Somers Point is a

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 ...

situated 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 ...

that is the oldest settlement in

Atlantic County Atlantic County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 census, the county was the state's 15th-most-populous county,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 was settled by Europeans in 1693 and was 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 ...

in 1886. Somers Point was incorporated as a

in 1902. The city is located in eastern Atlantic County, southwest of

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 ...

, in the

South Jersey South Jersey, also known as Southern New Jersey, comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located between Pennsylvania and the lower Delaware River to its west, the Atlantic Ocean to its east, Delaware to its south, ...

region of the state. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 10,469, a decrease of 326 (−3.0%) from the 2010 census count of 10,795, which in turn reflected a decline of 819 (−7.1%) from the 11,614 counted in the 2000 census. Somers Point and all of Atlantic County lie within the

- Hammonton metropolitan statistical area, which in turn constitutes part of the

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 ...

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

- Camden combined statistical area.

History

The earliest residents of the area were the

Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...

Native Americans. John Somers was the first European settler in what is now Somers Point. Somers purchased the land along the northern periphery of the

Great Egg Harbor Bay Great Egg Harbor Bay (or Great Egg Harbor) is a bay between Atlantic and Cape May counties along the southern New Jersey coast. The name derives from Dutch explorer Cornelius Jacobsen May's description of the plentiful birds laying eggs, naming th ...

from Thomas Budd in 1693, making it the oldest European settlement in what is now Atlantic County. Great Egg Harbour Township was designated in 1693 from the eastern portions of Gloucester County, which included Somers Point. Somers named the area Somerset Plantation. In 1695, John Somers operated the first ferry service across the Great Egg Harbor Bay to Cape May County. His son Richard built Somers Mansion overlooking the harbor sometime between 1720 and 1726, which remains the county's oldest existing home. Early names for the area were Somerset Plantation, Somers Ferry, and Somers Plantation, until the name Somers Point was established in 1750. Somers Point was designated as a

port of entry In general, a port of entry (POE) is a place where one may lawfully enter a country. It typically has border control, border security staff and facilities to check passports and visas and to inspect luggage to assure that contraband is not impo ...

in 1791 and remained one until it was abolished in 1915. By the 1830s, when Somers Point became part of Atlantic County, it was a popular summer resort with several

boarding house A boarding house is a house (frequently a family home) in which lodging, lodgers renting, rent one or more rooms on a nightly basis and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months, or years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and ...

s.Barber, John Warner
''Historical Collections of the State of New Jersey: Containing a General Collection of the Most Interesting Facts, Traditions, Biographical Sketches, Anecdotes, Etc., Relating to Its History and Antiquities, with Geographical Descriptions of Every Township in the State''
p. 64. Accessed March 8, 2020. Somers Point was originally incorporated as a

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 April 24, 1886, from portions of Egg Harbor Township, based on the results of a

referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...

held five days earlier. At that time, there were 48 people registered to vote in the borough. Somers Point was subsequently reincorporated as a borough on April 2, 1890, based on the previous day's referendum, and was finally incorporated as a city on April 9, 1902, from all of Somers Point borough and additional portions of Egg Harbor Township. All were named for John Somers.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 70. Accessed May 30, 2024.

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 5.23 square miles (13.55 km²), including 4.01 square miles (10.39 km²) of land and 1.22 square miles (3.17 km²) of water (23.37%).

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 township include Ocean Heights. The city borders Egg Harbor Township, Longport and

Linwood Linwood may refer to: Places Many of the place names for Linwood come from the presence of linden trees. Australia * Linwood, South Australia *Linnwood, Guildford, 11-35 Byron Road, Guildford, New South Wales Canada * Linwood, Ontario * Linwood, ...

in Atlantic County; and both Ocean City and Upper Township in

Cape May County Cape May County is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Much of the county is located on the Cape May peninsula, bound by the Delaware Bay to its west and the Atlantic Ocean to its south and east. Adjacent to the Atlantic ...

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 10,795 people, 4,655 households, and 2,826 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 5,556 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 78.75% (8,501)

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 ...

, 10.68% (1,153) Black or African American, 0.25% (27) Native American, 3.08% (332) Asian, 0.06% (6)

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 ...

, 4.17% (450) from other races, and 3.02% (326) 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 9.49% (1,024) of the population. Of the 4,655 households, 26.2% had children under the age of 18; 36.8% were married couples living together; 18.2% had a female householder with no husband present and 39.3% were non-families. Of all households, 31.9% were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.90. 21.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 31.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.4 years. For every 100 females, the population had 88.5 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 84.5 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 $47,312 (with a margin of error of +/− $4,646) and the median family income was $51,489 (+/− $7,704). Males had a median income of $45,385 (+/− $6,862) versus $37,536 (+/− $3,731) 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 city was $29,626 (+/− $1,822). About 11.9% of families and 12.7% 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 25.6% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

At the 2000 United States census, there were 11,614 people, 4,920 households and 2,952 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 5,402 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 85.66%

, 7.01%

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 ...

