Established commuter community across the bays from Atlantic City
Pleasantville has always been an industry town, and while its economic base has shifted over time, the barrier island it parallels has always been the backbone. The waters of Absecon Bay and Lakes Bay filled with shell fishers when the city was little more than a handful of proto villages. Through the early 20th century, Main Street prospered thanks to a heavy flow of coastal tourists, brought in by trolley lines to explore New Jersey’s mainland before continuing on to Atlantic Ocean beaches. Most famously, after a 1976 New Jersey referendum vote, Pleasantville became a casino district commuter town to its across-the-water neighbor, Atlantic City. “A lot of executives would live out in Egg Harbor Township or Galloway, while a lot of employees lived in Pleasantville or Atlantic City itself,” says Frank Tees, a real estate agent with Joe Wiesner Realty who has 11 years of experience specializing across southern New Jersey. “Things took a dive once the casinos started shutting down.” Pleasantville’s economy declined as highways brought tourists through town rather than into it, shuttering storefronts. A monopolized industry sector is hard to make work, and Monopoly City's own entertainment diversification efforts are ongoing thanks to increased northeastern competition. In the meantime, this much smaller municipality isn’t waiting for growth to trickle in from across the salt marshes. State and local efforts are at work in Pleasantville, combining to bolster business and community life in an area that’s as close to the beach as mainland Atlantic County allows.
Prewar single-family homes on Pleasantville’s residential blocks
Grassy, mostly sidewalk-lined blocks make up much of the city, tucked between rows of classic single-family homes. While larger custom-built houses pop up on double lots and at the ends of roads with bayside views, Pleasantville isn’t seeing as much sprawling new construction as other South Shore towns. Instead, small prewar bungalows, cottages and National homes preserve its early 20th-century character, joined by simple midcentury styles like ranch-style homes. Several townhouse communities are scattered throughout the city, typically built from the 1980s to 2010s. Pleasantville’s median single-family home price is about $247,000, lower than the national median of $406,100 given by the National Association of Realtors.
Commuting across the bays to Atlantic City
Though they spread out on the way through southern New Jersey, the White Horse Pike, Black Horse Pike and Atlantic City Expressway nearly converge in Pleasantville before crossing the salt marshes to Atlantic City, which sprawls at the northern tip of Absecon Island about 7 miles away. The Garden State Parkway, New Jersey’s major coastal roadway, passes just west of the city. NJ Transit buses help commuters get around the mainland and out to nearby barrier islands. NJ Transit also operates the Atlantic City Line commuter train between its namesake city and Philadelphia, with the nearest stop being just north in Absecon. Small medical offices operate in the city, but the nearest larger hospitals are the AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City and Shore Medical Center in Somers Point. Atlantic City International Airport is around 6 miles away.
Boating on Lakes Bay and proximity to the Atlantic Ocean
While much of Pleasantville’s eastern edge is lined with wooded areas or private property that transitions slowly into salt marshes, boaters can still access Lakes Bay from municipal and privately operated docks. Atlantic City’s free beaches and boardwalk are just over the bays on the far side of Absecon Island. A handful of community parks and other recreation spaces are scattered throughout the city, and cyclists can travel into nearby shore towns on the Somers Point Bike Path.
Shopping and dining on Main Street
Main Street is Pleasantville’s commercial center, and its sidewalk-lined blocks of older commercial buildings are getting a boost from one of New Jersey’s statewide development initiatives. “There are different programs going on. Pleasantville’s sales tax is only 3.5%,” Tees says. The city’s designation as an Urban Enterprise Zone is designed to attract both business owners and shoppers seeking better deals. Among restaurants serving diverse cuisines, businesses like fresh fish markets and custard stands mark Pleasantville’s coastal town status. Strip malls anchored by big box names collect along both the Black Horse and White Horse pikes, especially outside of city limits. Churches and masjids hold services throughout the city.
Community events in Pleasantville and Atlantic City
Pleasantville’s less seasonal population means its annual traditions are more community-centric than tourism-based. Throughout the year, neighbors get together at Halloween Trunk or Treats or senior luncheons. Thanks to its bayfront position, Pleasantville also has a front-row seat to the events that bring tourists to Atlantic City, from watching the sun rise over the water to seeing flashier fireworks displays shoot high above the casino-lit skyline on the Fourth of July.
Attending Pleasantville Public Schools or Holy Spirit High
Pleasantville Public School District earns a C-minus from Niche. Students at C-rated Pleasantville High School can apply for the Early College High School Program of Pleasantville, which provides kids with the opportunity to earn an associate's degree through Atlantic Cape Community College while in high school. Just north in Absecon, Holy Spirit High School is a private Catholic institution that earns an A.
Crime, flooding and weather patterns in Pleasantville
According to data reported to the FBI by the Pleasantville Police Department, violent crime rose about 7% and property crime rose nearly 65% from 2022 to 2023. Data from the same years indicates crime rates in Pleasantville are typically higher than New Jersey’s average rates but below national average rates.
Beyond the areas abutting Lakes and Absecon bays’ salt marshes, Pleasantville also has a higher risk flood zone along Conovers Creek. A community rating system developed with the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s maps helps homebuyers determine their need for flood insurance and any potential discounts they qualify for.
Pleasantville experiences four temperate seasons, including hot summers and below-freezing winters.
Written By
Julia Szymanski
Photography Contributed By
Mitchell Birnbaum
