Avalon, New Jersey

Avalon, New Jersey
Borough
Former Avalon Lighthouse
Former Avalon Lighthouse
Official logo of Avalon, New Jersey
Motto: 
"Cooler by a Mile"[1]
Location of Avalon in Cape May County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Cape May County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).
Location of Avalon in Cape May County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Cape May County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).
Census Bureau map of Avalon, New Jersey
Census Bureau map of Avalon, New Jersey
Avalon is located in Cape May County, New Jersey
Avalon
Avalon
Location in Cape May County
Avalon is located in New Jersey
Avalon
Avalon
Location in New Jersey
Avalon is located in the United States
Avalon
Avalon
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 39°05′11″N 74°44′20″W / 39.086453°N 74.739003°W / 39.086453; -74.739003[2][3]
Country United States
State New Jersey
CountyCape May
Formed1723 as part of Middle Township
IncorporatedApril 18, 1892
Named forAvalon of Arthurian legend
Government
[8]
 • TypeFaulkner Act (mayor–council)
 • BodyBorough Council
 • MayorJohn M. McCorristin (R, term ends June 30, 2027)[4][5]
 • AdministratorScott J. Wahl[6]
 • Municipal clerkC. Danielle Nollett[7]
Area
[9]
 • Total
5.06 sq mi (13.09 km2)
 • Land4.27 sq mi (11.06 km2)
 • Water0.79 sq mi (2.04 km2)  15.53%
 • Rank275th of 565 in state
7th of 16 in county[2]
Elevation
[10]
10 ft (3 m)
Population
 (2020)[11]
 • Total
1,243
 • Estimate 
(2023)[12]
1,218
 • Rank523rd of 565 in state
12th of 16 in county[13]
 • Density291.1/sq mi (112.4/km2)
  • Rank476th of 565 in state
12th of 16 in county[13]
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code
08202[14][15]
Area codes609 Exchanges: 263, 368, 967[16]
FIPS code3400902320[2][17][18]
GNIS feature ID0885146[2][19]
Websitewww.avalonboro.net
One of Avalon's beaches on the New Jersey shore

Avalon is a borough in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located on Seven Mile Island. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 1,243,[11] a decrease of 91 (−6.8%) from the 2010 census count of 1,334,[20][21] which in turn declined by 809 (−37.8%) from the 2,143 counted in the 2000 census.[22] The borough's population swells to as many as 45,000 during the summer.[23]

Geographically part of the South Jersey region, the community is one of the most affluent communities along the Jersey Shore and is home to some of the most expensive real estate on the East Coast. In 2007, Forbes listed Avalon as the 65th most expensive ZIP Code in the United States.[24] Washingtonian "named Avalon the 'chicest beach' in the mid-Atlantic, the place to see women in diamonds and designer swimwear."[25] A small portion of Avalon is not on Seven Mile Island. The borough, and all of Cape May County, is part of the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area, and is part of the Philadelphia-Wilmington-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD combined statistical area, also known as the Delaware Valley or Philadelphia metropolitan area.[26]

Avalon is known as a South Jersey seashore resort and has the motto "Cooler by a Mile" since it juts out into the Atlantic Ocean about a mile farther than other barrier islands.[27] Alternatively, the motto is because Avalon, at four miles long, is one mile longer than its neighboring town on the southern end of Seven Mile Island, Stone Harbor.[citation needed] It was ranked the seventh-best beach in New Jersey in the 2008 Top 10 Beaches Contest sponsored by the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium.[28]

  1. ^ Kuperinsky, Amy. "'The Jewel of the Meadowlands'?: N.J.'s best, worst and weirdest town slogans", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, January 22, 2015. Accessed July 12, 2016. "Avalon, in Cape May County, is 'cooler by a mile' on its welcome signs, because the seaside community juts out into the Atlantic Ocean a mile further than other towns."
  2. ^ a b c d 2019 Census Gazetteer Files: New Jersey Places, United States Census Bureau. Accessed July 1, 2020.
  3. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 4, 2014.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference ElectedOfficials was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ 2023 New Jersey Mayors Directory, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, updated February 8, 2023. Accessed July 17, 2023. As of date accessed, results of May 2023 election are not reflected.
  6. ^ Administrator, Borough of Avalon. Accessed March 22, 2023.
  7. ^ Borough Clerk, Borough of Avalon. Accessed March 22, 2023.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference DataBook was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  10. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Borough of Avalon, Geographic Names Information System. Accessed March 4, 2013.
  11. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference LWD2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference PopEst was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ a b Population Density by County and Municipality: New Jersey, 2020 and 2021, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Accessed March 1, 2023.
  14. ^ Look Up a ZIP Code for Avalon, NJ, United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 3, 2011.
  15. ^ ZIP Codes, State of New Jersey. Accessed August 20, 2013.
  16. ^ Area Code Lookup - NPA NXX for Avalon, NJ, Area-Codes.com. Accessed September 2, 2014.
  17. ^ U.S. Census website, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 4, 2014.
  18. ^ Geographic Codes Lookup for New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed April 1, 2022.
  19. ^ US Board on Geographic Names, United States Geological Survey. Accessed September 4, 2014.
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference Census2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference LWD2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023.
  23. ^ Kirby, David. "Havens; Weekender | Avalon, N.J.", The New York Times, November 8, 2002. Accessed February 10, 2023. "Indeed, Avalon's neighborly small-town atmosphere -- like a Mayberry by the sea -- is what has drawn generations of families to this century-old resort on the southern Jersey Shore. Though it swells to some 45,000 sun-seeking souls during the peak of summer, the town's year-round population is only about 2,140, and spring and fall are especially lovely times to be there, many residents say."
  24. ^ Staff. "In Pictures: Most Expensive ZIP Codes - 65. Avalon, N.J.", Forbes, September 10, 2007. Accessed June 28, 2011.
  25. ^ Raymond, Alexis. "Stone Harbor and Avalon, N.J.: These upscale communities are rich in beauty, tranquility and pleasure.", The Baltimore Sun, August 25, 2003. Accessed June 28, 2011.
  26. ^ New Jersey: 2020 Core Based Statistical Areas and Counties, United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 22, 2022.
  27. ^ Avalon, Visit New Jersey. Accessed December 14, 2021. "Like a page out of Pleasantville, things are just nicer in the beach town of Avalon. The town’s slogan, 'Cooler by a Mile,' refers to its position one mile farther into the Atlantic than other barrier islands in the state, but you may feel like you’re a hundred miles away from the busier beach towns."
  28. ^ Urgo, Jacqueline L. "Triumph for South Jersey", The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 23, 2008. Accessed October 29, 2015. "Neighboring Wildwood Crest came in second, followed by Ocean City, North Wildwood, Cape May, Asbury Park in Monmouth County, Avalon, Point Pleasant Beach in northern Ocean County, Beach Haven in southern Ocean County and Stone Harbor."