Point Pleasant Beach is a borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough’s population was 4,665, reflecting a decline of 649 (-12.2%) from the 5,314 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 202 (+4.0%) from the 5,112 counted in the 1990 Census.
Point Pleasant Beach was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on May 18, 1886, from portions of Brick Township, subject to the results of a referendum passed the previous day.
The borough is 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. The borough’s boardwalk is approximately one mile long, spanning the coastline from the Manasquan Inlet at the north to New Jersey Avenue in the south. The central third of the boardwalk is largely amusement rides, the Jenkinsons Aquarium, the Jenkinsons Arcades, pizza joints, ice cream parlors, games-of-chance and miniature golf courses. Point Pleasant Beach is also the northern terminus of the East Coast’s Intracoastal Waterway. It is near Point Pleasant borough, a municipality independent of Point Pleasant Beach.
It was ranked the eighth-best beach in New Jersey in the 2008 Top 10 Beaches Contest sponsored by the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium.
The Borough of Point Pleasant Beach was established on June 2, 1886.
The 1870s was an era of major tourism expansion, driven by developers who subdivided old farms for vacation home lots. Captain Arnold devised Arnold City between Central and what was to become Arnold Avenue. In 1877, the Point Pleasant Land Company bought the old Forman Farm, 250 acres (1.0 km2) on what is now Route 35 South, between Forman and Elizabeth Avenues and began selling lots. In 1878, it built the four-story, 200-guest Resort House, the largest building in town. It also began a horse-drawn trolley service to attract tourists. Other hotels were built before the turn-of-the-20th century, including the largest, the Leighton, as well as the Beacon, and Zimmerman’s, though many of these, including the Resort House, burnt down, succumbed to changing tastes, or were dismantled for wood during World War II. Initially, visitors focused their attention on the Manasquan River, cedar groves and farmhouses, but their interest in the ocean led to development on the waterfront, beginning with the first beachfront pavilion on Atlantic Avenue in 1880. Ten years later, the first flimsy, portable boardwalk was built, but it washed away within two years.
The original amusement area was Clark’s Landing, which opened on the Manasquan River in 1892. In 1897, the decision for privately owned beaches in Point Pleasant Beach was made when, as noted in the Council minutes of August 16, “Ownership of the Beach turned down by the Council because of the extreme cost to the Borough for maintenance.” In 1915, the first permanent boardwalk was built between Philadelphia and Central Avenues, and eventually expanded along the entire length of Point Pleasant Beach, but shortened to its present length by a September 1938 hurricane that destroyed its southern portion. It evolved from a mere promenade for strolling to a more active amusement area, beginning with Charles Jenkinson’s construction in the 1920s of Jenkinson’s Pavilion and Swimming Pool. The boardwalk pavilion became the center of nightlife, featuring sophisticated dancing, well-known big bands, and occasional live nationally broadcast radio. Today it features a number of amusement rides, video arcades, and diverse cuisine, ranging from the traditional sausage sandwich to sushi. Point Pleasant Beach hosts an annual Seafood Festival in September.
On February 12, 1900, the steel-hulled, Scottish barque, County of Edinburgh was blown ashore at high tide and became stranded. The event became national news when it was extensively reported in The New York Times, illustrated by a high quality photograph that became the resource for a famous painting by Antonio Jacobsen. The undamaged vessel was successfully re-floated on the spring tide of February 14 and continued on her voyage from Cape Town to New York.
In October 2012, Point Pleasant Beach and numerous other Jersey Shore communities, such as Seaside Heights and Long Beach Island, were devastated by Hurricane Sandy. Nearly 2,800 feet (850 m) of the borough’s boardwalk was destroyed, with the cost of repairs estimated as up to $2 million.
After Hurricane Sandy a seawall was constructed to protect the area from future storms. In addition, the borough required residents who wished to rebuild their homes to elevate them on pilings above the height of Sandy’s storm surge.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 1.744 square miles (4.516 km2), including 1.427 square miles (3.695 km2) of land and 0.317 square miles (0.821 km2) of water (18.18%).
Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Clark’s Landing, Lovelandtown and Sunshine Harbor.
The borough borders Bay Head and Point Pleasant in Ocean County and both Brielle and Manasquan in Monmouth County.
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 4,665 people, 1,985 households, and 1,122 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,270.1 per square mile (1,262.6/km2). There were 3,373 housing units at an average density of 2,364.4 per square mile (912.9/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 92.35% (4,308) White, 0.84% (39) Black or African American, 0.15% (7) Native American, 0.84% (39) Asian, 0.02% (1) Pacific Islander, 4.52% (211) from other races, and 1.29% (60) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.02% (421) of the population.
Source: Wikipedia
