thumb|300px|[[Nightlife at Jenkinson's Boardwalk]]

Point Pleasant Beach is a coastal borough situated on the Jersey Shore, and the northernmost community directly facing the Atlantic Ocean within Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It lies at the northern end of the Barnegat Peninsula, which serves as a barrier island separating Barnegat Bay from the open Atlantic Ocean. The borough's name is derived from its location.

As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 4,766,

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. Point Pleasant Beach lies immediately to the east of Point Pleasant, an entirely separate municipality within Ocean County.

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 Jenkinson's Aquarium, the Jenkinson's Arcades, pizza joints, ice cream parlors, games-of-chance and miniature golf courses. There are fees of up to $10 per person age 12 or over to access the various beaches, as well as parking fees of up to $2.50 per hour or more.

The beach was ranked eighth-best in New Jersey in the "2008 Top 10 Beaches Contest" sponsored by the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium.

History

The area that includes Point Pleasant Beach was first occupied by the Lenape Native Americans. On September 2, 1609, Henry Hudson and the crew of his ship, Half Moon, noticed the area on their way north to explore the Hudson River. Crew member Robert Juet noted in his journal, "This is a very good Land to fall with and a pleasant Land to see." The first European settlers were fisherman and farmers who first arrived in the 18th century. Summer tourism began in the early 19th century when Quaker Thomas Cook Jr. opened his farmhouse on the site of the current Antrim Elementary School to boarders, which began the trend that transformed the area into an oceanfront haven for visitors, a trend further established in the 1870 by Captain John Arnold, who built a roadway to the ocean, now known as Arnold Avenue. In 1875, he built the first bridge over the Manasquan River, linking the town to Brielle. He later convinced the Central Jersey Railroad to extend its service to Point Pleasant Beach, which it did beginning on July 3, 1880.

The Borough of Point Pleasant Beach was established on June 2, 1886. 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 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.

Geography

thumb|right|A view of the beach in Point Pleasant Beach

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 1.74 square miles (4.50&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>), including 1.42 square miles (3.68&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) of land and 0.32 square miles (0.82&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) of water (18.22%).

The borough borders the municipalities of Bay Head and Point Pleasant in Ocean County; and both Brielle and Manasquan in Monmouth County.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Point Pleasant Beach had a population of 4,766. The median age was 50.2 years. 15.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 106.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 104.8 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 2,045 households in Point Pleasant Beach, of which 20.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 46.2% were married-couple households, 23.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census

There were 2,317 households, out of which 22.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.3% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.2% were non-families. 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.96. 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 Point Pleasant Beach 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 Point Pleasant Beach is Republican Doug Vitale, whose term of office ends December 31, 2027. Members of the Borough Council are Council President Caryn S. Byrnes (R, 2027), George "Andy" Cortes (R, 2027), Arthur Gant Sr. (R, 2026), Michael M. Ramos (R, 2027), Karen "Kitty" Stillufsen (R, 2028) and Douglas Vitale (R, 2027).

In February 2020, the borough council selected Caryn S. Byrnes to fill the seat expiring in December 2020 that became vacant following the resignation of Paul Kanitra to take office as mayor.

Federal, state and county representation

Point Pleasant Beach is located in the 4th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 10th state legislative district.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 3,385 registered voters in Point Pleasant Beach, of which 623 (18.4%) were registered as Democrats, 1,295 (38.3%) were registered as Republicans and 1,465 (43.3%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 2 voters registered as either Libertarians or Greens. Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 72.6% (vs. 63.2% in Ocean County) were registered to vote, including 89.5% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 82.6% countywide).

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In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 60.1% of the vote (1,373 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 39.0% (891 votes), and other candidates with 0.9% (20 votes), among the 2,299 ballots cast by the borough's 3,559 registered voters (15 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 64.6%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 58.1% of the vote (1,486 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 40.1% (1,026 votes) and other candidates with 1.3% (34 votes), among the 2,557 ballots cast by the borough's 3,533 registered voters, for a turnout of 72.4%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 59.2% of the vote (1,561 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry with 39.2% (1,035 votes) and other candidates with 0.9% (32 votes), among the 2,639 ballots cast by the borough's 3,647 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 72.4.

