I found this ranking NJ.com did of New Jersey's 44 beaches. While Monmouth and Ocean fared ok, I have some things to say about the rundown.

The authors (and rankers) of this piece did address their criteria.

We judged only oceanfront beaches (no bay, lake or riverfront) on beach quality, crowd type and size, parking availability, and surrounding food, drink, and recreation. We went to one beach per town.

To be fair, the purveyors of this list did say:

...being the worst beach in New Jersey is kind of like being the worst pizza in New Jersey — it's still better than most you'd find anywhere else.

Let's take a look.

44. Seaside Park. (?!)

via GIPHY

Maybe I'm biased because I spent my summers growing up in Seaside Park. There is no way it deserves to be dead last. NJ.com says:

"The beach itself is nothing to write home about — not worth the $10 per person daily badge fee. If you’ve made it all the way to vanilla Seaside Park, drive another few miles to Island Beach State Park and have yourself a REAL beach day."

32. Deal

via GIPHY

NJ.com's biggest gripe was it's hard to find the beach in Deal. Really? Deal should be higher.

1. Cape May

I really can't argue this choice for the top. I kind of had a feeling that it would land #1.

Even inland, Jersey is the best. LOOK: Here are the 25 best places to live in New Jersey

Stacker compiled a list of the best places to live in New Jersey using data from Niche. Niche ranks places to live based on a variety of factors including cost of living, schools, health care, recreation, and weather. Cities, suburbs, and towns were included. Listings and images are from realtor.com.

On the list, there's a robust mix of offerings from great schools and nightlife to high walkability and public parks. Some areas have enjoyed rapid growth thanks to new businesses moving to the area, while others offer glimpses into area history with well-preserved architecture and museums. Keep reading to see if your hometown made the list.

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