Seaside Heights, New Jersey
Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox settlement Seaside Heights is a borough situated on the Jersey Shore, within Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 2,440,<ref name=LWD2020/> a decrease of 447 (−15.5%) from the 2010 census count of 2,887,<ref name=Census2010/><ref name=LWD2010/> which in turn had reflected a decline of 268 (−8.5%) from the 3,155 counted in the 2000 census.<ref>Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023.</ref> Seaside Heights is located on the Barnegat Peninsula, a long, narrow barrier peninsula that separates the Barnegat Bay from the Atlantic Ocean. During the summer, the borough attracts a crowd largely under the age of 21, mainly highschoolers and young adults, drawn to a community with boardwalk entertainment and one of the few shore communities with sizable numbers of apartments, attracting as many as 65,000 people who are often out until early morning visiting bars and restaurants.<ref name=NYT1999>Mansnerus, Laura. "So, Just Who Goes Where When Going to the Shore?", The New York Times, June 6, 1999. Accessed July 13, 2011. "Seaside Heights, with a summer population of about 65,000, is packed, one of the few shore towns with larger apartment buildings. The boardwalk has almost a mile of skeeball and video arcades and enough fast food and bars to amuse the young into the early-morning hours. 'I don't think they let you into Seaside Heights if you're over 21,' said Kristin Farfalla, a sales representative at Midway Beach Real Estate in South Seaside Park."</ref>
Based on the results of a referendum held on March 25, 1913, Seaside Heights was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 26, 1913, from portions of both Berkeley Township and Dover Township (now Toms River).<ref name=Story>Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 205. Accessed May 30, 2024.</ref> The borough was named for its location on the Atlantic Ocean.<ref>Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed October 1, 2015.</ref>
As a resort community, the beach, an amusement-oriented boardwalk, and numerous clubs and bars, make it a popular destination. Seaside Heights calls itself, "Your Home For Family Fun Since 1913!"<ref>Seaside Heights Beach Information Template:Webarchive, accessed April 5, 2007</ref> The beach season runs from March to October, with the peak months being July and August, when the summer population explodes to as many as 30,000 to 65,000.<ref name=NYT1999/><ref>About Seaside Heights, Seaside Heights. Accessed May 10, 2007. "A community of 3,100 year-round residents, Seaside Heights expands to more than 30,000 in the summer."</ref> Route 37 in Toms River is routinely gridlocked on Friday afternoons in the summer months as vacationers travel to the barrier islands. The community is also known as the location of the hit MTV show Jersey Shore, with the director of the borough's business improvement district saying in 2010 that "we can't even calculate the economic benefit" to Seaside Heights from the continued presence of the show.<ref>Ditzian, Eric. "'Jersey Shore' Brings Seaside Heights A Fiscal Fist-Pump: 'We can't even calculate the economic benefit,' local business exec says.", MTV.com, April 12, 2010. Accessed July 13, 2011. "'Ever since it aired in the beginning of December, the phones have been ringing earlier and more often,' Maria Maruca, executive director of the Seaside Heights Business Improvement District, told MTV News. 'Now that the show is coming back, we can't even calculate the economic benefit.'</ref>
History
[edit]
In 1915, Senate Amusement Company of Philadelphia planned to build an ocean-side attraction in Seaside Heights within feet of the border to Seaside Park. Their plan was to build a covered pier to house a carousel. The structure was built in 1915 under the direction of Joseph Vanderslice of Senate Amusement Company. Budget issues stalled the project in 1916, and the amusement ride and building was subsequently sold to Frank Freeman. The combination of the completion of the Toms River Bridge on October 23, 1914,<ref>The Toms River Bridge, Discover Seaside Heights. Accessed January 25, 2015.</ref> and the DuPont Avenue carousel and boardwalk are what likely led to the 159% population growth shown between the 1920 and 1930 censuses in Seaside Heights.<ref>Boardwalk History: Some Seaside Heights' Firsts, Discover Seaside Heights. Accessed January 25, 2015.</ref>
