Asbury Park () is a beachfront

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

located on the

Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore, commonly called the Shore by locals, is the coast, coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The term encompasses about of shore, oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy, New Jersey, Perth Amboy in the n ...

Monmouth County Monmouth County () 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 ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. It is part of the

New York metropolitan area The New York metropolitan area, also called the Tri-State area and sometimes referred to as Greater New York, is the List of cities by GDP, largest metropolitan economy in the world, with a List of U.S. metropolitan areas by GDP, gross metropo ...

. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 15,188, a decrease of 928 (−5.8%) from the 2010 census count of 16,116, which in turn reflected a decline of 814 (−4.8%) from the 16,930 counted in the 2000 census. In 2022, Asbury Park's beach was named one of the best in the world by ''Money'' and one of the best in the country by ''

Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Co. (formerly Wyndham Destinations, Inc., and Wyndham Worldwide Corporation) is an American timeshare company headquartered in Orlando, Florida. It develops, sells, and manages timeshare properties under several vacation owners ...

''. Asbury Park was originally incorporated as a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

by an act of the

New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and ...

on March 26, 1874, from portions of Ocean Township. The borough was reincorporated on February 28, 1893. Asbury Park was incorporated as a city, its current type of government, as of March 25, 1897.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606–1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 177. Accessed February 9, 2012.

History

Early years

A seaside community, Asbury Park is located on New Jersey's central coast. Developed in 1871 as a residential

resort A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that aims to provide most of a vacationer's needs. This includes food, drink, swimming, accommodation, sports, entertainment and shopping, on the premises. A hotel ...

by New York brush manufacturer James A. Bradley, the city was named for

Francis Asbury Francis Asbury (August 20 or 21, 1745 – March 31, 1816) was a British-American Methodist minister who became one of the first two bishop (Methodist), bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States. During his 45 years in the col ...

, the first American bishop of the

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself nationally. In 1939, th ...

in the United States. The founding of Ocean Grove in 1869, a Methodist camp meeting to the south, encouraged the development of Asbury Park and led to its being a "dry town." Bradley was active in the development of much of the city's infrastructure, and despite his preference for gas light, he allowed the Atlantic Coast Electric Company (precursor to today's Jersey Central Power & Light) to offer electric service. Along the waterfront, Bradley installed the Asbury Park Boardwalk, an orchestra

pavilion In architecture, ''pavilion'' has several meanings; * It may be a subsidiary building that is either positioned separately or as an attachment to a main building. Often it is associated with pleasure. In palaces and traditional mansions of Asia ...

, public changing rooms, and a

pier A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piling, piles or column, pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, b ...

at the south end of that

boardwalk A boardwalk (alternatively board walk, boarded path, or promenade) is an elevated footpath, walkway, or causeway typically built with wooden planks, which functions as a type of low water bridge or small viaduct that enables pedestrians to ...

. Such success attracted other businessmen. In 1888, Ernest Schnitzler built the Palace Merry-Go-Round on the southwest corner of Lake Avenue and Kingsley Street, the cornerstone of what would become the

Palace Amusements Palace Amusements was a historical indoor amusement park in Asbury Park, New Jersey. It was built in 1888 and expanded several times over its history, but after a worsening economic situation in both Asbury and the country in the mid-1980s, it ...

complex; other attractions followed. During these early decades in Asbury Park, a number of grand hotels were built, including the Plaza Hotel. Uriah White, an Asbury Park pioneer, installed the first

artesian well An artesian well is a well that brings groundwater to the surface without pumping because it is under pressure within a body of rock or sediment known as an aquifer. When trapped water in an aquifer is surrounded by layers of Permeability (ea ...

water system.Pike, Helen-Chantal (1997, 2003)
''Images of America: Asbury Park.''

Arcadia Publishing Arcadia Publishing is an American Publishing, publisher of neighborhood, local history, local, and regional history of the United States in pictorial form.(analysis of the successful ''Images of America'' series). Arcadia Publishing also runs th ...

, p 13. . Accessed August 23, 2013. As many as 600,000 people a year vacationed in Asbury Park during the summer season in the early years, riding the

New York and Long Branch Railroad The New York and Long Branch Railroad was a railroad in central New Jersey, running from Bay Head Junction in Bay Head to Perth Amboy, where it connected to the Central Railroad of New Jersey's Perth Amboy and Elizabethport Railroad. The rail ...

from

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

to enjoy the mile-and-a-quarter stretch of oceanfront Asbury Park. By 1912, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' estimated that the summer population could reach 200,000, some 20 times the city's year-round population. The ''country by the sea'' destination experienced several key periods of popularity. The first notable era was the 1890s, marked by a housing growth, examples of which can still be found today in a full range of

Victorian architecture Victorian architecture is a series of Revivalism (architecture), architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. ''Victorian'' refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the st ...

. Coinciding with the nationwide trend in retail shopping, Asbury Park's downtown flourished during this period and well into the 20th century.

1920s and modern development

1920s

In the 1920s, Paramount Theatre and Convention Hall complex, the Casino Arena and Carousel House, and two red-brick pavilions were built in the Asbury Boardwalk area. Beaux Arts architect Warren Whitney of New York was the designer. He had also been hired to design the Berkeley-Carteret Hotel located diagonally across from the theater and hall. At the same time,

Asbury Park High School Asbury Park High School is a comprehensive, community public high school serving students in seventh through twelfth grades. It is in a landmark building in Asbury Park, in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, that was constru ...

was constructed, overlooking

Deal Lake Deal Lake is a man-made lake in Monmouth County, New Jersey. It is the largest lake in the county and one of the largest lakes in New Jersey, occupying 158 acres and drains into the Atlantic Ocean. The lake covers . Seven municipalities border t ...

1930s

On September 8, 1934, the wreck of the ocean liner SS ''Morro Castle'', which caught fire and burned, beached itself near the city just yards away from the

Asbury Park Convention Hall Asbury Park Convention Hall is a 3,600-seat indoor exhibition center located on the boardwalk and on the beach in Asbury Park in Monmouth County, New Jersey. It was built between 1928 and 1930 and is used for sports, concerts and other special ...

; the city capitalized on the event, turning the wreck into a tourist attraction. In 1935, the newly founded

Securities and Exchange Commission The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street crash of 1929. Its primary purpose is to enforce laws against market m ...

called Asbury Park's Mayor Clarence F. Hetrick to testify about $6 million in "beach improvement bonds" that had gone into default. At the same time, the SEC also inquired about rental rates on the beach front and why the mayor reduced the lease of a bathhouse from $85,000 to $40,000, among many other discrepancies that could have offset debt. The interests of Asbury Park's bond investors led Senator Frank Durand (Monmouth County) to add a last-minute "Beach Commission" amendment to a municipal debt bill in the New Jersey legislature. When the bill became law, it ceded control of the Asbury Park beach to Governor Harold Hoffman and a governor's commission. The city of Asbury Park sued to restore control of the beach to the municipal council, but the

New Jersey Court of Errors and Appeals Prior to 1947, the structure of the judiciary in New Jersey was extremely complex, including Court of Errors and Appeals in the last resort in all causes. The Court of Errors and Appeals was the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey from ...

(until 1947, the state's highest court) upheld the validity of the law in 1937. When Durand pressed New Jersey's legislature to extend the state's control of Asbury Park's beach in 1938, the lower house staged a walk out and the Senate soon adjourned, a disruption that also prevented a vote for funding New Jersey's participation in the

1939 New York World's Fair The 1939 New York World's Fair (also known as the 1939–1940 New York World's Fair) was an world's fair, international exposition at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, New York, United States. The fair included exhibitio ...

. In December 1938, the court returned control of the beach to the municipal council under the proviso that a bond repayment agreement was created; Asbury Park was the only beach in New Jersey affected by the Beach Commission law. Extensive and lush floral plantings were present in Asbury Park's Bradley Park during the 1930s, as can be seen in archival footage.

1940s

In 1943, the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

held their

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

in Asbury Park instead of

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. This was because rail transport had to be conserved during the war, and

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

's spring training was limited to an area east of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

and north of the

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

. With the opening of the

Garden State Parkway The Garden State Parkway (GSP) is a Controlled-access highway, controlled-access toll road that stretches the north–south length of eastern New Jersey from the state's southernmost tip near Cape May, New Jersey, Cape May north to the New York ...

in 1947, Asbury Park saw the travel market change as fewer vacationers took trains to the seashore. While the Asbury Park exit on the Parkway opened in 1956 and provided a means for drivers to reach Asbury Park more easily, additional exits further south allowed drivers access to new alternative vacation destinations, particularly on

Long Beach Island Long Beach Island (colloquially known as LBI, The LBI Region, or simply The Island) is a barrier island and summer colony along the Atlantic Ocean coast of Ocean County, New Jersey, United States, on the Jersey Shore. Aligned north to south, ...

1950s and beyond

In the decades that followed the war, surrounding farm communities gave way to tracts of

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

an houses, encouraging the city's middle-class blacks as well as whites to move into newer houses with spacious yards. With the above-mentioned change in the travel market, prompted by the opening of the

in 1947 and the opening of

Monmouth Mall Monmouth Mall, originally known as Monmouth Shopping Center, is an enclosed split level shopping center (being transitioned to open-air center) in Eatontown, New Jersey located on the corner of the intersection of Route 35, Route 36, and Wycko ...

away in Eatontown in 1960, Asbury Park's downtown became less of an attraction to shoppers. Office parks built outside the city resulted in the relocation of accountants, dentists, doctors, lawyers, and other professionals. Moreover, the opening of Great Adventure (on July 1, 1974), a combination theme park and drive-through safari located on a lake in Jackson Township—and close to a

New Jersey Turnpike The New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) is a system of controlled-access highway, controlled-access toll roads in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The turnpike is maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA).The Garden State Parkway, although ma ...

exit—proved to be stiff competition for a mile-long stretch of aging boardwalk amusements. On June 20, 1956, Linea Aeropostal Venezolana Flight 253 crashed off Asbury Park, killing all 74 people on board in what was the deadliest accident involving a scheduled commercial flight at the time. Riots that broke out in the city on July 4, 1970, resulted in the destruction of aging buildings along Springwood Avenue, one of three main east–west corridors into Asbury Park and the central shopping and entertainment district for those living in the city's southwest quadrant. Many of those city blocks have yet to be redeveloped into the 21st century. Although it was placed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

was closed in 1988 and was demolished in 2004 despite attempts to save it.The Aftermath
Palace Amusements Online Museum. Accessed November 10, 2014. The complex had featured the famous face of Tillie, a symbol of the Jersey Shore. In 1990, the carousel at the Casino Pier was sold to Family Kingdom Amusement Park in

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Myrtle Beach is a resort city on the East Coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is located in the center of a long and continuous stretch of beach known as the "Grand Strand” in the northeastern part of the state. Its ...

