Point Pleasant is a borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough’s population was 18,392, reflecting a decline of 914 (-4.7%) from the 19,306 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 1,129 (+6.2%) from the 18,177 counted in the 1990 Census.

Point Pleasant was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 21, 1920, from portions of Brick Township, based on the results of a referendum held on May 19, 1920. The borough was reincorporated on March 12, 1928. Point Pleasant is distinct from Point Pleasant Beach, which is a separate community.

The borough is a Jersey Shore community situated on the Barnegat Peninsula, a long, narrow barrier peninsula that divides the Barnegat Bay from the Atlantic Ocean at the Manasquan Inlet, and the borough derives its name from this location.

Around 1500, the area that included the future Point Pleasant was the ceremonial meeting place of the Lenape Native Americans, who called it the “Land of Tall Timber”. In approximately 1665, the first European settlers arrived in the area, mainly fishermen, farmers and boat builders.

On February 15, 1850, Governor Daniel Haines and the New Jersey Legislature separated Ocean County from Monmouth County, and created Brick Township, including the Point Pleasant area, which became independent of Brick Township in 1920, though the post office carried the designation “West Point Pleasant” until 1956. According to the town’s official website, many longtime residents still use that name. The town’s first mayor was Melville B. Parker, chosen after J.H. Harvey declined the position after being elected. The town was initially a logging town, although logging was never a significant part of the local economy.

In 1924, the Manasquan River-Bay Head Canal was completed as part of the inland waterway. The canal, which divides Point Pleasant in half, provides a passage for boats, and is the northern most leg of the Intracoastal Waterway which traverses the East Coast of the United States along the Atlantic Ocean between New Jersey and Florida. In 1964, Senator Clifford Case introduced legislation that changed the canal’s name to the Point Pleasant Canal.

Though often regarded as a summer resort, the borough’s website emphasizes that it is a “year round community of approximately 19,000 residents”.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 4.167 square miles (10.790 km²), including 3.489 square miles (9.035 km²) of land and 0.678 square miles (1.755 km²) of water (16.26%).

The borough is bounded on the north by the Manasquan River, on the east by Point Pleasant Beach and Bay Head, on the south by Beaver Dam Creek and on the west by Brick Township; the borough also borders Mantoloking in Ocean County and Brielle in Monmouth County. The town is home to the Point Pleasant Canal, completed in 1925, at the northern end of the Intracoastal Waterway. The two lift bridges over the canal, at Route 88 and Bridge Avenue, can be opened as many as 300 times per day during the summer to allow boats to pass underneath as marine traffic has the right of way.

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 18,392 people, 7,273 households, and 4,982 families residing in the borough. The population density was 5,272.1 per square mile (2,035.6/km²). There were 8,331 housing units at an average density of 2,388.1 per square mile (922.1/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 96.05% (17,666) White, 0.41% (75) Black or African American, 0.13% (24) Native American, 0.72% (133) Asian, 0.03% (6) Pacific Islander, 1.66% (305) from other races, and 0.99% (183) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.08% (935) of the population.

Source: Wikipedia