Seaside Park is a borough in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New Brunswick–Lakewood, NJ Metropolitan Division, which is part of the New York metropolitan area.New Jersey: 2020 Core Based Statistical Areas and Counties, United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 22, 2022. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 1,436, a decrease of 143 (−9.1%) from the 2010 census count of 1,579, which in turn had reflected decline of 684 (−30.2%) from the 2,263 counted in the 2000 census.Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023. Seaside Park is situated on the Barnegat Peninsula, a long, narrow barrier peninsula that separates Barnegat Bay from the Atlantic Ocean.
History The first inhabitants of the barrier island were Lenape Native Americans who came in search of fish, crabs, clams, and scallops. They called this area "Seheyichbi," meaning land bordering the ocean. The Atlantic Ocean provided more than food; these people began using shells in place of wooden beads as their form of currency. These Native Americans, who stayed during the summer and went inland for winter, were part of the principal Algonquian tribe that lived mainly on and around the North American Seaboard. The Algonquians in New Jersey called themselves "Lenni Lenape", which means "original people."
What is now Seaside Park was a section of Dover Township (now known as Toms River Township) until the creation of Berkeley Township in 1875. The area then became known as the Sea Side Park section of Berkeley Township. Over the next 25 years, lots were sold, houses and roads were built, and the population of Seaside Park began to grow.
On March 3, 1898, New Jersey Senate President Foster M. Voorhees, the acting governor of New Jersey, signed a bill incorporating "Sea Side Park" as an independent borough, created from portions of Berkeley Township.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 205. Accessed May 30, 2024. Originally, the town ran from 14th Avenue to North Avenue, about half its present size. An area known as the Berkeley Tract, north of the original area of the borough, was annexed on or about May 12, 1900.Anderson, Andrew J.; and Anderson, D. Gail. History, Borough of Seaside Park. Accessed September 23, 2013.Honeyman, Abraham Van Doren. Index-analysis of the Statutes of New Jersey, 1896-1909: Together with References to All Acts, and Parts of Acts, in the 'General Statutes' and Pamphlet Laws Expressly Repealed: and the Statutory Crimes of New Jersey During the Same Period, p. 255. New Jersey Law Journal Publishing Company, 1910. Accessed October 2, 2015. The borough was named for its location on the Atlantic Ocean.Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed October 2, 2015.
As the community grew, the name of the borough lost a space. In 1914, a newly appointed municipal clerk wrote the name of the borough as "Seaside Park" in the council minutes, combining the first two words. This practice continues to this day.
While Sea Side Park was going through the process of being incorporated, the Senate Amusement Company of Philadelphia was working on plans to build an oceanside attraction in Seaside Heights within feet of the border to Sea Side Park. Their plan was to build a covered pier to house a carousel. The structure was built in 1915 under the direction of Joseph Vanderslice of Senate Amusement Company. Budget issues caused the business to not open in 1916, and the amusement ride and building was subsequently sold to Frank Freeman. The combination of the completion of the Toms River Bridge on October 23, 1914,The Toms River Bridge, Discover Seaside Heights. Accessed January 25, 2015. and the DuPont Avenue carousel and boardwalk are what likely led to the 219% population growth shown between the 1910 and 1920 censuses in Sea Side Park.Boardwalk History, Some Seaside Heights' Firsts three ladies in front of the carousel, Seaside Heights, NJ This picture was taken in 1926 and is one of the earliest photos of Freeman's carousel. A Carousel on the Beach, Discover Seaside Heights. Accessed January 25, 2015.
The earliest formal efforts to secede from Berkeley Township and have South Seaside Park become a part of Seaside Park began in 1973. In September 2014, residents of South Seaside Park submitted a petition to move from the township and become a part of Seaside Park borough, arguing that the neighborhood was away from the township's municipal offices and that there were minimal social connections with the rest of Berkeley Township. In 2025, the New Jersey Supreme Court approved the petition and agreed that South Seaside Park may leave the township and join Seaside Park borough.Murphy, Colleen. "Tiny Jersey Shore neighborhood can secede from its town, ending 11-year legal battle", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, July 10, 2025. Accessed July 14, 2025. "The New Jersey Supreme Court has unanimously ruled in favor of South Seaside Park residents in their long-standing effort to leave Berkeley Township and join the neighboring Borough of Seaside Park.... Though officially part of Berkeley Township, residents argue it is geographically and socially distinct. To access most township services, they must travel up to 16 miles through seven other municipalities, according to the opinion." In March 2026, the borough voted to formally annex the South Seaside Park neighborhood and its 450 residents.Maag, Christopher. "After 53 Years, This Beach Town’s Fight to Secede Is Over. Kind Of.", The New York Times, April 5, 2026. Accessed April 5, 2026. "The moment of triumph took place on Monday in Seaside Park, a borough of 1,400 year-round residents on Barnegat Peninsula, a barrier island off the coast of New Jersey, south of Asbury Park. The borough council of Seaside Park voted to annex the tiny neighborhood of South Seaside Park, a bungalow community of 450 people, among them Don Whiteman and his family.... Mr. Whiteman’s movement started in 1973 when his father — also Don Whiteman — started a petition to secede."
