Ocean County, New Jersey
Ocean County is a county located along the Jersey Shore in the south-central portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey, along the Atlantic Ocean. Its county seat is Toms River. Since 1990, Ocean County has been one of New Jersey's fastest-growing counties. As of the 2020 United States Census, the county's population was enumerated at 637,229, a 10.5% increase from the 576,567 counted in the 2010 U.S. Census, making Ocean the state's sixth-most populous county. The 2010 population figure represented an increase of 65,651 (+12.8%) from the 2000 Census  population of 510,916, as Ocean surpassed Union County to become the sixth-most populous county in the state. Ocean County was also the fastest growing county in New Jersey between 2000 and 2010 in terms of increase in the number of residents and second-highest in percentage growth. Ocean County was established on February 15, 1850, from portions of Monmouth County, with the addition of Little Egg Harbor Township which was annexed from Burlington County on March 30, 1891. The most populous place is Lakewood Township, with an estimated 102,682 residents as of 2017, up 10.6% from 92,843 at the  2010 Census (in turn an increase of 32,491 since 2000, the highest of any New Jersey municipality); while Jackson Township covers , the largest total area of any municipality in the county. Ocean County is located east of Philadelphia, south of New York City, and north of Atlantic City, making it a prime destination for residents of these cities during the summer. As with the entire Jersey Shore, summer traffic routinely clogs local roadways throughout the season. Ocean County's area comprises 31.3% water. Ocean County is part of the New York metropolitan area but is also home to many tourist  attractions frequently visited by Delaware Valley residents, especially the beachfront communities of Seaside Heights, Long Beach Island, Point Pleasant Beach, as well as Six Flags Great Adventure, which is the home of the world's tallest and second-fastest roller coaster, Kingda Ka. Ocean County is also a gateway to New Jersey's Pine Barrens, one of the largest protected pieces of land on the East Coast. Ocean County is part of both New York City's and Philadelphia's media markets. Geography. According to the United States Census Bureau, the county had as of the 2010 Census a total  area of , making it the largest county in New Jersey in terms of total area (ahead of Burlington County's), total 819.84 sq mi of which of land (68.7%) and of water (31.31%). Much of the county is flat and coastal, with many beaches. The highest point is one of three unnamed hills (one in Jackson Township, the other two in Plumsted Township) that reach at least in elevation. The lowest elevation in the county is sea level. It is also home to many beaches on the Jersey Shore, such as Beach Haven, Seaside Heights, Ship Bottom, Surf City, Harvey  Cedars and Barnegat Light. Climate. Ocean County's area consists of 31.3% water. The coastal county along the Atlantic Ocean has a humid subtropical climate ("Cfa" and including the coast). In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Toms River have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1982 and a record high of was recorded in July 1999. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in March. Areas closer to the coast typically experience more mild winters and cooler summers due  to the Atlantic Ocean's influence. Average monthly temperatures in Tuckerton near the south end range from 33.2 °F in January to 75.7 °F in July. Economy. Ocean County is home to the Ocean County Mall in Toms River, featuring a gross leasable area of . The now-closed Sears site will be replaced with of retail space. Government. Ocean County is governed by a Board of Chosen Freeholders consisting of five members, elected on an at-large basis in partisan elections and serving staggered three-year terms of office, with either one or two seats coming up for  election each year as part of the November general election. At an annual reorganization held in the beginning of January, the board chooses a director and a deputy director from among its members. In 2016, freeholders were paid $30,000 and the freeholder director was paid an annual salary of $31,000. , Ocean County's freeholders (with party affiliation, term-end year and residence listed in parentheses) are: Pursuant to Article VII Section II of the New Jersey State Constitution, each county in New Jersey is required to have three elected administrative officials known as "constitutional officers." These officers are  the County Clerk and County Surrogate (both elected for five-year terms of office) and the County Sheriff (elected for a three-year term). Constitutional officers, elected on a countywide basis are: The Ocean County Prosecutor is Bradley D. Billhimer who was nominated by Governor of New Jersey Philip D. Murphy. Prosecutor Billhimer was sworn in by New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal on October 12, 2018. Ocean County constitutes Vicinage 14 of the New Jersey Superior Court and is seated at the Ocean County Courthouse Complex in Toms River; the Assignment Judge for Vicinage 14 is Marlene Lynch Ford . Federal representation. