Jersey Shore Facts

No matter where you live, you probably have some familiarity with the Jersey Shore (whether negative or positive). But, for people in the tri-state area, the Jersey Shore, though famous for its self-named TV show, is synonymous with Memorial Day weekend.

By mid-day tomorrow, the Garden State Parkway will be bombarded with bumper-to-bumper tourists - polluting the air with the noise of bass-heavy techno beats, cigarette smoke and of course, toxic hair-stiffening aerosal spray. In honor of the influx of tourists and long-lines at local bars, with the upcoming holiday, here are some Jersey Shore fun facts.

1) Along the northern shores (Belmar, Seaside, etc) we refer to these visitors as Bennys. But how did they get that name? According to Wikipedia, "Benny is a derogatory term used by year-round residents of the Jersey Shore to describe summer-only residents who descend upon the area from northern New Jersey cities and New York. It is often said to be an acronym for some of the places that the tourists come from: "Bayonne, Elizabeth, Newark, and New York" (hence B,E,N,NY). Now it applies to any non-resident during the summer months, when roads, stores, beaches, and restaurants are more crowded due to the influx of tourists."

2) There is another slang term for summer tourists who crowd the Southern NJ beaches (especially, Ocean City) - these folks are called Shoobies. "The term 'Shoobie' is used by residents of resort communities in the southern New Jersey Shore, from Long Beach Island to Cape May. The term shoobie was originally used to describe day-trippers who took the train to the shore. The train offered pre-packed lunches that came in shoe boxes; hence the term "shoobie." However, over time the meaning has changed to include tourists that wear sneakers or shoes on the beach, as opposed to most locals who go barefoot on the sand."

3) A key element that attracts these tourists, particularly the ones who come to the southern shores, is the presence of boardwalks. Lined with activities like go-cart racing, arcade games and knick-knack filled booths, boardwalks provide entertainment for families and fist-pumpers alike. Speaking of which, did you know that the largest boardwalk in the USA is Atlantic City's?

4)Jersey's shores do boast some history. For instance, the borough of Ship Bottom in Long Beach Island is named based on, "a shipwreck that occurred in March 1817, when Captain Stephen Willets of Tuckerton rescued a young woman from the hull of a ship overturned in the shoals. The rescue became known as 'Ship Bottom.'"

Read some more fun facts about Jersey and its shores.

And, if you are coming to visit, be courteous - while this is your vacation, it is our home. For example, don't drink so many jager bombs that you want to start a bar fight, DON'T leave trash on our beaches, and don't park in residential parking spots or block homeowners' driveways.