Jackson Township is a township in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A portion of the township is located within the Pinelands National Reserve. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population was 58,544,
Roughly equidistant between New York City and Philadelphia, along with being close to the state capital of Trenton and the Jersey Shore on Interstate 195, Jackson is an outer-ring suburb of New York City within the New York metropolitan area. Jackson is also the site of the Six Flags Great Adventure Resort complex, which includes the Six Flags Great Adventure theme park, Hurricane Harbor New Jersey water park, and Wild Safari Adventure safari park. Jackson is also home to Adventure Crossing, a mixed-use entertainment complex that opened in 2023.
History
Jackson Township was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 6, 1844, from portions of Dover Township (now Toms River Township), Freehold Township and Upper Freehold Township, while the area was still part of Monmouth County. The Township was named for President Andrew Jackson, a year before his death. It became part of the newly created Ocean County on February 15, 1850. Portions of the Township were taken to form Plumsted Township on March 11, 1845.
The surnames of the first 25 families who settled in this town were Allen, Applegate, Benit (Bennett), Bills, Burdon (Borden) - a 1665 patentee, Buckelew, Cheeseman - a 1665 patentee, Henderson, Holman - a 1665 patentee, Hulse, Hyerse (Heyers), Johnstone, and Johnson, Perrino, Reynolds, Van Hise, and White.
Starting around 1920, the cranberry and other agricultural industries started to grow. It would remain like this until 1955 when the Federal Government terminated its subsidizing of chicken grain.
Starting with an average of 100 new homes per year in the late 1950s, new homes built per year in the 1960s increased to an average of 750. And the 1970s to 1980s to more than a thousand units per year. From 1961 to 1966, 3,000 new children enrolled in the local elementary schools, and despite the recession of 1989-90, this trend still continued.]]
On July 1, 1974, under the direction of New York based entrepreneur Warner LeRoy, Six Flags Great Adventure amusement park opened in Jackson Township. It first opened to the public as simply Great Adventure in 1974, it was later acquired by the larger Six Flags brand in 1977. To accommodate for the rise in tourism in the township, in 1997 Simon Property Group opened Jackson Premium Outlets, an open-air outlet power center.
Adventure Crossing opened in January 2023, located between Jackson Premium Outlets and Six Flags Great Adventure.
On April 1, 2023, two separate tornadoes rated EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita scale struck Jackson Township, with winds of up to . The first tornado struck western sections of the township near County Route 537 (Monmouth Road), inflicting significant damage to the Adventure Crossing USA mixed-use complex (causing the sports bubble to actually collapse), a newly built warehouse development and several homes. The second tornado struck near the border with neighboring Howell Township near the Aldrich Road area. The National Weather Service confirmed that the path of the tornado was wide and long. Both of these tornadoes were some of the strongest recorded to have hit the state and were part of four separate powerful tornadoes that had impacted the state in the outbreak.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of , comprised of of land (98.63%) and of water (1.37%). Other unincorporated communities, localities and populated places located completely or partially within the township include Archers Corner, Bennetts Mills, Burksville, Butterfly Bridge, Cassville, Colliers Mills, DeBow Corner, Francis Mills, Grayville, Harmony, Holmansville, Holmeson, Hyson, Jackson Mills, Kapps Corner, Leesville, Legler, Maryland, Midwood, New Prospect, Pleasant Grove, Prospertown, Ridgeway State Forest, Success, The Alligator, Van Hiseville, Webbsville, Whitesbridge and Whitesville.
The township borders Lakewood Township, Manchester Township, Plumsted Township and Toms River in Ocean County; and Freehold Township, Howell Township, Millstone Township and Upper Freehold Township in Monmouth County.
Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area is a wildlife management area located within portions of both Jackson Township and Plumsted Township operated by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's Division of Fish and Wildlife. Several man-made lakes are located within the township, including Success Lake in the Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area.
The township is one of 11 municipalities in Ocean County that are part of the Toms River watershed.
Climate
The climate of Central Jersey is in the transition zone from the humid subtropical climate (Cfa) of the southeast United States and humid continental (Dfa) to the north. Jackson Township gets of rain per year. Snowfall is inches and the number of days with any measurable precipitation is 115. On average, there are 206 sunny days per year in the township. The July high is around and the January low is . The comfort index is 45 out of 100.