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Toms River is a Census-designated Place and Unincorporated area located within Dover Township and is the County Seat of Ocean County , New Jersey . The area is named for the Toms River , whose Estuary flows through the community and empties into Barnegat Bay . "Toms River" can refer to a neighorhood, a town, a Post Office address, or to the Census-designated Place ; it is not an Incorporated Municipality . Dover Township and Toms River are not co-extensive but are centered on the County Seat of Ocean County . As of the United States 2000 Census , the CDP had a total population of 86,327. The Census Bureau further estimates that as of July 2004 the Dover Township / Toms River area had grown to over 95,000 residents, making it one of the Most Populous Municipalities In The State Of New Jersey . Toms River is thought to be the site of a Cancer Cluster said to be caused by the chemical company Ciba-Geigy (now part of Novartis ), which operated a plant in the town between 1952 and 1990. Incidence of childhood cancer in the town was believed to be well above normal during the 1980s and 1990s; 90 children were diagnosed with cancer between 1979 and 1995. In 2002, a multi-million-dollar settlement was agreed to between Ciba-Geigy and 69 families whose children were diagnosed with cancer. Toms River is also known for its Little League Baseball team that won the Little League World Series in 1998 and was managed by Mike Gaynor and coached by Ken Kondek and Joe Francheschini. The team's nickname was the "Beast from the East," and they chose to be the road team in every game. The team returned to the Little League World Series a year later but was unable to defend their title. The Ocean County Mall is located in Toms River. Toms River is home to several yacht clubs. Toms River is also home to the New Jersey All-State Senior High School Orchestra's principal (first chair) upright bassist. GEOGRAPHY Toms River is located at 39°58'45" North, 74°10'3" West (39.979270, -74.167512). Legally the town is named Dover Township. Toms River is frequently used as a local name and there is some effort to make Toms River the legal name. According to the United States Census Bureau , the CDP has a total area of 105.2 Km&2 (40.6 Mi&2 ). 102.0 km&2 (39.4 mi&2) of it is land and 3.2 km&2 (1.2 mi&2) of it is water. The total area is 3.05% water. Along Toms River's water front, there are many millionaire homes. Movie stars such as Joe Pesci, C.E.O.’s including that of Crest East Coast, and the famous eye surgeon #REDIRECT Dr. James Pancurak all have mansions along the Barnegat Bay. DEMOGRAPHICS As of the Census of 2000, there were 86,327 people, 31,674 households, and 23,470 families residing in the CDP. The Population Density was 846.6/km&2 (2,192.7/mi&2). There were 34,375 housing units at an average density of 337.1/km&2 (873.1/mi&2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 93.36% White , 1.81% African American , 0.13% Native American , 2.54% Asian , 0.02% Pacific Islander , 0.98% from Other Races , and 1.15% from two or more races. 4.65% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 31,674 households out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.1% were Married Couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.11. In the CDP the population was spread out with 23.8% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $55,659, and the median income for a family was $62,971. Males had a median income of $47,448 versus $30,763 for females. The Per Capita Income for the CDP was $24,831. 5.6% of the population and 4.0% of families were below the Poverty Line . 6.6% of those under the age of 18 and 6.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. Toms River lies within Dover Township . Before the United States 2000 Census , considerable confusion arose from the Toms River Census-designated Place (or CDP). The United States Census Bureau defined the Toms River CDP as only the immediate downtown area. The population was given as 7,524 in 1990 . Anyone from out of the area who was only familiar with the more common name ''Toms River'' naturally used the Toms River CDP figures thinking they measured all of Dover Township . They believed from those figures that Dover Township was less than 10% of the size it had been in 1990. This confusion caused many complaints including those from real estate agents, businesses looking for financing and local groups applying for grants. For the 2000 census, local and state government officials requested that the Toms River CDP be redefined. The Census Bureau agreed, with the proviso that a census designated place may not have the same geographical boundaries as a municipality. Now the new Toms River CDP is defined as all of Dover Township except for the two small areas on the barrier island flanking the town of Lavallette and the Dover Township section of Pelican Island. With a 2000 population reported for Dover Township of 89,706 and a 2000 population of 86,327 for the Toms River CDP, future confusion between the two will be much less serious. EDUCATION Toms River is the home of the largest suburban school district in New Jersey, Toms River Regional Schools , which has a total student enrollment of about 19,000 students in 18 district schools. There are three public high schools, which are Toms River High School South , Toms River High School North , and Toms River High School East . In addition, Ocean County's only Catholic High School, Monsignor Donovan High School , is located in Toms River. TRANSPORTATION One of New Jersey's major highways, the Garden State Parkway (6 lane) runs through Toms River from mile marker 85 to 81. Like the rest of the Jersey Shore , Toms River attracts many tourists throughout the peak summer months, mostly from Northern New Jersey, New York City , and Philadelphia . Some local residents refer to these tourists as " Bennys " or " Shoebies ." The number of visitors in the summer often causes traffic congestion on the Garden State Parkway , Interstate 195 and local highways such as Route 37 in Toms River, Route 70 across Central New Jersey , Route 88 in Brick Township , or Route 35 along the Barrier Island s into Monmouth County . Friday nights on the Parkway between 3 and 6pm during summer months can be absolute gridlock. Governor Richard Codey announced a plan to widen the GSP from 4 to 6 lanes from Exit 80 in Beachwood (just south of Toms River) to Exit 63 (interchange of Route 72 in Manahawkin ) to relieve increasing weekend and commuter traffic. EXTERNAL LINKS |
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