| Stafford Township, New Jersey | |
|---|---|
| — Township — | |
| Map of Stafford Township in Ocean County. Inset; Location of Ocean County highlighted in the State of New Jersey. | |
| Census Bureau map of Stafford Township, New Jersey | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Ocean |
| Royal Charter | March 3, 1750 |
| Incorporated | February 21, 1798 |
| Government[1] | |
| • Type | Faulkner Act (Small Municipality) |
| • Mayor | John Spodofora |
| Area | |
| • Total | 54.8 sq mi (142.0 km2) |
| • Land | 46.5 sq mi (120.5 km2) |
| • Water | 8.3 sq mi (21.5 km2) |
| Elevation | 79 ft (24 m) |
| Population (2010)[2] | |
| • Total | 26,535 |
| • Density | 484.3/sq mi (187.0/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 08050 - Manahawkin |
| Area code(s) | 609 |
| FIPS code | 34-70320[3][4] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0882069[5] |
| Website | http://twp.stafford.nj.us |
Stafford Township is a Township in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population increased to a record high of 26,535.
Stafford Township was formed by Royal Charter on March 3, 1750, from portions of Shrewsbury Township, while the area was still part of Monmouth County. It was incorporated as one of New Jersey's first 104 townships by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798, and became part of the newly formed Ocean County on February 15, 1850. Portions of the township were taken to form Union Township (March 10, 1846, now Barnegat Township), Eagleswood Township (March 17, 1874), Long Beach City borough (September 19, 1894, now Surf City) and Long Beach Township (March 23, 1899).[6]
Stafford Township is the gateway to the resort communities on Long Beach Island, with Route 72 providing the sole road access, ending in Ship Bottom as it crosses Manahawkin Bay via the Manahawkin Bay Bridge (formally known as the Dorland J. Henderson Memorial Bridge). The Garden State Parkway and U.S. Route 9 pass through the township and provide access to Route 72.
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Stafford Township was mostly a rural area, aside from the bustling downtown of Manahawkin. Early growth in the township started in the 1950s, starting with the construction of large resort communities of Beach Haven West and Ocean Acres, which were built around the same time as the completion of the Garden State Parkway and the expansion of Route 72, the latter which formerly ran along the two-lane Bay Avenue.
While growing quickly, development was still sparse. Route 72 was still mostly wooded, aside from several car dealerships, gas stations, a Drive-In movie theater, and the Manahawkin Executive Airport. Most of the growth started in the 1980s, when several new developments were constructed, such as Colony Lakes and the expansion of Beach Haven West, and Ocean Acres, which strayed from being a community of summer homes into a booming development of Single-family homes. Stafford Square was the first major shopping center to open on Route 72, anchored by ShopRite and a Caldor (which is currently a Lowe's). In the early-90s, the Manahawkin Airport was closed down to make way for a Walmart and PathMark. However, part of the runway was still left intact until the 2000s, when the St. Mary's of the Pines Catholic Church was built on the land.
In the 2000s, many big box stores, such as Home Depot, BJ's Wholesale Club, and the Manahawkin Commons Power Center opened. To alleviate the traffic on Route 72, a four-lane bypass road known as McKinley Avenue was built in 2001, backing up to the many shopping centers. In 2007, construction started on Stafford Park, a mixed-use development west of the Parkway Exit 63. The first phase opened in 2008 includes a Target, Costco, Best Buy, Dick's Sporting Goods, and PetSmart. The second phase included construction of LEED-certified apartments, and future plans in place for the development include a Lifestyle center and an age-restricted community.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 54.8 square miles (142 km2), of which, 46.5 square miles (120 km2) of it is land and 8.3 square miles (21 km2) of it (15.12%) is water.