, where it continues to operate.

21st century

From 2002 onward, the rest of Asbury Park has been in the midst of a cultural, political, and economic revival, including a burgeoning industry of local and national artists. Its dilapidated downtown district is undergoing revitalization while most of the nearly empty blocks that overlook the beach and boardwalk are slated for massive reconstruction. In 2005, the Casino's walkway reopened, as did many of the

pavilions. In 2007, the eastern portion of the Casino building was demolished. There are plans to rebuild this portion to look much like the original; however, the interior will be dramatically different and may include a public market (as opposed to previously being an arena and skating rink). By 2020, the Casino building still remained unrestored and had no permanent use, although it had been used to host temporary art installations. There has also been more of a resurgence of the downtown as well as the boardwalk, with the grand reopening of the historic Steinbach

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store under one roof, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store mad ...

building, as well as the rehabilitation of Convention Hall and the Fifth Avenue Pavilion (previously home to one of the last remaining

Howard Johnson's Howard Johnson by Wyndham, still commonly referred to as Howard Johnson's, is an American hotel brand with over 200 hotels in 15 countries. It was also formerly a Chain store, restaurant chain, which at one time was the largest in the U.S., wit ...

restaurants). The historic Berkeley-Carteret Hotel, which is to be restored to four-star resort status, was acquired in 2007; the first residents moving into the newly constructed condominiums known as North Beach, the rehabilitation of Ocean Avenue, and the opening of national businesses on Asbury Avenue. After

Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as Superstorm Sandy) was an extremely large and devastating tropical cyclone which ravaged the Caribbean and the coastal Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States in late ...

, Asbury Park was one of the few communities on the Jersey Shore to reopen successfully for the 2013 summer season. Most of the boardwalk had not been badly damaged by the massive hurricane. On Memorial Day Weekend 2013, Governor Chris Christie and President Barack Obama participated in an official ceremony before a crowd of 4,000, marking the reopening of Asbury Park and other parts of the Jersey Shore. The "Stronger Than The Storm" motto was emphasized at this ceremony.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city had a total area of 1.61 square miles (4.17 km²), including 1.43 square miles (3.70 km²) of land and 0.18 square miles (0.47 km²) of water (11.18%).

Unincorporated communities An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

, localities and place names located partially or completely within the city include North Asbury and Whitesville (located along the city's border with Neptune Township). The city borders the Monmouth County communities of

Interlaken Interlaken (; lit.: ''between lakes'') is a Swiss town and municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern. It is an important and well-known tourist destination in the Bernese Oberland region of the Swiss ...

, Loch Arbour, Neptune Township, and Ocean Township.

covers and is overseen by the Deal Lake Commission, which was established in 1974. Seven municipalities border the lake, accounting for of shoreline, also including Allenhurst,

Deal In cryptography, DEAL (Data Encryption Algorithm with Larger blocks) is a symmetric block cipher derived from the Data Encryption Standard (DES). Its design was presented by Lars Knudsen at the SAC conference in 1997, and submitted as a proposa ...

, Interlaken, Loch Arbour, Neptune Township and Ocean Township. Sunset Lake, situated in the southwestern part of the city, stretches over . It is a popular destination for both residents and visitors, offering a serene setting and a variety of recreational activities.

Demographics

2020 census

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 16,116 people, 6,725 households, and 3,174 families in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 8,076 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 36.45% (5,875)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 51.35% (8,275) Black or African American, 0.49% (79) Native American, 0.48% (77) Asian, 0.12% (20)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 7.64% (1,232) from other races, and 3.46% (558) from two or more races.

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...

people of any race were 25.53% (4,115) of the population. Of the 6,725 households, 24.1% had children under the age of 18; 18.2% were married couples living together; 23.1% had a female householder with no husband present and 52.8% were non-families. Of all households, 42.1% were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.33. 23.8% of the population were under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.0 years. For every 100 females, the population had 95.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 95.9 males. The Census Bureau's 2006–2010

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

showed that (in 2010

inflation-adjusted In economics, nominal value refers to value measured in terms of absolute money amounts, whereas real value is considered and measured against the actual goods or services for which it can be exchanged at a given time. Real value takes into acco ...

dollars)

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...

was $33,527 (with a margin of error of +/− $2,802) and the median family income was $27,907 (+/− $5,012). Males had a median income of $34,735 (+/− $3,323) versus $33,988 (+/− $4,355) for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the borough was $20,368 (+/− $1,878). About 31.1% of families and 29.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 44.9% of those under age 18 and 26.0% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the 2000 U.S. census, there were 16,930 people, 6,754 households, and 3,586 families residing in the city. The population density was making it Monmouth County's most densely populated municipality. There were 7,744 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 15.77%

, 67.11%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

, 0.32% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 0.07%

, 6.49% from other races, and 5.53% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino people of any race were 18.58% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Asbury Park city, New Jersey
,

. Accessed December 2, 2012.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Asbury Park city, Monmouth County, New Jersey

. Accessed December 2, 2012. There were 6,754 households, out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 20.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 26.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.9% were non-families. 39.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.36. In the city, the population was spread out, with 30.1% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $23,081, and the median income for a family was $26,370. Males had a median income of $27,081 versus $24,666 for females. The

for the city was $13,516. About 29.3% of families and 40.1% of the population were below the

, including 46.5% of those under age 18 and 37.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Urban Enterprise Zone

Portions of the city are part of a joint

Urban Enterprise Zone An urban enterprise zone is an area in which policies to encourage economic growth and development are implemented. Urban enterprise zone policies generally offer tax concessions, infrastructure incentives, and reduced regulations to attract invest ...

(UEZ) with Long Branch, one of 32 zones covering 37 municipalities statewide. The city was selected in 1994 as one of a group of 10 zones added to participate in the program. In addition to other benefits to encourage employment and investment within the UEZ, shoppers can take advantage of a reduced 3.3125%

sales tax A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a govern ...

rate (half of the % rate charged statewide) at eligible merchants. Established in September 1994, the city's Urban Enterprise Zone status expires in September 2025.

Hotels

At one time, there were many hotels along the beachfront. Many were demolished after years of sitting vacant, although the Sixth Avenue House Bed & Breakfast Hotel (formerly Berea Manor) was recently restored after being abandoned in the 1970s—it is no longer operational and was sold as a single family home. Hotels like the Berkeley and Oceanic Inn have operated concurrently for decades, while the Empress Hotel and the former Hotel Tides were restored and reopened. The Asbury Hotel, located on 5th Avenue, was the first hotel to be "built" in Asbury Park in 50+ years. It stands where the old Salvation Army building once stood, which has sat vacant for over a decade. The building itself was not torn down, but the entire inside was gutted and redone. Glass paneling was added to the front and all the original outside brickwork was kept. While located a block and a half from the beach, a great view of the ocean is still offered by the upper floors and rooftop. Currently open hotels include the Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel (formerly the Berkeley-Carteret Oceanfront Hotel), The Empress Hotel, the St. Laurent Social Club (formerly known as Hotel Tides), Asbury Park Inn, Oceanic Inn, Mikell's Big House Bed & Breakfast as well as The Asbury Hotel and The Asbury Ocean Club Hotel, both developed by iStar, the master developer for the Asbury Park Waterfront. Demolished: * The Albion Hotel (2001) * The Metropolitan Hotel (2007)

Media

Local media includes: * The ''

Asbury Park Press The ''Asbury Park Press'', formerly known as the ''Shore Press'', ''Daily Press'', ''Asbury Park Daily Press'', and ''Asbury Park Evening Press'', is the third largest daily newspaper in the state of New Jersey. Established in 1879, it has been o ...

'' * '' TAPinto Asbury Park'' began publishing local coverage in 2022. * ''

The Coaster ''The Coaster'' is a weekly newspaper based in Asbury Park, New Jersey. ''The Coaster'' covers a number of Jersey Shore area communities in central Monmouth County, including: Asbury Park, Allenhurst, Avon, Bradley Beach, Deal, Interlaken, Lo ...

'', an award-winning weekly newspaper which has covered local news in Asbury Park since it was founded in 1983. * ''The Asbury Park Sun'' * ''TriCity News'', a weekly news and art publication for the three seaside cities of Asbury Park, Long Branch and Red Bank. * ''The Asbury Park Reporter'' is an independent local community news source formed by local journalists. * ''Asbury Park Vibes'' magazine is a publication dedicated to live music performance, photography and new releases in Asbury and the surrounding area.

Arts and culture

Music

The Asbury Park music scene gained prominence in the 1960s with bands such as the Jaywalkers and many others, who combined

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

and

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...

to create what became known as the Sound of Asbury Park (S.O.A.P.). On December 9, 2006, founding members of S.O.A.P. reunited for the "Creators of S.O.A.P.: Live, Raw, and Unplugged" concert at

The Stone Pony The Stone Pony is a music venue in Asbury Park, New Jersey, known for launching the careers of many New Jersey music legends, including Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, and Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes.Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...

Garry Tallent Garry Wayne Tallent (born October 27, 1949), sometimes billed as Garry W. Tallent, is an American musician and record producer, best known for being the bass player and a founding member of the E Street Band, Bruce Springsteen's primary backing ...

Steve Van Zandt Steven Van Zandt (né Lento; born November 22, 1950), also known as Little Steven or Miami Steve, is an American musician and actor. He is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, in which he plays guitar and mandolin. He has appeared in ...

, Mickey Holiday, "Stormin'" Norman Seldin, Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez, Fast Eddie "Doc Holiday" Wohanka, Billy "Cherry Bomb" Lucia,

Clarence Clemons Clarence Anicholas Clemons Jr. (January 11, 1942 – June 18, 2011), also known as The Big Man, was an American saxophonist. From 1972 until his death in 2011, he was the saxophonist for Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band. Clemons rel ...

, Nicky Addeo, Donnie Lowell, Jim "Jack Valentine" Cattanach, Ken "Popeye" Pentifallo, Jay Pilling, John "Cos" Consoli, Gary "A" Arntz, Larry "The Great" Gadsby, Steve "Mole" Wells, Ray Dahrouge, Johnny "A" Arntz,

David Sancious David Sancious (born November 30, 1953) is an American musician. He was an early member of Bruce Springsteen's backing group, the E Street Band, and contributed to the first three Springsteen albums, and again on '' Human Touch'' (1992), '' Tr ...

