Highlands

Highlands — Twin Peaks Above the Shrewsbury

Highlands sits atop the highest coastal bluffs in New Jersey — on a clear day you can see New York City from the ridge. The 1933 aerial shows the tight grid of streets climbing the hill above the Shrewsbury River, with the famous Twin Lights monument visible on the crest. The working waterfront below — fishing docks, charter boats, and oyster skiffs — lines the bay. By 1962, the Ash Wednesday Storm had driven storm surge into the low-lying streets at the foot of the bluffs, flooding the marina and bayfront blocks, while the hilltop community remained largely above the surge line. That contrast between upland safety and waterfront vulnerability is plainly visible in the 1962 aerial.