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th Congressional Districts cover the county. State representation. Ocean County operates the Ocean County Southern Service Center in Manahawkin. This center offers access to all of the Ocean County government services without the need for residents to travel to the county seat some 20 miles to the north. Politics. Ocean County is the most Republican county in New Jersey, a state that characteristically votes Democratic. Since 1900, it has failed to support a Republican for president only three times. All of its state legislators, County Freeholders and countywide constitutional officers are Republicans. Doug Forrester  carried Ocean County by 12 points in the 2005 New Jersey gubernatorial election, winning every municipality but Lakewood Township and South Toms River. In the 2004 U.S. presidential election, Republican George W. Bush carried the county by a 21.2% margin over Democrat John Kerry. In 2008, the county voted for Republican John McCain by an 18.4% margin over Democrat Barack Obama, making it McCain's second-strongest county in New Jersey behind Sussex County, with Obama winning the Garden State by 15.5% margin over McCain, who carried Ocean County's every municipality except South Toms River. The last Democratic presidential  candidate to win Ocean County was Bill Clinton in 1996, however, the last Democrat to win a majority in the county was Lyndon Johnson in 1964. As of August 1, 2020, there were a total of 424,062 registered voters in Ocean County, of which 97,733 (23.1%) were registered as Democrats, 153,365 (36.2%) were registered as Republicans and 167,326 (39.5%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 5,638 (1.3%) voters registered to other parties. Among the county's 2010 Census population, 63.2% were registered to vote, including 82.6% of those ages 18 and over. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain  received 58.4% of the vote here (160,677 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 40.1% (110,189 votes) among the 276,544 ballots cast by the county's 380,712 registered voters, for a turnout of 72.6%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 60.1% of the vote here (154,204 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry with 38.9% (99,839 votes) among the 257,364 ballots cast by the county's 353,085 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 72.9. The vote totals were significantly down in 2012 due to damage and displacement caused by Hurricane Sandy just days before the election . In 2016 and 2020, it was New Jersey's reddest county. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 65.6% of the vote here (124,238 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 28.4% (53,761 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 4.8% (9,068 votes) and other candidates with 1.2% (1,955 votes), among the 193,186 ballots cast by the county's 371,066 registered voters, yielding a 52.1% turnout. Education. Ocean County College is the two-year community college for Ocean County, one of a network of 19 statewide. The school is in Toms River and was founded in 1964. Georgian Court  University in Lakewood Township is a private Roman Catholic Sisters of Mercy college, which opened in 1908 on the former winter estate of millionaire George Jay Gould I, son of railroad tycoon Jay Gould. Lakewood is also home to Beth Medrash Govoha, a Haredi yeshiva with 5,000 students, making it one of the largest yeshivas in the world and the largest outside the State of Israel. Stockton University has a campus located in Manahawkin offering undergraduate and graduate colleges of the arts, sciences and professional studies of the New Jersey state system of higher education. New Jersey's largest suburban  school district, Toms River Regional Schools, is located in Ocean County. Toms River is also home to the county's only Roman Catholic high school, Monsignor Donovan High School, operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton, which also has six elementary schools located in the county. In addition to multiple public high schools, the county has an extensive vocational high school program, known as the Ocean County Vocational Technical School district. In addition to its campuses in Brick, Toms River, Waretown, and Jackson, it contains two magnet schools: Attractions. Ocean County has an extensive shoreline stretch along the Atlantic  Ocean, including the Jersey Shore communities and oceanfront boardwalk resorts of Seaside Heights and Point Pleasant Beach. Six Flags Great Adventure, America's largest