New Jersey Beaches Should Be Free For Residents

Do you think it's kind of crazy having to pay to access a beach in New Jersey?

I'll be honest with you, it's never really bothered me; I've been going to the Jersey Shore my entire life and have always had to pay to access the beach.

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I remember when I first moved to New Jersey and some guy was outraged that he had to pay to get onto the beach, saying he's from the Carolinas and he never has to pay, so what makes Jersey different?

I thought he was crazy, it's just what you have to do to enjoy the Jersey Shore, deal with it.

This year though, my wife and I still haven't bought our season passes to Seaside Heights, combined it would cost about $150 just for the two of us, not counting any extra badges we'd want to get for when family and friends come to visit.

I'm now starting to think that there should be circumstances where beach access is free, or at least discounted, if some shore towns can have free beaches, why can't they all?

Some New Jersey Beaches Are Already Free To Access

Off the top of my head, I know that both Wildwood and Atlantic City have free public beaches, you can just show up and hit the sand without having to buy a day badge or seasonal badge.

In Wildwood, the free beach is to take the cost burden off local property owners.

In Atlantic City, I could imagine it's because the Casino makes enough money for the city that they can use it to maintain the beach.

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New Jersey Beaches Should Be Free For People Who Reside In NJ

I'm not really sure this is a hot take, but if you reside in Jersey full time, and pay taxes in Jersey I think you should get access to the beach for free.

Jersey already has some of the highest taxes in the country, our property tax is a huge bill we pay, and on top of that, we still have to pay $75 to get on the beach in some towns.

It's kind of insane.

And look I'm all for paying my fair share in order to maintain our beautiful beaches, but I feel as though if you're a full-time, tax-paying NJ resident you should at least get a discounted rate on a beach badge!

Photo Credit: Canva

Some towns only charge $25 for season badges, and that seems like a fair price.