Disasters
[edit]On June 9, 1955, a malfunctioning neon sign component caused a fire at a shop on the corner of Ocean Terrace and DuPont Avenue. The fire was driven by winds estimated at Template:Convert, blowing the fire south and engulfing the entire pier. The fire was stopped at Stockton Avenue due in part to the fact that the boardwalk and pier ended there. In what became known as Freeman's Fire, a total of 85 buildings were destroyed with an estimated $4 million in damage.<ref>Chang, David. "Boardwalk Fire Brings Back Memories of Devastating Seaside Blaze Nearly 60 Years Ago", WCAU, September 16, 2013. Accessed September 18, 2013. "On June 9, 1955, a fire broke out at a shop on the corner of Ocean Terrace and DuPont Avenue in Seaside Heights. Driven by 50 mile per hour winds, the fire spread south, until it was finally placed under control at Stockton Avenue in Seaside Park..."</ref>
Beginning on October 29, 2012, substantial portions of the boardwalk were damaged and much of the borough was flooded as a result of Hurricane Sandy. Both the Funtown Pier and Casino Pier suffered devastating major damage, with sections of both piers torn apart by powerful storm surges and waves causing many of the rides to collapse into the ocean.<ref>Queally, James. "Seaside Heights swallowed up by Hurricane Sandy's surge", The Star-Ledger, October 29, 2012. Accessed January 1, 2013.</ref> With a curfew set at 4:00 pm to prevent looting, a New Year's Eve party was held at the Beachcomber for hundreds of area residents at which the arrival of 2013 was celebrated at 3:00 in the afternoon.<ref>Harris, Chris; and Koloff, Abbott. "Shore residents refuse to let rebuilding get in way of party", The Record, January 1, 2013. Accessed January 1, 2013. "The party, at the Beachcomber, was held in the afternoon to comply with a curfew that remains in effect to curtail looting in an area where many homes remain empty and uninhabitable.... A crowd heralded the new year at the Beachcomber at 3 p.m., one hour in advance of the borough's mandatory 4 p.m. curfew."</ref> Casino Pier began cleanup attempts soon after, in an attempt to reopen in time for the summer 2013 season. The Star Jet roller coaster that fell into the water with the Casino Pier had become an attraction in itself. It was taken apart by a wrecker from Weeks Marine on May 14, 2013, just a short time after Prince Harry's visit to the site the same day with Governor Chris Christie. Repairs to the boardwalk were completed on June 21, 2013, with New Jersey's First Lady, Mary Pat Christie, hammering the nail into the final board of the project.<ref>via Associated Press. "Mary Pat Christie marks start of summer, hammers in last plank on new Seaside boardwalk", NJ.com, September 13, 2013. Accessed January 25, 2015.</ref>
On September 12, 2013, a ten-alarm fire swept from the Funtown Pier northward.<ref>"Seaside Park fire 100 percent contained; no word on cause", WPVI-TV, October 7, 2013. Accessed January 25, 2015.</ref> The fire is believed to have started under the boardwalk, below the Kohr's Custard stand at the southern end of the pier. The wind pushed it northward, and fire crews were able to make a stand at Lincoln Avenue by tearing up the newly replaced boardwalk which had been destroyed less than a year before by Hurricane Sandy.<ref>Rose, Lisa; and Augenstein, Seth. "Christie promises to rebuild, as firefighters continue to knock down hot spots at Seaside Boardwalk", The Star-Ledger, September 13, 2013. Accessed August 10, 2014.</ref> Jack & Bill's Bar and Kohr's Custard were two businesses that were both destroyed in the 1955 and 2013 fires.