, Margaret Potter, Tom Potter, Sonny Kenn, Tom Wuorio, Rick DeSarno,

Southside Johnny Lyon John Lyon (born December 4, 1948), known professionally as Southside Johnny, is an American retired singer-songwriter who fronted the band Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. Southside Johnny has long been considered the Grandfather of "th ...

, Leon Trent, Buzzy Lubinsky,

Danny Federici Daniel Paul Federici (January 23, 1950 – April 17, 2008) was an American musician, best known as a founding member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, where he was its organist, accordionist and glockenspiel player. Federici appeared on ten ...

, Bill Chinnock, Patsy Siciliano, and Sam Siciliano. An additional plaque was added on August 29, 2008, honoring John Luraschi, Carl "Tinker" West, George Theiss, Vinnie Roslin, Mike Totaro, Lenny Welch, Steve Lusardi, and Johnny Petillo. Musicians and bands with strong ties to Asbury Park, many of whom frequently played clubs there on their way to fame, include

Fury of Five Fury of Five (also commonly known as Fury of V) is an American hardcore punk band from Asbury Park, New Jersey. History Fury of Five formed in 1994. Their early creative output limited to tracks on compilations, Fury of Five released two 7" ...

The Gaslight Anthem The Gaslight Anthem is an American rock band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, formed in 2006. The band consists of Brian Fallon (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, piano), Alex Rosamilia (lead guitar, backing vocals), Alex Levine (bass guitar, backing ...

, the

E Street Band The E Street Band is an American rock band that has been the primary backing band for rock musician Bruce Springsteen since 1972. In 2014, the E Street Band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For the bulk of Springsteen's recordin ...

Jon Bon Jovi John Francis Bongiovi Jr. (born March 2, 1962), known professionally as Jon Bon Jovi, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He is best known as the founder and Lead vocalist, frontman of the rock band Bon Jovi, which was fo ...

and

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Sayreville, New Jersey in 1983. The band consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarists John Shanks and Phil X, percussionist Everett Bradley ...

Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes are an American musical group from the Jersey Shore sound, Jersey Shore formerly led by Southside Johnny. They have been recording albums since 1976 and are closely associated with Bruce Springsteen and The ...

Patti Smith Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter, author, and photographer. Her 1975 debut album '' Horses'' made her an influential member of the New York City-based punk rock movement. Smith has fu ...

Arthur Pryor Arthur Willard Pryor (September 22, 1869 – June 18, 1942) was a trombone virtuoso, bandleader, and soloist with the Sousa Band. He was a prolific composer of band music, his best-known composition being "The Whistler and His Dog". In lat ...

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

The Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...

, U.S. Chaos,

Johnny Thunders John Anthony Genzale (July 15, 1952 – April 23, 1991), known professionally as Johnny Thunders, was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He came to prominence in the early 1970s as a member of New York Dolls. He later formed the He ...

The Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often recognized as one of t ...

The Exploited The Exploited are a Scottish punk rock band from Edinburgh, formed in 1978 by Stevie Ross and Terry Buchan, with Buchan soon replaced by his brother Wattie Buchan. They signed to Secret Records in March 1981,

Charged GBH GBH (originally known as Charged GBH) are an English punk rock band which was formed in 1978 by vocalist Colin Abrahall, guitarist Colin "Jock" Blyth, bassist Sean McCarthy (replaced by Ross Lomas after two years) and drummer Andy "Wilf" Willi ...

, and Gary U.S. Bonds. In 1973

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...

released his debut album '' Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.'' On his follow-up album, '' The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle'', one of the songs is entitled "

4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)", often known just as "Sandy", is a 1973 song by Bruce Springsteen, originally appearing as the second song on his album ''The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle''. It was released as a single from the al ...

". Several books chronicle the early years of Springsteen's career in Asbury Park. Daniel Wolff's ''4 July Asbury Park'' examines the social, political and cultural history of the city with a special emphasis on the part that music played in the city's development, culminating in Springsteen's music. ''Beyond the Palace'' by Gary Wien is a comprehensive look at the local music scene that Springsteen emerged from, and includes many photographs of musicians and clubs. Against the backdrop of the fading resort, Alex Austin's novel ''The Red Album of Asbury Park'' tracks a young rock musician pursuing his dream in the late 60s/early 70s, with Springsteen as a potent but as-yet-unknown rival. A

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white to produce a range of achromatic brightnesses of grey. It is also known as greyscale in technical settings. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, ...

multi-camera The multiple-camera setup, multiple-camera mode of production, multi-camera or simply multicam is a method of filmmaking, television production and video production. Several cameras—either film or professional video cameras—are employed on ...

recording of Blondie in 1979, just prior to the release of their fourth album, ''

Eat to the Beat ''Eat to the Beat'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band Blondie, released on September 28, 1979, by Chrysalis Records. The album spent a year on the US ''Billboard'' 200, peaking at , and was one of ''Billboard''s top 10 albums ...

'', was taped at the Asbury Park Convention Hall on July 7, a home-state crowd for Jersey girl

Debbie Harry Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble, July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie (band), Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1 ...

, who was raised in

Hawthorne Hawthorne often refers to the American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne may also refer to: Places Australia *Hawthorne, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane Canada * Hawthorne Village, Ontario, a suburb of Milton, Ontario United States * Hawt ...

. The music video for Springsteen's " Tunnel of Love," directed by Irish director

Meiert Avis Meiert Avis is an Irish music video and commercial director. Career Meiert Avis has directed videos for artists such as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Avril Lavigne, Paramore, Alanis Morissette, Flyleaf, Jennifer Lopez, New Found Glory ...

, was filmed at the city's

and on the Asbury Park boardwalk at sunset in November 1987.

New Jersey Music Hall of Fame

The New Jersey Music Hall of Fame was founded in Asbury Park in 2005. There have been plans to build a music museum somewhere in the city as part of the redevelopment.

Black music and Springwood Avenue

The West Side of Asbury Park has traditionally been home to Black music, including

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

doo wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...

, and R&B. African American artists such as the Jersey Shore's own

as well as

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...

Lenny Welch Leon "Lenny" Welch (May 31, 1938 – April 8, 2025) was an American MOR and pop singer. Early life Welch was born on May 31, 1938 in New York City, and raised in Asbury Park, New Jersey, by his godparents, Eva and Robert Richardson. He attend ...

, the Broadways,

Josephine Baker Freda Josephine Baker (; June 3, 1906 – April 12, 1975), naturalized as Joséphine Baker, was an American and French dancer, singer, and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in France. She was the first Black woman to s ...

Claude Hopkins Claude Driskett Hopkins (August 24, 1903 – February 19, 1984) was an American jazz stride pianist and bandleader. Biography Claude Hopkins was born in Alexandria, Virginia, United States. Historians differ in respect of the actual date of his ...

, Bobby Thomas,

Rex Stewart Rex William Stewart Jr. (February 22, 1907 – September 7, 1967) was an American jazz cornetist who was a member of the Duke Ellington orchestra. Career As a boy he studied piano and violin; most of his career was spent on cornet. Stewart dro ...

Manzie Johnson Isham "Manzie" Johnson (August 19, 1906 – April 9, 1971) was an American jazz drummer. Johnson was raised in New York City, and played in Harlem in the 1920s with Fats Waller, James P. Johnson, and other stride pianists, before going on ...

Sidney Bechet Sidney Joseph Bechet ( ; May 14, 1897 – May 14, 1959) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. He was one of the first important Solo (music), soloists in jazz, and first recorded several months before trumpeter Louis Ar ...

, and

"either played or were inspired by the

lack Lack may refer to: Places * Lack, County Fermanagh, a townland in Northern Ireland * Lack, Poland * Łąck, Poland * Lack Township, Juniata County, Pennsylvania, US Other uses * Lack (surname) * Lack (manque), a term in Lacan's psychoanalyti ...

centered Springwood Avenue club circuit on the West Side of Asbury Park" in the early to mid-century period at places like the Smile-A-While and Gypsy George's. During a visit to the West Side in 1928,

Fats Waller Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, and singer. His innovations in the Harlem stride style laid much of the basis for modern jazz piano. A widely popular star ...

wrote "Honeysuckle Rose" with

Andy Razaf Andy Razaf (born Andriamanantena Paul Razafinkarefo; December 16, 1895 – February 3, 1973) was the American lyricist of such well-known songs as " Ain't Misbehavin'" and " Honeysuckle Rose". He was also a composer, poet and vocalist. Biograph ...

at 119 Atkins Avenue in a property that still stands.

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music and pop ...

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023) was a singer, songwriter, actress, and author. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", her vocal prowess, raspy voice, and electrifyin ...

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American singer, pianist, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the "Ar ...

and the

Four Tops The Four Tops are an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1953 as the Four Aims. They were one of the most commercially successful American pop music groups of the 1960s and helped propel Motown Records to international fame. The ...

all played at Cuba's on the West Side in the mid-century period. The former home of the Turf Club, once a well-known mid-century jazz and R&B joint across from what is now Springwood Park, was recently decorated with jazz-themed mural art by a team of local artists to mark its heritage.Jordan, Chris
"Tuesday at the Turf music series helping to reclaim Asbury Park's music legacy"
''

'', August 18, 2021. Accessed March 27, 2025. At the present-day site of Springwood Park in 1918, Black entrepreneur Reese DuPree turned Lafayette Hall (later the Roseland Hall auditorium) into a popular nightclub.Reese DuPree, Music Entrepreneur
Asbury Park Museum. Accessed June 13, 2022. The location was also used for civil rights activities;

Marcus Garvey Marcus Mosiah Garvey Jr. (17 August 188710 June 1940) was a Jamaican political activist. He was the founder and first President-General of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL) (commonly known a ...

and

W. E. B. Du Bois William Edward Burghardt Du Bois ( ; February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963) was an American sociologist, socialist, historian, and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist. Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up in a relativel ...

both spoke at Roseland Hall. The Asbury Park Music Foundation, working with Lakehouse Music Academy and the Boys & Girls Club of Monmouth County, founded the Hip Hop Institute to teach music and life skills education relevant to young hip hop enthusiasts. The Asbury Park Museum hosts an exhibit on the history of music on the West Side, spanning the decades from 1880 to 1980. The Asbury Park African-American Music Project, or AP-AMP, created a virtual West Side museum dedicated to the history of Black music in the city.

