Seaside Park, NJ

 Seaside Park is a Borough in Ocean County, New Jersey; it is located in United States of American with a population of 2,263 as of the year 2000. (United States 2000 Census) The borough of Seaside Park is situated on the Barnegat Peninsula, a long, narrow barrier island that separates mainland from the Atlantic Ocean.

 Seaside Park was once a section of Dover Township (now known as Toms River Township) until Berkeley Township was created in 1875. The area then became known as the “Sea Side Park” section of Berkeley Township. Over the next twenty-five years, lots were sold, houses and roads were built, and the population of Seaside Park began to slowly grow.

 On March 3, 1898, New Jersey Senate President Foster M. Voorhees, the acting Governor of New Jersey, signed a bill incorporating “Sea Side Park” as an independent borough, created from portions of Berkeley Township.^[1] Originally, the town ran from 14th Avenue to North Avenue, about half its present size. An area known as the Berkeley Tract, north of the original area of the borough, was annexed on or about May 12, 1900.

 As the community grew, the name of the borough lost a space. In 1914, a newly-appointed municipal clerk wrote the name of the town as “Seaside Park” in the council minutes. This practice continues to this day.^[2]

Demographics

 As of the census of 2000, there were 2,263 people, 1,127 households, and 606 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,344.2/km² (3,481.5/mi²). There were 2,811 housing units at an average density of 1,669.7/km² (4,324.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 97.79% White, 2.30% Hispanic, 0.27% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, and 0.18% from other races.

 There were 1,127 households out of which 16.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.3% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.2% were non-families. 38.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.01 and the average family size was 2.61.

 In the borough the population was spread out with 14.4% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 25.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.6 males.

 The median income for a household in the borough was $45,380, and the median income for a family was $58,636. Males had a median income of $42,813 versus $27,333 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $30,090. About 6.4% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.3% of those under age 18 and 1.5% of those age 65 or over.

Local government

 The Mayor of Seaside Park is Thomas Connors (Democratic Party United States), term expires December 31, 2011). Borough Council Members are Dr. Fritz McHugh (D, 2010), Jim Jablonski (R, 2009), Nancy Koury (D, 2008), Mary Agnes Wierzbowski (D, 2010), Sharon Pratico (D, 2009) and Norma Spice (R, 2008).

Education

 The Seaside Park Elementary School serves 121 public school students in grades K-6.

 Students in public school for grades 7 through 12 attend the schools of the Central Regional School District, which serves students from the municipalities of Berkeley Township, Island Heights, Ocean Gate, Seaside Heights and Seaside Park. The total student population in the district is approximately 2,400, instructed by 200 staff members. The schools in the district are Central Regional Middle School for grades 7 and 8 (833 students), and Central Regional High School for grades 9 - 12 (1,494 students).