Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey
Borough
The boardwalk fronting Point Pleasant Beach
Seal
Location of Point Pleasant Beach in Ocean County highlighted in red (right). Inset map: Location of Ocean County in New Jersey highlighted in black (left).
Census Bureau map of Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey
Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey Location in Ocean County, New Jersey Show map of Ocean County, New Jersey Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Ocean
Incorporated	May 18, 1886
Government
• Type	Borough
• Body	Borough Council
Area
• Total	1.74 sq mi (4.51 km2)
• Land	1.42 sq mi (3.69 km2)
• Water	0.32 sq mi (0.82 km2)  18.22%
Area rank	429th of 565 in state 19th of 33 in county
Elevation	7 ft (2 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	4,766
• Estimate  (2023)	4,897
• Rank	386th of 565 in state 15th of 33 in county
• Density	3,347.8/sq mi (1,292.6/km2)
• Density rank	202nd of 565 in state 7th of 33 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	08742
Area code(s)	732
FIPS code	3402959910
GNIS feature ID	885358
Website

Nightlife at Jenkinson's Boardwalk

Point Pleasant Beach is a coastal borough situated on the Jersey Shore, and the northernmost community directly facing the Atlantic Ocean within Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It lies at the northern end of the Barnegat Peninsula, which serves as a barrier island separating Barnegat Bay from the open Atlantic Ocean. The borough's name is derived from its location.

As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 4,766, an increase of 101 (+2.2%) from the 2010 census count of 4,665, which in turn reflected a decline of 649 (−12.2%) from the 5,314 counted in the 2000 census.

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. Point Pleasant Beach lies immediately to the east of Point Pleasant borough, an entirely separate municipality within Ocean County.

The borough's 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 largely amusement rides, the Jenkinson's Aquarium, the Jenkinsons Arcades, pizza joints, ice cream parlors, games-of-chance and miniature golf courses. There are fees of up to $10 per person age 12 or over to access the various beaches, as well as parking fees of up to $2.50 per hour or more.

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

History

The area that includes Point Pleasant Beach was first occupied by the Lenape Native Americans. On September 2, 1609, Henry Hudson and the crew of his ship, Half Moon, noticed the area on their way north to explore the Hudson River. Crew member Robert Juet noted in his journal, "This is a very good Land to fall with and a pleasant Land to see." The first European settlers were fisherman and farmers who first arrived in the 18th century. Summer tourism began in the early 19th century when Quaker Thomas Cook Jr. opened his farmhouse on the site of the current Antrim Elementary School to boarders, which began the trend that transformed the area into an oceanfront haven for visitors, a trend further established in the 1870 by Captain John Arnold, who built a roadway to the ocean, now known as Arnold Avenue. In 1875, he built the first bridge over the Manasquan River, linking the town to Brielle. He later convinced the Central Jersey Railroad to extend its service to Point Pleasant Beach, which it did beginning on July 3, 1880.

The Borough of Point Pleasant Beach was established on June 2, 1886.

County of Edinburgh stranded on the beach, February 12–14, 1900

The 1870s was an era of major tourism expansion, driven by developers who subdivided old farms for vacation home lots. Captain Arnold devised Arnold City between Central and what was to become Arnold Avenue. In 1877, the Point Pleasant Land Company bought the old Forman Farm, 250 acres (1.0 km²) on what is now Route 35 South, between Forman and Elizabeth Avenues and began selling lots. In 1878, it built the four-story, 200-guest Resort House, the largest building in town. It also began a horse-drawn trolley service to attract tourists. Other hotels were built before the turn-of-the-20th century, including the largest, the Leighton, as well as the Beacon, and Zimmerman's, though many of these, including the Resort House, burnt down, succumbed to changing tastes, or were dismantled for wood during World War II. Initially, visitors focused their attention on the Manasquan River, cedar groves and farmhouses, but their interest in the ocean led to development on the waterfront, beginning with the first beachfront pavilion on Atlantic Avenue in 1880. Ten years later, the first flimsy, portable boardwalk was built, but it washed away within two years.

The original amusement area was Clark's Landing, which opened on the Manasquan River in 1892. In 1897, the decision for privately owned beaches in Point Pleasant Beach was made when, as noted in the Council minutes of August 16, "Ownership of the Beach turned down by the Council because of the extreme cost to the Borough for maintenance." In 1915, the first permanent boardwalk was built between Philadelphia and Central Avenues, and eventually expanded along the entire length of Point Pleasant Beach, but shortened to its present length by a September 1938 hurricane that destroyed its southern portion. It evolved from a mere promenade for strolling to a more active amusement area, beginning with Charles Jenkinson's construction in the 1920s of Jenkinson's Pavilion and Swimming Pool. The boardwalk pavilion became the center of nightlife, featuring sophisticated dancing, well-known big bands, and occasional live nationally broadcast radio. Today it features a number of amusement rides, video arcades, and diverse cuisine, ranging from sausage sandwiches to sushi. Point Pleasant Beach hosts an annual Seafood Festival in September.

The old Coast Guard Station on Manasqan Inlet, built in 1936 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places

On February 12, 1900, the steel-hulled, Scottish barque, County of Edinburgh was blown ashore at high tide and became stranded. The event became national news when it was extensively reported in The New York Times, illustrated by a high quality photograph that became the resource for a famous painting by Antonio Jacobsen. The undamaged vessel was successfully re-floated on the spring tide of February 14 and continued on her voyage from Cape Town to New York.

