Atlantic Beach

Like so many other places within commuting range of Manhattan, Atlantic Beach has become more desirable since more people started working from home. That trend, plus the increasing cost of housing, has made buyers look at neighborhoods like Atlantic Beach as places to have the best of the suburbs and the best of the big city at the same time. And they’re not wrong. Under three miles away in neighboring Long Beach is a stop on the Long Island Rail Road which will get you to Midtown Manhattan in an hour. And as for the suburban aspect of Atlantic Beach? This suburban village in Nassau County, Long Island is on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, which puts it in a category of its own. As Peter Posner, a licensed sales agent with Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty says, “Atlantic Beach is very unique. The beaches couldn’t be more perfect. The sand is fine and white and the beaches are wide and deep.”

Atlantic Beach is on Long Beach Barrier Island. At just over a mile long and, at its widest point, three long blocks or avenues wide, this neighborhood is home to around 2,000 residents at any given time. As an incorporated township, the Atlantic Beach Village Board has used its power to rebuff any development deemed unfit for the beachy, small-town character of the neighborhood. You won’t find any high-rises or hotels here. Housing is limited to gated condominium complexes and detached homes of varying size and age. Pebble Cove is a ritzy beachside development where three-bedroom attached condos designed in a modern Mission style are listing for just under $3 million. In addition to modern fixtures and interiors, balconies and brick driveways leading to garages, buyers at Pebble Cove get 24/7 security service and private beach access with options for activities such as yoga workshops and watersports classes scheduled by the homeowners association. Outside the gates, neat, postwar homes on medium-sized lots with three bedrooms and three baths are selling for between $800,000 and $1 million. Palatial bayside homes built in ornate Italianate style on large lots with five bedrooms and wrought iron bannisters lining winding stairwells are listing in the range of $4 million and up. There are also contemporary modern homes in the same size and luxurious style.

Technically, all neighborhood beaches are closed to non-residents. These are divided between beach clubs, village beaches and the few that belong to condo developments like Pebble Beach. A boardwalk stretches along the length of the vicinity. The western tip of the barrier island is the property of the Silver Point Beach Club, which bills itself as the most affordable in the community along with being the largest. This club has an Olympic-sized pool, a broad private beach, several types of sporting courts and fields, daycare, a cafeteria and free parking. A family membership from Memorial Day to Labor Day is currently priced at $1,380. But there are other things to do in Atlantic Beach besides swimming and sunbathing. The commercial district starts as the Atlantic Beach Toll Bridge descends onto Park Lane. This wide street under the big sky has broad sidewalks that offer a leisurely walkability where shops and eateries cluster. Not far from the post office, you’ll find an antique store and a literary gastropub named Beginnings. Fine dining favorite Gio’s has been serving upscale Italian seafood for almost 40 years a few blocks away. Boardwalk Bagel & Delicatessen and Hot Pastrami serve heaping plates of classic East Coast Jewish deli fare. The Atlantic Surf Shop is a great place to buy your first surfboard – or at least a cool swimsuit.

Atlantic Beach is in the Lawrence Union Free School District along with adjacent villages. This requires public school students to drive or be bussed off the island and across the bridge onto the mainland. Lawrence Elementary School has a student-teacher ratio of 12:1 and received an overall B grade from Niche. Lawrence Middle School has even smaller class sizes and Lawrence High School is ranked by Niche in the top quartile of high schools statewide. Aside from these public schools, there are also several yeshivas in the area. Whether you’re commuting home or coming back from high school, Atlantic Beach enforces a rhythm of its own. The ocean breeze and sandy streets, the soft crashing of the waves and unimpeded sky all combine to make Atlantic Beach noticeably separate from the vast metropolitan city behind it. Villagers know this, which is why development is so regulated. As Posner says, “Where else can you find beaches like this 21 miles from Manhattan?”

Written By

Abbot Street

Photography Contributed By

Johnny Milano

Video By

Stewart Taveras