Dover Beaches South, more commonly known as Ortley Beach, is an

unincorporated community 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 ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) located within

Toms River The Toms River is a freshwater river and estuary in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. The river rises in the Pine Barrens of northern Ocean County, then flows southeast and east, where it is fed by several tributaries, and flows in a ...

, in

Ocean County Ocean County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the southernmost county in the New York metropolitan area. The county borders the Atlantic Ocean on the east and in terms of total area is the state's largest county. Its co ...

, 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 ...

.New Jersey: 2010 - Population and Housing Unit Counts - 2010 Census of Population and Housing (CPH-2-32)

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 ...

, August 2012. Accessed January 11, 2013. As of the 2010 United States Census, the CDP's population was 1,209.DP-1 - Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for Dover Beaches South CDP, New Jersey
,

. Accessed January 12, 2013. Dover Beaches South is situated on the

Barnegat Peninsula The Barnegat Peninsula, also known as the Island Beach Peninsula or Barnegat Bay Island and colloquially as "the barrier island", is a long, narrow barrier peninsula located on the Jersey Shore in Ocean County, New Jersey, Ocean County, New Jersey ...

, a long, narrow barrier peninsula that separates

Barnegat Bay Barnegat Bay is a small Brackish water, brackish arm of the Atlantic Ocean, approximately long, along the coast of Ocean County, New Jersey, Ocean County, New Jersey in the United States. It is separated from the Atlantic by the long Island B ...

from the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

. Toms River Township is split by the

into three CDPs; Toms River CDP on the mainland, comprising over 95% of the township's population, along with 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 ...

communities of Dover Beaches North and Dover Beaches South.

Geography

According to the

, the CDP had a total area of , including of land and of water (39.80%).US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990

. Accessed September 4, 2014. The CDP is bordered by the municipalities of Lavallette and Seaside Heights.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 1,209 people, 664 households, and 330 families in the CDP. 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 2,658 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 95.86% (1,159)

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 ...

, 0.25% (3) Black or African American, 0.00% (0)

Native American Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

, 0.17% (2) Asian, 0.00% (0)

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 ...

, 1.90% (23) from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), ...

, and 1.82% (22) 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 ...

of any race were 5.87% (71) of the population. Of the 664 households, 10.5% had children under the age of 18; 38.3% were married couples living together; 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present and 50.3% were non-families. Of all households, 43.8% were made up of individuals and 19.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.82 and the average family size was 2.46. 9.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 18.9% from 25 to 44, 34.5% from 45 to 64, and 32.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 56.3 years. For every 100 females, the population had 92.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 91.4 males.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 1,594 people, 862 households, and 422 families residing in the CDP. The

was . There were 2,622 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 92.93%

, 0.46%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.31%

, 0.25% Asian, 0.06% from

, and 1.38% 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 of any race were 4.13% of the population.DP-1 - Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 from the Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Dover Beaches South CDP, New Jersey
,

. Accessed January 12, 2013. There were 862 households, out of which 13.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.2% 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, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 51.0% were non-families. 46.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.85 and the average family size was 2.59. In the CDP the population was spread out, with 12.6% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 31.2% from 45 to 64, and 25.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.6 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $38,407, and the median income for a family was $53,811. Males had a median income of $38,984 versus $35,735 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 CDP was $26,702. About 5.5% of families and 10.0% 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 25.9% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

History

The current location of Ortley Beach was once home to Cranberry Inlet, an important maritime route that closed after an 1812 storm. The area was opened to development by the completion of the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad ( reporting mark PRR), legal name as the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, also known as the "Pennsy," was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At its ...

on the peninsula in 1883 and the completion of what is now

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 ...

in 1913. The community was settled as a vacation resort in the 1940s and 1950s. There were several unsuccessful efforts to secede from Dover Township in the latter half of the 20th century. After suffering widespread damage to its housing stock during

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 ...

, some publications have argued that Ortley Beach is undergoing gentrification as high rebuilding costs have pushed out older residents and ushered in a new wave of luxury homes.

Climate

According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Dover Beaches South has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(''Cfa'') with hot, slightly humid summers, cool winters and year-around precipitation. Cfa climates are characterized by all months having an average mean temperature above , at least four months with an average mean temperature at or above , at least one month with an average mean temperature at or above and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. During the summer months in Dover Beaches South, a cooling afternoon

sea breeze A sea breeze or onshore breeze is a wind that blows in the afternoon from a large body of water toward or onto a landmass. By contrast, a land breeze or offshore breeze is a wind that blows in the night from a landmass toward or onto a large ...

is present on most days, but episodes of extreme heat and humidity can occur with

heat index The heat index (HI) is an index that combines air temperature and relative humidity, in shade (shadow), shaded areas, to posit a human-perceived equivalent temperature, as how hot it would feel if the humidity were some other value in the Shade (s ...

values at or above . On average, the wettest month of the year is July which corresponds with the annual peak in

thunderstorm A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustics, acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorm ...

activity. During the winter months, episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with

wind chill Wind chill (popularly wind chill factor) is the sensation of cold produced by the wind for a given ambient air temperature on exposed skin as the air motion accelerates the rate of heat transfer from the body to the surrounding atmosphere. Its va ...

values below . The

plant hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most widely ...

at Dover Beaches South Beach is 7a with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of . The average seasonal (November–April) snowfall total is and the average snowiest month is February which corresponds with the annual peak in

nor'easter A nor'easter (also northeaster; see below) is a large-scale extratropical cyclone in the western North Atlantic Ocean. The name derives from the direction of the winds that blow from the northeast. Typically, such storms originate as a low ...

activity.

Ecology

According to the

A. W. Kuchler August William Kuchler (born ''August Wilhelm Küchler''; 26 July 1907 – 17 June 1999) was a German-born American geographer and naturalist who is noted for developing a plant association system that has become widely used in the United Sta ...

U.S.

potential natural vegetation In ecology, potential natural vegetation (PNV), also known as Kuchler potential vegetation, is the vegetation that would be expected given environmental constraints (climate, geomorphology, geology) without human intervention or a hazard event ...

types, Dover Beaches South would have a dominant vegetation type of Northern

Cordgrass ''Spartina'' is a genus of plants in the grass family, frequently found in coastal salt marshes. Species in this genus are commonly known as cordgrass or cord-grass, and are native to the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean in western and southern Eu ...

(''73'') with a dominant vegetation form of

Coastal A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

Prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

(''20'').

References

External links

Ortley Beach Visitor Information
{{Ocean County, New Jersey Census-designated places in Ocean County, New Jersey Census-designated places in New Jersey Jersey Shore communities in Ocean County Toms River, New Jersey