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Stafford Township, New Jersey
Township
Township of Stafford
Stafford Performing Arts Center in Manahawkin
Stafford Performing Arts Center in Manahawkin
Map of Stafford Township in Ocean County. Inset; Location of Ocean County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
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
Census Bureau map of Stafford Township, New Jersey
Country  United States
State  New Jersey
County Ocean
Royal charter March 3, 1750
Incorporated February 21, 1798
Named for Staffordshire, England
Government
 • Type Faulkner Act (small municipality)
 • Body Township Council
Area
 • Total 54.71 sq mi (141.69 km2)
 • Land 46.11 sq mi (119.44 km2)
 • Water 8.59 sq mi (22.26 km2)  15.71%
Area rank 29th of 565 in state
5th of 33 in county
Elevation
43 ft (13 m)
Population
 • Total 26,535
 • Estimate 
(2019)
 27,845
 • Rank 91st of 566 in state
8th of 33 in county
 • Density 578.8/sq mi (223.5/km2)
 • Density rank 432nd of 566 in state
25th of 33 in county
Time zone UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code
08050 - Manahawkin
Area code(s) 609
FIPS code 3402970320
GNIS feature ID 0882069

Stafford Township is a township in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population increased to 26,535, reflecting an increase of 4,003 (+17.8%) from the 22,532 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 9,207 (+69.1%) from the 13,325 counted in the 1990 Census. The 2010 population was the highest level ever recorded in a decennial census for Stafford Township.

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 Barnegat 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.

History

Incorporation

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 the Township Act of 1798 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). The township was named for Staffordshire, England.

20th century and later

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). Manahawkin Airport was closed in the early 1990s 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 and All Saints Regional Catholic School were built on the land.

In the 2000s, many big box stores, such as Home Depot, BJ's Wholesale Club, Bed Bath & Beyond 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.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 54.882 square miles (142.142 km2), including 45.849 square miles (118.747 km2) of land and 9.033 square miles (23.395 km2) of water (16.46%).

Beach Haven West (2010 Census population of 3,896) and Manahawkin (2,303) are unincorporated communities and census-designated places contained within Stafford Township, while Ocean Acres (16,142) is a census-designated place and unincorporated area split between Barnegat Township and Stafford Township.

Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Bayside, Beach View, Bonnet Island, Cedar Bonnet, Cedar Grove, Cedar Run, Manahawkin Landing, Mayetta, South Beach View and Sunshine City. Warren Grove is an unincorporated rural area located within the township as well as portions of Barnegat Township and Little Egg Harbor Township in the heart of the Pine Barrens.

The township borders the Ocean County municipalities of Barnegat Township, Eagleswood Township, Harvey Cedars, Little Egg Harbor Township, Long Beach Township, Ship Bottom and Surf City.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1790 883 —
1810 1,239 —
1820 1,428 15.3%
1830 2,059 44.2%
1840 2,149 4.4%
1850 1,384 −35.6%
1860 1,436 3.8%
1870 1,514 5.4%
1880 1,008 −33.4%
1890 1,095 8.6%
1900 1,009 −7.9%
1910 934 −7.4%
1920 830 −11.1%
1930 1,039 25.2%
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%
2019 (est.) 27,845 4.9%
Population sources:
1790-1920 1850-2000
1850-1870 1850
1870 1880-1890
1890-1910 1910-1930
1930-1990 2000 2010
* = Lost territory in previous decade.

Census 2020

The 2020 United States census counted 28,617 people in the township

Census 2010

As of the census of 2010, there were 26,535 people, 10,096 households, and 7,249 families residing in the township. The population density was 578.8 per square mile (223.5/km2). There were 13,604 housing units at an average density of 296.7 per square mile (114.6/km2)*. The racial makeup of the township was 94.51% (25,077) White, 1.05% (278) Black or African American, 0.16% (42) Native American, 1.48% (394) Asian, 0.03% (8) Pacific Islander, 1.68% (445) from other races, and 1.10% (291) from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.31% (1,410) of the population.

There were 10,096 households out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.9% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.2% were non-families. 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% 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 3.10.

In the township, the population was spread out with 22.8% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 21.8% from 25 to 44, 28.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.9 years. For every 100 females there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and old there were 90.0 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $68,250 (with a margin of error of +/- $3,646) and the median family income was $80,059 (+/- $4,290). Males had a median income of $60,398 (+/- $4,092) versus $43,138 (+/- $7,270) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $31,690 (+/- $1,364). About 2.9% of families and 4.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.

Census 2000

As of the 2000 United States Census 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.

Transportation

2020-07-11 13 46 57 View north along New Jersey State Route 444 (Garden State Parkway) at Exit 63A (New Jersey State Route 72 EAST, Long Beach Island) in Stafford Township, Ocean County, New Jersey
The northbound Garden State Parkway at the interchange with Route 72 in Stafford Township

Roads and highways

As of May 2010, the township had a total of 183.27 miles (294.94 km) of roadways, of which 143.29 miles (230.60 km) were maintained by the municipality, 20.06 miles (32.28 km) by Ocean County and 14.96 miles (24.08 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and 4.96 miles (7.98 km) by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

Stafford is served by a few major roads. The most prominent of these is the Garden State Parkway, which enters the Stafford Township from Eagleswood Township in the south and exits northward into Barnegat Township. The Parkway intersects with Route 72 at Interchange 63 for Route 72 to Camden / Chatsworth / Manahawkin / Long Beach Island. In addition, U.S. Route 9 passes north–south through the center of the township and Route 72 passes from the northwest to the southeast. The most significant county road is CR 539, which traverses the western part of the township.

Public transportation

NJ Transit provides bus service to Atlantic City on the 559 bus route.

Ocean Ride local service is provided on the OC6 Little Egg Harbor - Stafford and the OC10 Long Beach Island routes.

Education

The Stafford Township School District serves students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of five schools, had an enrollment of 2,198 students and 190.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.6:1. Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Oxycocus School with 178 students in pre-kindergarten, Ronald L. Meinders Primary Learning Center with 274 students in kindergarten, Ocean Acres Elementary School with 527 students in grades 1–2, McKinley Avenue Elementary School with 570 students in grades 3-4 and Stafford Intermediate School with 651 students in grades 5–6.

For seventh through twelfth grades, public school students are served by 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 from Beach Haven and Stafford Township, together with students from Ocean Township who attend as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Ocean Township School District. Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Southern Regional Middle School with 934 students in grades 7–8 and Southern Regional High School with 1,952 students in grades 9–12. Both schools are in the Manahawkin section of Stafford Township.

Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science is a comprehensive and challenging career high school that is located on a hill in Manahawkin on the outskirts of the Southern Regional School District. MATES is part of the Ocean County Vocational Technical School and serves students from all of Ocean County.

St. Mary Academy, a K-8 school of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton, is in Stafford Township, near Manahawkin CDP. It is managed by St. Mary Church of Barnegat. From 1997, until 2019 it operated as All Saints Regional Catholic School and was collectively managed by five churches. In 2019 St. Mary took entire control of the school, which remained on the same Manahawkin campus, and changed its name. The other churches no longer operate the school but still may send students there.

Notable people

See also (related category): People from Stafford Township, New Jersey

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Stafford Township include:

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Municipio de Stafford (Nueva Jersey) para niños

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