Margate Real Estate & Coastal Luxury Living in NJ

Margate City, New Jersey

A storied seaside community with a national landmark on its beach and some of the most coveted real estate on the Jersey Shore, Margate City has been a summer destination for affluent Philadelphia and New York families for more than a century. Located on the southern end of Absecon Island, just south of Ventnor and north of Longport, Margate occupies less than 1.4 square miles of beachfront, bayfront, and elegant residential blocks. Yet within that small footprint sits one of the most recognized landmarks in America, one of the finest dining scenes on the East Coast, and a real estate market that consistently ranks among the strongest on the South Jersey Shore.

Margate's most beloved icon is, of course, Lucy the Elephant. Built in 1881 by real estate developer James V. Lafferty as a gimmick to attract land buyers to what was then called South Atlantic City, Lucy stands six stories tall, weighs 90 tons, and is the oldest surviving roadside tourist attraction in America. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976, Lucy welcomes more than 100,000 visitors a year and was saved from demolition in 1970 by a beloved local citizens' group, the Save Lucy Committee. She remains the symbol of Margate and one of the most photographed landmarks at the Jersey Shore.

The city itself was incorporated in 1909 and named after Margate-on-Sea, the English seaside resort. From its earliest days, Margate was built for affluent vacationers, and that DNA still shows. The streets are lined with stunning early-20th-century summer mansions, mid-century beach houses, and a growing collection of fully custom new construction homes with rooftop decks, elevators, and pools.

Margate is best known for two distinct waterfronts. To the south, the Atlantic Ocean offers wide, family-friendly beaches and a quieter residential boardwalk that connects to Ventnor and Atlantic City. To the north, the back bays of Margate offer some of the most desirable bayfront homes in New Jersey, with private docks, deep-water access, and direct routes out to the Atlantic via the Intracoastal Waterway. The Margate Bayfront Promenade on Amherst Avenue has added a beautiful public walkway, restaurants, and event space along the bay, drawing locals and visitors alike for sunset cocktails and waterfront dining.

The dining scene in Margate is genuinely one of the best in the Northeast for a town its size. Steve & Cookie's By The Bay, open since 1998 in a charming former supper club, is the most celebrated restaurant on Absecon Island, consistently rated among the top restaurants in New Jersey for its locally sourced New American menu, exceptional wine list, and warm hospitality from owner Cookie Till. Ventura's Greenhouse, in the shadow of Lucy the Elephant, has been a Margate institution for over 30 years, with three distinct dining experiences spanning the casual cafe, the formal dining room, and the rooftop deck overlooking the ocean. Tomatoes is another year-round local favorite known for creative sushi, seafood, and steaks, while Sofia Restaurant brings refined Mediterranean and Greek cuisine to Amherst Avenue. Other beloved local stops include Tideline on the bay, Shuckers Bar and Grill, Sunrise Tequila Bar, Bocca Coal Fired Bistro, and Johnny's Cafe.

For everyday essentials and local flavor, Margate boasts a true downtown shopping district along Ventnor Avenue, filled with boutique clothing stores, jewelry shops, design showrooms, art galleries, and specialty food markets. Casel's Marketplace is the legendary gourmet grocer and prepared foods destination that families have relied on since 1929, known for its rotisserie chicken, fresh-cut deli, homemade salads, and hard-to-find specialty items. Downbeach Deli is a beloved New York style delicatessen serving Margate since 1982. The Marjorie & Lewis Katz JCC on Jerome Avenue offers a beautiful fitness center, 25-meter heated indoor pool, full size indoor basketball court, and year-round community programming, and the Margate Public Library hosts regular cultural events and houses the Margate History Museum.

Margate is also home to one of the most respected public school systems on the Jersey Shore. The Margate City School District serves students from Pre-K through eighth grade at William H. Ross III Elementary School and the highly regarded Eugene A. Tighe Middle School, a National Blue Ribbon School. High school students attend Atlantic City High School alongside students from Ventnor and Brigantine.

Margate's real estate market is consistently one of the strongest on the South Jersey Shore. Inventory ranges from charming original beach cottages and renovated mid-century homes on the inland blocks, to stately Atlantic Avenue residences, to oceanfront and beach-block estates, to bayfront homes with private deep-water boat slips on the back bays. Margate's larger lots, walkable downtown, and proximity to top dining have made it the destination of choice for affluent second-home buyers from the Philadelphia Main Line, the surrounding Philadelphia suburbs, and Central and Northern New Jersey. Many longtime Philadelphia families have summered in Margate for three or four generations, and that sense of legacy is part of what makes this community so unique.

Margate City truly stands apart. A walkable, tree-lined, beautifully maintained beach town with national landmark status, a world-class dining scene, and a real estate market backed by genuine, multi-generational demand. Atlantic City casinos and entertainment are just minutes away. Philadelphia International Airport is about an hour west.

Whether you are searching for a Margate oceanfront home, a bayfront retreat with a private dock, a beach-block summer cottage, a fully renovated Ventnor Avenue residence, or a family-friendly second home at the South Jersey Shore, Margate City delivers a level of charm, sophistication, and long-term value that few Jersey Shore communities can match.