Six Flags theme park, is home to the world's tallest and formerly fastest roller coaster, Kingda Ka. The park also contains Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, New Jersey's largest water park, and the Six Flags Wild Safari, the largest drive-thru animal safari outside of Africa. Forty miles of barrier beaches form the Barnegat and Little Egg Harbor Bays, offering ample watersports. It also is home of the Tuckerton Seaport, a maritime history village in  Tuckerton. In addition to being the northeast gateway to New Jersey's Pine Barrens, Ocean County is also home to several state parks: FirstEnergy Park located in Lakewood, opened in 2001 with 6,588 reserved seats and is home of the Jersey Shore BlueClaws, the High-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. Media. The "Asbury Park Press" provides daily news coverage of the county as does The Press of Atlantic City. Micromedia Publications publishes six weekly local newspapers in the county; their seventh covers Howell Township, New Jersey in Monmouth County, New Jersey. 92.7 WOBM provides news, traffic and weather updates . 91.9 WBNJ provides local news, PSAs and events; as well as weather updates. Infrastructure. Roads and highways. Ocean County has various major roads that pass through. State routes that go through include Route 13, Route 35, Route 37, Route 70, Route 72, Route 88, and Route 166. Other major routes that pass through are U.S. Route 9, the Garden State Parkway and Interstate 195 (I-195 is the only Interstate to pass through Ocean County, solely in Jackson Township). Several prominent 500 series county highways make up an important portion of the automobile corridors in Ocean County. These include CR 526 , CR 527, CR 528, CR 530, CR 532, CR 539, CR 547, CR 549, and CR 571. The county had a total of of roadways, of which are maintained by the municipality, by Ocean County and by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. Public transportation. Train. NJ Transit's (NJT) North Jersey Coast Line, which serves New York Penn Station and passes through Middlesex and Monmouth counties, offers service at the Bay Head and Point Pleasant Beach stations, located at the northernmost corner of the county. The Monmouth Ocean Middlesex Line is a  passenger rail project proposed by NJT to serve he northern central part of the county. Southern Ocean County is also located about 25 miles from the Atlantic City Line, which provides service to Philadelphia. Bus. NJ Transit. Bus service is provided on NJ Transit bus routes 130, 132, 136, and 139 to and from Lakewood Bus Terminal on the U.S. Route 9 corridor. Expanded use Route 9 BBS (bus bypass shoulder lanes) is under study. Bus route 559 provides service along Route 9 between Lakewood and Pleasantville before continuing to Atlantic City. Bus route 137 provides service in three variants . One is a nonstop express between Toms River and New York that operates seven days a week. The other two are rush hour only services, one operating along County Route 549 between Toms River and Brick before continuing onto New York while the other begins and ends in Lakewood operating via County Line Road to the Brick park & rides before continuing to New York. Bus route 67 operates between Toms River and Newark providing service along County Route 549 between Toms River and Brick before continuing onto Lakewood and points north. Bus Route 317 crosses the county in an east –west fashion on its route between Philadelphia and Asbury Park. This route also provides service to Fort Dix and Camden among other destinations. Bus route 319 makes a single stop in Toms River on its route between Atlantic City and New York. Ocean Ride. Ocean Ride is a county wide system with 12 regular routes, many serving Ocean County Mall, which acts as transfer hub. Of these routes, only the OC 10 (Lavallette to Toms River) operates Monday-Saturday, with the OC 4 (Point Pleasant to Lakewood) operating Monday-Friday. All other routes run 2–3 days a week. Ocean Ride  also provides paratransit service throughout the county. Other services. Academy Bus provides service between various areas in the northern part of the county and New York. Many of the retirement communities contract for the operation of shuttle buses to connect the communities with various shopping centers in the county. Municipalities. Municipalities in Ocean County (with 2010 Census data for population, housing units and area in square miles) are: Other, unincorporated communities in the county are listed alongside their parent municipality (or municipalities). Most of these areas are census-designated places that have been created by the United States Census Bureau  for enumeration purposes within a Township. The numbers in parentheses stand for the numbers on the map. <mapframe latitude="39.8723" longitude="-74.2813" zoom="9" height="400" text="Interactive map of municipalities in Ocean County"> </mapframe>