Live music and arts venues

With its long history as a resort town for varied social classes, Asbury Park is considered a destination for musicians, particularly a subgenre of

known as the Jersey Shore sound, which is infused with R&B. As of the 2020s, it is a frequent touring stop for both burgeoning and well-known acts. It is home to venues including: *

The Stone Pony The Stone Pony is a music venue in Asbury Park, New Jersey, known for launching the careers of many New Jersey music legends, including Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, and Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes.Asbury Lanes, a functioning bowling alley and bar with live performances ranging from musical acts (formerly with a heavy focus on

punk music Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

), neo-Burlesque,

hot rod Hot rods are typically American cars that might be old, classic, or modern and that have been rebuilt or modified with large engines optimized for speed and acceleration. One definition is: "a car that's been stripped down, souped up and ma ...

, and art shows. The venue's focus has been mostly on

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

and pop. *

holds larger events. * The Paramount Theatre is adjacent to Convention Hall. *

Wonder Bar ''Wonder Bar'' is a 1934 American film adaptation of a Broadway musical of the same name directed by Lloyd Bacon with musical numbers created by Busby Berkeley. It stars Al Jolson, Kay Francis, Dolores del Río, Ricardo Cortez, Dick Pow ...

* House of Independents * The Asbury Park Brewery hosts small shows with a focus on punk music * The Turf Club - "Tuesday at the Turf” is a summer music series held by the Asbury Park African-American Music Project (AP-AMP) at the Turf Club site across from Springwood Park, which is the last extant structure that once contained one of Springwood's many mid-century live Black music spots. The AP-AMP hopes to transform the space into a community venue for music and culture. * The Empress Hotel is an LGBT resort owned by music producer

Shep Pettibone Robert "Shep" Pettibone (born 10 July 1959) is an American record producer, remixer, songwriter and club DJ, one of the most prolific of the 1980s. Career Shep Pettibone surfaced after his work with Arthur Baker on Afrika Bambaataa & the Jazz ...

that features Paradise Nightclub. * The Baronet, a vintage movie theater which dates back to

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent films during the 1920s, in which he performed physical comedy and inventive stunts. He frequently ...

's era, was near Asbury Lanes, but its roof recently caved in and the building was demolished. The Asbury Hotel pays homage to this once great theater with its 5th floor rooftop movie theater called "The Baronet". The Asbury Hotel also has an 8th floor rooftop bar, paying homage to the former building inhabitants and calling it "Salvation." * The Kingsley Theater at the Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel - The newly formed Asbury Park Theater Company (APTCo) presented

Green Day Green Day is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Rodeo, California, in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, with drummer Tré Cool joining in 1990. In 1994, their majo ...

’s ''American Idiot'', the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

-winning

Broadway musical Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), many of the extant or closed Broadway venues use or used the spelling ''Theatr ...

, as the company's debut production at this theater in 2022. * The Upstage Club was a legendary blues, R&B and rock club that was alcohol-and-drug free and is said to have influenced the Jersey Shore sound in its short run from 1968 to 1971. In a town that was once nearly abandoned, there are now a large number of restaurants, bars, coffee houses, two breweries, a coffee roastery, and live music venues situated in Asbury Park's boardwalk and downtown districts.

Festivals and events

* The Asbury Park Porch Fest is a free family-friendly music festival featuring a series performances on local porches, lawns, and parks. The fifth annual event was held in 2021. * The annual

North to Shore The North to Shore Festival (aka North to Shore Arts and Ideas Festival, North to Shore, North2Shore, or N2S) is an annual three-week-long music, comedy, film and technology festival in New Jersey. The event is hosted in June by three New Jerse ...

festival features music, comedy, film and other entertainment alongside tech discussions at events in Asbury Park,

Atlantic City Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan sta ...

and Newark throughout the month of June. * Jersey Pride, the state's largest and oldest

Pride parade A pride parade (also known as pride event, pride festival, pride march, or pride protest) is an event celebrating lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) social and self-acceptance, achievements, LGBT rights by country o ...

, is held annually on the first Sunday in June with around 20,000 attendees on average. * Asbury Park Music Foundation is a non-profit organization that offers live music throughout the year including the free summer concert series Music Mondays in Springwood Park, AP Live and the Asbury Park Concert Band on the boardwalk. Ticketed events including Sundays on St. John's, A Very Asbury Holiday Show! at the Paramount Theater, Sunday Sessions are held throughout the year to benefit the music foundation's mission to provide music education programs, scholarships, instruments to the underserved youth in the community as well as supporting established and emerging local musicians with opportunities to perform. * The Asbury Park

Surf Music Surf music (also known as surf rock, surf pop, or surf guitar) is a genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is inst ...

Festival, held on the boardwalk in August, celebrates surf music . * The

Asbury Music Awards {{Infobox award , name = Asbury Park Music Awards , image = Sarah Tomek at APMA.jpg , imagesize = , caption = Sarah Tomek of Days Awake, recipient of three Asbury Music Awards, on drums at the 2007 Asbury Music Awards ceremon ...

. Formerly known as the Golden T-Bird Awards, these were established in 1993 by

Scott Stamper Scott Stamper (born March 10, 1962) is an American club owner, booking agent, and talent scout. He was the owner of The Saint in Asbury Park, NJ and founder of the Golden T-Bird Awards, currently known as The Asbury Music Awards. Stamper als ...

and Pete Mantas to recognize and support significant contributions and achievements of local and regional participants in the music industry. The name of the awards was changed to the

in 1995. The award ceremony is held in November of each year, most recently at the

Stone Pony The Stone Pony is a music venue in Asbury Park, New Jersey, known for launching the careers of many New Jersey music legends, including Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, and Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes.Sea.Hear.Now Festival is a surfing and music festival that first appeared on the beach in Asbury Park in September 2018, as a celebration of live music, art, ocean sustainability, and

surf culture Surf culture includes the people, language, fashion, and lifestyle surrounding the sport of surfing. The history of surfing began with the ancient Polynesians. That initial culture directly influenced modern surfing, which began to flourish ...

. Digital pop culture magazine ''The Pop Break'' named Sea.Hear.Now the best new music festival of the year in 2018. * Music Mondays at Springwood Park. These are weekly live music events held at Springwood Park in the summer months. Hosted by the Asbury Park Music Foundation.Music Mondays at Springwood Park
Asbury Park Music Foundation. Accessed March 17, 2020. * The

Wave Gathering The Wave Gathering Music Festival
Wave Gathering Music Festival Web Site. was co-founded by Adam Weisberg, hors d'oeuvre An hors d'oeuvre ( ; ), appetiser, appetizer or starter is a small dish served before a meal in European cuisine. Some hors d'oeuvres are served cold, others hot. Hors d'oeuvres may be served at the dinner table as a part of the meal, or ...

s and offering entertainment, to showcase the city's residential and commercial resurgence. * The Asbury Park Tattoo Convention, also known as the Visionary Tattoo Festival, is held every July. *

The Bamboozle The Bamboozle was an annual three-day music festival which was held in New Jersey from 2003 to 2012, and was scheduled for a 2023 revival in Atlantic City by its founder. Every year, new bands competed for spots during the two days. The event ...

Music Festival. This was first held in Asbury Park in 2003, 2004, and 2005. The festival returned to its original location for the ten-year anniversary in 2012, headlined by

My Chemical Romance My Chemical Romance is an American Rock music, rock band from New Jersey. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, lead guitarist Ray Toro, rhythm guitarist Frank Iero, and bassist Mikey Way. They are considered one of ...

Foo Fighters The Foo Fighters are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Initially founded as a one-man project by former Nirvana (band), Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, the band comprises vocalist/guitarist Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel, gu ...

, and

, drawing over 90,000 people to the city over the three-day span in which it was held. * The Asbury Park Women's Convention is held each winter.

List of film festivals

A number of New Jersey's film festivals are held in the city, including: * APin3 Film Challenge (timed filmmaking challenge in Asbury Park) * Asbury Park Music + Film Festival (established 2015, Asbury Park) * Bread and Roses Film Festival (established 2023, Asbury Park) (women's film festival) * The

Garden State Film Festival The Garden State Film Festival is a film festival in the United States held in Asbury Park, New Jersey, Asbury Park and Cranford, New Jersey, Cranford, New Jersey, which debuts more than 200 independent films annually over four days each spring. ...

. In 2003, actor

Robert Pastorelli Robert Joseph Pastorelli (June 21, 1954 – March 8, 2004) was an American actor. After he acquired a reputation as a skilled character actor in the 1980s and 1990s, Pastorelli's career went into decline after the death of his girlfriend under my ...

founded the

, which draws over 30,000 visitors to Asbury Park each spring for a four-day event including screenings of 150 features, documentaries, shorts and videos, concerts, lectures and workshops for filmmakers. * Jersey Shore Film Festival (established 2006, Deal, Long Branch, Asbury Park, Red Bank) * Jersey Devil Film Festival (Asbury Park) (horror/paranormal/folklore) * Krampus Film Festival (established ~2011, Asbury Park) (horror/paranormal/folklore with

Yuletide Yule is a winter festival historically observed by the Germanic peoples that was incorporated into Christmas during the Christianisation of the Germanic peoples. In present times adherents of some new religious movements (such as Modern Ge ...

mythology focus) * Hang Onto Your Shorts Film Festival (established ~2012, Asbury Park) * QFest New Jersey LGBTQ Film Festival (established ~2019, Asbury Park)

Murals and public art

Noted muralists and other local artists have installed various murals along the Asbury Park boardwalk and the cityscape in recent years. The 2016 Wooden Walls Mural Project began in July of that year and reimagined the Sunset Pavilion building with around a dozen new murals.

Other arts and entertainment

The Asbury Park Zombie Walk is a zombie parade along the mile-long route from

Convention Hall Convention Hall was a convention center in Kansas City, Missouri that hosted the 1900 Democratic National Convention and 1928 Republican National Convention. Construction, burning, and reconstruction It was designed by Frederick E. Hill and b ...

to the intersection of Main & Mattison. Held the first Saturday in October since 2008, it draws a large number of spectators and participants. Zombie-costumed participants remain in character throughout and are urged to move in a zombie-like manner. The event has grown to become one of the largest

zombie walk A zombie walk is an organized public gathering of people who dress up in zombie costumes. Participants usually meet in an urban center and make their way around the city streets and public spaces (or a series of taverns in the case of a zombie ...

s in the world. Many do "zombie versions" of Halloween costumes. In 2013, the APZW achieved the world's largest ever gathering of zombies. In 2022, the theme was

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

. Participants begin to gather in costume starting at 11am on the boardwalk south of

, where makeup artists provide zombie makeovers for a fee. The APZW also has a costume contest, awarding cash and the Golden Zombie trophy. Contestants are required to be on the boardwalk by 3pm where, during the parade lead-up, judges wander the boardwalk and choose finalists for ''Best Young Zombie'', ''Best Adult'', ''Best Couple'' and ''Best Group''. The zombie procession proceeds from

down the boardwalk. Spectators line the blocked-off streets as the zombies turn west off the boardwalk at Asbury Ave and proceed down the parade route to end with live music at the ending street stage, where spectators can take photos with the zombies. The event ends with final judging and the Golden Zombie award ceremony.

