Spring Lake Heights is 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 ...

located in the southern coastal portion of

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 ...

, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 4,890, an increase of 177 (+3.8%) from the 2010 census count of 4,713, which in turn reflected a decline of 514 (−9.8%) from the 5,227 counted in the 2000 census. The borough of Spring Lake Heights was formed 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 19, 1927, from portions of Wall Township, based on the results of a referendum held on May 3, 1927.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 186. Accessed May 30, 2024. The borough was named for Spring Lake, which was named for a clear spring-fed lake.

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 borough had a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.43 km²), including 1.30 square miles (3.35 km²) of land and 0.03 square miles (0.08 km²) of water (2.26%). Wreck Pond is a tidal pond located on the coast of 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 ...

, surrounded by Wall Township and the boroughs of Spring Lake, Spring Lake Heights, and

Sea Girt Sea Girt is a Borough (New Jersey), borough situated on the Jersey Shore, within Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 1,866, an increase ...

. The Wreck Pond watershed covers about in eastern Monmouth County. The borough borders the Monmouth County municipalities of

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. ...

, Spring Lake and Wall Township. Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the borough include

Villa Park Villa Park is a association football, football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, with a seating capacity of 42,918. It has been the home of Premier League club Aston Villa F.C., Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witt ...

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 4,713 people, 2,316 households, and 1,202 families in the borough. 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 3,671.3 per square mile (1,417.5/km²). There were 2,972 housing units at an average density of 2,315.1 per square mile (893.9/km²). The racial makeup was 96.61% (4,553)

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 ...

, 0.64% (30) Black or African American, 0.15% (7) Native American, 1.08% (51) Asian, 0.02% (1)

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 ...

, 0.47% (22) from other races, and 1.04% (49) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.29% (155) of the population. Of the 2,316 households, 17.1% had children under the age of 18; 40.3% were married couples living together; 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present and 48.1% were non-families. Of all households, 41.7% were made up of individuals and 21.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.03 and the average family size was 2.82. 16.5% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 20.2% from 25 to 44, 32.0% from 45 to 64, and 25.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49.6 years. For every 100 females, the population had 83.9 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 81.2 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 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 $72,083 (with a margin of error of +/− $10,741) and the median family income was $102,173 (+/− $13,664). Males had a median income of $80,819 (+/− $9,463) versus $56,615 (+/− $7,658) 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 $43,370 (+/− $4,154). About 1.1% of families and 6.4% 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 3.0% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census, there were 5,227 people, 2,511 households, and 1,358 families residing in the borough. The population density was . There were 2,950 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 97.28%

, 1.11%

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 ...

, 0.02% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.02%

, 0.67% from other races, and 0.54% 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 2.12% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Spring Lake Heights borough, New Jersey

. Accessed December 11, 2012.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Spring Lake Heights borough, Monmouth County, New Jersey
,

. Accessed December 11, 2012. As of the 2000 Census, 32.7% of Spring Lake Heights residents were of Irish ancestry, the 16th-highest percentage of any municipality in the United States, and fifth-highest in New Jersey, among all places with more than 1,000 residents identifying their ancestry. There were 2,511 households, out of which 17.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% 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, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.9% were non-families. 41.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.04 and the average family size was 2.82. In the borough the population was spread out, with 16.8% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 29.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.6 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $51,330, and the median income for a family was $64,345. Males had a median income of $48,640 versus $40,363 for females. The

for the borough was $35,093. About 4.2% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the

, including 11.9% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

Spring Lake Heights is governed under the

form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 municipalities (of the 564) statewide, making it the most common form of government in New Jersey. The governing body is comprised of the mayor and the borough council, with all positions 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 ...

on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. The mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The borough council includes six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming 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, March 2013, p. 58. The borough form of government used by Spring Lake Heights is a " weak mayor / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can

veto A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president (government title), president or monarch vetoes a bill (law), bill to stop it from becoming statutory law, law. In many countries, veto powe ...

ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. Most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council. , 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 Spring Lake Heights is Republican Christopher M. Campion Jr., whose term of office ends December 31, 2027. Members of the borough council are Council President William K. Graetz (R, 2025), Leonard Capristo (R, 2027), John C. Casagrande (R, 2026), Michele Degnan-Spang (R, 2026), Sara King (R, 2027) and Christopher C. Willms (R, 2025).Mayor & Borough Council
Borough of Spring Lake Heights. Accessed February 6, 2025.November 5, 2024 General Election Official Results

, updated December 16, 2024. Accessed January 1, 2025.November 8, 2023 General Election Official Results

, updated January 18, 2024. Accessed January 22, 2024.General Election November 8, 2022 Official Results

Clerk, updated December 27, 2022. Accessed January 1, 2023. In October 2022, the borough council appointed Michele Degnan-Spang to fill the seat expiring in December 2023 that had been held by Peter A. Gallo Jr. In January 2016, the borough council selected Arthur Herner from three candidates nominated by the Democratic municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2016 that had been held by Thomas O'Brien until he took office as mayor. In January 2020, the borough council selected John Casagrande from three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2020 that had been held by Christopher Campion until he took office as mayor.

Federal, state and county representation

Spring Lake Heights is located in the 4th 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 10th state legislative district.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 3,635 registered voters in Spring Lake Heights, of which 976 (26.9%) were registered as Democrats, 1,106 (30.4%) were registered as Republicans and 1,549 (42.6%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 4 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 2012 presidential election, 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 ...

received 56.3% of the vote (1,481 cast), ahead of 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 ...

with 42.6% (1,122 votes), and other candidates with 1.1% (28 votes), among the 2,654 ballots cast by the borough's 3,811 registered voters (23 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 69.6%. In the 2008 presidential election, 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 ...

received 64.4% of the vote (1,326 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 32.8% (676 votes) and other candidates with 1.0% (20 votes), among the 2,059 ballots cast by the borough's 2,692 registered voters, for a turnout of 76.5%. 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 64.0% of the vote (1,427 ballots cast), outpolling 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 30.1% (670 votes) and other candidates with 1.0% (30 votes), among the 2,229 ballots cast by the borough's 2,873 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 77.6. 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 71.5% of the vote (1,365 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 25.7% (491 votes), and other candidates with 2.7% (52 votes), among the 1,942 ballots cast by the borough's 3,831 registered voters (34 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 50.7%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 68.8% of the vote (1,144 ballots cast), 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 23.3% (388 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 5.7% (95 votes) and other candidates with 0.7% (11 votes), among the 1,663 ballots cast by the borough's 2,593 registered voters, yielding a 64.1% turnout.

Education

The Spring Lake Heights School District, located on a campus, serves public school 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 eighth grade at Spring Lake Heights Elementary School. As of the 2023–24 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 266 students and 40.3 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 6.6:1.District information for Spring Lake Heights 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. Public school students 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

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

Manasquan High School Manasquan High School is a four-year comprehensive community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Manasquan, in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone high school of the ...

in Manasquan, 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 ...

with the Manasquan Public Schools. Manasquan High School also serves students from Avon-by-the-Sea, Belmar,

Brielle Brielle (), also called Den Briel in Dutch and Brill in English, is a town and historic seaport in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland, on the north side of the island of Voorne-Putten, at the mouth of the New Maas. The for ...

and Spring Lake, who attend Manasquan High School as part of sending/receiving relationships with their respective districts. As of the 2023–24 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 945 students and 81.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

of 11.6:1. Students from the borough, and all of Monmouth County, are eligible to attend one of the

magnet school In the U.S. education system, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. Normally, a student will attend an elementary school, and this also determines the middle school and high school they attend unless they mo ...

s in the Monmouth County Vocational School District— Marine Academy of Science and Technology, Academy of Allied Health & Science, High Technology High School, Biotechnology High School, and Communications High School. Spring Lake Heights students are also served by Saint Catharine School (grades K–8) in Spring Lake and St. Rose High School (9–12) in Belmar, which operate under the auspices of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton The Diocese of Trenton is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in central New Jersey in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdioce ...

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the borough 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 ...

. Route 71 is the only state highway which traverses the borough. It follows Seventh Avenue from

in the south to Wall Township in the north. County Route 524 (Allaire Road) heads across Spring Lake Heights from Wall Township in the west to its eastern terminus where it meets Route 71 in the eastern portion of the borough. Route 35 just misses the northwest corner of the borough.

