Avalon, New Jersey
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, a decrease of 91 (−6.8%) from the 2010 census count of 1,334, which in turn declined by 809 (−37.8%) from the 2,143 counted in the 2000 census. The borough's population swells to as many as 45,000 during the summer.
Avalon, New Jersey | |
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Former Avalon Lighthouse | |
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| Motto: "Cooler by a Mile" | |
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 | |
| Coordinates: 39.086453°N 74.739003°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Cape May |
| Formed | 1723 as part of Middle Township |
| Incorporated | April 18, 1892 |
| Named for | Avalon of Arthurian legend |
| Government | |
| • Type | Faulkner Act (mayor–council) |
| • Body | Borough Council |
| • Mayor | John M. McCorristin (R, term ends June 30, 2027) |
| • Administrator | Scott J. Wahl |
| • Municipal clerk | C. Danielle Nollett |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5.06 sq mi (13.09 km2) |
| • Land | 4.27 sq mi (11.06 km2) |
| • Water | 0.79 sq mi (2.04 km2) 15.53% |
| • Rank | 275th of 565 in state 7th of 16 in county |
| Elevation | 10 ft (3 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 1,243 |
| • Estimate (2022) | 1,218 |
| • Rank | 523rd of 565 in state 12th of 16 in county |
| • Density | 291.1/sq mi (112.4/km2) |
| • Rank | 476th of 565 in state 12th of 16 in county |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT)) |
| ZIP Code | 08202 |
| Area codes | 609 Exchanges: 263, 368, 967 |
| FIPS code | 3400902320 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0885146 |
| Website | www |
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. Washingtonian "named Avalon the 'chicest beach' in the mid-Atlantic, the place to see women in diamonds and designer swimwear." 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.
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. 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. 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.