Is it common in your area that beaches or parks are only available for people living in The area?
Posted by Sonnycrocketto@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 114 comments
It seems like it’s common some places in NY, Long Island. But what about other areas?
GhostOfJamesStrang@reddit
No. In fact, in some states with coast line, you can not legally own the coastline/disallow people from walking it.
And definitely not with parks...
keewee317@reddit
Even at a reservoir here in Indiana if you don’t live in the town where the “beach” is they charge $50 to park… I believe there’s a discrimination suit currently on the town but also they’ve lost a bunch of money because they invested in it and now no one is going and they’re spending resources to enforce it
magster823@reddit
I've never heard about this, and yet somehow just knew it was going to be Geist before I googled. That's asinine.
CupBeEmpty@reddit
Of course it is Geist… and $50 jeeezes there are much better lakes not much farther away.
keewee317@reddit
Yea Fishers all but said they want to limit people coming from Lawrence
CupBeEmpty@reddit
Morse it is then. I cannot believe paying $50 for Geist.
keewee317@reddit
Their problem is no one wants to so it kinda backfired on them
CupBeEmpty@reddit
I mean, that was probably their intent right?
keewee317@reddit
Supposedly it was to pay for the improvements and maintenance at the “beach” but there was found to be racial undertones as well when it kind of blew up
CupBeEmpty@reddit
Oof thats not great.
Curmudgy@reddit
Isn’t that often limited to the high tide line or below, meaning you might not be able to access that property other than by boat?
ColossusOfChoads@reddit
As far as California goes, there's an isolated stretch out past Santa Barbara that fits that description. Intrepid surfers will load up in a zodiac boat and hit the beach, and the rich hippie landowners can't do anything about it.
CupBeEmpty@reddit
You’d have to look up individual state law but in RI it is 50 feet from the mean high tide line, so a bit more.
You can legally own (I think) to the lowest tide line.
You just can’t exclude people from within 50 feet of mean high tide.
lilapense@reddit
Again, it varies by state. In at least some areas, if there's no alternative way to access that portion of public beach, the public may legally be able to cross your private property in order to do so and you can't (legally) restrict their ability to do so.
GhostOfJamesStrang@reddit
I believe you are correct. I don't know all the details.
MrLongWalk@reddit
Not at all, beaches and parks are open to anyone.
tara_tara_tara@reddit
Absolutely not.
I live on Cape Cod and you have to have a resident sticker to park at the town beaches.
There are even ponds that restrict access to nearby residents. There are associations in specific neighborhoods near the pond and you have to pay yearly fee to belong to an association to access the beaches on the ponds.
There are some exceptions like the National Seashore and other tourist beaches but in general, beaches are for residents.
MrLongWalk@reddit
This is not the case in Vermont
tara_tara_tara@reddit
Your flair says New England and the question is about “your area.”
If you’re speaking for Vermont, it’s helpful for you tosay Vermont. Otherwise it’s fair to conclude you are speaking on behalf of all six states.
MrLongWalk@reddit
I forgot that cape cod is the entirety of Massachusetts
Amaliatanase@reddit
In Rhode Island and MA there are several town beaches where parking is only available for town residents and you wouldn't be able to easily access that beach otherwise.
EclecticReef@reddit
I believe only seasonal beach passes are restricted to residents at Narragansett town beach. Nonresidents can purchase day passes.
Amaliatanase@reddit
Yes that's correct. But it's a beach access pass (including on foot), not just a parking pass as is the case with most other town beaches in RI.
MrLongWalk@reddit
That’s fantastic, I live in Vermont
ballrus_walsack@reddit
Tell that to Greenwich, CT and many other CT shore towns. They control the parking lots (resident only) and the public parking is far away so it is impractical.
There are some public beaches, but parking is outrageously expensive. Calf Pasture beach in Norwalk CT details: “Beach fees: The non-resident parking fee is $42/per car on weekdays before 5:00 pm, and $30/per car after 5:00 pm., $72/per car on Saturday and Sunday, and on holidays.” (https://www.norwalkct.gov/2094/Calf-Pasture-and-Shady-Beach)
MrLongWalk@reddit
Imagine, if you will, that I don’t live there, but rather a different part of New England.
ballrus_walsack@reddit
Your flair is pretty broad so I fell into the classic internet trap of seeing something incorrect and leaping to address it. Cheers 🍻 I will have some Ben & Jerry’s and think on this.