In October 2012, Point Pleasant Beach and numerous other Jersey Shore communities, such as Seaside Heights and Long Beach Island, were devastated by Hurricane Sandy. Nearly 2,800 feet (850 m) of the borough's boardwalk was destroyed, with the cost of repairs estimated as up to $2 million.

After Hurricane Sandy a seawall was constructed to protect the area from future storms. In addition, the borough required residents who wished to rebuild their homes to elevate them on pilings above the height of Sandy's storm surge.

Geography

A view of the beach in Point Pleasant Beach

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 1.74 square miles (4.50 km²), including 1.42 square miles (3.68 km²) of land and 0.32 square miles (0.82 km²) of water (18.22%).

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Clark's Landing, Lovelandtown and Sunshine Harbor.

The borough borders the municipalities of Bay Head and Point Pleasant in Ocean County; and both Brielle and Manasquan in Monmouth County.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 4,665 people, 1,985 households, and 1,122 families in the borough. The population density was 3,270.1 inhabitants per square mile (1,262.6/km²). There were 3,373 housing units at an average density of 2,364.4 per square mile (912.9/km²). The racial makeup was 92.35% (4,308) White, 0.84% (39) Black or African American, 0.15% (7) Native American, 0.84% (39) Asian, 0.02% (1) Pacific Islander, 4.52% (211) from other races, and 1.29% (60) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.02% (421) of the population.

Of the 1,985 households, 22.5% had children under the age of 18; 43.3% were married couples living together; 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present and 43.5% were non-families. Of all households, 36.0% were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 3.04.

18.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 33.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.7 years. For every 100 females, the population had 103.6 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 103.6 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $57,792 (with a margin of error of +/− $6,541) and the median family income was $65,402 (+/− $16,995). Males had a median income of $54,327 (+/− $12,359) versus $39,076 (+/− $6,800) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $39,250 (+/− $5,121). About 5.8% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.0% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Point Pleasant Beach School District serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 763 students and 78.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.7:1. Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are G. Harold Antrim Elementary School 384 students in grades Pre-K–8 and Point Pleasant Beach High School 367 students in grades 9–12.

In addition to the students of Point Pleasant Beach, the district also serves the students of Bay Head and Lavallette for grades 9–12 and those from Mantoloking for K–12, as part of sending/receiving relationships. Some outside students attend the district's schools on a tuition basis.

Transportation

Route 35 northbound in Point Pleasant Beach

Point Pleasant Beach station, which is served by NJ Transit's North Jersey Coast Line

Roads and highways

As of May 2010^[update], the borough had a total of 29.66 miles (47.73 km) of roadways, of which 18.50 miles (29.77 km) were maintained by the municipality, 7.86 miles (12.65 km) by Ocean County and 3.30 miles (5.31 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Route 35 is the main highway serving Point Pleasant Beach. The highway traverses the borough north to south, connecting Point Pleasant Beach to Bay Head and Brielle. Route 88 has its eastern terminus at Route 35 along the southwest edge of Point Pleasant Beach, from which point it heads west through Point Pleasant and onward to Lakewood.

Public transportation

NJ 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.

NJ Transit provides bus service between the borough and Philadelphia on the 317 route along with local service on the 830 route.

Ocean Ride local service is provided on the OC3A Brick—Point Pleasant and the OC4 Lakewood—Brick Link routes.

In popular culture

Composer Edward Manukyan, who lived in Point Pleasant Beach briefly in 2002, wrote the song "Point Pleasant Beach" about the borough.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Point Pleasant Beach has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa). Cfa climates are characterized by all months having an average mean temperature above 32.0 °F (0.0 °C), at least four months with an average mean temperature at or above 50.0 °F (10.0 °C), at least one month with an average mean temperature at or above 71.6 °F (22.0 °C) and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. During the summer months at Point Pleasant Beach, a cooling afternoon sea breeze is present on most days, but episodes of extreme heat and humidity can occur with heat index values at or above 95.0 °F (35.0 °C). On average, the wettest month of the year is July which corresponds with the annual peak in thunderstorm activity. During the winter months, episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill values below 0.0 °F (−17.8 °C). The plant hardiness zone at Point Pleasant Beach is 7a with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of 3.7 °F (−15.7 °C). The average seasonal (November–April) snowfall total is between 18 and 24 inches (46 and 61 cm) and the average snowiest month is February which corresponds with the annual peak in nor'easter activity.

Ecology

According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types, Point Pleasant Beach would have an Appalachian Oak (104) vegetation type with an Eastern Hardwood Forest (25) vegetation form.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Point Pleasant Beach include:

• Evelyn Adams, two-time winner of the New Jersey Lottery
• Jim Carone (born 1981), head coach of the Wagner Seahawks baseball team
• Robert (born 1966) and Dean DeLeo (born 1961), bass guitarist and guitarist respectively, from the musical rock group Stone Temple Pilots, grew up in Point Pleasant Beach
• Matt Farrell (born 1996), basketball player
• Katelynn Flaherty (born 1996), former basketball player for the Michigan Wolverines, who is the school's all-time leading scorer in points, man or woman, with 2,776 career points
• Alfred M. Gray Jr. (born 1928), 29th Commandant of the Marine Corps
• Dickie Harris (born 1950), all-star defensive back who played for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League
• James W. Holzapfel (born 1944), member of the New Jersey Senate
• Leonard Lomell (1920–2011), U.S. Army Ranger who played a pivotal role in destroying German gun emplacements on D-Day

See also

In Spanish: Point Pleasant Beach para niños