Ocean Grove, New Jersey
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Ocean Grove is a census-designated place and unincorporated area within Neptune Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey.
Ocean Grove is located on the Jersey Shore, between Asbury Park to the north and Bradley Beach to the south.
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[edit] History
Founded in 1869 as a Methodist summer retreat, Ocean Grove is home to the longest-lasting active camp meeting in the country.
During the summer months, Sunday Worship Services are held at 10:30am and 7:30pm in the Great Auditorium. These services have brought such renowned preachers as Billy Graham, Norman Vincent Peale, Tony Campolo, and James A. Forbes, to name a few. Traditional hymns and anthems are sung, led by a 200-voice choir and the Hope-Jones organ (see below). The annual Choir Festival, held one Sunday in July for over 50 years, brings thousands of church choir singers from all over the Northeast to join in singing "to the glory of God." Similarly, there are daily Bible studies in the nearby Bishop Janes Tabernacle and a growing youth ministry.
Another reflection of these camp meeting roots are the 114 tents which surround the Great Auditorium. These seasonal residences, occupied from May to September, have adjacent cabins provided with electricity and plumbing and are much in demand - so much so that those seeking to lease one for a summer may have to wait 10 years.
As a result of these unique origins and the many Victorian homes which scatter the streets, the town has been in the National Register of Historic Places since 1977.
During the 1970's, the town was very much in decline and, due to the general air of decline and decrepitude, was known pejoratively by other residents of the Jersey Shore as "Ocean Grave." During the 1990's and the earliest part of the 21st Century, like many many of the shore towns, Ocean Grove has experienced a dramatic increase in property values and there has been a considerable revival in the fortunes of the town, leading to a much less depressed community and the closure of eyesores such as SRO residencies. However, property in the town still trades at a substantial discount to other, neighboring shore towns, which is probably due to the leasehold nature of the ownership and due to the fact that the "Christian" nature of the town discourages some potential homeowners. For example, there is a strong and vibrant gay community in neighboring Asbury Park and this lifestyle does not coexist well with more militantly fundamental Christian values.
[edit] The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association
The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting was founded by W.H. Stokes (whose memorial statue can be seen below, in the foreground of the Auditorium). The operations of this Methodist religious community of Ocean Grove are organized by the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, the legal entity that is the actual freeholder of the land within this unincorporated subdivision of Neptune Township. All permanent residents of the community lease the land upon which their property is built from the Camp Meeting Association, but pay their relatively high property taxes to, and receive municipal services from, Neptune Township. This puts the Camp Meeting Association in the position of apparently running a municipality while actually being a private organization.
The Camp Meeting Association, as landlord, has imposed various rules of conduct upon the permanent residents of this community (who are not required to be associated with the Camp Meeting or the Methodist Church). For example, the Camp Meeting Association previously forbid residents to park their cars on streets of the town on Sundays (although this rule was struck down as the result of a challenge in the courts). This lead to the practice of residents driving their cars to park in public parking in neighboring Bradley Beach on Saturday evening and collecting them on Sunday evening. Currently, the Camp Meeting Association forbids anybody to walk upon the beach, or access the public waterline, in Ocean Grove between 8:30 am and 12:30 pm on Sundays. This is described as "an Ocean Grove tradition."
The current president of the Camp Meeting Association is Scott Rasmussen. During his tenure there has been a marked shift towards more fundamentalist activity within what was previously a quiet and traditional community with many permanent residents not formally associated with the Camp Meeting Association. This has brought in many outside worshipers, but has also caused some dissention among the residents of the town. The live music program on the beach and the boardwalk pavillion has been considerably increased over the past few years; now there is scarcely a moment in the Summer season when Christian music cannot be heard throughout the town.
[edit] The 2006 Annual Camp Meeting
The 2006 Annual Camp Meeting week was held in August, 2006. The slogan of the annual meeting was In the Redemption Business.
[edit] The Great Auditorium
Besides the town's many Victorian homes, this formidable wooden structure, constructed in 1894, is Ocean Grove's most prominent building, as it covers an area larger than a football field, faces Ocean Pathway (once listed as one of the ten most beautiful streets in America) and serves as the centerpiece of the summer programs. In addition to the religious services held here, the Auditorium is the place to be if you want to hear live music from June to September.
There is an acclaimed classical series of chamber music on Thursday evenings in July and early August. The Auditorium also houses a magnificent pipe organ, one of the 25 largest in the world. Installed by the innovative organ builder Robert Hope-Jones in 1908, the instrument's components were rebuilt in 1934 and again in 1969. The organ has been enlarged to include over 9,000 pipes (165 ranks) under the direction of Resident Organist Gordon Turk, who (along with guest concert organists) plays recitals Wednesday evenings and Saturday afternoons during the months of July and August.
Saturday nights are for popular entertainment, including recent appearances by Ronan Tynan, Linda Eder, and Christian rock stars such as Michael W. Smith, Nichole Nordeman and Sonic Flood.
In the more distant past, Theodore Roosevelt was the first of several presidents to speak in the Auditorium. Tenor Enrico Caruso, singers Tony Bennett, Mel Tormé, and Ray Charles, and organist Virgil Fox, who gave his last solo concert in the building, are among the legendary performing artists who have appeared there as well.
Those looking for other things to do will find a one-block business district (Main Avenue) packed with many shops and cafés - not to mention the beach.
[edit] Geography
Ocean Grove is located at (40.211982, -74.009169)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 1.0 km² (0.4 mi²). 0.9 km² (0.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (10.00%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 4,256 people, 2,331 households, and 785 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 4,564.6/km² (11,956.5/mi²). There were 3,156 housing units at an average density of 3,384.8/km² (8,866.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 93.14% White, 3.95% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.96% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.92% from other races, and 0.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.62% of the population.
There were 2,331 households out of which 10.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 23.6% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 66.3% were non-families. 56.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.67 and the average family size was 2.59.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 9.9% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 24.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 82.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.1 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $31,935, and the median income for a family was $58,583. Males had a median income of $38,389 versus $31,886 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $26,232. About 5.1% of families and 13.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.
However, one must bear in mind that this is a largely non-residential summer community and many of the more desirable residences stand empty throughout the winter. These statistics will therefore be biased downward with respect to income and population and not truly representative of the social environment within Ocean Grove during the summer.
[edit] External links
- Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, the organization that founded Ocean Grove
- Ocean Grove Chamber of Commerce
- Neptune Township website
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
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