Geography
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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 0.74 square miles (1.92 km2), including 0.62 square miles (1.60 km2) of land and 0.13 square miles (0.32 km2) of water (16.89%).<ref name=CensusArea/><ref name=GR1 />
Seaside Heights borders the Ocean County municipalities of Berkeley Township, Seaside Park and Toms River.<ref>Areas touching Seaside Heights, MapIt. Accessed March 5, 2020.</ref><ref>Ocean County Map Template:Webarchive, Coalition for a Healthy NJ. Accessed March 5, 2020.</ref><ref>New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.</ref>
Demographics
[edit]2010 census
[edit]The 2010 United States census counted 2,887 people, 1,376 households, and 586 families in the borough. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 3,003 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup was 80.74% (2,331) White, 6.69% (193) Black or African American, 0.59% (17) Native American, 1.52% (44) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 6.96% (201) from other races, and 3.50% (101) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.87% (516) of the population.<ref name=Census2010/>
Of the 1,376 households, 20.5% had children under the age of 18; 21.0% were married couples living together; 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present and 57.4% were non-families. Of all households, 46.0% were made up of individuals and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 3.03.<ref name=Census2010/>
19.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 28.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.2 years. For every 100 females, the population had 112.3 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 113.2 males.<ref name=Census2010/>
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $33,380 (with a margin of error of +/− $12,171) and the median family income was $39,688 (+/− $28,475). Males had a median income of $46,005 (+/− $18,386) versus $18,928 (+/− $13,004) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $19,865 (+/− $4,981). About 37.0% of families and 33.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 73.5% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.<ref>DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics from the 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates for Seaside Heights borough, Ocean County, New Jersey Template:Webarchive, United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 28, 2012.</ref>
2000 census
[edit]As of the 2000 United States census,<ref name="GR2" /> there were 3,155 persons, 1,408 households, and 691 families residing in the borough. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 2,840 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the borough was 89.95% White, 4.03% African American, 0.63% Native American, 0.86% Asian, 1.17% from other races, and 3.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.70% of the population.<ref name=Census2000>Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Seaside Heights borough, New Jersey Template:Webarchive, United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 1, 2013.</ref><ref name=Census2000SF1>DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Seaside Heights borough, Ocean County, New Jersey Template:Webarchive, United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 1, 2013.</ref>
There were 1,408 households, out of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 26.8% were married couples living together, 16.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.9% were non-families. 40.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.93.<ref name=Census2000/><ref name=Census2000SF1/>
In the borough, the population was spread out, with 23.3% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 35.4% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.8 males.<ref name=Census2000/><ref name=Census2000SF1/>
The median income for a household in the borough was $25,963, and the median income for a family was $27,197. Males had a median income of $30,354 versus $21,899 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $18,665. About 21.9% of families and 24.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.9% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over.<ref name=Census2000/><ref name=Census2000SF1/>
Sports
[edit]Seaside Heights hosted the Association of Volleyball Professionals volleyball tournament for two years during the summers of 2006 and 2007 with participants competing for a $200,000 purse.<ref>Ryan, Joe. "Setting and spiking at Seaside Heights", The Star-Ledger, July 7, 2007. Accessed July 13, 2011.</ref>
Parks and recreation
[edit]
Casino Pier and Funtown Pier (partially located within both Seaside Heights and neighboring Seaside Park) are amusement parks, each situated on a pier extending approximately 300 feet (100 m) into the Atlantic Ocean. Each of the two piers are part of a boardwalk that stretches for Template:Convert and offers many family-friendly attractions ranging from arcades, to games of chance, to beaches, and to the wide variety of foods and desserts, all within walking distance.<ref name=Sentinel/> Breakwater Beach (formerly known as Water Works) is a water park situated across the street from Casino Pier.
Government