LGBTQ+ community

Asbury Park has been a "hub of gay life" for decades. On the first Sunday of every June, Jersey Pride, the state's largest and oldest gay

pride Pride is a human Emotion, secondary emotion characterized by a sense of satisfaction with one's Identity (philosophy), identity, performance, or accomplishments. It is often considered the opposite of shame or of humility and, depending on conte ...

festival and parade, draws hundreds of thousands of people to this LGBT destination. In the 1930s, Greenwich Village bohemian poet Tiny Tim (Timothy Felter), a friend of Asbury Park poet

Margaret Widdemer Margaret Widdemer (September 30, 1884 – July 14, 1978) was an American poet and novelist. She won the Pulitzer Prize (known then as the Columbia University Prize) in 1919 for her collection ''The Old Road to Paradise'', shared with Carl Sandburg ...

, opened a short-lived gay-friendly tearoom on Bond Street. Since the 1950s at least, Asbury Park's LGBT community has continued to grow. Mid-century Asbury Park gay bars like the Paddock Bar, the Blue Note, and lesbian bar Chez-L were targets of anti-gay enforcement by the state. Georgies sign

In later decades, other well-known now-defunct clubs and bars oriented to gay men included Archie's Bar, Down the Street (so named because it was located down the street from other 1970s and 1980s-era gay clubs), Odyssey, and M&K. After property values plummeted locally in Asbury Park in the 1970s, gays from

purchased and restored Victorian homes, leading to a rejuvenation of parts of the city. In the 1980s, locals recalled, Asbury Park had ten to twelve gay bars.

Garden State Equality Garden State Equality is a statewide advocacy and education organization in the U.S. state of New Jersey that advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) rights, including same-sex marriage. History Garden State Equality was f ...

, the LGBTQ+ rights organization, is headquartered on Main Street. In 2021, the LGBTQ+ community center QSpot relocated back to the west side of Asbury Park, having been established there in 2005. The center opened the QSpot Café, a gay-centered coffeehouse open on weekends only. Another notable establishment is

Georgies Georgies, also spelled Georgie's, is a gay Dive bar (drinking establishment), dive bar in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Opened in 1999, it is known colloquially as "the gay Cheers". In addition to static entertainment such as Pool (cue sports), pool ...

(formerly the Fifth Avenue Tavern). Project R.E.A.L. is a community organization for young LGBTQ+ socializing in Asbury Park. The LGBTQ-centered St. Laurent Social Club on Seventh Avenue first opened as the woman-owned St. Laurent Hotel in 1885. It eventually became the iconic Jersey Shore LGBTQ mainstay Hotel Tides, and reopened again as the St. Laurent in 2022 following a sale. Multiple restaurants in city are LGBTQ+-owned. Paradise pool summer

In 1999,

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

producer

opened

Paradise In religion and folklore, paradise is a place of everlasting happiness, delight, and bliss. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical, eschatological, or both, often contrasted with the miseries of human ...

, a gay

discotheque A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighting displays, and ...

near the ocean. He has since also opened the Empress Hotel, one of the state's only gay-oriented hotels. One subset of the LGBTQ+ community is the lesbian community of Asbury Park, a city with a tradition of

lesbian bar A lesbian bar (sometimes called a "women's bar") is a drinking establishment that caters exclusively or predominantly to lesbian women. While often conflated, the lesbian bar has a history distinct from that of the gay bar. Significance Les ...

s stretching back to the 1930s. In the late 1930s, 208 Bond Street was the location of a women's bar. In 1965, former nun Margaret "Maggie the Cat" Hogan opened the groundbreaking lesbian club Chez Elle (French for "her house"), also known as the Chez-L Lounge, and eventually joined a lawsuit that defeated efforts to discriminate against gay patrons at New Jersey nightclubs. The Bond Street Bar was a lesbian joint in the 1970s, and the third floor of the M&K nightclub, a gay disco at Monroe and Cookman Avenue, was for lesbians. The M&K was located in the large now-demolished Charms building at 401 Monroe Avenue, which was built in 1914 as an

Elks club The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE), commonly known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks, is an American fraternal order and charitable organization founded in 1868 in New York City. Originally established as a social club for m ...

and served as a candy factory in the 1940s "One activist remembers, 'Bond Street used to be lesbian bar--you would knock, and there was a peephole, and they would verify you were a lesbian and let you in.'"The 1980s lesbian resort, the Key West Hotel, was a large source of community for New Jersey women during that decade, as were lesbian venues like the Owl and the Pussycat, which relocated to the Key West. A Key West Hotel reunion in 2016 drew 400 people.Tully, Tracey
"Liquor Laws Once Targeted Gay Bars. Now, One State Is Apologizing.; New Jersey's attorney general apologized for decades-old state policies that shuttered bars for allowing gay patrons to congregate."
''

'', June 29, 2021. Accessed October 22, 2021. "And in 1956 in Asbury Park, which was then, as it is today, a hub of gay life on the Jersey Shore, a bar was cited for serving men who 'rocked and swayed their posteriors in a maidenly fashion.'" The Asbury Park Women's Convention is held annually, typically during March, with a focus on women-led workshops, musical performances, comedy sets, guest speakers, spoken word and other performing arts including poetry and artwork featured in a number of female-operated businesses in the Asbury area. The inaugural Asbury Park

Dyke March A dyke march is a lesbian visibility and protest march, much like the original Gay Pride parades and gay rights demonstrations. The main purpose of a dyke march is the encouragement of activism within the lesbian and sapphic community. Dyke ...

was held in October 2020.

Surfing and other sports

Every winter, when the surf grows colder and rougher than in the summer, the city is home to the Cold War, an annual cold water surfing battle. In 1943, the

held

in Asbury Park to comply with restrictions on rail travel during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Asbury Park is the nominal home to Asbury Park FC, described as "Asbury Park's most storied sports franchise and New Jersey's second-best

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

club." The project is a parody of a modern pro soccer team born out of a joke between social media professional and soccer tastemaker Shawn Francis and his friend Ian Perkins, guitarist with

. Despite never playing games the club has an extensive merchandise line available online, including new and retro replica jerseys.

Parks and recreation

There are several parks and recreational activities throughout Asbury Park. Several of the parks in the city host various community events throughout the year, including many pop-up events,

farmer's markets A farmers' market (or farmers market according to the AP stylebook, also farmer's market in the Cambridge Dictionary) is a physical retail marketplace intended to sell foods directly by farmers to consumers. Farmers' markets may be indoors or ...

, musical performances, etc. The most prominent historical recreational spot is the Asbury Park Boardwalk and the

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from Rock (geology), rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological s ...

. The boardwalk has changed a lot over the years, and today hosts various restaurants and shops, along with the 3,600 seat

and 1,600 seat Paramount Theater, which are both connected via an

arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated video, pinball, electro-mechanical, redemption, etc., game ** Arcade video game, a coin-operated video game ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade video game's hardware ** Arcad ...

. Other activities on the boardwalk include the Silverball Retro

Arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated video, pinball, electro-mechanical, redemption, etc., game ** Arcade video game, a coin-operated video game ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade video game's hardware ** Arcad ...

& Museum, the Asbury Splash Park, an 18 hole

mini-golf Miniature golf (also known as minigolf, putt-putt, crazy golf, and by several other names) is an offshoot of the sport of golf focusing solely on the putting aspect of its parent game. The aim of the game is to score the lowest number of poi ...

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

nets on the beach, a

playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people wi ...

, and a

dog park A dog park is a park for dogs to exercise and play off-leash in a controlled environment under the supervision of their owners. Description Dog parks have varying features, although they typically offer a fence, separate double-gated entry an ...

. Parks within the city include: * Asbury Park Rain Garden - Founded in 2010 adjacent to the

Asbury Park Station Asbury Park is an NJ Transit railway station in Asbury Park, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. It is served by trains on the North Jersey Coast Line. It is located along Cookman Avenue between Main Street and Memorial Drive. The cu ...

and bordered by Main Street, it contains a

rain garden Rain gardens, also called bioretention facilities, are one of a variety of practices designed to increase rain runoff reabsorption by the soil. They can also be used to treat polluted stormwater runoff. Rain gardens are designed landscape sites t ...

and a

plaza A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Rela ...

with seating. * Atlantic Square Park, Bradley Park, Fireman's Park, and Sunset Park & Lake - These four interconnected parks located between Sunset Avenue and Fifth Avenue together make up the largest park in the city excluding the beach. Atlantic Square Park and Bradley Park are two large grass fields with diagonal walkways that consist of two entire city blocks right behind the Convention Hall between Ocean Avenue and Webb Street, with Bradley Park having a statue in the center of Asbury Park founder James A. Bradley. These two parks host various events throughout the year, most notably the

Pride Festival A pride parade (also known as pride event, pride festival, pride march, or pride protest) is an event celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) social and self-acceptance, achievements, legal rights, and pride. The eve ...

in June and AsburyFest in September. Past this, between Webb Street and Bond Street, is the five block long Sunset Park & Lake. The lake is divided by a bridge along Grand Ave, which connects to St. John's Island, a small island that often has community events and gatherings. Additionally, there is the Emory Street

Pedestrian Bridge A footbridge (also a pedestrian bridge, pedestrian overpass, or pedestrian overcrossing) is a bridge designed solely for pedestrians.''Oxford English Dictionary'' While the primary meaning for a bridge is a structure which links "two points at a ...

by the west side of the lake. At the other end of Sunset Lake, bordered between Bond Street and Main Street, is Fireman's Park, another one block park that consists of a central seating

. * Bangs Ave. Playground - Located between Barack Obama Elementary School and Thurgood Marshall Middle School along Bangs Avenue, it contains a playground and an open field. * Community Garden - Located behind the Asbury Park City Hall and adjacent to the

is a small

community garden A community garden is a piece of land gardened or cultivated by a group of people individually or collectively. Normally in community gardens, the land is divided into individual plots. Each individual gardener is responsible for their own plot ...

that gives out vegetables on Saturday mornings during the growing season. *

- Located along the city's northern border, bordering Loch Arbour,

, and Ocean Township., it is the largest lake in the county, and has a

boat launch A slipway, also known as boat ramp or launch or boat deployer, is a ramp on the shore by which ships or boats can be moved to and from the water. They are used for building and repairing ships and boats, and for launching and retrieving small ...

ramp located next to Main Street. * Fourth and Heck Street Playground - Playground. * Kennedy Park - Located at the edge of downtown between Cookman Avenue and Lake Avenue and adjacent to Wesley Lake, with a

JFK John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until Assassination of John F. Kennedy, his assassination in 1963. He was the first Catholic Chur ...

centerpiece memorial. * Library Square Park - Located adjacent to the Asbury Park library, it has a fountain in the center dedicated to Frank LaRue TenBroeck, a former Asbury Park mayor. The park contains a memorial grove for the

Pulse Nightclub shooting On , 2016, 29-year-old Omar Mateen shot and killed 49 people and wounded 53 more in a mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, United States before Orlando Police officers fatally shot him after a three-hour standoff. In ...

