, more than 77 million voters already cast their ballots during the early voting period. State election officials in presidential battleground states such as Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina and Wisconsin have praised record turnout.

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Millions more voters on Tuesday will cast ballots at polling places, where trained poll workers will ensure the process runs smoothly. Poll monitors and observers from political parties or nonpartisan groups will keep a close eye on that process, seeing that voters and officials follow the law.

There may be complications, however. During key times throughout the day — when polls open, at lunch or at the end of the workday — lines could be long, although anyone in line when polls close will be able to vote. And there could be other issues, such as power outages, jammed voting machines, a shortage of ballots or aggressive poll watchers harassing voters.

If voters face any problems, they can call 866-OUR-VOTE, a nonpartisan election protection hotline. Volunteer lawyers and members of voting rights groups will work with voters who call and with local election officials to resolve problems. If a voter in any state is questioned about their eligibility, they have the right under federal law to cast a provisional ballot and later prove eligibility.

It’s also not too late for many Americans who would still like to register to vote and cast a ballot in this election. Same-day voter registration is available at polling places in 22 states and the District of Columbia. Citizens can check vote.gov to find state-specific election information, including when polls close.

Election officials and experts caution voters to be patient and expect results in the coming days.

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“Election Day is not Results Day,” Virginia Kase Solomón, president and CEO of the voting rights organization Common Cause, told reporters last week. “Every vote must be counted, and that will take time.”

Later, she added: “Democracy is worth waiting for.”

Timelines for counting

In Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, two states that could seal the race for the presidency, local election officials cannot start opening and counting mail-in ballots until 7 a.m. on Election Day, so many results might not come in until days later, as was the case in 2020. But in most states, election officials have been able to open and process mail-in ballots before Election Day.

If there are issues with Pennsylvania ballots, such as a missing signature or date, local election officials can reach out to voters to correct it on Election Day by casting a provisional ballot, the state Supreme Court ruled in October.

Last month, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled that local election officials should count mail-in ballots received up to three days after Election Day.

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Democracy is worth waiting for.

– Virginia Kase Solomón, president and CEO of Common Cause

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It’s important to keep these timelines in mind, said Trevor Potter, president of the Campaign Legal Center, a D.C.-based bipartisan nonprofit. In 2020, The Associated Press — considered the gold standard of election results reporting — declared Joe Biden the winner on Saturday, four days after polls closed on Election Day.

“I do not expect to go to bed on election night knowing who won,” Potter, a Republican former chairman of the Federal Election Commission, said on a recent call with reporters.

Election officials also have been busy reminding voters that election equipment is not connected to the internet, and that American elections are not vulnerable to widespread voter fraud. In the run-up to this election, local officials tested ballot tabulation machines. And afterward, they will conduct audits.

States such as Michigan have dedicated webpages that address misconceptions about the voting process and correct common conspiracy theories.

Disinformation risk

But it can be difficult for election officials to keep up with disinformation, especially this late in the game. In recent weeks, tech billionaire Elon Musk, a surrogate for former President Donald Trump’s campaign, has been one of the most active distributors of election lies on X, his social media platform formerly called Twitter.

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Musk also allows election disinformation to run rampant on his platform, said Barb Byrum, the Democratic clerk for Ingham County, Michigan. She is active on X, tamping down falsehoods when she sees them.

“It is imperative that citizens listen to election administrators and know that they are the trusted sources of information,” she said in an interview.

Much of this disinformation is fueled by foreign adversaries, such as Russia. The U.S. intelligence community has warned that the Kremlin will actively push lies about the American voting process on Election Day and in the coming weeks, as election officials tabulate votes and certify the results.

In October, the feds announced Russia was behind a falsified video claiming to show someone ripping up ballots in Pennsylvania. Local officials in Bucks County, where the video was purportedly taken, quickly debunked the video.

Last week, feds launched an election security website that updates voters on the nation’s threat environment. The latest warning, on Friday, advises that Russia is behind a fake video claiming to show Haitians voting in Georgia. Federal law enforcement officials are also concerned that lies around election fraud could fuel political violence.

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Around the country, election officials have been vehement in asking voters to check with them and other trusted sources, instead of relying on rumors and hearsay they see on social media.

Justin Roebuck, the Republican clerk for Ottawa County, Michigan, has reminded his residents over the past week to be vigilant in finding accurate information on Election Day and its aftermath.

“There are people with a very vested interest in us as Americans not trusting our process,” he said in an interview. “That’s what we have to guard against as Americans, to be able to say, ‘Wait a minute, I do need to take a step back for a second, check the facts before I repost this or share this information with my friends.’”

Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: [email protected]. Follow Stateline on Facebook and X.

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Devils 3, Oilers 0 | HIGHLIGHTS | New Jersey Devils

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Devils 3, Oilers 0 | HIGHLIGHTS | New Jersey Devils


NewJerseyDevils.com is the official web site of the New Jersey Devils, a member team of the National Hockey League (“NHL”). NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup and NHL Conference logos are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks as well as all other proprietary materials depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective NHL teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. Copyright © 1999-2024 New Jersey Devils and the National Hockey League. All Rights Reserved.



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Federal probe opened into “butchered” dolphin remains found in New Jersey

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Federal probe opened into “butchered” dolphin remains found in New Jersey


An investigation has been launched by federal authorities into the “butchered” remains of a dolphin that were recently discovered in New Jersey.

Dolphin Remains Found

On November 1, the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in New Jersey published a statement on social media detailing how the remains were found near Allenhurst, New Jersey. The Marine Mammal Stranding Center is a New Jersey organization that handles reports of dead or stranded marine animals.

“On Wednesday October 30th the Marine Mammal Stranding Center responded to a very disturbing call. The partial remains of a dolphin had been discovered on the beach at Allen Ave. in Allenhurst, NJ. When our Stranding Coordinator arrived, he found a Common dolphin that appeared to have been butchered,” the Marine Mammal Stranding Center said in a post on social media.

“The animal’s flesh had been completely removed with clean cuts from a sharp instrument, leaving only the head, dorsal fin and flukes. The animal’s organs, except for the heart and lungs, had been removed,” the statement added.

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A dolphin fin is seen from a boat in the waters of the Ligurian pelagic park off Sanremo in Liguria, eastern Italy,on August 6, 2024. The remains of a ‘butchered’ dolphin were recently found in…


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The Marine Mammal Stranding Center statement noted that the case of the dolphin remains is currently under investigation “by the NOAA Office of Law Enforcement.”

“The public is asked to call MMSC’s 24-hour hotline if they have any information about this case (609) 266-0538,” the statement said.

Witnesses

According to the statement from the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, a witness also noticed a “live common dolphin” that appeared to be “struggling in the surf,” roughly one block away from where the dolphin remains were found.

“Witnesses reported that the dolphin was able to make it over the sandbar and swam back out,” the statement said.

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The Marine Mammal Stranding Center noted that it is currently unclear if the dolphin seen struggling was the same animal as the recovered remains.

“The dolphin’s remains were brought to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center to be thoroughly documented and photographed by MMSC staff. The carcass was buried on the beach,” the statement said.

Stranded Dolphins

Over the summer, more than 100 dead dolphins were recovered after washing up along the coast in Russia.

A total of 137 of the Black Sea variety have been found lifeless in the Krasnodar Territory and Sirius region, with over 101 stranded in just the last week alone, dolphin rescue and research center Delfa said in a statement posted to Telegram.

“This is a serious figure,” said the rescue center, which has a hotline “bursting with calls every day.”

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Many of the dead dolphins have “obvious signs” of being victims of bycatch, which is when mammals are harmed after becoming tangled in fishing nets.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.



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