The coastal area that is Mystic Island, New Jersey was once called "Hickory Island." It held the Tuckerton Wireless Tower with its 680 feet of steel. The radio tower was taken down in 1955, but its three enormous anchor blocks still survive today, in a North Ensign Drive backyard and on South Ensign Drive and Storysail Dive. Smaller anchor blocks used for the tower's umbrella antenna are visible in the lagoons, and the remains of the tower itself can be found in pieces held at the nearby Giffordtown Museum.
Mystic Island is a suburban neighborhood that is a part of Little Egg Harbor Township near Tuckerton, New Jersey. Perched on the edge of Great Bay, this community of 8400 plus residents as of the 2010 census is an hour and twenty minutes from Philadelphia and just forty minutes from the better known seaside community of Atlantic City.
Moving to Mystic Island
Looking for places for rent in Mystic Island, New Jersey? Then you're in luck - except during summer vacation rental peaks, vacancy rates are high here, sometimes as high as 48% of available properties. So if you're looking for studio apartments for rent or townhouses for rent, check out the New Jersey Gazetteer and stroll the streets of this lagoon filled community yourself - you won't have trouble finding a place from fall through spring.
What to Bring
Moving to Mystic Island you have to bring your boating shoes and your swimsuit when the weather is warm, and a windbreaker for shoreline walks in the off-season. If you love ocean breezes, this community is meant for you. For your future landlord, you should come equipped with ID, bank statements or W2s and be able to access your credit report.
Neighborhoods
There is only one neighborhood in Mystic Island, whose coastal and vacation based nature means that vacant apartments and home rentals appear frequently - but are harder to find by far in the summer months. Mystic Island is a large, just over 7 square mile, mostly-waterfront neighborhood that was originally planned as a resort community in the early 1960s with vacation bungalows. Many of these smaller homes are being replaced with larger homes built on pilings, a style popular in other communities nearby along the Jersey Shore.
Suburban, based on population, you will find mostly small to medium sized single family homes and townhomes located here. Many properties were built between 1940 and 1999.
Life On Mystic Island
Once the Tuckerton Radio Tower was torn down, Lagoon Parks, Inc., began developing vacation homes here. Waterways were filled in between seven small islands to make enough land to build.
The original homes were bungalows, with 3 bedrooms and one bathroom, and a carport, but other variations followed quickly. Along with the homes developed, so was a strip mall called the Shops of Mystic Isle. Today a variety of homes exist, but all of them have one thing in common - easy access to the Bay and the beach. If you love to wake up to the scent of salt air, you won't be disappointed living here.
What's Happening on the Island
The Graveling Point beach at the end of Radio Road is a nice place for a stroll or sunbathing, and you can see a touch of the skyline of Atlantic City lit up at night. If you want to leave the island for gambling, entertainment, and nightlife, Atlantic City is just a short drive away. Tired of the big blue sea? Then drive under thirty minutes to reach the Wharton State Forest or the Bass River recreation area to enjoy trees and trails.
You can get your games of chance right here, too, at the Mystic Island Casino located on Mathistown Road. But it won't be roulette or slot machines that you play - it will be pool. For thirty years the casino is the spot for pool, shuffleboard, trivia contests, and an overall community hangout. There's dining and drink, too.
The Township of Little Egg Harbor also has its community center on Mystic Island, where you can find classes for seniors and youth, and community activities such as arts and crafts. Sailing and water safety classes are also offered.
Mystic Island Park and The Sanctuary are two pretty green spaces located in this community, but recreation mostly takes place on the water. Marinas dot the community, and of course, it's perched right on Great Bay.
If you return to land after a sail or a swim hungry, check out Mystic Island Pizza or the large sandwiches at John and Sonia's Luncheonette, a bastion of Kosher deli food reported to be as tasty as the Carnegie Deli in New York City.
Work Time
Need to get to work and not take a boat? Then you'll need a car. Most commuters drive between thirty and forty-five minutes each way to work, using their own private vehicle or car pooling.
