Beachwood, New Jersey

Beachwood is a borough situated in the Jersey Shore region, within Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 10,859,

Beachwood was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 22, 1917, from portions of Berkeley Township, based on the results of a referendum held on April 12, 1917.

History

What is now the borough of Beachwood dates its settlement to a 1914 plan backed by the publishers of the New-York Tribune, under which of Berkeley Township were purchased and sectioned off as a summer colony called "Beachwood". Buyers paid $19.60 for a plot of land measuring and received a six-month subscription to The Tribune as a bonus. The first residents of the community moved in during April 1915, and work on a Club House, the Pier, the Bath House, the Lodge, a dining hall and a railroad station were planned to be completed by the end of May. Other offerings within the development included tennis courts, and facilities along the beach and on the river for canoeing, sailing and swimming. The first "cottages" in the community were constructed during that first summer season.

A Property-Owner's Association was established in 1916. In addition to overseeing local services within the development, the organization also advocated that the community should become an independent municipality.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 2.76 square miles (7.16 km2), including 2.76 square miles (7.16 km2) of land and <0.01 square miles (<0.01 km2) of water (0.04%).

The borough is one of 11 municipalities in Ocean County that are part of the Toms River watershed.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Beachwood had a population of 10,859. The median age was 38.2 years. 23.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 13.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.6 males age 18 and over.

99.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.1% lived in rural areas.

There were 3,719 households in Beachwood, of which 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 56.1% were married-couple households, 14.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 22.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 16.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census

There were 3,475 households, out of which 42.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.0% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.9% were non-families. 15.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.31. Beachwood is now governed under the borough form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 municipalities (of the 564) statewide, making it the most common form of government in New Jersey. The governing body is comprised of the mayor and the borough council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. The mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The borough council includes six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle. The borough form of government used by Beachwood is a "weak mayor / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can veto ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council.

, the mayor of Beachwood is Republican Ronald F. Roma Jr., whose term of office ends December 31, 2027. Members of the Beachwood Borough Council are John P. Farro Jr. (R, 2024; appointed to serve an unexpired term), Steven Komsa (R, 2026), Gerald "Jerry" LaCrosse (R, 2025), Thomas Prince (R, 2026), Dan Santos (R, 2024; appointed to an unexpired term) and Edward Zakar (R, 2025).

In January 2024, John Farro was appointed to fill the council seat expiring in December 2024 that became vacant when William Cairns took office as mayor.

Bill Cairns was appointed to fill the vacant seat expiring in December 2015 of Thomas Miserendino, who died in office in June 2015.

Federal, state, and county representation

Beachwood is located in the 4th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 9th state legislative district.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 6,714 registered voters in Beachwood, of which 1,329 (19.8%) were registered as Democrats, 1,661 (24.7%) were registered as Republicans and 3,718 (55.4%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 6 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens. Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 60.8% (vs. 63.2% in Ocean County) were registered to vote, including 81.5% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 82.6% countywide).

In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 51.9% of the vote (2,264 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 47.0% (2,048 votes), and other candidates with 1.1% (48 votes), among the 4,397 ballots cast by the borough's 6,979 registered voters (37 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 63.0%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 51.5% of the vote (2,610 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 46.2% (2,342 votes) and other candidates with 1.3% (68 votes), among the 5,064 ballots cast by the borough's 7,008 registered voters, for a turnout of 72.3%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 58.9% of the vote (2,755 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry with 40.0% (1,869 votes) and other candidates with 0.6% (38 votes), among the 4,676 ballots cast by the borough's 6,492 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 72.0.

{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; font-size:95%;"

|+ Presidential Elections Results

!Year

!Republican

!Democratic

!Third Parties

| style="text-align:center;" |2024

| style="text-align:center;" |62.8% 3,682

| style="text-align:center;" |35.2% 2,064

| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" |2.0% 5

| style="text-align:center;" |2020

| style="text-align:center;" |60.0% 3,587

| style="text-align:center;" |37.4% 2,234

| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" |2.6% 5

| style="text-align:center;" |2016

| style="text-align:center;" |63.7% 3,088

| style="text-align:center;" |31.5% 1,525

| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" |4.8% 231

| style="text-align:center;" |2012

| style="text-align:center;" |51.5% 2,610

| style="text-align:center;" |46.2% 2,342

| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" |1.3% 68

| style="text-align:center;" |2004

| style="text-align:center;" |58.9% 2,755

| style="text-align:center;" |40.0% 1,869

| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" |0.6% 38

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 71.4% of the vote (2,064 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 27.1% (782 votes), and other candidates with 1.5% (43 votes), among the 2,960 ballots cast by the borough's 6,897 registered voters (71 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 42.9%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 64.3% of the vote (2,169 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 27.8% (937 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 5.2% (175 votes) and other candidates with 1.7% (57 votes), among the 3,375 ballots cast by the borough's 6,933 registered voters, yielding a 48.7% turnout.

Education

Public school students in kindergarten through twelfth grade attend the Toms River Regional Schools, a regional public school system based primarily in Toms River Township that is the state's largest suburban district. In addition to students from Toms River, the district also serves the boroughs of Beachwood, Pine Beach and South Toms River. As of the 2023–24 school year, the district, comprised of 18 schools, had an enrollment of 14,654 students and 1,078.7 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.6:1. Students in kindergarten through 5th grades attend either Beachwood Elementary School in Beachwood or Pine Beach Elementary in the neighboring community of Pine Beach. Intermediate school students attend Toms River Intermediate School South in Beachwood for grades 6–8. High school students attend Toms River High School South in Toms River Township for grades 9–12. The district's board of education has nine members; seats are allocated based on population, with one seat allocated to Beachwood.

Transportation

thumb|right|The northbound [[Garden State Parkway in Beachwood]]

Roads and highways

, the borough had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Ocean County and by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

The Garden State Parkway passes through the borough, connecting Berkeley Township in the south to South Toms River in the north.

Public transportation

NJ Transit offers local bus service to and from Lakewood Township/Toms River and Atlantic City on the 559 route.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Beachwood include:

Tom Brown Jr. (1950–2024), naturalist, tracker, survivalist and author, who ran the Tom Brown Jr. Tracker School
Melbourne Armstrong Carriker (1879–1965), ornithologist
Ashley Alexandra Dupré (born 1985), former Emperors Club VIP Diamond Girl, who was a central figure in the prostitution scandal with Eliot Spitzer, then New York Governor
Mark Geiger (born 1974), soccer referee who officiated at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Jeffrey Moran (born 1946), Ocean County Surrogate and former member of the New Jersey General Assembly from 1986 to 2003, who served on the Beachwood Borough Council from 1970 to 1972

References

External links

Beachwood municipal website
Beachwood Historical Alliance
Toms River Regional Schools
School Data for the Toms River Regional Schools, National Center for Education Statistics
Beachwood Branch of Ocean County Library
Beachwood Volunteer Fire Company Station 16