, 0.25% Native American, 3.17% Asian, 0.03%

, 2.25% from other races, and 1.64% 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 5.99% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Somers Point city, New Jersey
,

. Accessed August 4, 2012.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Somers Point city, Atlantic County, New Jersey
,

. Accessed August 4, 2012. There were 4,920 households, of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.2% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.97. Age distribution was 23.4% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.2 males. The

was $42,222, and the median family income was $51,868. Males had a median income of $39,650 versus $28,691 for females. The

for the city was $22,229. About 5.0% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the

, including 8.3% of those under age 18 and 2.3% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The largest employer in Somers Point is Shore Medical Center, with 1,500 employees, 370 physicians, and 296 beds. Somers Point is the home to the largest crabbing tournament in the United States, the Assault on Patcong Creek. Founded in 2010, the tournament takes place annually in June and attracts participants from over a dozen states.

Parks and recreation

Portions of the

Right-of-way A right of way (also right-of-way) is a specific route that people, animals, vehicles, watercraft, or utility lines travel, or the legal status that gives them the right to do so. Rights-of-way in the physical sense include controlled-access h ...

of the Atlantic City and Shore Railroad, running for between Pleasantville and Somers Point have been repurposed as the Somers Point Bike Path. John F. Kennedy Park, located at 50 Broadway, is a 6.18 acre public use park overlooking the Great Egg Harbor bay. Formerly High Bank Park, it was renamed in 1963 in honor of the 35th President of the United States. William Fehrle Athletic Field located at 3rd Street and Rhode Island Ave is named in honor of Sgt. William Fehrle. Taken prisoner during the Battle of the Bulge he would die while imprisoned in a German POW camp.

Government

Local government

Somers Point is governed under the

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 ...

form of government, as one of 15 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this traditional form of government. The governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the seven-member City Council, all elected on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. The mayor serves a four-year term, with a single council

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 ...

seat and one council member from each of the two wards up for election each year in a three-year cycle.''2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book'',

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy The Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy of Rutgers University (The Bloustein School) serves as a center for the theory and practice of urban planning, public policy and public health/health administration scholarship. The sc ...

, March 2013, p. 8. The Mayor is responsible for the health, safety and welfare of the municipality. As the city's Chief Executive Officer, the Mayor puts into effect the municipal laws, known as ordinances. The Mayor can veto ordinances and may vote in the event of a tie. The Mayor makes appointments to certain boards, including the Planning Board, Recreation Commission, and Environmental Commission. The Council elects one of its members as president to chair the Council meetings and perform the other duties of a presiding officer. The City Council enacts ordinances, adopts an annual budget and sets policy for the city. , 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 Somers Point is Republican Dennis Tapp, whose term of office ends on December 31, 2027.Mayorr
City of Somers Point. Accessed May 23, 2024. Members of the City Council are Council President Janice Johnston (R, 2024; 1st Ward), Richard L. DePamphilis III (R, 2026; 1st Ward), Charles J. Haberkorn (R, 2026; 2nd Ward), Howard W. Dill (R, 2024; 2nd Ward), Joseph T. McCarrie Jr. (R, 2024; At Large), Sean T. McGuigan (R, 2025; 1st Ward) and Michael Owen (R, 2025; 2nd Ward).Municipal Governments

Atlantic County, New Jersey Atlantic County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 census, the county was the state's 15th-most-populous county,2023 General Election November 7, 2023 Official Results

Atlantic County, New Jersey Atlantic County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 census, the county was the state's 15th-most-populous county,2022 General Election Results - Amended

Atlantic County Atlantic County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 census, the county was the state's 15th-most-populous county,General Election November 2, 2021 Official Results

Atlantic County, New Jersey Atlantic County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 census, the county was the state's 15th-most-populous county,General Election Results - November 8, 2016

Atlantic County, New Jersey Atlantic County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 census, the county was the state's 15th-most-populous county,Plan 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 2nd 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 6,619 registered voters in Somers Point City, of which 1,624 (24.5% vs. 30.5% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 1,979 (29.9% vs. 25.2%) 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 3,009 (45.5% vs. 44.3%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 7 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.Voter Registration Summary - Atlantic

