The boardwalk at Point Pleasant Beach, looking south
Point Pleasant Beach is a Borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 5,314.
Point Pleasant Beach was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on May 18, 1886, from portions of Brick Township, subject to the results of a referendum passed the previous day.[6]
Point Pleasant Beach is a Jersey Shore community situated on the Barnegat Peninsula, a long, narrow barrier peninsula that divides the Barnegat Bay from the Atlantic Ocean. The Point Pleasant Beach boardwalk is approximately one mile long, spanning the coastline from the Manasquan Inlet at the north to New Jersey Avenue in the south. The central third of the boardwalk is jam-packed with amusement rides, arcades, pizza joints, ice cream parlors, games-of-chance and miniature golf courses. Point Pleasant Beach is also the northern terminus of the East Coast's Intracoastal Waterway.
It was ranked the eighth best beach in New Jersey in the 2008 Top 10 Beaches Contest sponsored by the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium.[7]
Geography
Point Pleasant Beach is located at 40°05′30″N 74°02′42″W / 40.091565°N 74.045032°W / 40.091565; -74.045032 (40.091565, -74.045032).[8]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.5 km2), of which, 1.4 square miles (3.7 km2) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.7 km2) of it (16.28%) is water.
Demographics
| Historical populations |
| Census |
Pop. |
|
%± |
| 1930 |
1,844 |
|
—
|
| 1940 |
2,059 |
|
11.7% |
| 1950 |
2,900 |
|
40.8% |
| 1960 |
3,873 |
|
33.6% |
| 1970 |
4,882 |
|
26.1% |
| 1980 |
5,415 |
|
10.9% |
| 1990 |
5,112 |
|
−5.6% |
| 2000 |
5,314 |
|
4.0% |
| Est. 2007 |
5,411 |
[2] |
1.8% |
| Population 1930 - 1990.[9] |
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 5,314 people, 2,317 households, and 1,316 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,696.0 people per square mile (1,424.8/km2). There were 3,558 housing units at an average density of 2,474.7/sq mi (954.0/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 95.94% White, 0.53% African American, 0.34% Native American, 1.02% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.47% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.40% of the population.
There were 2,317 households out of which 22.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.3% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.2% were non-families. 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the borough the population was spread out with 19.2% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 101.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.9 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $51,105, and the median income for a family was $61,250. Males had a median income of $40,507 versus $37,500 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $27,853. About 5.0% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Local government
Point Pleasant Beach is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The Borough Council consists of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year.[1]
The Mayor of Point Pleasant Beach is Vincent Barrella (R, term ends December 31, 2011). Members of the Borough Council are Kristine Mercuro Tooker (R, 2011), Raymond C. Cervino (R, 2011), Sean Hennessy (R, 2011), John Dixon (D, 2009), Frank Rizzo (D, 2011) and John Mercun, resigned, October 2009 (D, 2009).[10][11]
Federal, state and county representation
Point Pleasant Beach is in the Fourth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 10th Legislative District.[12]
New Jersey's Fourth Congressional District, covering portions of Burlington County, Mercer County, Monmouth County and Ocean County, is represented by Christopher Smith (R). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
For the 2008-2009 Legislative Session, the 10th 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, Toms River) and David W. Wolfe (R, Brick). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).[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. As of 2009[update], Ocean County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director John C. Bartlett, Jr. (Pine Beach, term ends December 31, 2009), Freeholder Deputy Director Gerry P. Little (Surf City, 2009), John P. Kelly (Eagleswood Township, 2010), James F. Lacey (Brick Township, 2010) and Joseph H. Vicari (Toms River, 2011).[14]
Education
The Point Pleasant Beach School District serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[15]) are G. Harold Antrim Elementary School for grades K-8 (489 students) and Point Pleasant Beach High School for grades 9-12 (384 students). Antrim Elementary School was 50 years old as of 2005.
In addition to the students of Point Pleasant Beach, the district serves students from Bay Head and Lavallette for grades 9-12 and those from Mantoloking for K-12, as part of sending/receiving relationships. Some outside tuition students attend both schools.[16]
Transportation
New Jersey Transit trains stop at the Point Pleasant Beach station on Arnold Avenue, with service on the North Jersey Coast Line north to Penn Station Newark, Hoboken Terminal, and Penn Station New York in Midtown Manhattan.
Pop culture references
Composer Edward Manukyan, who lived in Point Pleasant Beach briefly in 2002, wrote a song about the city.[17] Point Pleasant Beach is mentioned for its reputation as a popular summer tourist spot in several episodes of the HBO series The Sopranos.[citation needed]
Noted residents
Notable current and former residents of Point Pleasant Beach include:
References
- ^ a b 2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 53.
- ^ a b Census data for Point Pleasant Beach borough, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 4, 2008.
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ A Cure for the Common Codes: New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed July 14, 2008.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 205.
- ^ Urgo, Jacqueline L. (May 23, 2008). "Triumph for South Jersey". The Philadelphia Inquirer. http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/entertainment/19204259.html. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.
- ^ Point Pleasant Beach Borough Government, accessed April 29, 2007.
- ^ 2007 Elected Officials of Ocean County, Ocean County, New Jersey. p. 9. Accessed August 14, 2007.
- ^ 2008 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 63. Accessed September 30, 2009.
- ^ "About the Governor". New Jersey. http://www.nj.gov/governor/about/. Retrieved 6 June 2008.
- ^ Board of Chosen Freeholders, Ocean County, New Jersey. Accessed January 19, 2009.
- ^ Point Pleasant Beach School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed November 30, 2008.
- ^ POINT PLEASANT BEACH BORO - School Report Card, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed November 17, 2007. "In addition to serving the students of Point Pleasant Beach the district serves the high school age students of Bay Head, Mantoloking and Lavallette."
- ^ LIST OF SONGS BY EDWARD MANUKYAN, accessed April 29, 2007.
- ^ McKeon, Therese. "Flying High", BelowEmpty.com, August 21, 2000. Accessed September 4, 2008. "Robert DeLeo: 98! Actually we were born in Montclair but we grew up down in Point Pleasant Beach – down at the shore (Robert pronounces it "shaw" in his best New Jersey accent)."
- ^ Nomination of Lieutenant General Alfred M. Gray, Jr., To Be Commandant of the Marine Corps, Ronald Reagen Presidential Library, dated June 16, 1987. Accessed December 13, 2007. "Lt. Gen. Gray was born on June 22, 1928, in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ."
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