Ocean County is a county located along the Jersey Shore in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its county seat is Toms River, which, like the county itself, has been one of the fastest growing areas of the state since the 1990s. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 576,567, having increased by 65,651 (+12.8%) from the 2000 Census population of 510,916, surpassing Union County to become the fifth-most populous county in the state and making Ocean County the fastest growing in the state of New Jersey in terms of increase in the number of residents and second-highest in percentage growth. Ocean County was established on February 15, 1850, from portions of Monmouth County, with the addition of Little Egg Harbor Township which was annexed from Burlington County on March 30, 1891. The most populous place was Lakewood Township, with 92,843 residents at the time of the 2010 Census (up 32,491 since 2000, the largest population increase of any municipality in the state), while Jackson Township, covered 100.62 square miles (260.6Â km2), the largest total area of any place in New Jersey.
Ocean County is located 50 miles (80Â km) east of Philadelphia, 70 miles (110Â km) south of New York City, and 25 miles (40Â km) north of Atlantic City, making it a prime destination for residents of these cities during the summer. As with the entire Jersey Shore, summer traffic routinely clogs local roadways throughout the season.
Ocean County is part of the New York metropolitan area, and is home to many tourist attractions frequently visited by Delaware Valley residents, especially the beachfront communities of Seaside Heights, Long Beach Island, Point Pleasant Beach, as well as Six Flags Great Adventure, which is the home of the world's tallest and formerly fastest roller coaster, Kingda Ka. Ocean County is also a gateway to New Jersey's Pine Barrens, one of the largest protected pieces of land on the East Coast.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county had as of the 2010 Census a total area of 915.40 square miles (2,370.9Â km2), the second-largest county in New Jersey (behind Burlington County), of which 628.78 square miles (1,628.5Â km2) of it (68.7%) was land and 286.62 square miles (742.3Â km2) of it (31.31%) was water.
Much of the county is flat and coastal, with many beaches. The highest point is one of three unnamed hills (one in Jackson Township, the other two in Plumsted Township) that reach at least 230 feet (70Â m) in elevation. The lowest elevation in the county is sea level.
It is also home to many beaches on the Jersey Shore, such as Beach Haven, Ship Bottom, Surf City, Harvey Cedars and Barnegat Light.
Adjacent counties
- Monmouth County, New Jersey â€" north
- Atlantic County, New Jersey â€" south
- Burlington County, New Jersey â€" west
National protected area
- Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge (part)
Demographics
Census 2010
At the 2010 United States Census, there were 576,567 people, 221,111 households, and 149,250 families residing in the county. The population density was 917 per square mile (354/km2). There were 278,052 housing units at an average density of 442.2 per square mile (170.7/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 90.98% (524,577) White, 3.15% (18,164) Black or African American, 0.17% (966) Native American, 1.75% (10,081) Asian, 0.02% (129) Pacific Islander, 2.46% (14,165) from other races, and 1.47% (8,485) from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 8.29% (47,783) of the population.
There were 221,111 households, of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the county, 23.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 22.2% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 21% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.6 years. For every 100 females there were 92 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males.
Census 2000
As of the 2000 United States Census there were 510,916 people, 200,402 households, and 137,876 families residing in the county. The population density was 803 people per square mile (310/km²). There were 248,711 housing units at an average density of 151/km² (391/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 93.05% White, 2.99% Black or African American, 0.14% Native American, 1.28% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.24% from other races, and 1.29% from two or more races. 5.02% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Among those who listed their ancestry, 25.3% were of Italian, 23.6% Irish, 18.7% German, 8.8% Polish and 8.5% English ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 200,402 households out of which 28.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.40% were married couples living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.20% were non-families. 27.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the county the population was spread out with 23.30% under the age of 18, 6.60% from 18 to 24, 26.00% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 22.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 90.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $46,443, and the median income for a family was $56,420. Males had a median income of $44,822 versus $30,717 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,054. About 4.8% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.0% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.
As of the 2000 Census, Mantoloking was the wealthiest community in the state of New Jersey with a per capita money income of $114,017 as of 1999.
Government
Ocean County is governed by a Board of Chosen Freeholders consisting of five members, elected on an at-large basis in partisan elections and serving staggered three-year terms of office, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election. At an annual reorganization held in the beginning of January, the board chooses a Director and a Deputy Director from among its members.