[edit]Seaside Heights is governed under the borough form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 municipalities (of the 564) statewide, making it the most common form of government in New Jersey.<ref>Inventory of Municipal Forms of Government in New Jersey, Rutgers University Center for Government Studies, July 1, 2011. Accessed June 1, 2023.</ref> The governing body is comprised of the mayor and the borough council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. A mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The borough council includes six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle.<ref name=DataBook>2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, March 2013, p. 53.</ref> The borough form of government used by Seaside Heights is a "weak mayor / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can veto ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council.<ref>Cerra, Michael F. "Forms of Government: Everything You've Always Wanted to Know, But Were Afraid to Ask" Template:Webarchive, New Jersey State League of Municipalities. Accessed November 30, 2014.</ref><ref>"Forms of Municipal Government in New Jersey", p. 6. Rutgers University Center for Government Studies. Accessed June 1, 2023.</ref>
Template:As of, the mayor of Seaside Heights is Republican Anthony E. "Tony" Vaz, whose term of office ends December 31, 2023.<ref name=Mayor>Mayor's Office, Borough of Seaside Heights. Accessed September 4, 2022.</ref> Borough Council members are Council President Mike Carbone (R, 2023), Vito M. Ferrone (R, 2022), Victoria Graichen (R, 2024), Agnes Polhemus (R, 2023), Harry Smith (R, 2024) and Richard Tompkins (R, 2022).<ref>Borough Council, Borough of Seaside Heights Borough. Accessed September 4, 2022. "Seaside Heights is governed under the "borough" form of New Jersey municipal government. The governing body consists of a mayor and a borough council composed of 6 council members, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis during the November general election. A mayor is elected directly by the voters to a 4-year term of office. The borough council members are elected to serve 3-year terms on a staggered basis, with 2 seats coming up for election each year in a 3-year cycle."</ref><ref>2020 Municipal Data Sheet, Borough of Seaside Heights Borough. Accessed September 4, 2022. Note that this was the most recent budget available as of date accessed.</ref><ref name=OceanProfile>Borough of Seaside Heights, Ocean County, New Jersey. Accessed September 4, 2022.</ref><ref name=OceanOfficials>2022 Ocean County & Municipal Elected Officials, Ocean County, New Jersey Clerk, updated August 25, 2022. Accessed September 1, 2022.</ref><ref name=Ocean2021>2021 General Election Official Results, Ocean County, New Jersey. Accessed January 1, 2022.</ref><ref name=Ocean2020>2020 General Election November 3, 2020 Official results, Ocean County, New Jersey, updated December 2, 2020. Accessed January 1, 2021.</ref><ref name=Ocean2019>2019 General Election Official Results November 5, 2019, Ocean County, New Jersey Clerk, updated November 15, 2019. Accessed January 1, 2020.</ref>
In July 2015, Bill Akers resigned from office as mayor to accept a position with the borough as a code enforcement officer. The borough council appointed councilmember Tony Vaz to fill the term ending in December 2015.<ref>Spoto, Mary Ann. "Seaside Heights mayor resigns, taking municipal jobs", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, July 21, 2015. Accessed July 21, 2015. "Seaside Heights Mayor Bill Akers, who ushered the resort town through Hurricane Sandy and a devastating boardwalk fire, resigned five months shy of the end of his first term.... Vaz said Akers is taking a job with the borough as code enforcement official for $60,000 a year and will also work as confidential assistant to Vaz 'to see through a few potential redevelopment projects he had in the works as mayor.' The council on Monday voted to have Councilman Tony Vaz -- the administrator's father -- serve as mayor until the end of the year."</ref> In August 2015, the borough council selected Michael Carbone to fill the vacant council seat expiring in December 2017 of Anthony Vaz.<ref>Mike Carbone, Borough of Seaside Heights. Accessed August 12, 2015. "Mike was appoint on August 5, 2015, to temporarily fill a council vacancy that will be permanently filled after the November 2015 election."</ref>
In the November 2011 general election, William Akers was elected to a four-year term as mayor and incumbent councilmembers Agnes Polhemus and Anthony E. Vaz were elected to three-year terms on the borough council. The three Republicans will take their new seats in January 2012.<ref>Staff. "2011 Ocean County election results", Asbury Park Press, November 8, 2011. Accessed November 28, 2011. "Seaside Heights: Mayor (1)4-year term √William Akers R 237 - Borough Council (2)3-year terms √Agnes Polhemus* R 218 √Anthony E. Vaz* R 237"</ref>
Mayor Hershey had been in politics in Seaside Heights uninterrupted for over 35 years and had been first elected as mayor in 1992. His predecessor George Tompkins (father of current councilman Rich Tompkins) served 16 years from 1975 to 1991, and Mayor J. Stanley Tunney served for 25 years from 1939 to 1964. Councilwoman Agnes Polhemus served from 1972 to 1993, and returned in 2006. Joann Duszczak served on the borough council for more than a decade before her death in December 2010.<ref>Staff. "Much Beloved Seaside Heights Councilwoman, Joann M. Duszczak Dies At The Age Of 57", Ocean County Gazette, January 4, 2011. Accessed November 28, 2011.</ref>
