Asbury Park, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Asbury Park, New Jersey
City
City of Asbury Park
Nickname(s):  Dark City
From Left: Asbury Park Convention Hall, Main Street, Tillie, Cookman Ave, Old Heating Plant, Philadelphia Toboggan Company Carousel
Map of Asbury Park in Monmouth County, New Jersey, along the Atlantic Ocean (also see: full-state map).
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Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Monmouth
Incorporated	March 26, 1874 (as borough)
Reincorporated	February 28, 1893 (as city)
Named for	Francis Asbury
Government
• Type	Faulkner Act (council–manager)
• Body	City Council
Area
• Total	1.61 sq mi (4.17 km2)
• Land	1.43 sq mi (3.70 km2)
• Water	0.18 sq mi (0.47 km2)  11.18%
Area rank	439th of 565 in state 36th of 53 in county
Elevation	16 ft (5 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	15,188
• Rank	158th of 566 in state (2010) 14th of 53 in county (2010)
• Density	9,434/sq mi (3,642/km2)
• Density rank	24th of 566 in state (2010) 1st of 53 in county (2010)
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	07712-07713
Area codes	732
FIPS code	3402501960
GNIS feature ID	0885141

Asbury Park is a beachfront city in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, located on the Jersey Shore and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area.

Asbury Park South, 1920 painting by Jazz Age artist Florine Stettheimer. Depicts summer at the south end, including a sign for a performance by Enrico Caruso. The artist is under a green parasol. Several of her friends also appear. Artist Marcel Duchamp (pink suit) is with the actress Fania Marinoff. Carl Van Vechten stands on the structure left (black suit). Avery Hopwood talks with a woman in a yellow dress, while the Swiss painter Paul Thévanaz (red swimsuit) bends over a camera.

As of the 2020 United States Census, the city's population was 15,188 a decrease from 16,116 in 2010, reflecting a decline of 814 (−4.8%) from the 16,930 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 131 (+0.8%) from the 16,799 counted in the 1990 Census.

It was ranked the sixth-best beach in New Jersey in the 2008 Top 10 Beaches Contest sponsored by the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium.

Asbury Park was originally incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 26, 1874, from portions of Ocean Township. The borough was reincorporated on February 28, 1893. Asbury Park was incorporated as a city, its current type of government, as of March 25, 1897.

Economy

Urban Enterprise Zone

Portions of the city are part of a joint Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) with Long Branch, one of 32 zones covering 37 municipalities statewide. The city was selected in 1994 as one of a group of 10 zones added to participate in the program. In addition to other benefits to encourage employment and investment within the UEZ, shoppers can take advantage of a reduced 3.3125% sales tax rate (half of the 6+⁵⁄₈% rate charged statewide) at eligible merchants. Established in September 1994, the city's Urban Enterprise Zone status expires in September 2025.

Hotels

Berkeley Hotel, south face 2007

At one time, there were many hotels along the beachfront. Many were demolished after years of sitting vacant, although the Sixth Avenue House Bed & Breakfast Hotel (formerly Berea Manor) was recently restored after being abandoned in the 1970s—it is no longer operational and was sold as a single family home. Hotels like the Berkeley and Oceanic Inn have operated concurrently for decades, while the Empress Hotel and the former Hotel Tides were restored and reopened. The Asbury Hotel, located on 5th Avenue, was the first hotel to be "built" in Asbury Park in 50+ years. It stands where the old Salvation Army building once stood, which has sat vacant for over a decade. The building itself was not torn down, but the entire inside was gutted and redone. Glass paneling was added to the front and all the original outside brickwork was kept. While located a block and a half from the beach, a great view of the ocean is still offered by the upper floors and rooftop.

Currently open hotels include the Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel (formerly the Berkeley-Carteret Oceanfront Hotel), The Empress Hotel, the St. Laurent Social Club (formerly known as Hotel Tides), Asbury Park Inn, Oceanic Inn, Mikell's Big House Bed & Breakfast as well as The Asbury Hotel and The Asbury Ocean Club Hotel, both developed by iStar, the master developer for the Asbury Park Waterfront.

Demolished:

• The Albion Hotel (2001)
• The Metropolitan Hotel (2007)

Demographics

2020 census

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 16,116 people, 6,725 households, and 3,174 families residing in the city. The population density was 11,319.5 per square mile (4,370.5/km²). There were 8,076 housing units at an average density of 5,672.4 per square mile (2,190.1/km²)^*. The racial makeup of the city was 36.45% (5,875) White, 51.35% (8,275) Black or African American, 0.49% (79) Native American, 0.48% (77) Asian, 0.12% (20) Pacific Islander, 7.64% (1,232) from other races, and 3.46% (558) from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic or Latino of any race were 25.53% (4,115) of the population.

There were 6,725 households out of which 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 18.2% were married couples living together, 23.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 52.8% were non-families. 42.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.33.