As of 2015, Ocean County's Freeholders (with party affiliation, term-end year, residence and department directorship listed in parentheses) are Freeholder Director John C. Bartlett, Jr. (R, term ends December 31, 2015, Pine Beach; Finance, Parks and Recreation), Freeholder Deputy Director Gerry P. Little (R, 2015, Surf City; Human Services), John P. Kelly (R, 2016, Eagleswood Township; Law and Public Safety), James F. Lacey (R, 2016, Brick Township; Transportation) and Joseph H. Vicari (R, 2017, Toms River; Senior Services and County Operations).
Constitutional officers elected on a countywide basis are County Clerk Scott M. Colabella (R, 2015, Barnegat Light), Sheriff Michael Mastronardy (R, 2016; Toms River) and Surrogate Jeffrey Moran (R, 2018, Beachwood).
The 2nd, 3rd and 4th Congressional Districts cover the county. New Jersey's Second Congressional District is represented by Frank LoBiondo (R, Ventnor City). New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District is represented by Tom MacArthur (R, Toms River). New Jersey's Fourth Congressional District is represented by Christopher Smith (R).
The county is part of the 9th, 10th, 12th and 30th Districts in the New Jersey Legislature. For the 2014-15 Session, the 9th District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Christopher J. Connors (R, Lacey Township) and in the General Assembly by DiAnne Gove (R, Long Beach Township) and Brian E. Rumpf (R, Little Egg Harbor Township). For the 2014-15 Session, the 10th District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by James W. Holzapfel (R, Toms River Township) and in the General Assembly by Gregory P. McGuckin (R, Toms River Township) and David W. Wolfe (R, Brick Township). For the 2014-2015 Session, the 12th District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Samuel D. Thompson (R, Old Bridge Township) and in the General Assembly by Robert D. Clifton (R, Matawan) and Ronald S. Dancer (R, Plumsted Township). The 30th District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Robert Singer (R, Lakewood Township) and in the General Assembly by Sean T. Kean (R, Wall Township) and Dave Rible (R, Wall Township).
Politics
Ocean County is one of the few Republican strongholds in New Jersey.
Doug Forrester carried Ocean County by 12 points in the 2005 New Jersey gubernatorial election, winning every municipality but Lakewood Township and South Toms River Borough. In the 2004 U.S. Presidential election, Republican George W. Bush carried the county by a 21.2% margin over Democrat John Kerry. In 2008, the county voted for Republican John McCain by an 18.4% margin over Democrat Barack Obama, making it McCain's second-strongest county in New Jersey behind Sussex County, with Obama winning the Garden State by 15.5% margin over McCain, who carried Ocean County's every municipality except South Toms River. The last Democratic presidential candidate to win Ocean County was Bill Clinton in 1996.
As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 364,597 registered voters in Ocean, of which 74,795 (20.5%) were registered as Democrats, 103,517 (28.4%) were registered as Republicans and 186,089 (51.0%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 196 voters registered to other parties. Among the county's 2010 Census population, 63.2% were registered to vote, including 82.6% of those ages 18 and over.
In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 58.1% of the vote here (160,677 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 39.8% (110,189 votes) and other candidates with 1.2% (3,432 votes), among the 276,544 ballots cast by the county's 380,712 registered voters, for a turnout of 72.6%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 59.9% of the vote here (154,204 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry with 38.8% (99,839 votes) and other candidates with 0.6% (2,263 votes), among the 257,364 ballots cast by the county's 353,085 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 72.9.
In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 64.3% of the vote here (124,238 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 27.8% (53,761 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 4.7% (9,068 votes) and other candidates with 1.0% (1,955 votes), among the 193,186 ballots cast by the county's 371,066 registered voters, yielding a 52.1% turnout.
Education
Ocean County College is the two-year community college for Ocean County, one of a network of 19 county colleges statewide. The school is in Toms River and was founded in 1964.
Georgian Court University in Lakewood is a private Roman Catholic Sisters of Mercy college, which opened in 1908 on the former winter estate of millionaire George Jay Gould I, son of railroad tycoon Jay Gould. Lakewood is also home to Beth Medrash Govoha, a Haredi Yeshiva with 5,000 students, making it one of the largest yeshivas in the world.