Division of Elections, March 23, 2011. Accessed December 24, 2014. Among the city's 2010 Census population, 61.3% (vs. 58.8% in Atlantic County) were registered to vote, including 77.9% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 76.6% countywide). 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 2,506 votes (53.5% vs. 57.9% countywide), 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 2,077 votes (44.4% vs. 41.1%) and other candidates with 53 votes (1.1% vs. 0.9%), among the 4,681 ballots cast by the city's 7,075 registered voters, for a turnout of 66.2% (vs. 65.8% in Atlantic County). In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 2,597 votes (51.5% vs. 56.5% countywide), 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 2,309 votes (45.8% vs. 41.6%) and other candidates with 71 votes (1.4% vs. 1.1%), among the 5,042 ballots cast by the city's 7,120 registered voters, for a turnout of 70.8% (vs. 68.1% in Atlantic County). In the 2004 presidential election, 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 ...

received 2,529 votes (51.2% vs. 46.2% countywide), ahead of 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 ...

with 2,313 votes (46.9% vs. 52.0%) and other candidates with 43 votes (0.9% vs. 0.8%), among the 4,936 ballots cast by the city's 6,642 registered voters, for a turnout of 74.3% (vs. 69.8% in the whole county). In the 2013 gubernatorial election, 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) ...

received 1,963 votes (64.3% vs. 60.0% countywide), ahead of 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 ...

with 938 votes (30.7% vs. 34.9%) and other candidates with 49 votes (1.6% vs. 1.3%), among the 3,052 ballots cast by the city's 7,272 registered voters, yielding a 42.0% turnout (vs. 41.5% in the county). In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 1,677 votes (51.3% vs. 47.7% countywide), ahead of 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 ...

with 1,282 votes (39.2% vs. 44.5%), 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 224 votes (6.8% vs. 4.8%) and other candidates with 42 votes (1.3% vs. 1.2%), among the 3,271 ballots cast by the city's 6,794 registered voters, yielding a 48.1% turnout (vs. 44.9% in the county). Somers Point native Maureen Kern currently serves as a member of the Atlantic County

Board of County Commissioners A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the county government in some states of the United States. A county usually has three to five ...

Historic district

The Bay Front Historic District is an

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 ...

encompassing an area roughly bounded by Decatur Avenue, Egg Harbor Bay, George Avenue, and Shore Road in the community. It was added to 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 ...

on March 22, 1989, for its significance in architecture, entertainment/recreation, and social history. The district includes 189

contributing buildings In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic dist ...

. With

Education

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 are served by the

Somers Point Public Schools The Somers Point Public Schools are a community public school district that serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade from Somers Point, in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2023–24 school year, the dis ...

. As of the 2023–24 school year, the district, comprised of three schools, had an enrollment of 763 students and 78.0 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 9.8:1.District information for Somers Point 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 December 15, 2024. The Somers Point School District consists of three school facilities: Jordan Road School, constructed in 1966 with an addition in 1991; Dawes Avenue School, constructed in 1998; and New York Avenue School, constructed in 1914 with an addition in 1922 and a refurbishing project in 2005, which houses preschool and the district's central offices. Schools in the district (with 2023–24 enrollment data from the

) are New York Avenue School with 4 students in pre-kindergarten, Dawes Avenue School with 384 students in grades Kindergarten through 3rd grade and Jordan Road Middle School with 366 students in 4th through 8th grade.District Contacts
Somers Point School District. Accessed January 26, 2025. Students in public school for

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

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 ...

s attend Mainland Regional High School, which also serves students from

and Northfield. The high school is located in Linwood. For the 1997–98 school year, Mainland Regional High School was recognized by the

United States Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a cabinet-level department of the United States government, originating in 1980. The department began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and ...

as a

National Blue Ribbon School The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States Department of Education award program that recognizes exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by student achievement measures, ...

. As of the 2023–24 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 1,171 students and 106.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

of 11.0:1. City public school students are also eligible to attend the Atlantic County Institute of Technology in the Mays Landing section of Hamilton Township or the

Charter-Tech High School for the Performing Arts Chartertech High School for the Performing Arts is a public charter high school for students in ninth through twelfth grades in Somers Point, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, that focuses on education in the performing arts. ...

, located in Somers Point. St. Joseph Regional School is an elementary school serving students in

through eighth grade, operated under the jurisdiction of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden The Diocese of Camden () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It consists of 62 parishes and about 475,000 Catholics in the South Jersey counties of Atlantic, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, ...

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the city had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Atlantic 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 ...

and by the

New Jersey Turnpike Authority The New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) is a state agency responsible for maintaining the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway, which are two toll roads in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The agency is headquartered in Woodbridge Town ...

