Mantoloking, NJ

Mantoloking is a quiet, upscale borough on a narrow stretch of the Jersey Shore between the Atlantic Ocean and Barnegat Bay. It has only a few hundred year-round residents, though the population swells in the summer with seasonal homeowners and vacationing families. The town is almost entirely residential, characterized by grand shingle-style estates, private ocean beaches, and a long sailing tradition tied to the Mantoloking Yacht Club. After sustaining major damage during Superstorm Sandy, substantial rebuilding brought fortified protective dunes and beautifully engineered, elevated coastal homes.

ATTRFamartin / CC BY-SA 4.0

Because the borough has no commercial district, residents take a quick drive to neighboring Bay Head and Point Pleasant for groceries, local dining, and boutiques, or cross the Mantoloking Bridge into Brick for larger shopping centers and medical facilities. Local children attend public schools in Point Pleasant Beach from kindergarten through twelfth grade. Barrier island life comes with occasional high tides and coastal storms, but residents enjoy remarkable privacy, calm bay waters, and some of the most scenic oceanfront living in New Jersey.