GhostOfJamesStrang@reddit
That is brutal.
para_diddle@reddit
In Jersey, anyone can go to any beach. The difference is that only two are "free" (Wildwood and Cape May) whereas a beach day/season pass is required for the others.
BiggusDickus-@reddit
Good lord New Jersey squeezes people at every turn. The toll roads, beach passes, high income tax, ect....
Where I live people would burn the state house down if they tried a stunt like "beach passes."
RedSolez@reddit
NJ beaches have lifeguards though so you're not paying for nothing. It always amazes me when we vacation in FL and there are no lifeguards anywhere on the beach.
toomanychoicess@reddit
Only the strong survive
hugothebear@reddit
The beaches, at least while i was growing up, were maintained. And the beach was only one of the activities of going down the shore. We could go to an arcade, a rickitty roller coaster, or get gouged at the boardwalk.
para_diddle@reddit
You're 💯 correct.
FDubRattleSnake@reddit
I went to a wedding in Ocean City a few years ago. Having to have a beach pass was one of the weirdest things I've ever experienced.
para_diddle@reddit
I don't blame you. I understand it's to drive revenue for maintenance and boardwalks (if applicable).
Nottacod@reddit
No, in my state, all of the coastline is open to the public.
caraperdida@reddit
How they hell would anyone know?
Are they going to demand to see your papers?
Jhamin1@reddit
Where I live in the Midwest there is nothing like that.
Of course my home town has a well-funded park system & keeps winning awards for it.
confusedrabbit247@reddit
From Chicago. The Chicago part of the beaches are free public access but the upper suburban areas require proof of residency and a pass as such for that suburb to use the beach there.
Sonnycrocketto@reddit (OP)
But is that for parking or do they check you walking or biking?
SunStarved_Cassandra@reddit
Parking isn't free for anyone, residents included, but you don't need it. Transit will get you to parks and beaches. A visitor to Chicago had all the same access and costs as a resident.
msspider66@reddit
Long Island had a large assortment of parks and beaches. Some are run by the town or village, some by the township, some county, and some are state run.
It is easy to find one that allows nonresidents. Most of the more restrictive ones are quite small.
AntisocialHikerDude@reddit
No, parks are public.
andr_wr@reddit
It's more common east of the Missisippi to have "private" open spaces like beaches and parks. West of it's extremely uncommon. So much so that if it's a "private" open space - it's mostly because some Anglo Easterner bought a huge property for their own mansion or "rancho".
cyvaquero@reddit
Texas has the Open Beaches Act which makes the high tide line to vegetation public. There are some private accesses that can limit public access to parts, but all of the coast is public.
Additionally you drive on Texas beaches and PINS although some areas are managed by municipalities and and require annual permit stickers ($10-15/year)and may ban driving on high pedestrian managed beaches (Port Aransas and SPI city limits proper are pedestrian only).
2PlasticLobsters@reddit
I recently moved to Lacy WA, which has several lakes nearby. There's a small park with a tiny lake beach in my new neighborhood that's only for people in this subdivision. Everyone has their own code to open the gate. It's maintained using HOA fees.
I don't know how common this is in the region, since we haven't been around long enough to explore.
tall-americano@reddit
From Long Island, so yes! They love doing that with small local beaches.
xiaomayzeee@reddit
lol Ho-Hum was just in the news recently too.
New-Number-7810@reddit
No. My area relies heavily on tourism, and the tourists mainly come for beaches.
Mmmmmmm_Bacon@reddit
That is extremely uncommon around here. Nearly unheard of.
Actually for beaches … in Oregon all natural beaches must be public property. A beach cannot be privately owned.
And maybe this is semantic but there not really such a thing as a private park? I mean, the word “park” implies public. There’s private property that is park-like but we wouldn’t really call it a park.
Snoo_63187@reddit
Public parks and by extension beaches are for the public.
SeaWolvesRule@reddit
In the part of Florida I'm from anyone can go to the beach. As far as I know, all coastlines are commons where anyone can walk along the coastline (automatic easement up to the mean high tide line).