{| 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;" |59.4% 1,845

| style="text-align:center;" |38.8% 1,205

| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" |1.8% 53

|-

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

| style="text-align:center;" |58.8% 1,829

| style="text-align:center;" |39.2% 1,219

| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" |2.0% 40

|-

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

| style="text-align:center;" |62.7% 1,582

| style="text-align:center;" |33.9% 856

| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" |3.4% 87

|-

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

| style="text-align:center;" |60.1% 1,373

| style="text-align:center;" |39.0% 891

| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" |0.9% 20

|-

| style="text-align:center;" |2008

| style="text-align:center;" |58.1% 1,486

| style="text-align:center;" |40.1% 1,026

| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" |1.3% 34

|-

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

| style="text-align:center;" |59.2% 1,691

| style="text-align:center;" |39.2% 1,035

| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" |0.9% 32

|-

|}

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 74.5% of the vote (1,332 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 23.6% (421 votes), and other candidates with 1.9% (34 votes), among the 1,843 ballots cast by the borough's 3,502 registered voters (56 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 52.6%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 65.1% of the vote (1,280 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 27.8% (546 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 5.3% (105 votes) and other candidates with 0.5% (10 votes), among the 1,966 ballots cast by the borough's 3,425 registered voters, yielding a 57.4% turnout.

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Education

The Point Pleasant Beach School District serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2023–24 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 646 students and 75.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 8.6:1. Schools in the district (with 2023–24 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are

G. Harold Antrim Elementary School 310 students in grades PreK–8 and

Point Pleasant Beach High School 326 students in grades 9–12.

In addition to the students of Point Pleasant Beach, the district also serves the students of Bay Head and Lavallette for grades 9–12 and those from Mantoloking for K–12, as part of sending/receiving relationships. Some outside students attend the district's schools on a tuition basis.

Transportation

thumb|right|[[New Jersey Route 35|Route 35 northbound in Point Pleasant Beach]]

thumb|right|Point Pleasant Beach station, which is served by NJ Transit's North Jersey Coast Line

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.

Route 35 is the main highway serving Point Pleasant Beach. The highway traverses the borough north to south, connecting Point Pleasant Beach to Bay Head and Brielle. Route 88 has its eastern terminus at the intersection of Route 35 along the southwest edge of Point Pleasant Beach, from which point it heads west through Point Pleasant and onward to Lakewood.

Public transportation

NJ Transit trains stop at Point Pleasant Beach on Arnold Avenue with service on the North Jersey Coast Line north to Newark Penn Station, Hoboken Terminal, and New York Penn Station.

NJ Transit provides bus service between the borough and Philadelphia on the 317 route along with local service on the 830 route.

Ocean Ride local service is provided on the OC3A Brick—Point Pleasant and the OC4 Lakewood—Brick Link routes.

Composer Edward Manukyan, who lived in Point Pleasant Beach briefly in 2002, wrote the song "Point Pleasant Beach" about the borough.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Point Pleasant Beach has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa). Cfa climates are characterized by all months having an average mean temperature above , at least four months with an average mean temperature at or above , at least one month with an average mean temperature at or above and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. During the summer months at Point Pleasant Beach, a cooling afternoon sea breeze is present on most days, but episodes of extreme heat and humidity can occur with heat index values at or above . On average, the wettest month of the year is July which corresponds with the annual peak in thunderstorm activity. During the winter months, episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill values below . The plant hardiness zone at Point Pleasant Beach is 7a with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of . The average seasonal (November–April) snowfall total is between and the average snowiest month is February which corresponds with the annual peak in nor'easter activity.

Ecology

According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types, Point Pleasant Beach would have an Appalachian Oak (104) vegetation type with an Eastern Hardwood Forest (25) vegetation form.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Point Pleasant Beach include:

  • Evelyn Adams, two-time winner of the New Jersey Lottery
  • Jason Cairns retired American soccer forward who played professionally for the Cincinnati Riverhawks and the New Jersey Stallions
  • Jim Carone (born 1981), head coach of the Wagner Seahawks baseball team
  • Robert (born 1966) and Dean DeLeo (born 1961), bass guitarist and guitarist respectively, from the musical rock group Stone Temple Pilots, grew up in Point Pleasant Beach
  • Matt Farrell (born 1996), basketball player
  • Katelynn Flaherty (born 1996), former basketball player for the Michigan Wolverines, who is the school's all-time leading scorer in points, man or woman, with 2,776 career points
  • Alfred M. Gray Jr. (born 1928), 29th Commandant of the Marine Corps
  • Dickie Harris (born 1950), all-star defensive back who played for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League
  • James W. Holzapfel (born 1944), member of the New Jersey Senate
  • Leonard Lomell (1920–2011), U.S. Army Ranger who played a pivotal role in destroying German gun emplacements on D-Day

References

  • Point Pleasant Beach website
  • Point Pleasant Beach School District
  • School Data for the Point Pleasant Beach School District, National Center for Education Statistics
  • Point Pleasant First Aid and Emergency Squad
  • Ocean Fire Company #1
  • Point Pleasant Beach Branch of Ocean County Library
  • Point Pleasant Beach Chamber of Commerce website