. Plans for adding things to the park have been mentioned, such as a dog park. * Locust Drive Park - Small triangular park bordered by Fifth Avenue, Locust Drive, and Bridge Street. * Merchant's Square Park - Small park in downtown at the intersection of Cookman Avenue and Main Street. * Springwood Park – A park featuring a playground and pavilion that was established in 2016 adjacent to the Second Baptist Church of Asbury Park, a historically African-American congregation founded in 1885. It is across from Kula Urban Farm and Kula Cafe, an urban farm and small restaurant that grows produce for local restaurants. Springwood Park is home to Music Mondays, weekly live-music outdoor events in the summer months that are hosted by the Asbury Park Music Foundation. The park has been home to political and civil rights rallies. * Soldiers Park - A triangular park locate on the corner of Grand Avenue and Cookman Avenue, centered by a memorial pedestal with a soldier on top in honor of Union soldiers who died in the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, however the

plaque Plaque may refer to: Commemorations or awards * Commemorative plaque, a plate, usually fixed to a wall or other vertical surface, meant to mark an event, person, etc. * Memorial Plaque (medallion), issued to next-of-kin of dead British military p ...

uniquely refers to it as the " War of Rebellion", a name mostly found solely in the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

. * Wesley Lake - Located along the city's southern border between Bond Street and the boardwalk, acting as the city's border with Ocean Grove, the lake contains footpaths surrounding the lake, as well as two

footbridge A footbridge (also a pedestrian bridge, pedestrian overpass, or pedestrian overcrossing) is a bridge designed solely for pedestrians.''Oxford English Dictionary'' While the primary meaning for a bridge is a structure which links "two points at a ...

s, and pedal boat rentals. Historically, the lake contained ten-person swan boats and later four-person motor-powered boats that ran along a track throughout the lake. Asbury Park is also home to numerous historical houses and buildings that can still be seen today, as well as containing nearly 50 registered

historic site A historic site or heritage site is an official location where pieces of political, military, cultural, or social history have been preserved due to their cultural heritage value. Historic sites are usually protected by law, and many have been re ...

s with Monmouth County. Of these, four are also designated national historical landmarks. These include the tourable

Stephen Crane House The Arburtus Cottage, also known as the Stephen Crane House, is located at 508 4th Avenue in the city of Asbury Park in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. Built around 1878, the historic Queen Anne style seaside cottage was added to the ...

, residence of author

Stephen Crane Stephen Crane (November 1, 1871 – June 5, 1900) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer. Prolific throughout his short life, he wrote notable works in the Realist tradition as well as early examples of American Naturalism an ...

and home to the Asbury Park Historical Society; the George Wurts home, the Trinity Episcopal Church, the

, the Palace Merry-Go-Round, the Steinbach Brothers Store, and the

Winsor Building The Winsor Building is located at 400–420 Main Street in the city Asbury Park in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. Built in 1904, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places ...

Government

Local government

The City of Asbury Park is governed within the

Faulkner Act The Optional Municipal Charter Law or Faulkner Act (, et seq.) provides New Jersey municipalities with a variety of models of local government. This legislation is called the Faulkner Act in honor of the late Bayard H. Faulkner, former mayor ...

, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under the Council-Manager form of government. The city is one of 71 municipalities (of the 564) statewide governed under this form. The city was previously governed under the

1923 Municipal Manager Law The 1923 Municipal Manager Law was the last type of reformed municipal government the state of New Jersey introduced in the Progressive Era. The law introduced to New Jersey the council–manager form of government first developed in Sumter, So ...

form of municipal government until voters approved the Council-Manager form in 2013.Terry, Nicquel
"Asbury Park elects to change form of government"
''

'', November 5, 2013. Accessed April 20, 2015. "The city has adopted a new form of government that calls for an elected mayor and staggered terms for four council members after an overwhelming majority of voters passed the ballot question in Tuesday's election. The new government structure means there will be another City Council election in November 2014, shortening the terms of the five council members elected in May." The government is comprised of a five-member City Council with a directly elected mayor and four council positions all elected

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather tha ...

non-partisan Nonpartisanship, also known as nonpartisanism, is a lack of affiliation with a political party and a lack of political bias. While an ''Oxford English Dictionary'' definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., ...

elections, to serve four-year terms of office on a staggered basis in elections held in even years as part of the November general election. The form of government was chosen based on the final report issued in August 2013 by a

Charter Study Commission The Optional Municipal Charter Law or Faulkner Act (, et seq.) provides New Jersey municipalities with a variety of models of local government. This legislation is called the Faulkner Act in honor of the late Bayard H. Faulkner, former mayor ...

that had narrowed its options to the weak Mayor Council-Manager form or the strong Mayor

form, ultimately choosing to recommend the Council-Manager form as it would retain desired aspects of the 1923 Municipal Manager Law (non-partisan voting for an at-large council with a professional manager) while allowing a directly elected mayor, elections in November and grants voters the right to use initiative and referendum. The four winning council candidates in the November 2014 general election drew straws, with two being chosen to serve full four-year terms and two serving for two years. Thereafter, two council seats will be up for election every two years. , the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of Asbury Park is John Moor, whose term of office ends December 31, 2026. Members of the Asbury Park City Council are Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn (2028), Angela Ahbez-Anderson (2026), Eileen Chapman (2028) and Barbara "Yvonne" Clayton (2028).Mayor & Council
Asbury Park, New Jersey. Accessed January 23, 2025.November 5, 2024 General Election Official Results

Monmouth County, New Jersey Monmouth County () 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 ...

, updated December 16, 2024. Accessed January 1, 2025.General Election November 8, 2022 Official Results

Clerk, updated December 27, 2022. Accessed January 1, 2023. In May 2016, the City Council appointed Eileen Chapman to fill the vacant council seat expiring in December 2016 that had been held by Joe Woerner until he resigned from office. Myra Campbell, the last mayor under the old form of government, was the first African-American woman to be chosen as mayor when she took office in July 2013.

Fire department

Beyond providing emergency services, the Asbury Park Fire Department works to prevent fires and accidents. Department responsibilities include fire code enforcement, arson investigations, as well as fire prevention activities and fire / life safety education programs for children, families, and seniors. Asbury Park currently has a centrally located fire station (with a new one planned for the future), with one Engine Company, one Ladder Company, two Basic Life Support Ambulances, a fireboat, and a Duty Battalion Chief. The department's apparatus fleet includes three engines (including a spare), two ladder trucks (including a spare), one rescue truck, and two ambulances, in addition to other equipment. The Asbury Park Fire Department employs 53 certified Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technicians.

Federal, state, and county representation

Asbury Park is located in the 6th Congressional districtPlan Components Report

New Jersey Redistricting Commission The New Jersey Redistricting Commission is a constitutional body of the government of New Jersey tasked with redrawing the state's Congressional election districts after each decade's census. Like Arizona, Idaho, Hawaii, Montana, and Washington ...

, December 23, 2011. Accessed February 1, 2020. and is part of New Jersey's 11th state legislative district.Municipalities Sorted by 2011-2020 Legislative District

New Jersey Department of State The secretary of state of New Jersey oversees the Department of State, which is one of the original state offices. The Secretary is responsible for overseeing New Jersey State Council on the Arts, artistic, cultural, and New Jersey Historical Com ...

. Accessed February 1, 2020.''2019 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''
New Jersey

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV) is a nonpartisan American nonprofit political organization. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include Voter registration, registering voters, providing voter information, boosting voter turnout and adv ...

. Accessed October 30, 2019.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 7,404 registered voters in Asbury Park, of which 2,723 (36.8%) were registered as Democrats, 464 (6.3%) were registered as

Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

and 4,209 (56.8%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 8 voters registered as

Libertarians Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...

or Greens. In the 2020 presidential election, Democrat

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

received 81.8% of the vote (4,767 votes), ahead of Republican

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

with 16.6% (968 votes), and other candidates with 1.6% (91 cast), among the 5,826 votes cast by the city's 8,600 registered voters (183 ballots were spoiled) for a turnout of 70%. In the

2016 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2016 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2016 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *7 January: Kiri ...

, Democrat

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

received 82.1% (4,179 votes), ahead of Republican

with 14.7% (746 votes), and other candidates with 3.3% (167 votes), among the 5,092 votes cast by the city's 9,218 registered voters (268 ballot were spoiled) for a turnout of 58%. In the

2012 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2012 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2012 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *3–4 January: ...

, Democrat

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

received 89.1% of the vote (4,317 cast), ahead of Republican

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...

with 9.9% (480 votes), and other candidates with 1.0% (49 votes), among the 4,896 ballots cast by the city's 8,486 registered voters (50 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 57.7%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 87.4% of the vote (4,693 cast), ahead of Republican

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...

with 9.7% (522 votes) and other candidates with 0.5% (28 votes), among the 5,372 ballots cast by the city's 8,429 registered voters, for a turnout of 63.7%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...

received 81.9% of the vote (3,659 ballots cast), outpolling Republican

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

with 17.0% (759 votes) and other candidates with 0.3% (28 votes), among the 4,466 ballots cast by the city's 8,255 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 54.1. In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Democrat

Barbara Buono Barbara A. Buono (born July 28, 1953) is an American politician who served in the New Jersey Senate from 2002 to 2014, where she represented the 18th Legislative District. She served from 2010 to 2012 as the Majority Leader in the Senate, succ ...

received 67.5% of the vote (1,488 cast), ahead of Republican

Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician and former United States Attorney, federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party (United States) ...

with 30.9% (682 votes), and other candidates with 1.6% (36 votes), among the 2,287 ballots cast by the city's 8,819 registered voters (81 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 25.9%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat

Jon Corzine Jon Stevens Corzine ( ; born January 1, 1947) is an American financial executive and retired politician who served as a United States Senator from New Jersey from 2001 to 2006, and the 54th governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. Corzine ran f ...

received 75.1% of the vote (1,728 ballots cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 19.1% (440 votes), Independent

Chris Daggett Christopher Jarvis Daggett (born March 7, 1950) is an American businessman who is the president and CEO of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, one of the largest foundations in New Jersey. A former regional administrator of the United States En ...

with 4.3% (100 votes) and other candidates with 0.4% (9 votes), among the 2,301 ballots cast by the city's 7,692 registered voters, yielding a 29.9% turnout.