Stay_Beautiful_@reddit
It's pretty much the opposite on the Alabama gulf coast. Tourists take up every square inch of every public beach, not much room for locals unless your house is actually on the water
machagogo@reddit
No.
Travyplx@reddit
No, in Hawaii everyone has the right to access the beaches.
Sp4ceh0rse@reddit
No. In my state all ocean beaches are public lands.
cherrycokeicee@reddit
I can't really think of any. most beaches and parks are publicly available.
actually one of my favorite places to walk (when I'm in the area) is the Lake Geneva Shore Path, which is a public path that basically cuts across the lawns of all the wealthy people who have super fancy lakefront homes, bc the lake shore is supposed to be public domain. https://www.visitlakegeneva.com/things-to-do/shore-path/
etayn@reddit
This is a fun path to walk! It's pretty interesting to see which homes have embraced the path and which hate it. Some will have lovely landscaping and stepping stones etc, and some will barely have room for you to squeeze through bushes or fences. The lake and river access in Wisconsin is something I really take for granted until I see a thread like this.
Jenny441980@reddit
No, i go to state parks. It’s $50 for an annual membership. You can go to every park in the state.
SquashDue502@reddit
No, in NC you cannot own the beach privately. We have the wet sand rule where any sand that becomes wet at the high tide mark is public. So at low tide you can go on down and set up a chair or canopy and enjoy the beach. The sand that’s dry is “privately owned” but people still have the right to pass through it walking, running, biking etc.
Paid parking is definitely a thing but otherwise pretty much all beaches have public access and are free to visit.
Most state parks in NC are also free to enter (again except for paid parking) except like 1 or 2 in the mountains that charge a fee to go certain places within it like Chimney Rock.
Bluemonogi@reddit
No. If it is owned by the city, state or federal government then parks and beaches are open to visitors from anywhere. Access might be restricted but it would apply to everyone.
yozaner1324@reddit
All beaches are public and free in my state.
Nefarious-do-good13@reddit
In California beaches are free, State and National parks are free for pedestrians and bicyclists it’s the parking that’s costs 5-10 I think for state and a bit more for national and it’s not enforced all year round. Campers pay more. City parks are always free. All are available for everyone from anywhere unless it’s a local park behind a gated community.
ColossusOfChoads@reddit
Not in California! It's all public up to the high tide line.
SavannahInChicago@reddit
Nope. Apart of Chicago's city plan by Burnham was to make sure that the public had free access to the city's beaches on Lake Michigan.
"Burnham recognized the importance of having public access to the lakefront so that it could be accessible for all people. Public access improves the overall quality of the urban fabric by providing residents opportunities to interact with the shoreline and because it creates a greater sense of openness throughout the urban area.
(https://sdstudio.be.uw.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/51/downloads/Autumn2011/A11_ChicagoWaterfront.pd)
CupBeEmpty@reddit
Burnham of Chicago is a great biography.
BankManager69420@reddit
No. It’s actually mostly illegal here.
“Oregon law allows the public to use navigable waterways for recreation, fishing, commerce, and navigation. The public can also use the banks of navigable waterways”
Similarly, all ocean beaches are also public.
A recent court case ruled that a town couldn’t only allow lakeside access to residents, since the lake was publicly owned and navigable.
Destructive-Angel@reddit
Not common, but there are places in the US that are more or less only known to locals. There are also some places that are owned by a particular community where outsiders are heavily frowned upon.
Now if you go to Hawaii, things are a very different. There are whole islands that are privately owned, just as there are parts of islands that trespassing is kapu and may or may not have legal consequences. Committing kapu has a heavy negative stigma amongst natives of Hawaii and at one point in history, would result in death for the offender.
anneofgraygardens@reddit
no, definitely not. rich assholes are perennially trying to block off parts of beaches to plebes but it's totally illegal.
recent story that went viral, there are other similar ones: https://www.sfgate.com/la/article/laguna-beach-coastal-video-woman-citation-19616656.php
Never heard of anyone doing anything similar with a park. I guess even rich assholes don't think they own public parks.
