Asbury Park : From Bust to Boom

Asbury Park, home to about 17 thousand people year round, is a located in Monmouth County, New Jersey. A seaside resort, Asbury Park once flourished, but businesses later moved out and large parts of the city lay abandoned. In the past few years, there has been a community renaissance as the town center has gradually become more gentrified and as developers have begun various large projects in the city. Many gay men and gay women have transformed formerly grand homes that had come to resemble flophouses. Matching the physical restoration has been a cultural, political and economic revival led by a burgeoning industry of local and national artists, musicians, sculptors, and thespians.

Long considered to be a mecca for musicians; this beach town is welcoming some of the best rock acts in the world. Asbury Park became famous after Bruce Springsteen (from neighboring Freehold) released his debut album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. On his follow-up album, one of the songs is entitled "4th of July, Asbury Park" . The Boss can often be found at the famous Stone Pony, or at The Fast Lane, the club where Bon Jovi go their start. Both clubs have appeal to both gay and straight travelers.

A majority of new nightlife spots have opened dedicated to the gay community. Cruisin', Empress, Georgies, Paradise, and The Circuit all are popular clubs and bars catering to year round gay crowds. In the summer months, increasing crowds of New Yorkers and Philadelphians have found Asbury Park and New Jersey's liberal attitudes and bargain prices to be a perfect mixture. Gay owned and operated hotels, restaurants, and B & B's have sprung up all along the once desolate coat. Situated almost midway between the traditional sand traps of Rehoboth and Fire Island, Asbury Park is quickly carving a niche in the gay travel market.

On March 8 2004, the Deputy Mayor of Asbury Park, married a same-sex couple who had a license issued by the town clerk. The next day, numerous same-sex couples converged on the clerk's office, determined to get their own licenses before a threatened injunction by State Attorney General. By the end of the day, no such injunction had been issued, although the attorney general had sent a warning that Asbury officials could face prosecution if they continued. In response, the city council voted unanimously to freeze all 16 pending license applications, and sue the state to have those licenses - along with the one marriage which was actually performed - declared valid. This milestone helped push same-sex marriage legalization closer to reality in the Garden State Forward thinking isn't new to Asbury Park the community hosted one of the earliest racially integrated baseball games, when the New York Yankees pitched against the Brooklyn Dodgers and the recently signed Jackie Robinson.

Asbury Park hosts NJ's Annual Pride Celebration the first weekend in June. 14th Annual LGBTI Pride Celebration is on Sunday, June 5th, 2005. The Pride Celebration featured live music and comedy from around the state and region, great food, arts and crafts, community information, NJ's largest outdoor display of the Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, exhibits, rides, a parade, and performances by national recording artists.

The Jersey Shore Community Center Project, headquartered in Asbury Park was established to address the unique needs and concerns of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals living in and around Asbury Park, New Jersey. Its mission is to foster the health, well being and pride of Monmouth and Ocean County's GLBT community. Through its provision of resources, referrals and general support, they care for individuals, groups and families in need and provide public education and outreach services that empower GLBT individuals and families to live their lives in freedom and dignity.

Asbury Park has been home to many a celebrity, socialite, and mover-n-shaker. Five-and-dime czar Frank W. Woolworth, jazz great Duke Ellington, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Margaret Widdemer, NAACP founder W.E.B. DuBois, crooner Frank Sinatra, sculptor Lorenzo Harris, former New York City mayor Ed Koch, all made residences there over the years. This Atlantic paradise was also the summer presidential headquarters of Woodrow Wilson when he ran for re-election in 1916.

So if your tired of your traditional shore spot, or curious about a new one, Asbury is worth checking out.

For More Resources:
http://www.cityofasburypark.com
http://www.cityofasburypark.com
www.paradisenj.com