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 passenger train service at the Spring Lake station. Commuter service is provided on the

North Jersey Coast Line The North Jersey Coast Line is a Commuter rail in North America, commuter rail line running from Rahway, New Jersey, Rahway to Bay Head, New Jersey, traversing through the Jersey Shore region. Operated by New Jersey Transit, the line is electr ...

, offering express and local service. Diesel service operates from

Hoboken Terminal Hoboken Terminal is a commuter-oriented intermodal passenger station in Hoboken, Hudson County, New Jersey. One of the New York metropolitan area's major transportation hubs, it is served by eight NJ Transit (NJT) commuter rail lines, an NJ T ...

to Bay Head station. Electric service operates from

New York Penn Station Pennsylvania Station (also known as New York Penn Station or simply Penn Station) is the main intercity railroad station in New York City and the busiest transportation facility in the Western Hemisphere, serving more than 600,000 passengers ...

to Long Branch station, where the electrified portion of the line ends. Mid-line stations include Newark Penn Station,

Newark Liberty International Airport Station Newark Liberty International Airport Station (also known as Newark Airport Rail Station and Newark RaiLink station, and often announced simply as Newark Airport) is a railroad hub on the Northeast Corridor (NEC) in Newark, New Jersey. The stati ...

, and

Secaucus Junction Secaucus Junction (signed as Secaucus) is an intermodal transit hub served by New Jersey Transit Rail Operations, New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) and Metro-North Railroad in Secaucus, New Jersey, Secaucus, New Jersey. It is one of the List of b ...

. NJ Transit bus service is available between the borough 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 ...

on the 317 route, with local service offered on the 830 route.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Spring Lake Heights include: * John Amabile (1939–2012), football coach and scout * Anthony T. Augelli (1902–1985),

United States federal judge In the United States, a federal judge is a judge who serves on a court established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. Often called "Article III judges", federal judges include the chief justice and associate justices of the U.S. S ...

* Thomas B. Considine (born 1964) Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance from 2010 to 2012 * Barbara Friedrich (born 1949), gold medalist in javelin at 1967 Pan American Games who set the US record at *

James J. Howard James John Howard (July 24, 1927 – March 25, 1988) was an American educator and Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party politician who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 1965 until his death from a h ...

(1927–1988), represented New Jersey's 3rd congressional district in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from 1965 to 1988 * Joseph P. Lordi (1919–1983), Essex County prosecutor and first chairman of the

New Jersey Casino Control Commission The Casino Control Commission is a New Jersey state governmental agency that was founded in 1977 as the state's Gaming Control Board, responsible under the Casino Control Act for licensing casinos in Atlantic City. The commission also issues lic ...

* Balls Mahoney (1972–2016), professional wrestler * Thomas McLernon (–1986), general manager of the

New York City Transit Authority The New York City Transit Authority (also known as NYCTA, the TA, or simply Transit, and branded as MTA New York City Transit) is a New York state public-benefit corporations, public-benefit corporation in the U.S. state of New York (state), New ...

and the

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (abbreviated MBTA and known colloquially as "the T") is the public agency responsible for operating most public transportation services in Greater Boston, Massachusetts. The MBTA transit network in ...

* Valentina Sánchez (born 1995), model, television producer and beauty pageant titleholderWilliams, Carol Gorga
"Local teen wins beauty pageant"
''

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 ...

'', November 11, 2013. Accessed July 20, 2021, via

Newspapers.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. It is owned by The ...

. "In her first try competing in an American beauty pageant, 18-year-old Valentina Sanchez newly relocated to Monmouth County and a student at Manasquan High School has been crowned Miss New Jersey Teen USA 2014.... The teen, who was born in California but moved to Venezuela when she was 3, divides her time between relatives in Asbury Park and Spring Lake Heights."

References

External links

Borough of Spring Lake Heights official website

Spring Lake Heights School District
*
School Data for the Spring Lake Heights School District

{{Authority control 1927 establishments in New Jersey Borough form of New Jersey government Boroughs in New Jersey Boroughs in Monmouth County, New Jersey Populated places established in 1927