Judgy-Introvert@reddit
Nope. Never heard of anything like that where I live. Beaches and parks are open to the public. They may not all be free and parking may be difficult, but anyone can go to them.
dman2796@reddit
No… however depending on the area you might face judgement or discrimination though
PicklesMcpickle@reddit
There is a town in Oregon that has a lake like that.
No access for it for people who don't own land around it.
https://www.opb.org/article/2024/04/22/jury-verdict-lake-oswego-oregon-public-lake-access/#:~:text=The%20general%20public%20is%20not,to%20swim%2C%20fish%20or%20boat.
Subvet98@reddit
No the beaches are open to the public
okamzikprosim@reddit
The only two communities I've seen that get really weird about this stuff are Lake Oswego, Oregon and Incline Village, Nevada.
therlwl@reddit
Nope
ostrichesonfire@reddit
I know at least in Connecticut, anything below the mean high tide line is public, but the issue is finding free public parking nearby. There are lots you need to buy a beach pass to get into. If it’s a state park though, anyone with a CT license plate can get in for free.
the_real_JFK_killer@reddit
The only thing I can think of that would be like that is public pools, but even then, outsiders just usually have to pay a slight fee. I can't imagine beaches and parks being blocked off for outsiders.
Argent_Mayakovski@reddit
There are only actually three private parks in NY state. Gramercy, Sunnyside, one somewhere upstate. They aren’t really common.
CozmicOwl16@reddit
No. All the beaches and parks are open to the public with a few exceptions of curated parks like cultural gardens and they mainly ask for a donation. It’s not required. Or swimming lakes because of insurance liability they have daily pass rates and waivers before you swim. Especially if they offer life guards and swim equipment like diving boards or slides into the lake. It pays for maintaining that infrastructure.
Budget-Attorney@reddit
In my town most beaches are free for residents and have a fee for non residents.
They are quite popular with non residents so I assume the fee isn’t much
type2cybernetic@reddit
I know of a few places on the west coast where the wealthy locals try to stop anyone from going on the beaches near their property but they legally can’t as they are for the public. You can probably find a few stories on google.
A friend’s parents own a home in NC that is close to the beach and they make money by renting a few parking spaces on their property daily, so for them it’s a win win.
LineRex@reddit
Nope, public parks are public parks. They do close and cops start patroling at sunset though (gotta make sure the homeless sleep on concert downtown instead of in the park, can't have that!)
As for beaches, here in Oregon we have the Public Trust Doctrine and The Beach Bill.
A year or two ago a city was found to be too restrictive of it's namesake lake, which had basically been enclosed by the absurdly rich. Access was restricted to residents, which was really fucked up, soon the public will be able to use the lake again.
WashuOtaku@reddit
In North Carolina and South Carolina that does not exist. All beaches are open to the public as the states own the land up to the high watermark. As for "locals only" parks... I mean how do you regulate that, do you post guards at the parks and check IDs... this is America, nobody has time for that, so no.
WarrenMulaney@reddit
VALS GO HOME!
FrauAmarylis@reddit
No my city is overrun with Tourists making messes and doing giant proposal arches and leaving it there as trash.
British people were making fun of me on reddit for implying a Beach is as popular as the cotswolds, but I guess common sense isn't common.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-08-13/trash-traffic-and-tempers-tourists-fray-nerves-in-laguna-beach
iikilljoy@reddit
Some of them. There’s a few private beaches nearby on Lake Huron which have signs saying “township residents only” but there’s not somebody actually checking and turning people away lol. Don’t notice it so much with parks.
Gladyskravitz99@reddit
I don't think it's common at all in my state. I can't remember ever being turned away from a beach or park.
dangleicious13@reddit
No. Not at all.
SuperSpeshBaby@reddit
Not at all.
dmbgreen@reddit
Public can use most beaches in Florida, but in some areas access and parking are not available.
SteampunkRobin@reddit
In Texas all beaches are public. This is the law and considered a constitutional right here.
For parks, something like 93% of Texas is privately owned, but we still have plenty of public parks because the state is huge.
PierogiKielbasa@reddit
In Michigan, a lot of smaller lakes don’t have public access - the neighborhood I grew up in had a beach for residents, but no real way for visitors to access the lake.
