Beach Haven, New Jersey

Beach Haven is a borough situated on the Jersey Shore in southern Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The borough is located on Long Beach Island (LBI) and borders the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 1,027, a decrease of 143 (−12.2%) from the 2010 census count of 1,170, which in turn reflected a decline of 108 (−8.5%) from the 1,278 counted in the 2000 census.

Beach Haven was incorporated as a Borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on November 11, 1890, from portions of Eagleswood Township, based on the results of a referendum held five days earlier.

History
Beach Haven, known as the "Queen City," is a late 19th-century beachfront resort originally established in 1873 to house wealthy summer residents from Philadelphia. Although some of the major structures, including several hotels and a boardwalk, were lost to storms in the 1940s including the Great Atlantic Hurricane of 1944, a large portion of the town retains its Victorian and Edwardian character. The Beach Haven Historic District listed in the New Jersey and the National Register of Historic Places in the early 1980s, encompasses the most intact buildings at the core of the resort.

The first incident in the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916 took place at the east end of Engleside Avenue. The ensuing series of attacks along the Jersey Shore became the basis for the book Jaws, by Peter Benchley.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 2.33 square miles (6.03 km2), including 0.98 square miles (2.54 km2) of land and 1.35 square miles (3.50 km2) of water (57.94%).

The borough borders the Ocean County municipalities of Little Egg Harbor Township and Long Beach Township.

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 1,170 people, 531 households, and 301 families in the borough. The population density was 1196.0 /sqmi. There were 2,667 housing units at an average density of 2726.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup was 92.65% (1,084) White, 0.34% (4) Black or African American, 0.00% (0) Native American, 0.77% (9) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 5.90% (69) from other races, and 0.34% (4) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.91% (116) of the population.

Of the 531 households, 15.4% had children under the age of 18; 43.5% were married couples living together; 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present and 43.3% were non-families. Of all households, 36.7% were made up of individuals and 17.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.81.

13.8% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 19.7% from 25 to 44, 34.5% from 45 to 64, and 25.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 51.5 years. For every 100 females, the population had 90.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 93.7 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $71,532 (with a margin of error of +/− $4,910) and the median family income was $89,306 (+/− $12,115). Males had a median income of $54,750 (+/− $63,730) versus $51,875 (+/− $34,023) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $52,498 (+/− $9,292). About 3.8% of families and 5.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.3% of those under age 18 and 1.2% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census there were 1,278 people, 586 households, and 346 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,301.8 PD/sqmi. There were 2,555 housing units at an average density of 2,602.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the borough was 98.83% White, 0.08% African American, 0.55% Asian, 0.08% from other races, and 0.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.69% of the population.

There were 586 households, out of which 18.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.8% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.80.

In the borough, the population was spread out, with 17.1% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 22.0% from 25 to 44, 28.1% from 45 to 64, and 27.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.4 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $48,355, and the median income for a family was $68,036. Males had a median income of $39,444 versus $29,688 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $30,267. About 1.2% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 1.9% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture
The Surflight Theatre is a 450-seat theater originally established in 1950 that offers theatrical productions for adults and children. It and its sister establishment, the cabaret-style sing-for-your dessert restaurant the Showplace Ice Cream Parlour, closed in 2015 after filing for bankruptcy with $2.6 million in debt, re-opening in 2017 under new ownership.

Parks and recreation
Veteran's Bicentennial Park, in the heart of Beach Haven, hosts many summer concerts, flea markets and parades, and an open park area for general recreation. As the island is only a few blocks wide, the beach and the bay (Little Egg Harbor) are readily accessible from anywhere in Beach Haven. Pavilions could be found at Fifth and Pearl Streets, both of which were washed away by Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 and subsequently rebuilt in June 2013. Beach badges are required and can be purchased at Borough Hall or the Centre Street badge booth, however daily and weekly badges may be purchased via mobile app.

Beach Haven is home to multiple attractions, including the only amusement park on the island: Fantasy Island, the Long Beach Island Museum, Thundering Surf water park and numerous miniature golf facilities.