The state's largest suburban school district, Toms River Regional Schools, is located in the county. Toms River is also home to Ocean County's only Roman Catholic High School, Monsignor Donovan High School, operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton, which also has six elementary schools located in the county.
In addition to multiple public high schools, the county has an extensive vocational high school program, known as the Ocean County Vocational Technical School district. In addition to its campuses in Brick, Toms River, Waretown, and Jackson, it contains two magnet schools:
- Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science (MATES)
- OCVTS Performing Arts Academy â€" Theater, Dance, and Vocal
Attractions
Ocean County has an extensive stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, including the Jersey Shore communities and oceanfront boardwalk resorts of Seaside Heights and Point Pleasant Beach.
Six Flags Great Adventure, America's largest Six Flags theme park, is home to the world's tallest and formerly fastest roller coaster, Kingda Ka. The park also contains Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, New Jersey's largest water park, and the 2,200-acre (890Â ha) Six Flags Wild Safari, the largest drive-thru animal safari outside of Africa.
Forty miles of barrier beaches form the Barnegat and Little Egg Harbor Bays, offering ample watersports. It also is home of the Tuckerton Seaport, a 40-acre (160,000Â m2) maritime history village in Tuckerton. In addition to being the northeast gateway to New Jersey's Pine Barrens, Ocean County is also home to several state parks:
Ocean County is also home to the Ocean County Mall in Toms River, and FirstEnergy Park, home of the Lakewood BlueClaws, the Class A-affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Infrastructure
Roads
Ocean County has various major roads that pass through. State routes that go through include Route 13, Route 35, Route 37, Route 70, Route 72, and Route 166. Other major routes that pass through are U.S. Route 9, the Garden State Parkway, and Interstate 195 (I-195 is the only interstate to pass through Ocean County, solely in Jackson Township).
The county had a total of 2,958.58 miles (4,761.37Â km) of roadways, of which 2,164.22 miles (3,482.97Â km) are maintained by the municipality, 615.58 miles (990.68Â km) by Ocean County and 140.19 miles (225.61Â km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and 38.59 miles (62.10Â km) by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.
Public transportation
NJ Transit's North Jersey Coast Line railway line, which serves Penn Station New York, passing through Middlesex and Monmouth counties, offering service at the Bay Head and Point Pleasant Beach stations, located at the northernmost corner of the county.
Ocean Ride also operates 12 local bus routes in Ocean County. Out of all of these routes, only the OC 10 (Lavallette to Toms River) operates Monday-Saturday, with the OC 4 (Point Pleasant to Lakewood) operating Monday-Friday. All other routes run 2â€"3 days a week.
Southern Ocean County is also located in close proximity (less than 25 miles) to the Atlantic City Line which provides service to Philadelphia.
Municipalities
Municipalities in Ocean County (with 2010 Census data for population, housing units and area in square miles) are: Other, unincorporated communities in the county are listed alongside their parent municipality (or municipalities). Most of these areas are census-designated places that have been created by the United States Census Bureau for enumeration purposes within a Township. The numbers in parentheses stand for the numbers on the map.
Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Toms River have ranged from a low of 22 °F (âˆ'6 °C) in January to a high of 85 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of âˆ'19 °F (âˆ'28 °C) was recorded in January 1982 and a record high of 105 °F (41 °C) was recorded in July 1999. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 3.30 inches (84 mm) in February to 4.79 inches (122 mm) in March. Areas closer to the coast typically experience more mild winters and cooler summers due to the Atlantic Ocean's influence.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Ocean County, New Jersey
Footnotes
Further reading
- Salter, Edwin. A History of Monmouth and Ocean Counties Embracing a Genealogical Record of Earliest Settlers of Monmouth and Ocean Counties and Their Descendants; The Indians: Their Language, Manners, and Customs; Important Historical Events: The Revolutionary War, Battle of Monmouth, The War of the Rebellion: Names of Officers and Men of Monmouth and Ocean Counties Engaged in It, etc., etc. Bayonne, NJ: E. Gardner and Son, 1890.
External links
- Ocean County website
- Ocean County Planning Board's Databook
- Ocean County Historical Museum: History of Ocean County
- History of the County Courthouse from County Clerk's website
- Ocean County Library
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