Disasters On June 9, 1955, a malfunctioning neon sign component caused a fire at a shop on the corner of Ocean Terrace and DuPont Avenue. The fire was driven by winds estimated at , blowing the fire south and engulfing the entire pier. The fire was stopped at Stockton Avenue due in part to the fact that the boardwalk and pier ended there. In what became known as Freeman's Fire, a total of 85 buildings were destroyed with an estimated $4 million in damage from the conflagration.Chang, David. "Boardwalk Fire Brings Back Memories of Devastating Seaside Blaze Nearly 60 Years Ago", WCAU, September 16, 2013. Accessed September 18, 2013. "On June 9, 1955, a fire broke out at a shop on the corner of Ocean Terrace and DuPont Avenue in Seaside Heights. Driven by 50 mile per hour winds, the fire spread south, until it was finally placed under control at Stockton Avenue in Seaside Park..."
On March 8, 1962, Seaside Park was affected by a nor'easter that had churned offshore for two days. The storm, which destroyed a large section of the borough's boardwalk, is variously referred to as the Ash Wednesday Storm, the Five High Storm and the Great March Storm of 1962.Rose, Lisa. "50 years later, N.J. remembers the storm that swallowed the Jersey Shore", The Star-Ledger, March 8, 2012. Accessed September 23, 2013.Salvini, Emil R. "The Great Atlantic Storm of 1962", NJTV News, March 6, 2012. Accessed July 27, 2016.
On September 12, 2013, a ten-alarm fire swept from the Funtown Pier northward.Staff. "Seaside Park Fire 100 Percent Contained; No Word on Cause", WPVI-TV, October 7, 2013. Accessed July 27, 2016. "The fire that consumed much of the Seaside Park boardwalk Thursday was contained but some hot spots flared up on early Saturday. Officials say this is to be expected and they are on top of any minor flare ups. Now, the investigation into what caused the massive inferno is about to begin." The fire is believed to have started under the boardwalk, below the Kohr's Kustard stand at the southern end of the pier. The wind pushed it northward, and fire crews were able to make a stand at Lincoln Avenue by tearing up the newly replaced boardwalk which was destroyed less than a year before by Hurricane Sandy.Rose, Lisa; and Augenstein, Seth. "Christie promises to rebuild, as firefighters continue to knock down hot spots at Seaside Boardwalk", The Star-Ledger, September 13, 2013. Accessed July 27, 2016. Jack & Bill's Bar and Kohr's Kustard were two businesses that were destroyed in both the 1955 and 2013 fires.
On September 17, 2016, in the start of a series of localized bombings and attempted explosive device placements in the New York metropolitan area, a pipe bomb was deliberately placed in a trashcan next a beachfront parking meter and was remotely detonated, causing an explosion, but no immediate injuries or deaths were reported. The device was set by a lone perpetrator motivated by Islamic extremist and domestic terrorist ideology and hoped the bomb's intended target was the Seaside Semper Five, a 5K run taking place in the surrounding area during crowded venues. The run had been delayed due to unforeseen circumstances but was canceled soon after details of the explosion became clear.Miele, Christopher; Baker, Al; and Barbaro, Michael. "Powerful Blast Injures at Least 29 in Manhattan; Second Device Found", The New York Times, September 17, 2016. Accessed August 22, 2018. "Officials said the New York explosion was not connected to a blast that happened 11 hours before when an improvised device exploded in a garbage can near the course of a charity race that was about to start in a small town on the Jersey Shore. That device went off around 9:30 a.m. near the boardwalk in Seaside Park, N.J., according to the Ocean County sheriff, Michael G. Mastronardy."
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 0.81 square miles (2.11 km2), including 0.66 square miles (1.70 km2) of land and 0.16 square miles (0.41 km2) of water (19.51%).
Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Berkeley.Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed May 21, 2015.
The borough borders the Ocean County municipalities of Berkeley Township and Seaside Heights.Areas touching Seaside Park, MapIt. Accessed March 6, 2020.Ocean County Map , Coalition for a Healthy NJ. Accessed March 6, 2020.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.
Demographics
2010 census The 2010 United States census counted 1,579 people, 833 households, and 405 families in the borough. The population density was . There were 2,703 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 97.02% (1,532) White, 0.95% (15) Black or African American, 0.00% (0) Native American, 0.38% (6) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 0.89% (14) from other races, and 0.76% (12) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.42% (54) of the population.
Of the 833 households, 12.5% had children under the age of 18; 34.7% were married couples living together; 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present and 51.4% were non-families. Of all households, 44.2% were made up of individuals and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.90 and the average family size was 2.60.