Retiring in Longport: A Quiet, Older, Genuinely Small Shore Town

A Small, Older Population by the Numbers

Per Wikipedia, Longport's 2020 census population was 893, down 0.2% from 895 in 2010, and down 15.1% from 1,054 in 2000 -- a slow, steady decline over two decades rather than a sudden shift. The 2010 census also recorded a median age of 58.2 and notably low poverty rates, alongside a population that was 98.88% white that year. A median age in the high 50s is well above the national median, and it is a genuine, numbers-based reason a retiree might read Longport as a town already oriented around an older, settled demographic rather than one built for young families or a college crowd. That said, this research did not confirm a current (2026) median age, current population figure beyond the 2020 count of 893, or any breakdown of the town's age distribution by decade -- so treat 58.2 as a real, dated data point that points in a direction, not a current guarantee.

Longport's total area is just 1.56 square miles, and only 0.40 of that is land -- the remaining 1.16 square miles is water, making the borough roughly 74.49% aquatic, among the highest water-to-land ratios of any Jersey Shore town. That geography traces back to a real, documented event: between 1900 and 1916, storms eroded 180 acres comprising ten numbered streets on the barrier island's southern end, permanently reshaping Longport's footprint. For a retiree, that water-dominant geography plausibly means a quieter, more contained town with more waterfront and fewer blocks of ordinary residential streets than a larger shore community -- a real physical fact about the place, not a marketing description.

Proximity to Margate and Atlantic City, Without Inventing Local Services

Longport sits on the southwest corner of Absecon Island, an 8.1-mile barrier island shared with Margate City, Ventnor City, and Atlantic City. That means a retiree in Longport is a short drive from Margate's shops and restaurants and from Atlantic City's larger commercial, dining, and healthcare infrastructure, without Longport itself needing to carry that density. This research did not confirm the existence, name, or location of any specific senior center, assisted-living facility, continuing-care community, or healthcare provider serving Longport directly, so none of that is invented here -- a prospective retiree should treat nearby-city proximity as a real, plausible convenience and still verify actual healthcare access and senior services directly with Atlantic County's own aging-services offices.

Longport's own name traces to a real, documented history: James Long purchased property in the area in 1857, M. Simpson McCullough acquired and developed the area in 1882 and named it "Longport" in Long's honor, and the borough incorporated on March 7, 1898, via New Jersey Legislature action, carved out of Egg Harbor Township. That is a genuine, specific origin story, not a generic beach-town backstory, and it is worth knowing even though it has no direct bearing on retirement logistics.

The Real Cost Picture -- and Why It Is Hedged Here

The honest cost data available is dated but directionally serious: Longport ranked 22nd among New Jersey's most expensive ZIP codes in 2018, with a median home sale price of $767,500 that year, and its average property tax bill reached $10,872 in 2018 -- the highest in Atlantic County that year. A separate, unrelated data point makes the same point from another angle: in litigation over a nearby subdivision's attempt to join Longport for tax reasons (discussed below), court evidence showed a $1 million home facing roughly $9,800 a year in Longport property taxes versus roughly $31,400 a year in neighboring Egg Harbor Township -- a real, documented contrast between two adjacent jurisdictions, even though it is not a current, general Longport tax rate. None of these figures should be read as current: 2018 was a long time ago, litigation evidence reflects a specific case record rather than today's rate, and this research did not confirm current Longport or Atlantic County property tax rates, current assessment figures, or a current median home price for 2026.

New Jersey has its own real state income tax and its own property-tax structure -- genuinely different from states with no income tax or no property tax at all -- and this research did not confirm current New Jersey retirement-income tax rules, current exemptions or exclusions for retirement income, or current Longport-specific tax rates. A prospective retiree should talk to a New Jersey-licensed tax professional about how state and local tax rules would actually apply to their own retirement income and assets, and should confirm current property tax rates directly with Atlantic County government and the Borough of Longport's own finance office, rather than rely on the 2017-2018 figures cited here.