Local government
Since 2010, Beach Haven has operated within the Faulkner Act, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under the Council-Manager form of government. The township is one of 42 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form of government. The governing body is comprised of five members, who are elected on an at-large basis in staggered non-partisan elections, with either two or three seats up for vote in even-numbered years as part of the November general election in a four-year cycle. At a reorganization meeting held each January, one member is chosen as mayor and another as council president, each serving one-year terms in that position. Beach Haven had previously been governed under the Walsh Act, by a three-member Board of Commissioners, one of whom was selected to serve as Mayor, under a system in place from 1946 to 2010.

, members of the Beach Haven Borough Council are Mayor Nancy Taggart Davis (2024), Council President Catherine "Kitty" Snyder (2026), Jaime Baumiller (2026), Colleen Lambert (2024) and Michael K. McCaffrey (2024; elected to serve an unexpired term).

In the November 2014 general election incumbent James White, who had not placed his name on the ballot for re-election, won the second open council seat behind a write-in campaign that brought him 167 votes, ahead of Don Katskis, who had received a total of 165 votes.

Federal, state and county representation
Beach Haven is located in the 2nd Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 9th state legislative district. Prior to the 2010 Census, Beach Haven had been part of the NJ's 3rd congressional district, a change made by the New Jersey Redistricting Commission that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections.

Politics
Beach Haven has supported all Republican presidential candidates since at least 1932.

As of March 2011, there were a total of 992 registered voters in Beach Haven, of which 175 (17.6%) were registered as Democrats, 346 (34.9%) were registered as Republicans and 471 (47.5%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were no voters registered to other parties. Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 84.8% (vs. 63.2% in Ocean County) were registered to vote, including 98.3% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 82.6% countywide).

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 77.9% of the vote (366 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 20.9% (98 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (6 votes), among the 483 ballots cast by the borough's 967 registered voters (13 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 49.9%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 59.8% of the vote (333 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 29.3% (163 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 7.5% (42 votes) and other candidates with 0.9% (5 votes), among the 557 ballots cast by the borough's 1,033 registered voters, yielding a 53.9% turnout.

Education
The Beach Haven School District serves public school students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade at Beach Haven Elementary School. As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 73 students and 11.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 6.6:1. In the 2016–17 school year, Beach Haven had the 3rd-smallest enrollment of any school district in the state, with 70 students.

For seventh through twelfth grades, public school students attend the Southern Regional School District, which serves the five municipalities in the Long Beach Island Consolidated School District (Barnegat Light, Harvey Cedars, Long Beach Township, Ship Bottom and Surf City), along with students from Beach Haven and Stafford Township, as well as the sending district of Ocean Township. Schools in the district (with 2022–23 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are Southern Regional Middle School with 905 students in grades 7–8 and Southern Regional High School with 1,845 students in grades 9–12. Both schools are in the Manahawkin section of Stafford Township.

Roads and highways
, the borough had a total of 20.93 mi of roadways, of which 17.56 mi were maintained by the municipality and 3.37 mi by Ocean County.

No Interstate, U.S. or state highways serve Beach Haven. The main road serving the borough is County Route 607 (Bay Avenue).

Public transportation
Ocean Ride provides bus service on the OC9 LBI South route between Holgate and Manahawkin / Stafford Township.

The LBI Shuttle operates along Long Beach Boulevard, providing free service every 5 to 20 minutes from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM. It serves the Long Beach Island municipalities / communities of Barnegat Light, Loveladies, Harvey Cedars, North Beach, Surf City, Ship Bottom, Long Beach Township, Beach Haven and Holgate.

Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Beach Haven has a Humid subtropical climate (Cfa).

Ecology
According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types, Beach Haven would have a dominant vegetation type of Northern Cordgrass (73) with a dominant vegetation form of Coastal Prairie (20).

Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Beach Haven include:


 * Doc Cramer (1905–1990), center fielder who played for four American League teams
 * Elizabeth Warder Crozer Campbell (1893-1971), archaeologist
 * Lara Knutson (born 1974), artist and industrial designer, who was influenced by being fascinated as a child by the play of light on seashells along the beachfront in her hometown, as well as the texture they would create when crushed
 * Joe Piscopo (born 1951), comedian and actor
 * Henry Wisniewski (1908–1988), American football player and dentist