Avon-by-the-Sea

Avon-by-the-Sea is one of the North Shore's small, quiet residential beach towns, a borough of under two thousand people set between Sylvan Lake and the Shark River inlet. It is known for tidy Victorian-era blocks, a compact, well-kept beachfront, and a slower pace than busier Belmar next door. Commercial activity is limited, and the boardwalk is non-commercial, lined with pavilions rather than arcades. You can walk the whole town in minutes.

History Avon was incorporated as a borough in March 1900, carved out of Neptune City, and it grew in the late nineteenth century as a Victorian seaside resort. Earlier known as Key East, it took the name Avon, commonly said to be after Avon in England, though the reason is not settled. Much of the original Victorian housing survives, and the town has kept its small, residential character rather than growing into a larger resort.

What makes it unique Avon's appeal is its scale and its quiet. At about four-tenths of a square mile, hemmed in by ocean, lake, river, and a rail line, it has stayed small and largely residential. The non-commercial boardwalk with its pavilions, the well-kept beach, and the marina on the Shark River define the place more than any shopping or nightlife. It reads as a calmer, more private alternative to Belmar across the inlet.