Longport

Longport, New Jersey

The crown jewel at the southern tip of Absecon Island, Longport is the quietest, most exclusive, and most private of the four Downbeach communities. Just over half a square mile in size with a year-round population of fewer than 900 residents, this tiny barrier island borough has been quietly attracting Philadelphia's most affluent families for more than a century. Longport has consistently ranked among the most expensive ZIP codes in New Jersey, and its real estate values continue to set records year after year.

Incorporated in 1898 and named after James Long, an early landowner who purchased the original parcel in 1857, Longport has always been a community that values privacy, quiet, and quality over crowds and commerce. There are no boardwalk attractions, no casinos, no chain stores, and almost no commercial district at all. What you find instead are wide, pristine beaches, beautifully maintained tree-lined streets, magnificent oceanfront and bayfront homes, and a tight-knit residential community where neighbors actually know one another.

Longport sits dramatically on the edge of two bodies of water. The Atlantic Ocean borders its eastern shore, and the Great Egg Harbor Inlet wraps around its southern and western tips, separating Longport from Ocean City just across the water. This geography gives Longport some of the most stunning waterfront homesites on the entire Jersey Shore. Beachfront properties enjoy unobstructed Atlantic views. Bayfront and inlet-front homes offer panoramic sunset views over the inlet to Ocean City, deep-water dockage, and direct, easy access out to the open ocean. The legendary stretch of beach at the southern tip, known locally as the Point, is one of the most coveted addresses on Absecon Island.

The streets at the southern end of the borough start at 11th Avenue rather than 1st, a quirk of local geography. The 180 acres that made up Longport's original ten lowest-numbered streets washed away in a series of storms between 1900 and 1916, eventually re-forming across the inlet as what is now the Gardens neighborhood of Ocean City. That history is part of what makes Longport unique. It is a community shaped as much by the ocean and the wind as by its residents.

The dining scene in Longport is small but excellent and very much part of the local lifestyle. Ozzie's Luncheonette at 2401 Atlantic Avenue has been a Longport institution since 1952 and is the town's only true year-round food operation. A beloved retro luncheonette serving breakfast, brunch, and lunch, Ozzie's is where Longport residents start their summer mornings, and locals will tell you the crunchy granola French toast and oatmeal waffle are worth the trip alone. Catch Restaurant & Bar, also at 2401 Atlantic, is Longport's premier dinner destination, an upscale seafood-and-Mediterranean restaurant from Chef Joseph Tucker that has set a new standard for fine dining in town. Other local favorites and Downbeach neighbors just minutes away include Steve & Cookie's in Margate, Sofia, Tomatoes, and Ventura's Greenhouse.

The Longport Public Library at 2305 Atlantic Avenue is the cultural heart of the community, offering programs, classes, and a beloved local gathering space. The library also houses the Longport Historical Society Museum, located in the former United States Coast Guard Building, which preserves the borough's rich seaside history. Recreational amenities include public tennis courts, a playground, and one of the most peaceful walking and biking environments on the Jersey Shore. Surfing, paddleboarding, and back-bay boating are part of the daily rhythm here.

Longport families with children take full advantage of the borough's unique educational arrangement. Longport operates as a non-operating school district, sending students through a sending-receiving relationship to the highly regarded Margate City School District for grades Pre-K through 8, attending William H. Ross III Elementary School and the National Blue Ribbon Eugene A. Tighe Middle School. For high school, Longport students attend Ocean City High School just across the inlet, one of the top-rated public high schools in South Jersey.

Longport's real estate market is in a class of its own on the South Jersey Shore. Inventory is famously limited, which is part of what drives values. Available properties range from classic mid-century beach homes and stately Atlantic Avenue residences to fully renovated custom oceanfront estates with rooftop decks, infinity pools, and elevators, to inlet-front and bayfront homes with private deep-water boat slips. The combination of scarcity, privacy, top-tier schools through Ocean City, and proximity to Margate's walkable downtown and dining make Longport one of the most desirable second-home destinations in the Northeast. Affluent buyers from the Philadelphia Main Line, the surrounding Philadelphia suburbs, and Central and Northern New Jersey have been drawn here for generations, and many families have summered in Longport for three, four, or even five generations.

Longport truly is the quiet luxury of the Jersey Shore. A private, residential, beautifully maintained barrier island community with magnificent waterfront real estate, world-class neighboring dining in Margate and Ventnor, and the convenience of Atlantic City just minutes away. Philadelphia International Airport is about an hour west.

Whether you are searching for a Longport oceanfront home, an inlet-front retreat with a private dock, a bayfront property with panoramic sunset views, a beach-block summer cottage, or the rare opportunity to acquire one of the most exclusive second homes at the South Jersey Shore, Longport delivers a level of privacy, prestige, and long-term value that no other Jersey Shore community can match.