Beach Haven, New Jersey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Beach Haven, New Jersey
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Borough
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The interpretative learning center of the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge on the sand at Beach Haven, facing the Atlantic Ocean
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| Nickname(s):
The Queen City
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Location of Beach Haven in Ocean County highlighted in red (right). Inset map: Location of Ocean County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (left).
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Census Bureau map of Beach Haven, New Jersey
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 Beach Haven, New Jersey
Location in Ocean County, New Jersey
Beach Haven, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
Beach Haven, New Jersey
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  New Jersey |
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| County |  Ocean |
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| Incorporated | November 11, 1890 | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | Faulkner Act (council–manager) | |
| • Body | Borough Council | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 2.33 sq mi (6.03 km2) | |
| • Land | 0.98 sq mi (2.54 km2) | |
| • Water | 1.35 sq mi (3.50 km2) 57.94% | |
| Area rank | 386th of 565 in state 18th of 33 in county |
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| Elevation | 0 ft (0 m) | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 1,027 | |
| • Estimate
(2023)
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1,069 | |
| • Rank | 529th of 565 in state 29th of 33 in county |
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| • Density | 1,048.6/sq mi (404.9/km2) | |
| • Density rank | 377th of 565 in state 19th of 33 in county |
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| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST)) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT)) | |
| ZIP Code |
08008
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| Area codes | 609 exchanges: 207, 361, 492, 494 | |
| FIPS code | 3402903940 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 885152 | |
| Website | ||
Beach Haven is a small town, called a borough, located on the Jersey Shore in Ocean County, New Jersey. It is found on Long Beach Island (LBI) right next to the Atlantic Ocean. In 2020, about 1,027 people lived there. This number was a bit lower than in 2010.
Beach Haven became an official borough on November 11, 1890. This happened after people voted for it.
Contents
History of Beach Haven
Beach Haven is known as the "Queen City." It started as a beachfront resort in 1873. Wealthy people from Philadelphia would come here for their summer vacations.
Some big buildings, like hotels and a boardwalk, were lost in storms in the 1940s. This included the Great Atlantic Hurricane of 1944. Even so, much of the town still looks like it did in the Victorian and Edwardian eras. The Beach Haven Historic District has many of these old buildings. It is listed on the New Jersey and National Register of Historic Places.
A famous event happened here in 1916. The first of the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916 took place at the east end of Engleside Avenue. These attacks later inspired the book Jaws by Peter Benchley.
Where is Beach Haven?
Beach Haven covers about 2.33 square miles (6.03 square kilometers). Most of this area is water, about 1.35 square miles (3.50 square kilometers). The land area is about 0.98 square miles (2.54 square kilometers).
The borough is next to other towns in Ocean County. These include Little Egg Harbor Township and Long Beach Township.
People of Beach Haven
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 239 | — | |
| 1910 | 272 | 13.8% | |
| 1920 | 329 | 21.0% | |
| 1930 | 715 | 117.3% | |
| 1940 | 746 | 4.3% | |
| 1950 | 1,050 | 40.8% | |
| 1960 | 1,041 | −0.9% | |
| 1970 | 1,488 | 42.9% | |
| 1980 | 1,714 | 15.2% | |
| 1990 | 1,475 | −13.9% | |
| 2000 | 1,278 | −13.4% | |
| 2010 | 1,170 | −8.5% | |
| 2020 | 1,027 | −12.2% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 1,069 | −8.6% | |
| Population sources: 1900–2000 1900–1920 1900–1910 1910–1930 1940–2000 2000 2010 2020 |
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In 2010, there were 1,170 people living in Beach Haven. Most people were White (92.65%). About 9.91% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
The average age of people in Beach Haven was 51.5 years old. About 13.8% of the people were under 18. Many people were older, with 25% being 65 or older.
Fun Things to Do in Beach Haven
The Surflight Theatre is a theater with 450 seats. It started in 1950 and puts on plays for both kids and adults. It also has a fun ice cream parlor called the Showplace Ice Cream Parlour. It closed for a short time but reopened in 2017.
The New Jersey Maritime Museum is in Beach Haven. It teaches about the history of the sea along the Jersey Shore. It focuses on shipwrecks in the area.
The Long Beach Island Historical Museum is also in Beach Haven. It shows items related to the history of all of Long Beach Island.
Parks and Outdoor Activities
Veteran's Bicentennial Park is in the center of Beach Haven. It hosts many summer concerts and flea markets. It's also a great open space for playing.
Since the island is narrow, the beach and the bay (Little Egg Harbor) are easy to reach. Pavilions at Fifth and Pearl Streets were rebuilt after Hurricane Sandy in 2012. You need beach badges to go on the beach, which you can buy at Borough Hall or through a mobile app.
Beach Haven has many attractions. These include Fantasy Island, which is the only amusement park on the island. There's also Thundering Surf water park and several miniature golf courses.