Seaside Heights Borough Attorney George R. Gilmore is grandson of the late Seaside Heights mayor J. Stanley Tunney and is the Ocean County Republican chairman.<ref>Mikle, Jean. "Political ties worth a million to Ocean GOP boss's law firm: Gilmore profits from no-bid, public legal posts", Asbury Park Press, August 21, 2007. Accessed July 13, 2011. "Gilmore is head of the Ocean County Republican Party and one of a dozen or so unelected political bosses who determine, in large part, what happens in state and local governments in New Jersey.... He grew up in Seaside Heights, where his grandfather, J. Stanley Tunney, was a political figure, serving as mayor for 25 years."</ref>
Federal, state, and county representation
[edit]Seaside Heights is located in the 4th Congressional District<ref name=PCR2022>2022 Redistricting Plan, New Jersey Redistricting Commission, December 8, 2022.</ref> and is part of New Jersey's 10th state legislative district.<ref name=Districts2011>Municipalities Sorted by 2011-2020 Legislative District, New Jersey Department of State. Accessed February 1, 2020.</ref><ref name=LWV2019>2019 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters. Accessed October 30, 2019.</ref><ref>Districts by Number for 2011-2020, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 6, 2013.</ref>
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Politics
[edit]As of March 2011, there were a total of 1,374 registered voters in Seaside Heights, of which 186 (13.5%) were registered as Democrats, 420 (30.6%) were registered as Republicans and 768 (55.9%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were no voters registered to other parties.<ref name=VoterRegistration>Voter Registration Summary - Ocean, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, March 23, 2011. Accessed January 1, 2013.</ref> Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 47.6% (vs. 63.2% in Ocean County) were registered to vote, including 59.3% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 82.6% countywide).<ref name=VoterRegistration/><ref>GCT-P7: Selected Age Groups: 2010 - State -- County Subdivision; 2010 Census Summary File 1 for New Jersey Template:Webarchive, United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 1, 2013.</ref>
In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 51.8% of the vote (231 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 46.0% (205 votes), and other candidates with 2.2% (10 votes), among the 466 ballots cast by the borough's 1,517 registered voters (20 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 30.7%.<ref name=2012Elections>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=2012VoterReg>Template:Cite web</ref> In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 53.5% of the vote (394 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 44.2% (326 votes) and other candidates with 1.6% (12 votes), among the 737 ballots cast by the borough's 1,605 registered voters, for a turnout of 45.9%.<ref>2008 Presidential General Election Results: Ocean County, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, December 23, 2008. Accessed January 1, 2013.</ref> In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 55.1% of the vote (440 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry with 43.4% (347 votes) and other candidates with 0.4% (7 votes), among the 799 ballots cast by the borough's 1,694 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 47.2.<ref>2004 Presidential Election: Ocean County, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, December 13, 2004. Accessed January 1, 2013.</ref>
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third Parties |
|---|---|---|---|
| style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|2024<ref name="2024Elections">Template:Cite web</ref> | style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|65.2% 615 | style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|32.1% 303 | 2.7% 19 |
| style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|2020<ref name="2020Elections">Template:Cite web</ref> | style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|61.6% 630 | style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|36.3% 371 | 2.1% 13 |
| style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|2016<ref name="2016Elections">Template:Cite web</ref> | style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|68.9% 459 | style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|26.9% 179 | 4.2% 28 |
| style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|2012<ref name=2012Election>Template:Cite web</ref> | style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|51.8% 231 | style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|46.0% 205 | 2.2% 10 |
| style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|2008<ref>2008 Presidential General Election Results: Ocean County, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, December 23, 2008. Accessed December 24, 2012.</ref> | style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|53.5% 394 | style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|44.2% 326 | 1.6% 12 |
| style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|2004<ref>2004 Presidential Election: Ocean County, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, December 13, 2004. Accessed December 24, 2012.</ref> | style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|55.1% 440 | style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|43.4% 347 | 0.4% 7 |
