Seaside Heights, New Jersey
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| Seaside Heights | |
| Motto: Your home for family fun since 1913! | |
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| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Ocean |
| Founded | 1913 |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | P. Kenneth Hershey |
| Area | |
| - Borough | .8 sq mi (2.0 km²) |
| - Land | .6 sq mi (1.6 km²) |
| - Water | .2 sq mi (.4 km²) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Borough | 3,155 |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Website: http://www.seaside-heightsnj.org/ | |
Seaside Heights is a Borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 3,155. Seaside Heights is situated on the Barnegat Peninsula, a long, narrow barrier peninsula that separates Barnegat Bay from the Atlantic Ocean.
Seaside Heights was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 26, 1913, from portions of both Berkeley Township and Dover Township (now Toms River Township), based on the results of a referendum held on March 25, 1913.[1]
Seaside Heights is a resort community, with a beach, an amusement-oriented boardwalk, and numerous clubs and bars, making it a popular destination. Seaside Heights calls itself, "Your Home For Family Fun Since 1913!" Peak months are July and August, but the season actually runs March-October. Summer population explodes upwards to one hundred thousand persons, clogging roadways into the area. Route 37 in Toms River is routinely gridlocked on Friday afternoons in the summer months as vacationers pack the barrier islands.
The Seaside Heights Boardwalk is one of the most famous boardwalks in the world, having been featured worldwide, most notably by MTV in 1998 and 2002.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
Seaside Heights is located at (39.943068, -74.074193)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.0 km² (0.8 mi²). 1.6 km² (0.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (19.74%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 399 |
|
|
| 1940 | 549 | 37.6% | |
| 1950 | 862 | 57.0% | |
| 1960 | 954 | 10.7% | |
| 1970 | 1,248 | 30.8% | |
| 1980 | 1,802 | 44.4% | |
| 1990 | 2,366 | 31.3% | |
| 2000 | 3,155 | 33.3% | |
| historical data source: [2] | |||
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 3,155 people, 1,408 households, and 691 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,997.0/km² (5,162.2/mi²). There were 2,840 housing units at an average density of 1,797.6/km² (4,646.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 89.95% White, 4.03% African American, 0.63% Native American, 0.86% Asian, 1.17% from other races, and 3.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.70% of the population.
There were 1,408 households out of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 26.8% were married couples living together, 16.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.9% were non-families. 40.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the borough the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 35.4% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 106.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.8 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $25,963, and the median income for a family was $27,197. Males had a median income of $30,354 versus $21,899 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $18,665. About 21.9% of families and 24.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.9% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Government
[edit] Local government
The Borough of Seaside Heights' governing body consists of a Mayor and six Council Members elected at large. Members of the Council are elected for three-year terms with two Council Members being elected each year, while the Mayor is elected to serve a four-year term.
In the borough form of government, the Mayor retains all general law authority, presides over council meetings, and can vote in case of a tie. With the advice and consent of the council, the Mayor appoints all subordinate officers of the Municipality. The Council is the legislative body of the Borough and is responsible for formulating all local ordinances.
The Mayor of Seaside Heights is P. Kenneth Hershey. Borough Council members are William Akers, Joyce Camera, Joann Duszczak, Arline Ottoson, Agnes Polhemus and Richard Tompkins. As of January 2006, Seaside Heights had an historic, first-time four woman majority on its governing body[3].
Mayor Hershey has been in politics in Seaside Heights uninterrupted for over 35 years. He has been Mayor since 1992. His predecessor George Tompkins (father of current councilman Rich Tompkins) served 16 years from 1985-1991, and Mayor J. Stanley Tunney served for 25 years from 1939-1964.
Councilwoman Agnes Polhemus served from 1972-1993, and returned in 2006.
Seaside Heights Borough Attorney George R. Gilmore, Esq. is grandson of the late Seaside Heights Mayor J. Stanley Tunney and is the Ocean County Republican Chairman.
[edit] Federal, state and county representation
Seaside Heights is in the Third Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 10th Legislative District.[4]
New Jersey's Third Congressional District, covering portions of Burlington County, Camden County and Ocean County, is represented by Jim Saxton (R, Mount Holly). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
The 10th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Andrew R. Ciesla (R, Brick) and in the Assembly by James W. Holzapfel (R, Brick) and David W. Wolfe (R, Brick). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).
Ocean County is governed by a five-member Board of Chosen Freeholders. Ocean County's Freeholders are: John C. Bartlett Jr., John P. Kelly, James F. Lacey, Gerry P. Little and Joseph H. Vicari.
[edit] Education
The Hugh J. Boyd, Jr. Elementary School serves 240 students in Prekindergarten through sixth grade. The school was built in 1967, and is dedicated to Hugh J. Boyd Jr., its late, longtime Superintendent of Schools and legend of Seaside Heights Beach Patrol. Its addition built in 2005 is dedicated in the name of a late, longtime Board of Education Member Harry M. Smith III. The Principal of Hugh J. Boyd School is Mrs. Jane Strada.
The Toms River Regional Schools provides administrative, maintenance, food and other services to The Seaside Heights Board of Education, and has done so since 2003. Superintendent of Schools is Michael J. Ritacco, who is also the Superintendent of the Toms River Regional School District. The Seaside Heights / Toms River relationship is a first in the State of New Jersey, and has received numerous praises.
Students in grades 7 through 12 attend the schools of the Central Regional School District, which also serves students from the municipalities of Berkeley Township, Island Heights, Ocean Gate and Seaside Park. The total student population in the district is approximately 2,400, instructed by 200 staff members. The schools in the district are Central Regional Middle School for grades 7 and 8 (833 students), and Central Regional High School for grades 9 - 12 (1,494 students).
[edit] Transportation
Route 35 and Route 37 both pass through Seaside Heights, intersecting at the approach to the Thomas A. Mathis and J. Stanley Tunney Bridges.
[edit] Points of interest
Casino Pier and Funtown Pier are amusement parks, each situated on a pier extending approximately 300 feet (100 meters) into the Atlantic Ocean. Water Works is a water park situated across the street from Casino Pier.
[edit] References
- ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 205.
- ^ New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990. Retrieved on 2007-03-03.
- ^ Seaside Heights Borough Government, accessed March 25, 2007
- ^ League of Women Voters: 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, p. 64, accessed August 30, 2006
[edit] External links
- Seaside Heights Memorabilia Website
- Seaside Heights website
- Seaside Heights Public School
- Hugh J. Boyd, Jr. Elementary School's 2005-06 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- National Center for Education Statistics data for the Seaside Heights Public School
- Central Regional School District
- Seaside Heights Volunteer Fire Department Station 44
- local pictures and photos, updated weekly
- 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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