Interlaken, NJ: Community Guide
Local Knowledge. Shore Results. Updated October 2026In Interlaken, you can launch a kayak onto Deal Lake from your own backyard dock. You can also walk over to Borough Hall for yoga, which meets three times a week. That's small-town life in a borough of just under 400 homes and roughly 900 residents. Interlaken is residential on purpose. There isn't a single business in town. The original developers set that rule in 1890, and the town has kept it ever since.
The town's story starts in the 1880s. Boston physician Dr. Francis Weld and his wife Fannie were vacationing at a Deal Beach inn when they came across nearly 300 acres of quiet land just inland from busy Asbury Park. The land sits like a peninsula between two sections of a lake, and it reminded them of Interlaken, Switzerland, which they had recently visited. That's where the name comes from. The early streets were named after English lakes and Scottish Hebridean islands. In the early 1900s the town became an artist colony, with seven art studios and a dance studio at its peak. Actors Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman later kept a summer home here, which fits a town built for that kind of quiet retreat.
I'm Matt Quinn. I was born and raised in Ocean County, and I went to Monmouth University, living in Long Branch and Elberon during college. Before real estate I worked construction, served as a police officer, worked as a health inspector, and spent more than ten years as Manchester Township's Chief Code Enforcement Officer. I also hold a zoning officer certification. I've seen what's behind the walls of a lot of shore houses. I'll tell you what a town is really like, and I'll tell you if it's the wrong fit for you.
On This Page
- Interlaken at a Glance
- What Makes Interlaken Different
- Is Interlaken the Right Fit for You?
- What It's Really Like to Live in Interlaken
- Schools & Everyday Family Life
- What to Know Before Making the Move
- Common Questions About Living in Interlaken
- A Local Perspective on Living Here
- Thinking About Moving to Interlaken?
- Homes, Market Report & Nearby Towns
Interlaken at a Glance
Interlaken covers just 0.33 square miles. Deal Lake wraps around much of its edge, and it borders Allenhurst, Deal, Loch Arbour and Ocean Township. The beaches in Loch Arbour and Asbury Park are roughly a mile away. The borough incorporated in 1922 after splitting from Ocean Township. Newspapers back then called it "the baby borough" and doubted it could last on its own. It did, and it's still what its founders wanted: a quiet town of homes and nothing else.
The first thing buyers should know: Interlaken is a dry town by law. No alcohol can be sold inside its borders. Median household income tops $180,000 by recent estimates. Strict residential zoning has kept the town exclusive for a long time.
What Makes Interlaken Different
Landmarks: The stone gates at the Grasmere Avenue entrance went up in the early 1900s and still mark the town's start as a planned community. Deal Lake is the center of everything. People kayak and fish on it, and skate on it in winter. Interlaken Park has tennis, softball and a shaded playground. In 1910 the town hosted an early aviation meet where five Wright-trained pilots flew over a field in the northwest part of the borough. That's a big piece of aviation history for a town this size.
Most desirable pockets: Homes right on Deal Lake carry the clearest premium, with private docks and water views. The interior streets, laid out along the original avenues named for English lakes, have larger-than-average lots with mature trees and gardens.
Defining character: Interlaken still follows its founders' plan almost exactly, more than a century later. It went from artist colony to quiet enclave, and it has no commercial development at all. That's rare even among the shore's other small, exclusive towns.
Is Interlaken the Right Fit for You?
Interlaken works if you want as much quiet as you can get, plenty of historic character, and a home by the lake. Asbury Park's busier scene and the ocean are within walking distance, but none of that commercial activity comes into your own neighborhood. It also works if you want a dry town and don't mind going elsewhere to eat and shop.
It's a hard fit if you want any restaurants or shops in your own town. Interlaken has none, by design. Residents go to Asbury Park, Allenhurst or Deal for dining, shopping and nightlife. It's also a very small market. With under 400 homes, inventory is limited and homes don't change hands often.
What It's Really Like to Live in Interlaken
Daily life here centers on Deal Lake and the quiet, tree-lined streets. Depending on the season, that means boating, fishing or ice skating, and Interlaken Park is the shared spot for the whole community. One resident describes walking from his house straight to the ocean. Even with its inland, lakefront address, Interlaken sits close to the beach.
When you want more than that, Asbury Park is right next door. The Silverball Retro Arcade, AsburyFest in June, and a full restaurant and nightlife scene are a short walk or drive away. You get that energy without living in the middle of it.
Schools & Everyday Family Life
Interlaken is small, so families should confirm the borough's school district and sending arrangement directly. Like several other small Monmouth County boroughs in this guide, it relies on a shared or sending-district setup instead of running its own full K-12 system.
What to Know Before Making the Move
This is a tiny market. With under 400 homes in town, expect limited inventory and a patient search. Homes here don't turn over often.
Interlaken is a dry town by law. No alcohol sales are allowed in the borough. It's a basic fact of local life worth knowing up front.
There is no commercial development in Interlaken. Any errand beyond your own street means a short trip to a neighboring town. That's how the town was designed, and it's permanent.
Check flood zone status on Deal Lake waterfront homes. That goes for any lakefront property in this area. I'm a certified zoning officer, and I'd confirm the current flood zone maps directly with the borough, since those designations get updated.
Common Questions About Living in Interlaken
Does Interlaken have any businesses?
No. It's a strictly residential borough with no commercial development, a founding principle kept since the 1890s.
Is Interlaken within walking distance of the beach?
Yes. Residents describe a walk of roughly a mile to the beaches in Loch Arbour and Asbury Park.
Why is Interlaken called a dry town?
By law, no alcohol may be sold in the borough. That local ordinance is still in effect today.
Is Interlaken expensive?
Yes. Median household income tops $180,000 by recent estimates, which reflects the town's small size, historic character and strict residential zoning.
A Local Perspective on Living Here
Longtime residents talk about how little Interlaken has changed. The founders' 1890s plan for a quiet, residential artist retreat has held up for well over a century. Strict zoning kept out the commercial growth that changed so many other small shore towns. The stone gates, the street names taken from English lakes, and how rarely homes sell in a town this small all show a community that has protected what its founders built.
Thinking About Moving to Interlaken?
If you like Interlaken's quiet, residential feel but want a few shops and restaurants in your own town, look at neighboring Allenhurst. It's also small and historic, and it has its own little downtown business district.
I've worked with buyers in markets this small and this tightly held before. Patience is most of the job here. Get on my radar now so I can call you the moment something comes up.
Homes, Market Report & Nearby Towns
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