Bridgeton pioneer., 1888-05-24
JERSEY COAST.
Its Present and Future Prospects

Much is said and written relating to
the new South and the great and
growing West; about Southern Cali
fornia and Florida, with their orange
groves, salubrious climate, tourists.
rapid development. the rapid increase
in value of all real estate, especially
town lots, etc., but none of these begin
to compare with the advantages and
opportunities possessed by the New
Jersey seacoast. Limited as it is in
extent, with it's benefits and attrac
t1ons, sought after as they are by
increasing numbers each succeeding
year, from all sections, it cannot be
disputed that its progress must con
tinue.
Compare the present with twenty
years ago, or much less time. Twenty
years ago the only resorts of any note
were Cape May, Long Branch and
Atlantic City, the latter then Just
looming into notice. Since then, what?
Cape May has become city of con-
siderable size, extending to the beauti-
full Cape May Point to the south, with
its broad avenues, large hotels and
many pretty cottages, now, as in the
past, patronized principally by Balti-
moreans and those from other southern
cities. Long Branch, too, has far out
grown its former borders, now extend
ing in all directions, being on the north
continuous line of costly villas almost
to Sandy Hook, and on the south to
Elberon, the Summer home of the
renowned and wealthy, now also in
Guiding Deal Baach and Loeb Arbor,
neither of which are of mushroom
growth.
Atlantic City, too, has many times
multiplied its transient and permanent
population, having become large and
populous city, but still the resort of,
and Summer home of, many prominent
Philadelphians, and in Winter sand
Spring invalids from all sections fill
its fine hotels and boarding houses.
There has also grown within a little
more than dozen years such towns or
rather cities, as some of them are in
reality, as Asbury Park and Ocean
Grove-''Twin Cities by the Seal
with water and gas works, perfect
sewer systems, banks, electric street
railways and lighting, rows of mag
nificent brick stores and business
places, churches of all denominations,
public schools of the highest grades,
and a permanent and thrifty. popula.
tion of several thousands, reaching out
to the southwark toward the beautiful
(and soon to be made navigable) Shark
River, and including therein the newly
developed Ocean Park" Bradley
Beach" and key East Beach," with
its magnificent Avon Inn, the home.
like Berwick Lodge, the pine-sur-
rounded Buckingham, and last. but
not least, the new hotel, Oxford, now
building, and, like its predecessors, in
tended to be first class in all its ap-
pointments.
Between Shark and Manasquan riv-
ers lie Ocean Beach, Como, North
Spring Lake and Spring Lake proper,
Seagirt and Manasquan, all thrifty
towns, excepting the latter, having
sprung up within the past ten years.
South of Squan river is Brielle, Point
Pleasant, Bay Head, Manatoking, Berk-
ley and Seaside Park, all growing ra-
pldly in permanent population and
substantial improvements. Below this
every inch of the coast is taken up for
development, already having excel
lent railroad facilities and communica.
ton with the large cities. Each sue
ceeding year the inquirer finds that
prices have advanced for all desirable
real estate, and desirable rooms ia t. {
hotels or cottages to rent are not so
readily obtained. There is only one
Jersey Coast to Uncle Sans broad
domain, and some of his far-sighted
people especially the great railroad
corporations-are appreciating these
facts and will profit therby. Real es-
tate all 'lopgshore has increased enor-
mously in value; as an Instance, at AS
bury Park there was sold few we;ks
ago, at 5000 dollars per front foot a
property which, ten years ago, was
considered high at $40 per foot. There
are spots which, twenty years ago,
were not considered worth paying
taxes on, which now sell readily from
one to two hundred dollars per foot.
With the above fresh in the minds
of our reader, the question arises,
Where will you spend your summer
yacationpn