SPRING LAKE, NEW JERSEY

'Spring Lake' is a Borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 3,567. Spring Lake and its environs are known as the "Irish Riviera" because of the large Irish-American population in the area, with Spring Lake having the highest percentage of Irish Americans of any place in the United States.
Spring Lake was formed as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 14, 1892, from portions of Wall Township), based on the results of a referendum held on March 8, 1892. On February 24, 1903, the borough of North Spring Lake was annexed."The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 186.
The second of the five victims of the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916, Charles Bruder, 27, was killed on July 6, 1916, while swimming approximately 130 yards from shore in Spring Lake.^[1] The wave of attacks took place place between July 1 and July 12, 1916, along 80 miles of Atlantic Ocean coastline.
Spring Lake is home to the Spring Lake 5 Mile Run, a race that circles the town beginning and ending at the beach front. It has more than 5,000 participants annually.

Contents

Geography

Demographics

Government

Local government

Federal, state and county representation

Education

Notable residents

Popular Culture

References

External links

Geography

Spring Lake is located at (40.152861, -74.026961).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 4.4 km² (1.7 mi²). 3.4 km² (1.3 mi²) of it is land and 1.0 km² (0.4 mi²) of it (23.39%) is water.
Wreck Pond is a tidal pond located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Wall Township and the boroughs of Spring Lake, Spring Lake Heights, and Sea Girt. The pond is the center of the Wreck Pond Watershed, which covers about 12 square miles in eastern Monmouth County.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,567 people, 1,463 households, and 983 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,051.3/km² (2,723.8/mi²). There were 1,930 housing units at an average density of 568.8/km² (1,473.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.77% White, 0.34% African American, 0.28% Asian, 0.11% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.73% of the population.
There were 1,463 households out of which 23.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.8% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the borough the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 19.6% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 25.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females there were 86.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.2 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $89,885, and the median income for a family was $103,405. Males had a median income of $88,924 versus $41,000 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $59,445. None of the families and 2.6% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 6.6% of those over 64.
39.4% of Spring Lake residents identified as being of Irish American heritage in 2000. This was the highest percentage of Irish Americans of any place in the United States.^[2]

Government

Local government

Spring Lake is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government by a mayor and a six-member Borough Council. The mayor is elected to a four-year term of office. The members of the Borough Council are elected to three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year.
The Mayor of the Borough of Spring Lake is Jennifer Naughton. Members of the Spring Lake Borough Council are Council President Joseph T. Erbe, John Fitzgerald, Francis Quinn, Brian J. Reilly, Joseph Rizzo and Janice Venables.^[3]

Federal, state and county representation

Spring Lake is in the Fourth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 11th Legislative District.^[4]

Education

The H.W. Mountz School is a public school that serves 300 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. The average class size is 17.
Students attending public high school are assigned to Manasquan High School as part of sending/receiving relationships, or attend one of the magnet schools in the Monmouth County Vocational School District — Marine Academy of Science and Technology, Academy of Allied Health & Science, High Technology High School, Biotechnology High School, and Communications High School.

Notable residents

★ Louis Freeh, Former Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

★ Craig Biggio, Houston Astros Second baseman.^[5]

★ Chris Candido (1972–2005), professional wrestler

★ Johnny Candido, professional wrestler

★ Bill Carmody (1951-), head basketball coach at Northwestern University.^[6]

★ Mary Higgins Clark, writer. Her 2001 book ''On The Street Where You Live'' was set in Spring Lake.^[7]

★ Katharine "Kerry" Close, winner of the 79th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2006.^[8]

★ Al DeRogatis (1927-1995), an American football player and television sportscaster.^[9]

★ Khigh Dheigh (1910–1991), actor, starred in the original film version of ''The Manchurian Candidate''.

★ East Side Dave, associate producer and on air personality for the ''Ron and Fez Show''.

★ Jack Ford, Court TV news anchor.^[10]

★ Gil McDougald, former New York Yankees infielder.^[11]

Popular Culture

Spring Lake is the setting for David Gebroe's movie ''Zombie Honeymoon''.

References

1. Find A Grave information for Charles Bruder.
2. Irish Ancestry by City, Epodunk. Accessed June 4, 2006.
3. Elected Officials, Borough of Spring Lake. Accessed May 22, 2007.
4. 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 64. Accessed August 30, 2006.
5. Mets, Biggio Talking, ''The Record (Bergen County)'', November 17, 1995. "A former Seton Hall standout and Smithtown, L.I., native who keeps his off-season home in Spring Lake, ..."
6. Stump, Scott. "Carmody struggles to overcome history", ''Asbury Park Press'', December 18, 2005. Accessed August 3, 2007. "The former Spring Lake resident is no stranger to traveling long distances, considering Northwestern's roster has been heavily sprinkled with foreign players during his tenure."
7. Meet the Writers: Mary Higgins Clark, accessed March 22, 2007. "They now live in Saddle River, New Jersey; they also have an apartment in Manhattan and summer homes in Spring Lake, New Jersey and Dennis, Massachusetts."
8. 13-Year-Old New Jersey Girl Wins Scripps National Spelling Bee, Scripps National Spelling Bee press release dated June 1, 2006.
9. Reilly, Michael. "Former Broadcaster DeRogatis Dies Of Cancer", ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'', December 28, 1995. Accessed August 3, 2007. "Mr. DeRogatis, who lived in Spring Lake, died of cancer at Jersey Shore Medical Center."
10. The UnHamptons: 9 Jersey Shore, ''New York (magazine)'', May 28, 2001. Accessed July 28, 2007. "Spring Lake counts among its residents author Mary Higgins Clark, who set her latest novel here, as well as newscaster Jack Ford and Houston Astro Craig Biggio."
11. BASEBALL: The Sweetest Sound of All; McDougald, Yankee Star of 50's, Can Hear Again After Operation, ''The New York Times'', January 4, 1995. "The McDougalds had taken the nearly two-hour train ride from their home in Spring Lake, N.J., and would be going across the street to Bellevue Hospital."

External links

★ Spring Lake Community website

★ Spring Lake Municipal website

★ H. W. Mountz School

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★ National Center for Education Statistics data for the H. W. Mountz School

★ Spring Lake Chamber of Commerce