Selling real estate on the island for 30+ years, I can’t tell you how many home owners proclaim that their property is located “on the highest part of the island”.   I’ve even heard my husband make the claim about our street when talking with neighbors!

For clarification, the Borough of Stone Harbor provides supporting data – a color coded brochure mailed to each property owner (and available on their web site):

http://stone-harbor-nj.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/GeneralElevationMapColor.pdf

The green sections are the true “highest points” in Stone Harbor.  Most are along the beach/ dunes, and in the south end past the Bird Sanctuary.  The white areas are next, and cover most of the blocks between First and Second Avenues.  The blocks between Second and Third Avenues are a mixture of white and yellow elevations.  In my experience, the yellow areas will see standing water in the street during a heavy rain storm/high tide combination.  The bayside of town is mostly orange, with sections of pink (the lowest elevation).  These areas will flood during storms.  Residents are told to move their cars to avoid salt water damage. Flooding may be limited to the street and just over the sidewalk- but potential buyers should be aware of the situation.

The elevation levels in Avalon follow a similar pattern-  the highest sections are closer to the beach rather than along the bay (with the exception of the man-made lagoon area- Pelican, Seagull, Flamingo, and Heron Drives).

Bottom line? When you live in a beautiful community surrounded by water, understanding the lay of the land is just part of the deal 🙂