Historic district

The Asbury Park Commercial Historic District is a

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains historic building, older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal p ...

located primarily along Cookman and Mattison Avenues and Bond and Emory Streets between Lake and Bangs Avenues. The district was added to the

on September 30, 2014, for its significance in commerce and entertainment. There are three other historic districts that fall under the Monmouth County Historic Districts register. The first is the Waterfront Resort Historic District, which encompasses the boardwalk, the beach, Ocean Ave., green space, and the buildings close by that are associated with Asbury Park's status as a seaside resort. The district boundaries are, roughly the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Ocean Ave. to the west, Wesley Lake to the south, and the Deal Lake to the north. Within the district are various historical buildings and sites, including the boardwalks, four bathing pavilions,

, the

Stone Pony The Stone Pony is a music venue in Asbury Park, New Jersey, known for launching the careers of many New Jersey music legends, including Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, and Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes.Asbury Park Convention Hall Asbury Park Convention Hall is a 3,600-seat indoor exhibition center located on the boardwalk and on the beach in Asbury Park in Monmouth County, New Jersey. It was built between 1928 and 1930 and is used for sports, concerts and other special ...

, and the Casino Amusements. The second district is the Library Square Historic District, which is a residential/civic district laid out on a grid system of wide tree-lined streets. This district is a mix of late 19th and early 20th century residential architecture, churches, hotels, the public library, with much of it centered on the Library Square green space. The district comprises the significant architecture remaining in the vicinity of Library Square and Grand Avenue, which is not interrupted with modern buildings or significantly altered historic structures. This area still reflects founder Bradley's plan for Grand Avenue and Library Square with wide tree-lined streets. The district roughly includes all properties fronting Library Square, then adding one block east up First Avenue between Bergh and Heck Streets, and one block west up Second Avenue between Emory and Grand Avenues. The properties fronting Grand Avenue between Third and Sewall Avenues are also included. Lastly is the Sunset Lake Historic District, which is comprised of a residential neighborhood laid out on a grid system of wide tree-lined streets and a park. The houses in the district range from the late 19th to early 20th century revivals, with houses dating from the early 20th century being the most common. The district includes the entire Sunset Lake Park between Main and Webb Streets. The southern border of the district is the Fifth Avenue side of the park, but not including the buildings on Fifth Avenue. The district also includes, roughly Sixth Avenue between Park Avenue and Main Street, Seventh Avenue between Grand Avenue and Main Street, and Eighth Avenue between Grand Avenue and Main Street.

Education

Public schools

The Asbury Park Public Schools serve students in

pre-kindergarten Pre-kindergarten (also called pre-K or PK) is a voluntary classroom-based preschool program for children below the age of five in the United States, Canada, Turkey and Greece (when kindergarten starts). It may be delivered through a preschool ...

through

twelfth grade Twelfth Grade (also known as Grade 12, Senior Year, Standard 12, 12th Standard, 12th Class, or Class 12th or Class 12) is the twelfth and final Educational stage, year of Formal education, formal or compulsory education. It is typically the final ...

. The district is one of 31 former

Abbott district ''Abbott'' districts are school districts in New Jersey that are provided remedies to ensure that their students receive public education in accordance with Constitution of New Jersey, the state constitution. They were created in 1985 as a resul ...

s statewide that were established pursuant to the decision by the

New Jersey Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases cha ...

in ''Abbott v. Burke'', which are now referred to as "SDA Districts" based on the requirement for the state to cover all costs for school building and renovation projects in these districts under the supervision of the

New Jersey Schools Development Authority The New Jersey Schools Development Authority (commonly referred to as NJSDA or SDA) is the State agency responsible for fully funding and managing the new construction, modernization and renovation of school facilities projects in 31 New Jersey s ...

. Students from Allenhurst attend the district's schools as part of a

sending/receiving relationship A sending/receiving relationship is one in which a public school district sends some or all of its students to attend the schools of another district. This is often done to achieve costs savings in smaller districts or continues after districts hav ...

. In July 2014, the

New Jersey Department of Education The New Jersey Department of Education (NJ DOE) administers state and federal aid programs affecting more than 1.4 million public and non-public elementary and secondary school children in the state of New Jersey. The department is headquartered ...

approved a request by

under which it would end its sending relationship with the Asbury Park district and begin sending its students to the

West Long Branch Public Schools The West Long Branch Public Schools is a community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from West Long Branch, in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Students from Interlaken attend ...

through eighth grade and then onto

Shore Regional High School Shore Regional High School is a regional public high school and school district serving students from four communities in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The high school serves students from the constituent municipalities of ...

. Students from

had attended the district's high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship that was terminated and replaced with an agreement with Shore Regional. As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of four schools, had an enrollment of 1,771 students and 175.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

student–teacher ratio The student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio refers to the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers or staff in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that ...

of 10.1:1.District information for Asbury Park School District

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the principal federal agency responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data on education in the United States. Established under , it operates within the Institute of Education S ...

. Accessed February 15, 2022. Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the

) are Bradley Elementary School with 301 students in grades PreK-5,

Thurgood Marshall Thoroughgood "Thurgood" Marshall (July 2, 1908 – January 24, 1993) was an American civil rights lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1967 until 1991. He was the Supreme C ...

Elementary School with 247 students in grades PreK-5, Dr.

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...

Upper Elementary School with 370 students in grades 6-8 and

with 682 students in grades 9-12. In March 2011, the state monitor overseeing the district's finances ordered that Barack Obama Elementary School be closed after the end of the 2010–2011 school year, citing a 35% decline in enrollment in the district during the prior 10 years. Students currently attending the school would be reallocated to the district's two other elementary schools, with those going into fifth grade assigned to attend middle school. During the summer of 2012, the school board approved funding for development plans to house the Board of Education in the vacant Barack Obama Elementary School. The school board awarded $894,000 to an architect firm to handle the renovation design and subsequent project bids. The estimated cost of the renovation was $1.6 million. In 2006, Asbury Park's Board of Education was affected by the city's decision to redevelop waterfront property with eminent domain. In the case ''Asbury Park Board of Education v. City of Asbury Park and Asbury Partners, LLC'', the

New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division The New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division (in case citation, N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div) is the intermediate appellate court in New Jersey. "The Appellate Division of New Jersey's Superior Court is the first level appellate court, with ap ...

affirmed a ruling in favor of eminent domain of the Board of Education building on Lake Avenue. The Board of Education moved to the third and fourth floors of 603 Mattison Avenue, the former ''

'' building, where it paid $189,327 in rent per year.Mulshine, Molly
" School admins finalize move to Obama building Relocation should be complete by next summer"
''Asbury Park Sun'', September 13, 2012. Accessed June 15, 2014. "The board of education OEis finalizing plans for administrative offices to move from downtown Asbury Park to the Barack H. Obama building on Bangs Avenue ictured above The district's administrative staff has occupied a floor of The Press Building at 603 Mattison Ave. ightfor several years, paying $189,327 annually, or about $15,000 per month, for the space." In February 2007, the offices of the Asbury Park Board of Education were raided by investigators from the State Attorney General's office, prompted by allegations of corruption and misuse of funds. Per-student expenditures in Asbury Park have generated statewide controversy for several years. In 2006, ''

'' reported that Asbury Park "spends more than $18,000 per student each year, the highest amount in the state." In both 2010 and 2011, the Asbury Park K–12 school district had the highest per-student expenditure in the state. As of the 2010 school reports, the high school has not met goals mandated by the

No Child Left Behind Act The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) was a 2002 United States Act of Congress promoted by the presidential administration of George W. Bush. It reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and included Title I provisio ...

and has been classified as "In Need of Improvement" for six years.

Charter schools

The Hope Academy Charter School, founded in 2001, is an alternative public school choice that serves students in

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

through eighth grade. Admission is based on a lottery of submitted applications, with priority given to Asbury Park residents and siblings of existing students. Students from Asbury Park in

ninth In music, a ninth is a compound interval consisting of an octave plus a second. Like the second, the interval of a ninth is classified as a dissonance in common practice tonality. Since a ninth is an octave larger than a second, its ...

through

s may also attend Academy Charter High School, located in

Lake Como Lake Como ( , ) also known as Lario, is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of , making it the third-largest lake in Italy, after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore. At over deep, it is one of the deepest lakes in Europe. ...

, which also serves residents of Allenhurst, Avon-by-the-Sea, Belmar, Bradley Beach,

and Lake Como, and accepts students on a lottery basis.

Crime

While 8 of the 17 murders in Monmouth County in 2006 took place in Asbury Park, and 7 of the county's 14 murders in 2007, by 2008 there was only one murder in Asbury Park and five in the whole county. The city's police had added 19 officers since 2003 and expanded its street crime unit. After a spike in gang violence, violent crime had decreased by almost 20% from 2006 to 2008. In the calendar year through August 26, 2013, Asbury Park has had 6 homicides; there have also been 17 people non-fatally injured in shooting incidents. In February 2014, "Operation Dead End" arrested gang members of the

Crips The Crips are a primarily African-American alliance of street gangs that are based in the coastal regions of Southern California. Founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1969, mainly by Raymond Washington and Stanley Williams, the Crips ...

and

Bloods The Bloods are a primarily African Americans, African American street gang which was founded in Los Angeles, California. The gang is widely known for Crips–Bloods gang war, its rivalry with the Crips. It is identified by the red color worn ...

; one Asbury Park patrol officer was arrested for aiding gang members. On June 16, 2015, Asbury Park police officers arrested a Neptune Township off-duty police officer for the murder of his ex-wife on an Asbury Park street in broad daylight. As of 2023, the Asbury Park Police Department has a staff of 27. The department is broken down into various divisions: the Traffic Safety Unit has 2 officers, the Patrol Division has 8 officers, the Office of Professional Standards & Accountability has 4 officers, the Investigative Section has 3 officers, 1 Community Relations officer, 3 School Resource Officers, and 6 department head officers.