In the city, the population was spread out with 23.8% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.0 years. For every 100 females there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and old there were 95.9 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $33,527 (with a margin of error of +/− $2,802) and the median family income was $27,907 (+/− $5,012). Males had a median income of $34,735 (+/− $3,323) versus $33,988 (+/− $4,355) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $20,368 (+/− $1,878). About 31.1% of families and 29.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 44.9% of those under age 18 and 26.0% of those age 65 or over.

Surfing and other sports

Every winter, when the surf grows colder and rougher than in the summer, the city is home to the Cold War, an annual cold water surfing battle.

In 1943, the New York Yankees held spring training in Asbury Park to comply with restrictions on rail travel during World War II.

Asbury Park is the nominal home to Asbury Park F.C., described as "Asbury Park's most storied sports franchise and New Jersey's second-best football club." The project is a parody of a modern pro soccer team born out of a joke between social media professional and soccer tastemaker Shawn Francis and his friend Ian Perkins, guitarist with The Gaslight Anthem. Despite never playing games the club has an extensive merchandise line available online, including new and retro replica jerseys.

Education

Public schools

The Asbury Park Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. The district is one of 31 former Abbott districts statewide that were established pursuant to the decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court in Abbott v. Burke which are now referred to as "SDA Districts" based on the requirement for the state to cover all costs for school building and renovation projects in these districts under the supervision of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority.

Students from Allenhurst attend the district's schools as part of a sending/receiving relationship. In July 2014, the New Jersey Department of Education approved a request by Interlaken under which it would end its sending relationship with the Asbury Park district and begin sending its students to the West Long Branch Public Schools through eighth grade and then onto Shore Regional High School. Students from Deal had attended the district's high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship that was terminated and replaced with an agreement with Shore Regional.

As of the 2017–18 school year, the district, comprised of five schools, had an enrollment of 2,204 students and 211.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.4:1. Schools in the district (with 2017-18 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Bradley Elementary School (427 students; in grades PreK-5), Thurgood Marshall Elementary School (440; PreK-5), Barack Obama Elementary School (362; PreK-5), Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School (349; 6-8) and Asbury Park High School (415; 9-12).

In March 2011, the state monitor overseeing the district's finances ordered that Barack Obama Elementary School be closed after the end of the 2010–11 school year, citing a 35% decline in enrollment in the district during the prior 10 years. Students currently attending the school would be reallocated to the district's two other elementary schools, with those going into fifth grade assigned to attend middle school. During the summer of 2012, the school board approved funding for development plans to house the Board of Education in the vacant Barack Obama Elementary School. The school board awarded $894,000 to an architect firm to handle the renovation design and subsequent project bids. The estimated cost of the renovation was $1.6 million.

In 2006, Asbury Park's Board of Education was affected by the city's decision to redevelop waterfront property with eminent domain. In the case Asbury Park Board of Education v. City of Asbury Park and Asbury Partners, LLC, the New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division affirmed a ruling in favor of eminent domain of the Board of Education building on Lake Avenue. The Board of Education moved to the third and fourth floors of 603 Mattison Avenue, the former Asbury Park Press building, where it paid $189,327 in rent per year.

In February 2007, the offices of the Asbury Park Board of Education were raided by investigators from the State Attorney General's office, prompted by allegations of corruption and misuse of funds.

Per-student expenditures in Asbury Park have generated statewide controversy for several years. In 2006, The New York Times reported that Asbury Park "spends more than $18,000 per student each year, the highest amount in the state." In both 2010 and 2011, the Asbury Park K-12 school district had the highest per-student expenditure in the state. As of the 2010 school reports, the high school has not met goals mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act and has been classified as "In Need of Improvement" for six years.

Charter schools

The Hope Academy Charter School, founded in 2001, is an alternative public school choice that serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Admission is based on a lottery of submitted applications, with priority given to Asbury Park residents and siblings of existing students.

Students from Asbury Park in ninth through twelfth grades may also attend Academy Charter High School, located in Lake Como, which also serves residents of Allenhurst, Avon-by-the-Sea, Belmar, Bradley Beach, Deal, Interlaken and Lake Como, and accepts students on a lottery basis.

Transportation

Route 71, the main highway through Asbury Park

Roads and highways

As of May 2010^[update], the city had a total of 36.20 miles (58.26 km) of roadways, of which 33.78 miles (54.36 km) were maintained by the municipality, 0.92 miles (1.48 km) by Monmouth County and 1.50 miles (2.41 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

The main access road is Route 71 which runs north–south. Other roads that are accessible in neighboring communities include Route 18, Route 33, Route 35 and Route 66. The Garden State Parkway is at least 15 minutes away via either Routes 33 or 66.

Asbury Park station, which is served by NJ Transit's North Jersey Coast Line

Public transportation

NJ Transit offers rail service from the Asbury Park station. on the North Jersey Coast Line, offering service to Newark Penn Station, Secaucus Junction, New York Penn Station and Hoboken Terminal.

NJ Transit bus routes include the 317 to and from Philadelphia, and local service on the 830, 832, 836 and 837 routes. The "Shore Points" route of Academy Bus Lines provides service between Asbury Park and New York City on a limited schedule.