. 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 ...

passes through the city, connecting Egg Harbor Township on either side of the city. Interchange 30 for the Parkway is located in the city, signed for Somers Point and Downtown Ocean City. On the city's southern border, bridges connect to

via the Garden State Parkway to Upper Township, into Ocean City via Route 52 and over the Beesley's Point Bridge, which has been demolished. As part of a $400 million project completed by the

in 2012, a new causeway for Route 52 was completed over Great Egg Harbor Bay, replacing the Howard S. Stainton Memorial Causeway that had been completed in 1933. the Beesley's Point Bridge was demolished in 2013 as part of a project adding a new bridge for traffic on the Parkway.

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 bus transportation in the city between Ocean City and

on the

507 __NOTOC__ Year 507 ( DVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known in the Roman Empire as the Year of the Consulship of Anastasius and Venantius (or, less frequently, year 1260 ''Ab urbe condita ...

and

509 __NOTOC__ Year 509 (DIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Inportunus without colleague (or, less frequently, year 1262 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomina ...

routes.

Popular culture

The

1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

movie ''

Eddie and the Cruisers ''Eddie and the Cruisers'' is a 1983 American musical drama film directed by Martin Davidson with the screenplay written by the director and Arlene Davidson, based on the novel by P. F. Kluge. The sequel '' Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives ...

'' was largely filmed in Somers Point, using the defunct Tony Mart's nightclub as a setting.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Somers Point include: * Joe Bastardi (born 1955), meteorologist * Matt Broomall (born 1994),

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player who played

goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...

for the

Richmond Kickers Richmond Kickers is an American professional soccer club based in Richmond, Virginia. The Kickers compete as a member of USL League One (USL1). The club was established in 1993, and began play that same year as a United States Interregional S ...

USL League One USL League One (USL1) is a professional men's association football, soccer league in the United States that had its inaugural season in 2019 USL League One season, 2019. The United States soccer league system, Division III league is operated ...

* Joshua Cohen (born 1980), novelist and story writer, known for his works ''

Witz Witz may refer to: People * Bob Witz (1934–2021), American artist * Chaim Witz (born 1949), birth name of Gene Simmons, American musician, band member of Kiss * Dan Witz (born 1957), Brooklyn-based street artist and realist painter * Emanuel ...

'' and ''

Book of Numbers The Book of Numbers (from Biblical Greek, Greek Ἀριθμοί, ''Arithmoi'', , ''Bəmīḏbar'', ; ) is the fourth book of the Hebrew Bible and the fourth of five books of the Jewish Torah. The book has a long and complex history; its final f ...

'' * Doug Colman (born 1973), former NFL linebacker *

Peter Erskine Peter Clark Erskine (born June 5, 1954) is an American jazz drummer who was a member of the jazz fusion groups Weather Report and Steps Ahead. Early life and education Erskine was born in Somers Point, New Jersey, U.S. He began playing the d ...

(born 1954), jazz drummer * John H. Hamilton Jr. (1919–1986), member of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

* Joe Maloy (born 1985),

triathlete A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of swimming, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the time transitioning between the ...

who was chosen to represent the United States in triathlon at the Rio

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

Osun Osunniyi Osun Bowale Osunniyi (born October 21, 1998) is an American basketball player for MLP Academics Heidelberg of the Basketball Bundesliga. He played college basketball for the St. Bonaventure Bonnies and Iowa State Cyclones. High school career Osu ...

(born 1998),

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

player for the

St. Bonaventure Bonnies The St. Bonaventure Bonnies (formerly the St. Bonaventure Brown Indians from 1927 to 1992) are the varsity intercollegiate athletic programs of St. Bonaventure University, based in St. Bonaventure, New York between the two towns of Allegany an ...

of the

Atlantic 10 Conference The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose schools compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. The A-10's member schools are located most ...

* Jennifer Pershing (born 1980), ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...

Playmate of the Month A Playmate is a female model featured in the centerfold/gatefold of ''Playboy'' magazine as Playmate of the Month (PMOTM). The PMOTM's pictorial includes nude photographs and a centerfold poster, along with a pictorial biography and the "Playm ...

, March 2009 * Cody Stashak (born 1994), professional baseball pitcher for the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

* John Stone (born 1979),

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

who played in the NFL for the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

* Gregory L. Verdine (born 1959), chemical biologist, university professor, entrepreneur, venture capitalist and business executive

References

External links

Somers Point webpage

Somers Point Public Schools
*
School Data for the Somers Point Public Schools

* {{Authority control 1886 establishments in New Jersey Cities in New Jersey Cities in Atlantic County, New Jersey City form of New Jersey government Populated places established in 1693