Ocean County, New Jersey in the context of "Barnegat Lighthouse"

The Jersey Shore, commonly called the Shore by locals, is the coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The term encompasses about 141 miles (227 km) of oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy in the north to Cape May Point in the south. The region includes Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Atlantic, and Cape May counties, which are in the central and southern parts of the state. Located in the center of the Northeast Megalopolis, the northern half of the shore region is part of the New York metro area, while the southern half of the shore region is part of the Philadelphia metro area. The Jersey Shore hosts the highest concentration of oceanside boardwalks in the United States.

Famous for its wide beaches, and many boardwalks featuring arcades, amusement parks, and water parks, the Jersey Shore is a popular vacation spot for residents of North Jersey, New York, Maryland, Delaware, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. Certain shore communities are also popular with visitors from the Canadian province of Quebec. Due to New Jersey's peninsular geography, both sunrise and sunset are visible over water from different points on the Jersey Shore.

Central Jersey, or Central New Jersey, is the middle region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The designation Central Jersey is a distinct administrative toponym. While New Jersey is often divided into North Jersey and South Jersey, many residents recognize Central Jersey as a distinct third entity. As of the 2020 census, Central Jersey has a population of 3,580,999.

All descriptions of Central Jersey include Middlesex County, the population center of New Jersey, and most include much of nearby Monmouth, Mercer, Somerset, and Hunterdon counties. The inclusion of adjacent Union and Ocean counties on the north and south of the region, respectively, is a source of debate. In 2015, New Jersey Business magazine defined Central Jersey more narrowly as the five counties of Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, and Somerset.

Monmouth County (/ˈmɒnməθ/) is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is bordered to its west by Mercer and Middlesex Counties, to its south by Ocean County, to its east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to its north by the Raritan Bay (sharing a border with the boroughs of Staten Island, Brooklyn, and Queens in New York City, across it). Monmouth County's geographic area comprises 30% water. The county is part of the Jersey Shore region of the state.

As of the 2020 United States census, the county was the state's fifth-most-populous county with a population of 643,615, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 13,235 (+2.1%) from the 2010 census count of 630,380, which in turn reflected an increase of 15,079 from 615,301 at the 2000 census. As of 2010, the county fell to the fifth-most populous county in the state, having been surpassed by Hudson County. Monmouth's county seat is Freehold Borough, though many county offices are also located in neighboring Freehold Township. The most populous place was Middletown Township, with 67,106 residents at the time of the 2020 Census, while Howell Township covered 61.21 square miles (158.5 km), the largest total area of any municipality.

Mantoloking (/ˌmæntəˈloʊkɪŋ/, MAN-ta-LO-king) is a coastal borough in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 331, an increase of 35 (+11.8%) from the 2010 census count of 296, which in turn reflected a decline of 127 (−30.0%) from the 423 counted in the 2000 census. The borough has an estimated summer population of approximately 5,000.

As of the 2000 census, Mantoloking was the highest-income community in the state of New Jersey with a per capita money income of $114,017 as of 1999, an increase of 29.8% from the $87,830 recorded in 1989. Based on data from the 2006–2010 American Community Survey, the borough had a per-capita income of $97,938, ranked 4th in the state. In the Forbes magazine 2012 rankings of "America's Most Expensive ZIP Codes", the borough was ranked 139th, with a median price of $1,403,349.

Barnegat Bay is a small brackish arm of the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 42 miles (68 km) long, along the coast of Ocean County, New Jersey in the United States. It is separated from the Atlantic by the long Island Beach State Park (colloquially called a "barrier island"), as well as by the north end of Long Beach Island, popular segments of the Jersey Shore. The bay is fed by several small rivers, including the Toms River, the Forked River, the Metedeconk River, Cedar Creek, Oyster Creek, Mill Creek, Westecunk Creek, and Tuckerton Creek, all of which empty into the bay through small estuaries along its inner shore. The communities of Toms River, Silverton, and Forked River sit along the river estuaries on the bay.

The bay connects with the ocean through the Barnegat Inlet, along which sits the Barnegat Lighthouse. The bay is part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, entered on its north end by the Point Pleasant Canal and connecting on the south end with Little Egg Harbor via the small Manahawkin Bay. In a broader sense, Barnegat Bay is sometimes considered to stretch to the south end of Long Beach Island and to include Little Egg Harbor.

Lakehurst is a borough in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 2,636, a decrease of 18 (−0.7%) from the 2010 census count of 2,654, which in turn reflected an increase of 132 (+5.2%) from the 2,522 counted in the 2000 census.

Lakehurst was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 7, 1921, from portions of Manchester Township, based on the results of a referendum held on May 24, 1921. The borough is named for its location near lakes and woods.

Toms River is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within and constituting the mainland portion of Toms River Township (formerly Dover Township), in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the CDP's population was 92,830, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 4,039 (+4.5%) from the 88,791 recorded at the 2010 census, which in turn reflected an increase of 2,464 (+2.9%) from the 86,327 counted in the 2000 census. The Toms River CDP is the county seat of Ocean County. The area is named for Toms River, whose estuary flows through the community and empties into Barnegat Bay.

Toms River Township and its fully contained census-designated place are not co-extensive. In addition to the census-designated place, which includes all of mainland Toms River Township and is home to the vast majority of the township's population, Toms River Township includes two small CDPs: Dover Beaches North (2020 Census population of 1,277) and Dover Beaches South (1,331), both of which are located on the Barnegat Peninsula. As defined by the Census Bureau based on 2010 Census data, more than 96% of Toms River Township's area and of its population of 95,438 was located in Toms River CDP.

Lakewood Township is the most populous township in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A rapidly growing community, as of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 135,158, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 42,315 (+45.6%) from the 2010 census count of 92,843, which in turn reflected an increase of 32,491 (+53.8%) from the 60,352 counted in the 2000 census. The township ranked as the most populous municipality in the Jersey Shore region and the fifth-most-populous municipality statewide in 2020 (after ranking seventh in 2010 and 22nd in 2000), placing the township only behind the state's four biggest cities (Newark; Jersey City; Paterson; Elizabeth), of which the former three are in the North region of the state. The sharp increase in population from 2000 to 2010 was led largely by increases in the township's Orthodox Jewish and Latino communities. Further growth in the Orthodox community led to a sharp increase in population in the 2020 census, with a large number of births leading to a significant drop in the township's median age. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the township's population was 141,985 in 2024, helping the fast-growing township surpass Elizabeth as the fourth-most-populous municipality in the state.

As a major hub of Orthodox Judaism, Lakewood is home to Beth Medrash Govoha, the largest yeshiva outside of Israel. The large Orthodox population, which comprises more than half the township's population, strongly influences the township's culture and wields considerable political clout in the township as a voting bloc.