Lcky22@reddit
Where I live, locals pay significantly less to park at beaches in the summer than people from away
Semantix@reddit
In CT, anywhere below the mean high tide line is public land. The way people and towns get around that is 1) limiting access to the beach either by not building any rights-of-way or by building walls into the water to "prevent erosion," and 2) limiting and charging for parking for out-of-towners. I can go to my town beach and park right outside it for free, but the next town over is $20 a day. I know the secret town-owned rights-of-way to get onto the private beaches, but they're not advertised and require some sleuthing in the GIS, so harder for someone from out of town to recognize them. So, de jure public property, but de facto very restricted.
C5H2A7@reddit
I've encountered a few beaches that are difficult to access because the access point is in a wealthy neighborhood and they've (intentionally?) made parking and walking to the beach difficult. But that isn't the norm, and you can still go to those beaches if you can find a way to get there.
Livvylove@reddit
Parks are public and available to everyone. We have local parks which tend to be free. State and Federal which charge per car for parking but if you are walking distance you can go for free
Figgler@reddit
The only beaches here are on lakes or rivers so, yeah some of them are on private land. The best ones I can think of though are easy to get to and accessible to the public.
JimBones31@reddit
Not at all. That's rare. The town I just moved out of had a private lake. For some reason people were real proud of that.
OceanPoet87@reddit
Its common in New England, but rare elsewhere. Note that often state parks are cheaper for state residents than non residents.
tarheel_204@reddit
No. We have tons of beautiful beaches, parks, and trails that are all open to the public. NC actually does a pretty good job of keeping all of it as nice as they can.
Remarkable-Cap-1293@reddit
I've never heard of that (Florida). But sometimes you may have to pay an access fee if it's a state park.
Gallahadion@reddit
There are some private beaches in Ohio, but from what I can tell, they tend to be more associated with hotels/resorts, not housing developments or clubs. A quick search shows that Euclid, Ohio does have some private beaches owned by beach clubs and communities, but there are still plenty of public beaches here.
smoke2957@reddit
Yes, we have parks that are for city residents only in MI. There are some parks you pay to get in (we call them metroparks) and you will get a discount if you live in the same county of the park.
_CPR_@reddit
No, though local town pools have different prices for town residents vs non-residents. Everyone is allowed to use them, but those who pay the local taxes get a discount.
AllSoulsNight@reddit
However the parking or accessibility is another matter entirely
paka96819@reddit
No in Hawaii, all beaches are public, up until the vegetation line.
coop999@reddit
Pretty much everything around St Louis, MO is open to everyone. The only exceptions are a couple private subdivisions own and maintain their own lakes (Lake Chesterfield, for example), and use of them is restricted to members of that subdivision who pay for the upkeep and maintenance. Same goes for a couple of playgrounds that are not-publically owned.
NorwegianSteam@reddit
Often times residents get parking passes for the season for free/$5/$10, where non-residents are paying much more, or only able to get single day or weekend passes.
woolsocksandsandals@reddit
Somewhat common at small lakes and ponds to have a boat launch and/or a little beach that’s for residents only. it’s usually more than anything about parking. There’s lots of tourists if the tourists take up all the parking spots the people that actually live in town can’t use the resources that they pay for.
CoherentBusyDucks@reddit
No. I live in a small town that people like to come visit and there are always tourists wandering around the area, in the parks and on the docks and stuff.
There’s a state park right near me and you have to pay to park (honor system usually), and you do get in cheaper if you’re from the state, and that’s pretty common.
My dad used to have a beach house in Ocean City, New Jersey, and the beaches did require beach tags during the summer. You could buy one just for the day though - it’s not like you had to live there to get one.
Overall, I’ve never seen something like what you’re describing unless it was specifically private property that belonged to someone.
iceph03nix@reddit
Don't have hardly any beaches and they're pretty much all state owned public lakes.
For parks, I can only think of one sort of example which is a country club in the area with a pool and golf course and park.
nemo_sum@reddit
Everywhere I've lived, beaches and parks are supposed to aid tourism and drive tourism revenue.
Im_Not_Nick_Fisher@reddit
No, all parks are open for anyone. However if you live in the county you can get a free parking pass for some of the parks that charge for parking. While other areas don’t charge at all.