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 79.1% of the vote (253 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 19.1% (61 votes), and other candidates with 1.9% (6 votes), among the 327 ballots cast by the borough's 1,169 registered voters (7 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 28.0%.<ref name=2013Elections>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=2013VoterReg>Template:Cite web</ref> In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 64.4% of the vote (322 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 25.6% (128 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 5.8% (29 votes) and other candidates with 1.6% (8 votes), among the 500 ballots cast by the borough's 1,476 registered voters, yielding a 33.9% turnout.<ref>2009 Governor: Ocean County Template:Webarchive, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, December 31, 2009. Accessed January 1, 2013.</ref>
Education
[edit]The Seaside Heights School District is a public school district for students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade at Hugh J. Boyd Jr. Elementary School.<ref>Seaside Heights Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Seaside Heights School District. Accessed March 17, 2022. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Pre-Kindergarten through six in the Seaside Heights School District. Composition: The Seaside Heights School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Seaside Heights."</ref><ref>School Performance Reports for the Seaside Heights School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 1, 2024.</ref> As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 222 students and 24.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.1:1.<ref name=NCES>District information for Seaside Heights School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 15, 2022.</ref> The original school facility, Seaside Heights Elementary School, was built in 1926 and later demolished after the opening of a larger school building on the bay front. The current school was built in the late 1960s, and is dedicated to Hugh J. Boyd Jr., its longtime superintendent of schools who died in 1983.<ref>"Hugh J. Boyd Jr., 55; lifeguard, school head", The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 26, 1983. Accessed March 17, 2022, via Newspapers.com. Hugh J. Boyd Jr., 55, who spent his career commuting from the classroom to the beach to the football field, died Thursday at the Kimball Medical Center in Lakewood, N.J.... John coached football at Atlantic City High School; Joseph was athletic director at Central Regional High School in Berkeley Township, and Hugh Boyd was principal of the Seaside Heights Elementary School, which was renamed for him in 1977."</ref> The district's Early Childhood Center addition was dedicated in 2007 in the name of longtime Board of Education Member Harry M. Smith III.<ref>Michels, Chelsea. "Wing named to honor school board member", Asbury Park Press, May 30, 2007. Accessed March 17, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The Seaside Heights Board of Education and Toms River Regional Schools will celebrate the dedication of the Harry M Smith in Early Childhood Center Memorial Wing at Hugh J. Boyd Jr. Elementary School at 2 p.m. Friday."</ref>
Public school students in seventh through twelfth grades attend the schools of the Central Regional School District, which also serves students from the municipalities of Berkeley Township, Island Heights, Ocean Gate and Seaside Park.<ref>Central Regional School District 2016 School Report Card Narrative Template:Webarchive, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed July 14, 2017. "The Central Regional School District is located in the Bayville section of Berkeley Township and draws from the constituent districts of Berkeley Township, Island Heights, Ocean Gate, Seaside Heights, and Seaside Park."</ref> Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics<ref>School Data for the Central Regional School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 15, 2022.</ref>) are Central Regional Middle School<ref>Central Regional Middle School, Central Regional School District. Accessed March 17, 2022.</ref> with 842 students in grades 7 and 8 and Central Regional High School<ref>Central Regional High School, Central Regional School District. Accessed March 17, 2022.</ref> with 1,568 students in grades 9–12.<ref>Our Schools, Central Regional School District. Accessed March 17, 2022.</ref><ref>School Performance Reports for the Central Regional School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 1, 2024.</ref><ref>New Jersey School Directory for the Central Regional School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.</ref> The high school district's board of education is comprised of nine members, who are directly elected by the residents of the constituent municipalities to three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with three seats up for election each year.