Schools in Beach Haven
The Beach Haven School District serves younger students. Kids in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade go to Beach Haven Elementary School. In the 2022–23 school year, there were 73 students.
Older students, from seventh through twelfth grade, attend the Southern Regional School District. This district serves several towns on Long Beach Island, including Beach Haven. The schools are Southern Regional Middle School (grades 7–8) and Southern Regional High School (grades 9–12). Both schools are located in Manahawkin.
Getting Around Beach Haven
_between_Kentford_Avenue_and_Jeffries_Avenue_in_Beach_Haven,_Ocean_County,_New_Jersey.jpg)
As of 2010, Beach Haven had about 20.93 miles (33.68 kilometers) of roads. Most of these roads are kept up by the town.
There are no major highways that go through Beach Haven. The main road is County Route 607, also known as Bay Avenue.
You can also get around using public transportation. Ocean Ride offers bus service on the OC9 LBI South route. The LBI Shuttle is a free bus that runs along Long Beach Boulevard. It operates every 5 to 20 minutes from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM. It serves many towns on Long Beach Island.
Climate in Beach Haven
Beach Haven has a Humid subtropical climate. This means it has hot, humid summers and mild winters.
| Climate data for Beach Haven (39.5594, -74.2430), Elevation 7 ft (2 m), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1981–2022 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 69.4 (20.8) |
74.5 (23.6) |
85.7 (29.8) |
89.0 (31.7) |
93.2 (34.0) |
97.8 (36.6) |
100.6 (38.1) |
99.4 (37.4) |
96.1 (35.6) |
90.1 (32.3) |
81.3 (27.4) |
72.6 (22.6) |
100.6 (38.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 41.5 (5.3) |
42.9 (6.1) |
48.5 (9.2) |
58.2 (14.6) |
67.7 (19.8) |
77.2 (25.1) |
82.7 (28.2) |
81.5 (27.5) |
75.9 (24.4) |
65.5 (18.6) |
55.1 (12.8) |
46.5 (8.1) |
62.0 (16.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 27.1 (−2.7) |
28.4 (−2.0) |
34.6 (1.4) |
43.9 (6.6) |
53.6 (12.0) |
63.3 (17.4) |
69.1 (20.6) |
68.3 (20.2) |
62.1 (16.7) |
50.2 (10.1) |
39.9 (4.4) |
32.4 (0.2) |
47.8 (8.8) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −4.6 (−20.3) |
2.1 (−16.6) |
8.0 (−13.3) |
19.0 (−7.2) |
35.8 (2.1) |
45.4 (7.4) |
51.1 (10.6) |
46.1 (7.8) |
41.2 (5.1) |
29.6 (−1.3) |
18.6 (−7.4) |
0.3 (−17.6) |
−4.6 (−20.3) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.34 (85) |
3.24 (82) |
4.11 (104) |
3.10 (79) |
3.07 (78) |
3.38 (86) |
4.01 (102) |
4.37 (111) |
3.42 (87) |
3.94 (100) |
3.05 (77) |
4.23 (107) |
43.27 (1,099) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 6.2 (16) |
5.0 (13) |
2.5 (6.4) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
3.5 (8.9) |
17.2 (44) |
| Average dew point °F (°C) | 24.3 (−4.3) |
25.2 (−3.8) |
30.3 (−0.9) |
39.7 (4.3) |
50.6 (10.3) |
61.3 (16.3) |
66.5 (19.2) |
65.9 (18.8) |
60.2 (15.7) |
48.6 (9.2) |
37.7 (3.2) |
30.1 (−1.1) |
45.1 (7.3) |
| Source 1: PRISM | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOHRSC (Snow, 2008/2009 - 2022/2023 normals) | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Atlantic City, NJ Ocean Water Temperature, 1911–present normals | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 39.7 (4.3) |
38.5 (3.6) |
41.9 (5.5) |
48.7 (9.3) |
56.4 (13.6) |
64.7 (18.2) |
68.9 (20.5) |
73.1 (22.8) |
72.2 (22.3) |
64.1 (17.8) |
53.6 (12.0) |
45.2 (7.3) |
55.7 (13.2) |
| Source: NCEI | |||||||||||||
Nature and Plants
Beach Haven's natural plant life would mostly be Cordgrass. This type of plant grows well in coastal areas like prairies.
Famous People from Beach Haven
Some well-known people have lived in or are connected to Beach Haven:
- Doc Cramer (1905–1990), a baseball player who played for several American League teams.
- Elizabeth Warder Crozer Campbell (1893-1971), an archaeologist who studied ancient cultures.
- Lara Knutson (born 1974), an artist and designer. She was inspired by the light on seashells from her childhood in Beach Haven.
- Joe Piscopo (born 1951), a famous comedian and actor.
- Henry Wisniewski (1908–1988), an American football player who also became a dentist.
See also
In Spanish: Beach Haven para niños
