Surf City, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Surf City, New Jersey
Borough
Borough of Surf City
Leonard T. Connors Jr. Municipal Complex and borough water tower
Map of Surf City in Ocean County. Inset: Location of Ocean County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Surf City, New Jersey
Surf City, New Jersey Location in Ocean County, New Jersey Show map of Ocean County, New Jersey Surf City, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Surf City, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Ocean
Incorporated	September 19, 1894 as Long Beach City
Renamed	May 26, 1899 as Surf City
Government
• Type	Borough
• Body	Borough Council
Area
• Total	1.32 sq mi (3.43 km2)
• Land	0.74 sq mi (1.93 km2)
• Water	0.58 sq mi (1.50 km2)  43.94%
Area rank	468th of 565 in state 20th of 33 in county
Elevation	3 ft (0.9 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,243
• Estimate  (2023)	1,288
• Rank	523rd of 565 in state 27th of 33 in county
• Density	1,670.6/sq mi (645.0/km2)
• Density rank	323rd of 565 in state 15th of 33 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	08008 – Beach Haven
Area code(s)	609
FIPS code	3402971640
GNIS feature ID	0885413

Surf City is a small town, also called a borough, located on the Jersey Shore in Ocean County, New Jersey. It's a fun place right by the Atlantic Ocean on Long Beach Island. In 2020, about 1,243 people lived here.

Surf City was first created on September 19, 1894. It was originally called Long Beach City. Later, on May 26, 1899, its name was changed to Surf City. This change happened to avoid confusion with other places nearby, especially Long Branch.

History of Surf City

Long ago, in the 1830s and 1840s, the area that is now Surf City was known as "Buzby's Place." This was because of a big hotel called the Mansion of Health, partly owned by Hudson Buzby. The hotel burned down in 1874. Even today, some older residents still call a nearby bay area "Mansion Cove."

In 1875, the 20 people who lived there decided to call their community Long Beach City. This was before it became its own town. In 1894, it officially became a borough. The name was changed to Surf City in 1899. This was important because the United States Postal Service needed a unique name for the town to have its own post office.

Where is Surf City?

Surf City is a small borough, covering about 1.32 square miles (3.43 square kilometers). A good part of this area, about 0.58 square miles (1.5 square kilometers), is water.

This town is located about 57 miles (92 km) east-southeast of Philadelphia. It's also about 71 miles (114 km) south of New York City. If you're coming from Trenton, the capital of New Jersey, Surf City is about 60 miles (97 km) away.

Surf City shares its borders with other towns in Ocean County. These include Long Beach Township, Ship Bottom, and Stafford Township.

Surf City's Weather

Surf City has a climate with warm, somewhat humid summers and cool winters. It rains throughout the year. In summer, a cool ocean breeze often blows in the afternoon. However, sometimes it can get very hot and humid.

In winter, it can get very cold and windy. The area usually gets about 12 to 18 inches (30 to 46 cm) of snow each winter. February is often the snowiest month. The ocean water temperature near Surf City is coldest in February, around 35°F (1.7°C), and warmest in August, around 73°F (22.8°C).

Sports and Fun

Surf City is a great place for water sports! The Surf City Yacht Club is very active. Its members, including many young sailors and swimmers, spend their summers training and competing. They race against other yacht clubs on Long Beach Island.

The Surf City Beach Patrol is also very successful. In 2008, they won several important tournaments. These included the Surf City Epic, Lavallette, Ortley Beach, Island Beach State Park, and Midway Beach tournaments. They were also the champions of the LBIBPA Island for two years in a row (2007 and 2008).

Learning in Surf City

Students in Surf City attend public schools through the Long Beach Island Consolidated School District. This district also serves students from nearby towns like Barnegat Light, Harvey Cedars, Long Beach Township, and Ship Bottom.

• Younger students, from pre-kindergarten to second grade, go to the Ethel Jacobsen School in Surf City.
• Older elementary students, from third to sixth grade, attend the Long Beach Island Grade School in Ship Bottom.

For middle school and high school, students go to the Southern Regional School District. This district includes students from Surf City and other towns on Long Beach Island.

• Students in seventh and eighth grades attend Southern Regional Middle School.
• Students in ninth through twelfth grades go to Southern Regional High School. Both of these schools are located in the Manahawkin section of Stafford Township.

Getting Around Surf City

Northbound County Route 607 (Long Beach Boulevard) in Surf City

Surf City has about 16.97 miles (27.31 km) of roads. Most of these roads are maintained by the town itself. The main road in Surf City is County Route 607, also known as Long Beach Boulevard. There are no major interstate or U.S. highways directly in Surf City.

You can also get around using public transportation.

• During the summer, a company called TransportAzumah offers weekend bus service. You can travel between Midtown Manhattan in New York City and Long Beach Island, with a stop at Newark Liberty International Airport.
• Ocean Ride provides local bus service on the OC9 Long Beach Island route.
• The LBI Shuttle is a free shuttle that runs along Long Beach Boulevard. It operates every 5 to 20 minutes from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM. This shuttle serves many towns and communities on Long Beach Island, including Surf City.

Media and News

People in Surf City usually get their TV channels from Philadelphia and New York. They listen to radio stations based in Atlantic City and Philadelphia. For news, they can read two daily newspapers: The Press of Atlantic City and Asbury Park Press.

Famous People from Surf City

Surf City has been home to some notable people:

• Francis L. Bodine (1936–2023) was a politician. He served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1994 to 2008.
• Christopher J. Connors (born 1956) is a politician who has been a member of the New Jersey Senate since 2008. He followed in his father's footsteps.
• Leonard T. Connors (1929–2016) was a politician who served in the state senate for many years, from 1982 to 2008. He was also the mayor of Surf City for almost 50 years, from 1966 to 2015.

Images for kids

• 

  Map of Surf City in Ocean County, New Jersey

• 

  Census Bureau map of Surf City, New Jersey

See also

In Spanish: Surf City (Nueva Jersey) para niños