<ref>Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the Central Regional School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2020. Accessed March 17, 2022. "The School District is a Type II district located in the County of Ocean, State of New Jersey. As a Type II district, the School District functions independently through a Board of Education. The Board is comprised of nine members appointed to three-year terms. These terms are staggered so that three members' terms expire each year. The School District provides a full range of educational services appropriate to junior and senior high schools for students of the Boroughs of Island Heights, Ocean Gate, Seaside Heights, Seaside Park and the Township of Berkeley, Ocean County, New Jersey."</ref> Seaside Heights is allocated one of the board's nine seats.<ref>Central Regional Board of Education District Policy 0141 - Board Member Number and Term, Central Regional School District. Accessed March 17, 2022. "The Board of Education shall consist of nine members. The constituent districts and the members to which they are entitled are: Berkeley - five members, Island Heights - one member, Ocean Gate - one member, Seaside Heights - one member, and Seaside Park - one member. The term of a Board member shall be three years."</ref><ref>Board Members, Central Regional School District. Accessed March 17, 2022.</ref>
Transportation
[edit]
Roads and highways
[edit]Template:As of, the borough had a total of Template:Convert of roadways, of which Template:Convert were maintained by the municipality, Template:Convert by Ocean County and Template:Convert by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.<ref>Ocean County Mileage by Municipality and Jurisdiction, New Jersey Department of Transportation, May 2010. Accessed July 24, 2014.</ref>
Route 35 and Route 37 both pass through Seaside Heights, intersecting at the Pelican Island approach to the Thomas A. Mathis and J. Stanley Tunney Bridges. Route 35 runs up the coast to Point Pleasant and points north and south to Seaside Park and Island Beach State Park. Route 37 crosses the Thomas A. Mathis and J. Stanley Tunney Bridges and heads west through Toms River to intersect the Garden State Parkway at exit 82.<ref name=gm>Template:Google maps</ref>
Public transportation
[edit]NJ Transit provides seasonal bus service in Seaside Heights on the 137 route to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan and to Newark Penn Station in Newark.<ref>Jersey Shore, NJ Transit. Accessed November 21, 2023. "Bus Route 137 serves Toms River all year. Starting June 24, 2023, the 137 will operate direct to Seaside Heights/Seaside Park."</ref>
Ocean Ride local service is provided on the OC10 Toms River Connection route.<ref>Ocean County Bus Service Template:Webarchive, Greater Mercer TMA. Accessed August 12, 2015.</ref><ref>Ocean Ride Rider's Guide Template:Webarchive, Ocean County, New Jersey. Accessed August 12, 2015.</ref><ref>Ocean County Transit Guide Template:Webarchive, Ocean County, New Jersey. Accessed August 12, 2015.</ref>
Climate
[edit]According to the Köppen climate classification system, Seaside Heights has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) with hot, slightly humid summers, cool winters and year-around precipitation. Cfa climates are characterized by all months having an average mean temperature above Template:Convert, at least four months with an average mean temperature at or above Template:Convert, at least one month with an average mean temperature at or above Template:Convert and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. During the summer months in Seaside Heights, 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 Template:Convert. During the winter months, episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill values below Template:Convert. The plant hardiness zone at Seaside Heights Beach is 7a with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of Template:Convert.<ref name="USDA">Template:Cite web</ref> The average seasonal (November–April) snowfall total is between Template:Convert and the average snowiest month is February which corresponds with the annual peak in nor'easter activity.
Ecology
[edit]According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types, Seaside Heights would have a dominant vegetation type of Northern Cordgrass (73) with a dominant vegetation form of Coastal Prairie (20).<ref name="Conservation Biology Institute">U.S. Potential Natural Vegetation, Original Kuchler Types, v2.0 (Spatially Adjusted to Correct Geometric Distortions), Data Basin. Accessed March 18, 2020.</ref>
Popular culture
[edit]
Seaside Heights was the setting for MTV's reality TV series Jersey Shore. The first season of Jersey Shore was filmed in Seaside Heights and Toms River during August 2009. The show's third season was also filmed in Seaside Heights, during July, August, and September 2010.<ref name=ppc>Reiss, Fraidy. "Shore residents express anger with MTV's Jersey Shore premise", Asbury Park Press, November 30, 2009. Accessed January 25, 2015.</ref> After New York City officials nixed MTV's plans to hold a "Snooki Drop" at its studios in Times Square alongside the square's own ball drop, the event was moved to Seaside Heights.<ref>Schwartz, Alison. "Snooki's New Year's Eve Ball to Drop in New Jersey", People (magazine), December 31, 2010. Accessed July 13, 2011. "Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi will drop inside a ball on New Year's Eve in a location where she has fallen before: The Jersey Shore. Although it was reported earlier this month that the MTV reality star would ring in 2011 in New York City's Times Square, the location has been switched to Seaside Heights, N.J., where season 1 and the upcoming season 3 of Jersey Shore were filmed."</ref> The show returned to Seaside Heights for its fifth season, which wrapped filming on August 2, 2011, and began airing in January 2012.<ref>"'Jersey Shore' Season 5 Wraps Up Filming" Template:Webarchive, RealityAired.com.</ref>
