Controversial New Jersey Beach Ranking

I found this ranking NJ.com did of New Jersey's 44 beaches.

While Monmouth and Ocean fared ok, I have some things to say about the rundown.

Get our free mobile app

The authors (and rankers) of this piece did address their criteria.

We judged only oceanfront beaches (no bay, lake or riverfront) on beach quality, crowd type and size, parking availability, and surrounding food, drink, and recreation. We went to one beach per town.

To be fair, the purveyors of this list did say:

...being the worst beach in New Jersey is kind of like being the worst pizza in New Jersey — it's still better than most you'd find anywhere else.

Let's take a look.

44. Seaside Park. (?!)

via GIPHY

Maybe I'm biased because I spent my summers growing up in Seaside Park. There is no way it deserves to be dead last. NJ.com says:

"The beach itself is nothing to write home about — not worth the $10 per person daily badge fee. If you’ve made it all the way to vanilla Seaside Park, drive another few miles to Island Beach State Park and have yourself a REAL beach day."

43. Monmouth Beach

Ok, parking is tough. Welcome to the Jersey Shore! Monmouth Beach is too low on the list.

42. Wildwood

41. Allenhurst

40. Atlantic City

So they're trying to tell us that Atlantic City's beaches are better than Seaside Park and Monmouth Beach. Please.

39. North Wildwood

38. Strathmere

37. Brigantine

36. Mantoloking

35. Bay Head

Sure, Bay Head's general access to the beach isn't huge, but it's a great local beach. It should be higher.

34. Loch Arbour

NJ.com says:

The small crowds help keep the beach in prime condition, though the food and entertainment options are lacking. If you’re looking for a no-nonsense, low-key beach, Loch Arbour is a solid bet.

Exactly why it's awesome!

33. Seaside Heights

32. Deal

via GIPHY

NJ.com's biggest gripe was it's hard to find the beach in Deal. Really?

Deal should be higher.

31. Ventnor City

30. Margate City

29. Longport

28. Point Pleasant Beach

via GIPHY

Way off on this one. Pt. Pleasant Beach is an excellent beach town that deserves more than a #28 ranking. NJ.com's beef is difficult parking (what else is new) and people who make noise. Gotta do better than that.

27. Barnegat Light

It’s a quiet place, certainly, and if you’re looking for minimal disturbance and a bit of personality, this is your spot. But let’s be real: it’s a pain in the ass.

Disagree.

26. Ortley Beach

25. Sea Girt

Sea Girt deserves better.

24. Stone Harbor

23. Sea Bright

If it’s good enough for Tony Soprano, it’s good enough for you, right?

Stop it with The Sopranos. Hopefully, that didn't affect Sea Bright's ranking, because 23 is too low.

22. Lavallette

21. Long Branch

20. Wildwood Crest

19. Ocean Grove

18. Belmar

17. Long Beach Township

16. Spring Lake

A clean, long and well-manicured beach. Ample parking. A low-key boardwalk with a pavilion that sells sandwiches, burgers and ice cream. There isn’t a whole lot to do at Spring Lake’s beach, but it’s perfect for a no-frills, no-nonsense day at the beach. A solid place to get away from the stereotypical Jersey Shore crowd.

Based on that description, Spring Lake should be in the top 10.

15. Sea Isle City

14. Sandy Hook

13. Avon-by-the-Sea

Nothing against Avon-by-the-Sea, but I think other towns on this list deserved to be ranked higher.

12. Asbury Park

via GIPHY

I've always felt Asbury Park's "trendy" title takes away from just how amazing of a beach town it is. The fact that Asbury has had the comeback it had should put it solidly in the top 10. Here's what NJ.com said.

There is no trendier beach in the Garden State, and for good reason. It's arguably the best surrounding area of any beach in New Jersey, with a broad boardwalk with dining options ranging from quick bites to fancy dinners along with watering holes like the vaunted Wonder Bar and The Stone Pony, the latter of which hosts a summer concert series that routinely draws major acts. The immense popularity exacerbates the beach’s biggest issue: it isn’t big enough to support those massive crowds. On top of that, while I wouldn’t call the sand “dirty” per se, but it’s far from the nicest you’ll find down the shore. And the parking is a disaster, whether you’re going to the beach or hanging out in town.

11. Avalon

10. Island Beach State Park

9. Ship Bottom

8. Surf City

7. Cape May Point

6. Bradley Beach

via GIPHY

Much more laid back than its southern cousins, Bradley Beach is family-oriented and understated while still being a really nice, albeit somewhat slim, beach. The boardwalk is made of stone pavers, boasts several food options and even a mini-golf course and is separated from the beach by a row of dunes. If that doesn’t have you sold, the surprisingly ample parking might get you there. And a short walk from the beach is a row of excellent restaurants — we can't recommend breakfast at The Buttered Biscuit enough.

Well said.

5. Ocean City

Meh.

4. Beach Haven

I love LBI, but there's an uneven amount of love going to the island.

3. Manasquan

via GIPHY

2. Harvey Cedars

Beautiful spot, but not worthy of #2

1. Cape May

I really can't argue this choice for the top. I kind of had a feeling that it would land #1.

Even inland, Jersey is the best. LOOK: Here are the 25 best places to live in New Jersey

Stacker compiled a list of the best places to live in New Jersey using data from Niche. Niche ranks places to live based on a variety of factors including cost of living, schools, health care, recreation, and weather. Cities, suburbs, and towns were included. Listings and images are from realtor.com.

On the list, there's a robust mix of offerings from great schools and nightlife to high walkability and public parks. Some areas have enjoyed rapid growth thanks to new businesses moving to the area, while others offer glimpses into area history with well-preserved architecture and museums. Keep reading to see if your hometown made the list.