There is reality, and then there is the image of reality. The image is a snapshot of reality in a particular slice of time, typically superimposed across time and space.
At best, it covers the majority of the relevant space, for the relevant time.
At worst, it's a hyperexaggerated representation of reality, possibly one that is hoped to exist (but does not), from a minor section of the world applied to a much, much larger area.
But neither I nor this article (and marketing in general, as does much of the arts) does not speak of reality. This is a discussion of the image, shared between most of the country. (Reality itself is only shared between those happen to percieve it, and that is rarely more than a very minor subset of the population that has access to the image)
Thus: it isn't relevant what New Jersey is really like. It is how New Jersey is perceived that matters. (Which I may still be wrong about; I can't say I know much about people's image of NJ).
Seaside "beach kid" here, our beach culture is most definitely NOT any of that shit. Sure, it exists as an outlier (some of the families have owned property down here forever, super wealthy, etc), but the main things that come to mind for beach culture are just the simple things like the boardwalk, beach, and the local shops.
The yuppies and yachts mostly come from NY and elsewhere ;)
Yeah, in childhood my family used to go to New Jersey beaches in the summer. A solidly middle class experience. And nothing like a certain reality TV series either, which unfairly gave it a bad name.
I am going to guess you haven't spent a lot of time in New Jersey.