Prior to Jersey Shore, the town was also the setting of MTV's True Life: I Have A Summer Share, which was filmed in Seaside Heights, as was MTV's True Life: I'm a Jersey Shore Girl from 2004, which was one of the network's first stories of guidettes looking for the perfect guido.<ref name=Sentinel>Jones, Marilyn. "Being there: New Jersey -- Seaside Heights popular, even without MTV fame", Orlando Sentinel, July 11, 2010. Accessed July 13, 2011. "MTV has been rocking the shore town since 1998, and again in 2002, when Seaside Heights was selected as the site for Total Request Live and other shows including Shore Thing. MTV also filmed True Life: I Have A Summer Share in Seaside Heights, and rock bands including Bon Jovi have used the borough visually for album covers and music videos."</ref><ref>Nark, Jason. "Seaside Heights cashing in on 'Jersey Shore'", The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 31, 2010. Accessed July 13, 2011. "In 2004, MTV's True Life: I'm a Jersey Shore Girl first chronicled the spectacle of spray-tanned, tough-talking 'guidettes' who invaded Ocean and Monmouth counties' Shore towns each summer to bag a buff 'guido' with gleaming spikes atop his head."</ref> Additionally, MTV selected Seaside Heights as the filming location for its summer programming in both 1998 and 2002.<ref name=Sentinel/><ref>Pritchard, Michael. "MTV'S 'Shore Thing' Back In Seaside Heights", The Press of Atlantic City, April 19, 2002. Accessed July 13, 2011. "Being cool in Seaside Heights will be a "Shore Thing" this summer as MTV announced it is returning to the resort for its annual summer beach house location. The network will take over a beach house adjacent to the resort's boardwalk for MTV's Shore Thing, the name of the network's summer programming."</ref>
In 1985, New Jersey rock band Bon Jovi filmed most of their music video for the song "In and Out of Love" in Seaside Heights, mainly on the boardwalk.<ref name=Sentinel/><ref>Wow! – Bon Jovi Music Video Filmed Entirely In Seaside Heights, New Jersey – Back In 1985</ref>
Portions of the 2006 movie Artie Lange's Beer League were filmed in Seaside Heights.<ref>Filming locations for Beer League, Internet Movie Database. Accessed August 6, 2007.</ref>
The ABC soap opera One Life to Live filmed a portion of its 2008 storyline in Seaside Heights, mainly on the beach and boardwalk.<ref>Staff. "Soap opera "One Life To Live" to be filmed on boardwalk", Asbury Park Press, March 30, 2008. Accessed July 13, 2011. "Filming for the soap opera One Life To Live is scheduled for the week of April 14 at popular Seaside Heights boardwalk spots including Casino Pier..."</ref>
The song 'Mera Dil Tera Deewana' from the 1999 Hindi film Aa Ab Laut Chalen directed by Rishi Kapoor and starring Akshaye Khanna and Aishwarya Rai was shot at Seaside Heights.
Notable people
[edit]Template:Category see also People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Seaside Heights include:
- Fred Ashton (1931–2013), politician who served as the mayor of Easton, Pennsylvania, from 1968 to 1976<ref>Staff. "Former Easton Mayor Fred Ashton dies", The Express-Times, May 9, 2013. Accessed August 10, 2014. "Ashton lived in Seaside Heights, N.J., but died in the home of his sister, Anna, where he had been staying since Superstorm Sandy struck."</ref>
- Lou Taylor Pucci (born 1985), actor<ref>O'Sullivan, Eleanor. "Coming Tuesday on DVD" Template:Webarchive, Asbury Park Press, January 22, 2006. Accessed June 10, 2013. "Lou Taylor Pucci of Seaside Heights stars in Thumbsucker, a dark comedy arriving on the home viewing market this week."</ref>
- Robbie E (born 1983), professional wrestler<ref>Bishop, Matt. "Impact: Anderson, Angle return as TNA heads to Final Resolution", Slam Sports, December 3, 2010. Accessed July 22, 2015. "Introducing first, repping Seaside Heights, NJ is Robbie E."</ref>
- Immanuel Velikovsky (1895–1979), author known for his controversial books reinterpreting the events of ancient history, in particular the bestseller Worlds in Collision<ref>"Whelton_in Unordnung". Accessed July 22, 2015. "He possesses a very tenacious memory that I am reminded of every time he tells his version of the problems with Sagan's infamous probability calculation exactly as I explained it to him on the drive back from Velikovsky's house at Seaside Heights, New Jersey, in July 1978."</ref>
References
[edit]External links
[edit]Template:Commons category Template:Wikivoyage Template:Portal
- Seaside Heights website
- Seaside Heights Public School
- Template:NJReportCard
- School Data for the Seaside Heights Public School, National Center for Education Statistics
- Central Regional School District
- Seaside Heights Volunteer Fire Department Station 44
- Tri-Boro First Aid Squad 40
- Discover Seaside Heights
- Seaside Heights NJ Online
- Seaside Heights Memorabilia Website
- Seaside Heights New Jersey Shore Travel Information
- Seaside Heights History Website
- The Freeman Pier Fire – 1955 – Seaside
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Template:Ocean County, New Jersey Template:Jersey Shore region Template:Authority control