Public health

Nearby hospitals include

Jersey Shore University Medical Center Jersey Shore University Medical Center (JSUMC) is a 691-bed non-profit, tertiary research and academic medical center located in Neptune Township, New Jersey, servicing coastal New Jersey and the Central Jersey area. JSUMC is the region’s onl ...

and

Monmouth Medical Center Monmouth Medical Center, based in Long Branch, New Jersey, is one of New Jersey's largest community academic medical centers. It is an academic affiliate of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School of Rutgers University and is a part of the larger R ...

. From before 1990 to 2015, there were 904 reported cases of

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

in Asbury Park. Additionally, there were 418 AIDS-related deaths and 73 deaths of people who had HIV (without AIDS diagnosis.) In 2014, there were nine new cases and 2015, eight. To help people living with AIDS and their caregivers, a not-for-profit foundation called The Center provides assistance with meals, housing, and transportation. In 2012, Asbury Park reported 6 cases of syphilis, 59 cases of gonorrhea, and 139 cases of chlamydia.

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the city had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Monmouth County and by the

New Jersey Department of Transportation The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey, including maintaining and operating the state's highway and public road system, planning and developing transport ...

. The main access road is Route 71 which runs north–south. Other roads that are accessible in neighboring communities include Route 18, Route 33,

Route 35 The following highways are numbered 35: The Karakoram Highway (Urdu: شاہراہ قراقرم, ''Śāhirāh-i Qarāquram''), also known as the KKH, National Highway 35 (Urdu: قومی شاہراہ ۳۵), N-35, and the China–Pakistan Friendsh ...

and

Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) is one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The high ...

. The

is at least 15 minutes away via either Routes 33 or 66.

Public transportation

NJ Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit or NJTransit and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey and portions of the states of New York and Pennsylvania. I ...

offers rail service from the Asbury Park station. on the North Jersey Coast Line, offering service to Newark Penn Station, Secaucus Junction, New York Penn Station and Hoboken Terminal. NJ Transit bus routes include the 317 (New Jersey bus), 317 to and from

, and local service on the 830 (New Jersey bus), 830, 832 (New Jersey bus), 832, 836 (New Jersey bus), 836 and 837 (New Jersey bus), 837 routes. The "Shore Points" route of Academy Bus Lines provides service between Asbury Park and New York City on a limited schedule.

Bike

In August 2017, a multi-station bike share program opened in cooperation with Zagster. With six stations in the city, the program is the first of its kind on the Jersey Shore.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Asbury Park has a Humid subtropical climate (''Cfa'').

Ecology

According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types, Asbury Park would have a dominant vegetation type of Appalachian Oak (''104'') with a dominant vegetation form of Eastern Hardwood Forest (''25'').U.S. Potential Natural Vegetation, Original Kuchler Types, v2.0 (Spatially Adjusted to Correct Geometric Distortions)
Data Basin, Accessed July 19, 2023.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Asbury Park include: * Bud Abbott (1895–1974), straight man for comedy team of Abbott and Costello, born in Asbury ParkPike, Helen-Chantal. "Asbury Park's Glory Days – The Story Of An American Resort", ''Gameroom magazine'' reviewed by Tim Ferrante. Accessed June 18, 2007. "I didn't know Bud Abbott was born there. It was also the home town of then hair stylist Danny DeVito (yes, there is a photo of the famed actor in his family's shop!) and the childhood stomping ground of Jack Nicholson." * Soren Sorensen Adams (1879–1963), inventor and manufacturer of novelty products, including the joy buzzer * Stewart H. Appleby (1890–1964), represented from 1925 to 1927 * T. Frank Appleby (1864–1924), represented in the United States House of Representatives from 1921 to 1923, and was mayor of Asbury Park from 1908 to 1912 * Dave Aron (born 1964), recording engineer, live music, live and studio Audio engineering, mixer, record producer and musician * Nicole Atkins (born 1978), singer-songwriter on Columbia Records * Ronald S. Baron (born 1943), mutual fund manager and investor * Frederick Bayer (1921–2007), marine biologist who served as curator of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History *Knowledge Bennett (born 1976), visual artist who has served as Artist-in-Residence at Kean University * Wilda Bennett (1894–1967), actress * Richard Biegenwald (1940–2008), serial killer who killed at least nine people, and he is suspected in at least two other murders * Bam Bam Bigelow, Scott "Bam Bam" Bigelow (1961–2007), professional wrestler * Elizabeth Ann Blaesing (1919–2005), daughter of Warren G. Harding, the 29th President of the United States, and his mistress, Nan Britton * Daniel Boyarin (born 1946), historian of religion who is Professor of Talmudic Culture at University of California, Berkeley * James A. Bradley (1830–1921), financier and real estate developer who founded the city and served as its mayor * Kurt Braunohler (born 1976), comedian * Charles H. Brower (1901–1984), advertising executive, copywriter and author * Billy Brown (singer), Billy Brown (born 1944), singer, songwriter, and record producer, who was an original member of the R&B vocal group, Ray, Goodman & Brown * Ernest Carter (drummer), Ernest "Boom" Carter, drummer who has toured and recorded with, among others,

, with whom he played the drums on the song "Born to Run (song), Born to Run" * Marie Castello (1915–2008), longtime boardwalk fortune-telling, fortuneteller known as "Madam Marie" * Edna Woolman Chase (1877–1957), editor in chief of ''Vogue (magazine), Vogue'' magazine from 1914 to 1952 * James M. Coleman (1924–2014), politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly and as a judge in New Jersey Superior Court *

(1871–1900), author of ''The Red Badge of Courage'' * Cookie Cuccurullo (1918–1983), MLB pitcher who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1943 to 1945 * Holmes E. Dager, (1893–1973), U.S. Army major general, born in Asbury Park, * Danny DeVito (born 1944), actor * Les Dugan (1921–2002), American football coach who was the first head football coach at Buffalo State College, serving from 1981 to 1985 * Fletcher (singer), Cari Fletcher (born 1994), actress, singer, and songwriter * Tim Hauser (born 1941), member of The Manhattan Transfer * Leon Hess (1914–1999), oil magnate and founder of the Hess Corporation, began his business in the city * Robert Hess (college president), Robert Hess (1932–1994), scholar of History of Africa, African history who served as the sixth President of Brooklyn College * Joey Janela (born 1989), professional wrestler * Richard Jarecki (1931–2018), physician who won more than $1 million from a string of European casinos after cracking a pattern in roulette wheels * Lou Liberatore (born 1959), actor, has a second home in Asbury Park * Robert Melee (born 1966), artist * Vic Morrow (1929-1982), actor *

(1870–1942), bandleader * Nazreon Reid (born 1999), power forward (basketball), power forward for the Minnesota Timberwolves team * Charles J. Ross (1859–1918), vaudeville performer *

(born 1953), early member of the

* Arthur Siegel (1923–1994), songwriter * Thomas S. Smith (New Jersey), Thomas S. Smith (1917–2002), former mayor of Asbury Park who served in the New Jersey General Assembly *

(born 1949), singer-songwriter, whose debut album was titled '' Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.'' * Ja'Sir Taylor (born 1999), American football cornerback for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League *

(born 1940), pop singer *

(1884–1976), Pulitzer Prize-winning poet * Wendy Williams (born 1964), talk show host and New York Times Best Seller list, ''New York Times'' bestselling author, born in Asbury Park * Arthur Augustus Zimmerman (1869–1936), the first world cycling champion, grew up here and owned a hotel after retiring from racing

In popular culture

and the Tillie mural have featured in numerous works of popular culture. Additional works reference Asbury Park, specifically. In the song "At Long Last Love (song), At Long Last Love" (1938), originally written by Cole Porter for the musical ''You Never Know (musical), You Never Know'' (1938), Frank Sinatra sings "Is it Granada, Spain, Granada I see, or only Asbury Park?" Bruce Springsteen named his first album " Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J." in 1973 and described his early life there. The artist has also dedicated many songs to Asbury Park such as "

" and "My City of Ruins" on his 2002 album, ''The Rising (album), The Rising''. The group mewithoutYou references Asbury Park several times on their album ''Ten Stories'' (2012). The song "Bear's Vision of St. Agnes" mentions "that tattered rag shop back in Asbury Park", and the song "Fox's Dream of the Log Flume" mentions the pier and sand dunes. Asbury Park was used for the location filming of the crime drama ''City by the Sea'' (2002), starring Robert De Niro, James Franco and Frances McDormand, which was nominally set in Long Beach, New York, where no filming actually took place, according to a disclaimer that was included as part of the closing credits. The film features scenes set on a shabby, dilapidated

and in a ruined/abandoned casino/arcade building. Residents of both places objected to the way their cities were depicted. Asbury Park appears at the start of the 1999 film Dogma (film), Dogma. The 2006 horror film ''Dark Ride (film), Dark Ride'' is set in Asbury Park. The Season 2 finale of ''The Sopranos'', "Funhouse (The Sopranos), Funhouse", originally aired in April 2000, includes several discrete dream sequences dreamed by Tony that take place on the Asbury Park Boardwalk, including Madame Marie's as well as Tony and Pauly playing cards at a table in the empty hall of the Convention Center. The episode's title alludes to the Palace, which is also shown. In a 1955 episode of ''The Honeymooners'' ("Better Living Though TV"), Alice Kramden ridicules husband Ralph Kramden's seemingly never-ending parade of failed get-rich-quick schemes, including his investment in "the uranium field in Asbury Park". Asbury Park is the setting of the Nickelodeon series ''Erin & Aaron''. Routine Maintenance (album), Routine Maintenance, a concept album and the second from the musical act Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties, features the titular character working as a painter in Asbury Park.

References

External links

*
Historic postcards and current photos of Asbury Park- including the inside of the Casino and Palace Amusements

asburypark.net: News and information about Asbury Park

thecoaster.net: Printed and online weekly newspaper located in Asbury Park
{{Authority control Asbury Park, New Jersey, 1874 establishments in New Jersey 1923 Municipal Manager Law Cities in New Jersey Cities in Monmouth County, New Jersey Gay villages in New Jersey Jersey Shore communities in Monmouth County New Jersey Urban Enterprise Zones Populated places established in 1874 National Register of Historic Places in Monmouth County, New Jersey Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey New Jersey Register of Historic Places