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Surf City, New Jersey




Surf City is a Borough in Ocean County , New Jersey , United States . As of the United States 2000 Census , the borough population was 1,442. The borough borders the Atlantic Ocean on Long Beach Island .

What is now Surf City was originally formed as Long Beach City borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on September 19 , 1894 , from portions of Stafford Township , based on the results of a referendum held the previous day. The borough was renamed '''Surf City''' by a resolution of the Borough Council as of May 26 , 1899 ."The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 205.


GEOGRAPHY

Surf City is located at (39.661385, -74.166633).

According to the United States Census Bureau , the borough has a total area of 2.4 Km&2 (0.9 Mi&2 ). 1.9 km&2 (0.7 mi&2) of it is land and 0.5 km&2 (0.2 mi&2) of it (21.74%) is water.


HISTORY

Home to the first big Boarding Hotel on the New Jersey Coast , called the Mansion of Health. The area surrounding this hotel was called "Buzby's Place" in the 1830s and 1940s, after one of the owners of the Mansion of Health, Hudson Buzby. The Mansion of Health burned down in1874, but some old-timers still call the cove at the foot of South First Street on the bay side "Mansion Cove." Lloyd, pgs. 31-33.
In 1875, the 20 or so permanent members of the area decided to call it Long Beach City, even though the area was still considered part of Stafford Township . But in 1894, Surf City became incorporated, changing its name to Surf City in 1899 after the United States Postal Service demanded a name change before the town could incorporate, preventing it from being confused with Long Branch in Monmouth County . Lloyd, pg. 32.


DEMOGRAPHICS

  1930 76
  1940 129
  1950 291
  1960 419
  1970 1129
  1980 1571
  1990 1375
  2000 1442
  Estimate 1542
  Estyear 2006
  Estref Census data for Deal borough , United States Census Bureau Accessed July 30 , 2007
  Footnote Population 1930 - 1990 Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990 , Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network Accessed March 1 , 2007


As of the Census of 2000, there were 1,442 people, 706 households, and 420 families residing in the borough. The Population Density was 773.3/km&2 (1,990.4/mi&2). There were 2,621 housing units at an average density of 1,405.5/km&2 (3,617.9/mi&2). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.06% White , 0.14% African American , 0.21% Native American , 0.35% Asian , 0.42% Pacific Islander , 0.55% from Other Races , and 0.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.94% of the population.

There were 706 households out of which 13.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were Married Couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.4% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.04 and the average family size was 2.61.

In the borough the population was spread out with 12.4% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 21.6% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 34.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 53 years. For every 100 females there were 90.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $38,190, and the median income for a family was $50,268. Males had a median income of $40,625 versus $25,208 for females. The Per Capita Income for the borough was $26,632. About 5.6% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the Poverty Line , including 22.1% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.


GOVERNMENT


Local government

The mayor of Surf City Borough is . p. 11. Accessed August 14 , 2007 .


Federal, state and county representation

Surf City is in the Third Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 9th Legislative District. 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government , New Jersey League Of Women Voters , p. 64. Accessed August 30 , 2006 .






EDUCATION

For grades K through 6, public school students attend the Long Beach Island Consolidated School District , which serves students from Barnegat Light , Harvey Cedars , Long Beach Township , Ship Bottom and Surf City. Schools in the district are Ethel Jacobsen School in Surf City which has 117 students in grades Kindergarten - 2 and Long Beach Island Grade School in Ship Bottom which has 181 students in grades 3 - 6.

Public school students in grades 7 through 12 attend the Southern Regional Middle School (grades 7 and 8) and Southern Regional High School (grades 9 - 12). These schools are part of the Southern Regional School District , which serves the five municipalities in the Long Beach Island Consolidated School District, along with students from Beach Haven and Stafford Township . Both schools are in Manahawkin .


LANDMARKS

Surf City Yacht Club (SCYC). Here many sailors and swimmers ranging in age dedicate their summers to the Yacht Club. There are weekly races against other yacht clubs throughout the Island.


NOTABLE RESIDENTS

Notable current and former residents of Surf City include:


REFERENCES



SOURCES

  • Lloyd, John Bailey. "Eighteen Miles of History on Long Beach Island." (1994) Down The Shore Publishing and The SandPaper, Inc.



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