A Real Secession Fight That Says Something About the Tax Gap

A real, decade-long legal saga underscores just how large Longport's tax advantage over a neighboring township has been. Seaview Harbor is a waterfront subdivision of 92 homes with private docks, plus a restaurant and marina with 300 boat slips, developed in the 1960s inside Egg Harbor Township. Beginning around 2014, Seaview Harbor's property owners petitioned to secede from Egg Harbor Township and join Longport instead, citing that documented tax differential. Egg Harbor Township's Township Committee denied the petition in 2016; a trial judge ruled against secession in February 2020; the New Jersey Appellate Division affirmed that ruling in a 48-page opinion in December 2021, agreeing that deannexation would cause "the loss of social and economic diversity" and cost Egg Harbor Township roughly $2.3 million in annual tax revenue; and the New Jersey Supreme Court denied further appeal shortly after, ending the litigation with Seaview Harbor remaining part of Egg Harbor Township. This research did not confirm whether Seaview Harbor pursued any further legal or legislative avenue after that denial, so none is claimed here.

That saga is a genuine mirror image, in reverse, of nearby Strathmere's own 2010 secession dispute: Strathmere residents wanted out of their township for more local control, while Seaview Harbor residents wanted into Longport specifically to escape a much higher tax bill. Both were real, both were fully litigated, and both were resolved against the residents who pushed for change. For a prospective Longport retiree, the practical takeaway is not the litigation itself but what it confirms indirectly: Longport's tax position relative to at least one specific neighboring township was, at the time of that case, dramatic enough to drive a decade of court fights -- a real signal, even if it is not a current rate you can rely on today.

A Small, Current Civic Story: Dune Signs, Not a Crisis

In July 2025, Longport installed seven educational signs along its beach crossovers after officials observed beachgoers -- including in a July 4th Facebook post -- standing on protective dunes to watch fireworks. Each sign, one of four designs, carries a QR code linking to a dedicated "Our Dunes" website. Longport's own zoning officer, Bruce Funk, was quoted: "People don't understand how important the dunes are. The diversity of wildlife there is amazing," calling the dunes "more than just a pile of sand." The $5,000 initiative was funded through a CAFRA Trust Fund donation, with signs costing roughly $700 each to install. This is a small, genuinely current civic story, not a lawsuit or an emergency -- a useful, low-key signal that Longport's local government is actively engaged in its own dune stewardship in 2025, for whatever weight a prospective resident wants to give that.

Who This Actually Suits, and What We Could Not Confirm

Longport's case for retirement rests on real, specific data: a median age of 58.2, a small and slowly declining year-round population of 893, an extraordinarily water-dominant 74.49% geography, and direct proximity to Margate City's and Atlantic City's larger amenity base. That combination plausibly suits someone who wants a quiet, small, already-older community close to bigger-town conveniences and who can absorb a genuinely high cost structure -- Longport was New Jersey's 22nd most expensive ZIP code in 2018 and carried Atlantic County's highest average property tax bill that same year. It is a materially different case for someone who wants a large year-round social community, confirmed on-site senior services, or a lower-cost retirement.

This research pass confirmed Longport's 2020 census population of 893 (down 0.2% from 895 in 2010, itself down 15.1% from 1,054 in 2000), a 2010 median age of 58.2 with notably low poverty rates, a total area of 1.56 square miles (0.40 land, 1.16 water, roughly 74.49% aquatic), the 1900-1916 storm loss of 180 acres and ten numbered streets, the borough's 1898 incorporation and its naming for James Long, its 2018 ranking as New Jersey's 22nd most expensive ZIP code with a $767,500 median home sale price in 2017 and a $10,872 average property tax bill in 2018, the Seaview Harbor secession litigation and its 2014-2022 timeline and outcome, and the July 2025 dune-signage initiative and its quoted zoning officer. It did not confirm a current (2026) population, median age, home price, active listing count, or specific rental rate; current Longport or Atlantic County property tax rates; current New Jersey state sales or income tax rates or retirement-income tax treatment; specific current FEMA flood-zone designations for individual parcels; whether Seaview Harbor pursued any further action after the Supreme Court's denial; or the name of any specific senior center, assisted-living facility, continuing-care community, or healthcare provider serving Longport. None of that is invented here -- confirm it directly with Atlantic County government, the Borough of Longport's own finance office, the State of New Jersey, FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, a New Jersey-licensed tax professional, and a local real estate agent who works in Longport specifically.