Toms River (CDP), New Jersey

Toms River is a town located in Ocean County, New Jersey. It is located on the tidal estuary of the Toms River, after which it is named, where it empties into Barnegat Bay. As of the 2000 census, the CDP had a total population of 86,327. It is a census-designated place and the county seat of Ocean CountyTemplate:GR.

Toms River is best known for a cancer cluster that was believed to be caused by the chemical company Ciba-Geigy, which operated a plant in the town between 1952 and 1990. Incidence of childhood cancer in the town was well above normal during the 1980s and 1990s; 90 children were diagnosed with cancer between 1979 and 1995. In 2002, a multi-million-dollar settlement was agreed to between Ciba-Geigy and 69 families whose children were diagnosed with cancer.

Toms River is also known for its Little League Baseball team that won the Little League World Series in 1998.

There are three high schools, which are named North, South, and East.

The Ocean County mall is located in Toms River.

Geography

Toms River is located at 39°58'45" North, 74°10'3" West (39.979270, -74.167512)Template:GR. Legally the town is named Dover Township. Toms River is frequently used as a local name and there is some effort to make Toms River the legal name.

The famous Jersey Shore is located approximately 10 minutes away. Toms River is home to multiple yacht clubs.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 105.2 km² (40.6 mi²). 102.0 km² (39.4 mi²) of it is land and 3.2 km² (1.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 3.05% water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 86,327 people, 31,674 households, and 23,470 families residing in the CDP. The population density is 846.6/km² (2,192.7/mi²). There are 34,375 housing units at an average density of 337.1/km² (873.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP is 93.36% White, 1.81% African American, 0.13% Native American, 2.54% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.98% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. 4.65% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 31,674 households out of which 32.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.1% are married couples living together, 10.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% are non-families. 21.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.66 and the average family size is 3.11.

In the CDP the population is spread out with 23.8% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 40 years. For every 100 females there are 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 89.0 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP is $55,659, and the median income for a family is $62,971. Males have a median income of $47,448 versus $30,763 for females. The per capita income for the CDP is $24,831. 5.6% of the population and 4.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 6.6% of those under the age of 18 and 6.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Before the 2000 census, considerable confusion arose from the Toms River Census-Designated Place or CDP. The United States Census Bureau defined the Toms River CDP as only the immediate downtown area. The population was given as 7,524 in 1990. Anyone from out of the area who was only familiar with the more common name Toms River naturally used the Toms River CDP figures thinking they measured all of Dover Township. They believed from those figures that Dover Township was less than 10% of the size it really was in 1990. This confusion caused many complaints including those from real estate agents, businesses looking for financing and local groups applying for grants. For the 2000 census, local and state government officials requested that the Toms River CDP be redefined. The Census Bureau agreed, with the proviso that a census designated place may not have the same geographical boundaries as a municipality. Now the new Toms River CDP is defined as all of Dover Township except for the two small areas on the barrier island flanking the town of Lavallette and the Dover Township section of Pelican Island. With a 2000 population reported for Dover Township of 89,706 and a 2000 population of 86,327 for the Toms River CDP, future confusion between the two will be much less serious.