Manchester Township is a township in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is noted for containing the Lakehurst Naval Air Station, the site of the infamous Hindenburg disaster of May 6, 1937. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 45,115,
History
Manchester Township was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 6, 1865, from portions of Dover Township (now Toms River Township). The township was named by William Torrey for Manchester, England. Portions of the township were taken to form Lakehurst on April 7, 1921.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 82.51 square miles (213.70 km<sup>2</sup>), including 81.42 square miles (210.87 km<sup>2</sup>) of land and 1.09 square miles (2.83 km<sup>2</sup>) of water (1.32%). Leisure Village West-Pine Lake Park had been a combined CDP through the 2000 United States census and was split as of the 2010 enumeration. Cedar Glen Lakes, Cedar Glen West, Crestwood Village, Pine Ridge, Fox Hollow, Lakewood Heights, Keswick Grove, Winwood, Timbergreen, and Roosevelt City are all within Whiting which makes up the largest territory in Manchester in geography and demographics with 33,180 out of 45,115 people.
The township borders Berkeley Township, Jackson Township, Lacey Township, Plumsted Township and Toms River Township in Ocean County; and both Pemberton Township and Woodland Township in Burlington County. The township completely surrounds the independent borough of Lakehurst, making it part of 21 pairs of "doughnut towns" in the state, where one municipality entirely surrounds another.
Manchester's largest development, Pine Lake Park, is known for its man-made lake, Pine Lake, built in the 1970s.
The township is one of 11 municipalities in Ocean County that are part of the Toms River watershed.