Beach Haven West (2000 Census population of 4,444) and Manahawkin (2,004) are census-designated places and unincorporated areas contained within Stafford Township. Ocean Acres (13,155) is a census-designated place and unincorporated area split between Barnegat Township and Stafford Township. Warren Grove is an unincorporated rural area located within the township.
| Woodland Twp | Barnegat Twp | |||
| Bass River Township | ||||
| Stafford Township | ||||
| Little Egg Harbor Twp | Long Beach and Eagleswood Twp |
Ship Bottom, Harvey Cedars and Surf City |
Stafford is served by a few major roads. CR 539 passes through in the western part. U.S. Route 9 passes north-south through the center of the township and Route 72 is the main artery that passes from the northwest to the southeast. The Garden State Parkway also passes through and intersects with Route 72 at Exit 63.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 1,039 |
|
|
| 1940 | 1,253 | 20.6% | |
| 1950 | 1,347 | 7.5% | |
| 1960 | 1,930 | 43.3% | |
| 1970 | 3,684 | 90.9% | |
| 1980 | 10,385 | 181.9% | |
| 1990 | 13,325 | 28.3% | |
| 2000 | 22,532 | 69.1% | |
| 2010 | 26,535 | 17.8% | |
| Population 1930 - 1990.[7] | |||
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 22,532 people, 8,535 households, and 6,435 families residing in the township. The population density was 484.3 people per square mile (187.0/km²). There were 11,522 housing units at an average density of 247.6 per square mile (95.6/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 96.79% White, 0.74% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.96% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.41% of the population.
There were 8,535 households out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.6% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.6% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the township the population was spread out with 23.8% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $52,269, and the median income for a family was $59,072. Males had a median income of $44,706 versus $30,687 for females. The per capita income for the township was $25,397. About 2.3% of families and 4.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.
Stafford Township is governed by a Faulkner Act form of New Jersey municipal government under the Small Municipality plan by a Mayor and Six Township Council members. The Mayor and Council members are elected to three-year terms on a concurrent basis in partisan elections, with terms of all current elected officials ending on June 30, 2009. The Mayor can vote on all issues. This seven-member governing body is empowered to enact local ordinances, to levy municipal taxes and conduct the affairs of the community.[1][8]
The current mayor of Stafford Township is John Spodofora. Members of the Stafford Township Council are Kathleen Corbett, William Fessler, Robert Kusznikow, Joanne Sitek, and Stan Rutkowski.[9]
Stafford Township is in the 3rd Congressional district and is part of New Jersey's 9th Legislative District.[10]
New Jersey's Third Congressional District is represented by Jon Runyan (R, Mount Laurel Township). New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
9th district of the New Jersey Legislature, which is represented in the New Jersey Senate by Christopher J. Connors (R, Lacey Township) and in the New Jersey General Assembly by DiAnne Gove (R, Long Beach Township) and Brian E. Rumpf (R, Little Egg Harbor Township).[11] The Governor of New Jersey is Chris Christie (R, Mendham).[12] The Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey is Kim Guadagno (R, Monmouth Beach).[13]
Ocean County is governed by a Board of Chosen Freeholders consisting of five members, elected at large in partisan elections and serving staggered three-year terms of office, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year. As of 2011, Ocean County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari (Toms River, term ends December 31, 2011), Freeholder Deputy Director Gerry P. Little (Surf City, 2012), John C. Bartlett, Jr. (Pine Beach, 2012), John P. Kelly (Eagleswood Township, 2010) and James F. Lacey (Brick Township, 2013).[14][15]
For grades K through 6, public school students attend the Stafford Township School District, which serves 2,727 students in Pre-Kindergarten through 6th grade. Schools in the district (with 2008-09 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[16]) are Ronald L. Meinders Primary Learning Center with 295 students in Pre-K and kindergarten, Ocean Acres School with 511 students and Oxycocus School with 217 students, which both serve grades 1 to 2, McKinley Avenue School with 716 students in grades 3 and 4, and Stafford Intermediate School which has an enrollment of 744 students in grades 5 and 6.
For grades 7 through 12, public school students attend the Southern Regional Middle School (grades 7 and 8) and Southern Regional High School (grades 9 - 12). These schools are part of the Southern Regional School District, which serves the five municipalities in the Long Beach Island Consolidated School District — Barnegat Light, Harvey Cedars, Long Beach Township, Ship Bottom and Surf City — along with students students from Beach Haven and Stafford Township and Ocean Township who attend as part of sending/receiving relationships.[17] The current district population is approximately 3,000 students. Both schools are in the Manahawkin section of the township.
Also seated in Manahawkin is the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science. It is located on a hill on the outskirts of the Southern Regional School District. MATES is a comprehensive and challenging career high school. It is part of the Ocean County Vocational School District.
Notable current and former residents of Stafford Township include:
The TWP named a street for Truex, yet he has never won a race.
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