Bike

In August 2017, a multi-station bike share program opened in cooperation with Zagster. With six stations in the city, the program is the first of its kind on the Jersey Shore.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Asbury Park include:

• Bud Abbott (1895–1974), straight man for comedy team of Abbott and Costello, born in Asbury Park.
• Soren Sorensen Adams (1879–1963), inventor and manufacturer of novelty products, including the joy buzzer.
• Stewart H. Appleby (1890–1964), represented New Jersey's 3rd congressional district from 1925 to 1927.
• T. Frank Appleby (1864–1924), represented New Jersey's 3rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1921 to 1923, and was mayor of Asbury Park from 1908 to 1912.
• Dave Aron (born 1964), recording engineer, live and studio mixer, record producer and musician.
• Nicole Atkins (born 1978), singer-songwriter on Columbia Records.
• Ronald S. Baron (born 1943), mutual fund manager and investor.
• Frederick Bayer (1921–2007), marine biologist who served as curator of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History.
• Knowledge Bennett (born 1976), visual artist who has served as Artist-in-Residence at Kean University.
• Wilda Bennett (1894-1967), actress.
• Scott "Bam Bam" Bigelow (1961–2007), professional wrestler.
• Elizabeth Ann Blaesing (1919-2005), daughter of Warren G. Harding, the 29th President of the United States, and his mistress, Nan Britton.
• Daniel Boyarin (born 1946), historian of religion who is Professor of Talmudic Culture at University of California, Berkeley.
• James A. Bradley (1830-1921), financier and real estate developer who founded the city and served as its mayor.
• Charles H. Brower (1901-1984), advertising executive, copywriter and author.
• Ernest "Boom" Carter, drummer who has toured and recorded with, among others, Bruce Springsteen, with whom he played the drums on the song "Born to Run".
• Marie Castello (1915–2008), longtime boardwalk fortuneteller known as Madam Marie.
• Edna Woolman Chase (1877–1957), editor in chief of Vogue magazine from 1914 to 1952.
• James M. Coleman (1924-2014), politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly and as a judge in New Jersey Superior Court.
• Stephen Crane (1871–1900), author of The Red Badge of Courage.
• Cookie Cuccurullo (1918-1983), MLB pitcher who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1943 to 1945.
• Danny DeVito (born 1944), actor.
• Les Dugan (1921–2002), American football coach who was the first head football coach at Buffalo State College, serving from 1981 to 1985.
• Cari Fletcher (born 1994), actress, singer, and songwriter.
• Tim Hauser (born 1941), member of The Manhattan Transfer.
• Leon Hess (1914–1999), oil magnate and founder of the Hess Corporation, began his business in the city.
• Robert Hess (1932-1994), scholar of African history who served as the sixth President of Brooklyn College.
• Joey Janela (born 1989), professional wrestler.
• Richard Jarecki (1931-2018), physician who won more than $1 million from a string of European casinos after cracking a pattern in roulette wheels.
• Lou Liberatore (born 1959), actor, has a second home in Asbury Park.
• Robert Melee (born 1966), artist.
• Arthur Pryor (1870–1942), bandleader.
• Nazreon Reid (born 1999), power forward for the LSU Tigers basketball team.
• Richie Rosenberg, trombonist who performed with Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes.
• Charles J. Ross (1859–1918), vaudeville performer.
• David Sancious (born 1953), early member of the E Street Band.
• Arthur Siegel (1923–1994), songwriter.
• Thomas S. Smith (1917–2002), former mayor of Asbury Park who served in the New Jersey General Assembly.
• Bruce Springsteen (born 1949), singer-songwriter, whose debut album was titled Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J..
• Lenny Welch (born 1940), pop singer.
• Margaret Widdemer (1884–1976) Pulitzer Prize-winning poet.
• Wendy Williams (born 1964), talk show host and New York Times bestselling author, born in Asbury Park.
• Arthur Augustus Zimmerman (1869–1936), the first world cycling champion, grew up here and owned a hotel after retiring from racing.

Images for kids

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  Asbury Park beach, early twentieth century

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  Ross-Fenton Farm, c. 1900

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  Asbury Park, New Jersey Depot Station In 1903

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  Asbury Park boardwalk, c. 1935

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  The Casino's boarded walkway that links Asbury Park to Ocean Grove. As of 2008, the casino is being renovated.

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  The vacant streets of Asbury Park were a common sight in the 1980s and 1990s.

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  Former Howard Johnson's renovated and reopened in summer 2007 as Salt Water Beach Cafe on the boardwalk in Asbury Park

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  The Asbury Park Boardwalk in August 2013. The boardwalk repair projects were completed in May 2014.

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  Paramount Theatre at Asbury Park Convention Hall at nightfall with the Atlantic Ocean behind it.

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  West view of Asbury Park Convention Hall & Paramount Theatre (Asbury Park, New Jersey) complex

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  Josephine Baker

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  Fats Waller

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  Billie Holiday performed at Cuba's on the West Side

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  Asbury Lanes

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  Paradise nightclub

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  Sign outside Georgies

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  The swimming pool at Paradise in August 2020

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  Detail from Asbury Park South (1920) by Jazz Age artist Florine Stettheimer.