Ship Bottom, NJ

Ship Bottom serves as the gateway to Long Beach Island, sitting right at the end of the Route 72 causeway. It gets its unusual name from an 1817 shipwreck rescue, when sailors cut through an overturned hull to pull a survivor to safety. While year-round life centers around a quiet community of roughly a thousand residents, the town fills up every summer as vacationers and second-home owners arrive for sunny days on the beach, local seafood, and easy access to both the ocean and the bay.

For anyone looking to move here, daily life shifts noticeably with the seasons. Local children attend elementary school on the island before heading to the mainland for Southern Regional middle and high schools. You will have to navigate peak summer traffic and the occasional coastal storm, but the payoff is a relaxed, walkable neighborhood with peaceful off-seasons and miles of open coastline right in your backyard.