Asbury Park, New Jersey

"Asbury Park" redirects here. For other uses, see Asbury Park (disambiguation).

Coordinates: 40°13′8″N 74°00′44.6″W / 40.21889°N 74.012389°W / 40.21889; -74.012389

Asbury Park
From Left: Asbury Park Convention Hall (image courtesy of Dave Frey), Main Street, Tillie, Cookman Ave, Old Heating Plant, Philadelphia Toboggan Company Carousel
Map of Asbury Park in Monmouth County, New Jersey, along the Atlantic Ocean (also see: full-state map).
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Monmouth
Incorporated	March 26, 1874
Government[1]
– Type	1923 Municipal Manager Law
– Mayor	Ed Johnson (2013)[2]
– Manager	Terry Reidy[3]
Area[4]
– Total	1.60 sq mi (4.1 km2)
– Land	1.43 sq mi (3.7 km2)
– Water	0.17 sq mi (0.44 km2)
Elevation	20 ft (6 m)
Population (2010)[5][6]
– Total	16,116
– Density	10,072.5/sq mi (3,930.7/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	07712[7]
Area code(s)	732
FIPS code	34-01960[8][9]
GNIS feature ID	0874396[10]
Website	http://www.cityofasburypark.com

Asbury Park is a city in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, located on the Jersey Shore and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 16,116.^[5] The city is known for its rich musical history, including its association with Bruce Springsteen. It was ranked the sixth best beach in New Jersey in the 2008 Top 10 Beaches Contest sponsored by the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium.^[11]

Asbury Park was originally incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature 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.^[12]

History

Early years

Asbury Park beach, early Twentieth Century

A seaside community, Asbury Park is located on New Jersey's central coast. Developed in 1871 as a residential resort by New York brush manufacturer James A. Bradley, the city was named for Francis Asbury, the first American bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States.

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 Co.) to offer electric service.^[13] Along the waterfront Bradley installed a boardwalk, an orchestra pavilion, public changing rooms and a pier at the south end of the boardwalk. 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 complex; other attractions followed.^[14] During these early decades in Asbury Park, a number of grand hotels were built, including the Plaza Hotel.^[15]

Postcard of Asbury Park and Ocean Grove Railroad Station, dated 1908

Uriah White, an Asbury Park pioneer, installed the first artesian well water system.^[16] More than 600,000 people a year vacationed in Asbury during the summer season in the early years, riding the New York and Long Branch Railroad from New York City and from Philadelphia to enjoy the mile-and-a-quarter stretch of oceanfront Asbury.

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

1920s and modern development

Asbury Park boardwalk, c. 1935

The 1920s saw a dramatic change in the boardwalk with the construction of the Paramount Theatre and Convention Hall complex, the Casino Arena and Carousel House, and two handsome red-brick pavilions. Noted Beaux Arts architect Warren Whitney of New York was the designer. He had also been hired to design the imposing Berkeley-Carteret Hotel positioned diagonally across from the theater and hall. At the same time, Asbury Park launched a first-class education and athletic program with the construction of a state-of-the-art high school overlooking Deal Lake.

Neither the Great Depression nor World War II was kind to Asbury Park. On September 8, 1934, the wreck of the cruise ship SS Morro Castle, which caught on fire and burned, beached itself near the city just yards away from the Asbury Park Convention Hall. In 1943, the New York Yankees held their Spring Training in Asbury Park. This was because rail transport had to be conserved during the war, and Major League Baseball's Spring Training was limited to an area east of the Mississippi River and north of the Ohio River.^[17]

The Casino's boarded walkway that links Asbury Park to Ocean Grove. As of 2008, the casino is being renovated.

In the decades that followed the war, surrounding farm communities gave way to tracts of suburban houses, encouraging the city's middle-class blacks as well as whites to move into newer houses with spacious yards. With the opening of the Garden State Parkway, Asbury Park saw the travel market change as fewer vacationers took trains to the seashore. After the Monmouth Mall opened 10 miles 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 lawyers, accountants, doctors, dentists, and other professionals. The opening of Six Flags Great Adventure, a combination theme park and drive-through safari located on a lake in Jackson Township – and close to a New Jersey Turnpike exit – proved to be stiff competition for a mile-long stretch of aging boardwalk amusements. Although it was placed on the National Registers of Historic Places,^[18] in 1988 Palace Amusements was closed, and was demolished in 2004 despite attempts to save it.^[19] The complex had featured the famous face of Tillie, a symbol of the Jersey Shore.^[19] In 1990, the famous carousel at the Casino Pier was sold to Family Kingdom Amusement Park in Myrtle Beach, SC, where it continues to operate. The city's changing fortunes, together with municipal mismanagement, led to civic unrest. On July 4, 1970 riots 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. In 2007 many of those city blocks have yet to be redeveloped.

21st century

Former Howard Johnson's renovated and reopened as Salt Water Beach Cafe (summer 2007) on the boardwalk in Asbury Park

From 2002 onward, the rest of Asbury Park has been in the midst of a cultural, political, and economic revival, led by 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 boardwalk pavilions.

The year 2007 proved to be an important one, full of milestones for the redevelopment of Asbury Park. 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). 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 building, as well as the rehabilitation of Convention Hall and the Fifth Avenue Pavilion (previously home to one of the last remaining Howard Johnson restaurants). The year 2007 has also seen the purchase of the historic Berkeley-Carteret Hotel, which is to be restored to four-star resort status; the first residents moving into the newly constructed condominiums known as North Beach, the rehabilitation of Ocean Avenue, and the opening of name brand businesses such as AAMCO Transmissions on Asbury Avenue. Asbury Park looks to regain its reputation as the cultural and amusement capital of the Jersey Shore.

On October 30, 2010, the largest gathering of zombies was achieved by the 4,093 participants in New Jersey Zombie Walk at the Asbury Park Boardwalk.^[20]

Government

Local government

The City of Asbury Park is governed under the 1923 Municipal Manager Law form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a five-member City Council, with all positions elected at large in nonpartisan elections, to serve four-year terms of office on a concurrent basis. After each election, the council selects a mayor and deputy mayor from among its members.^[1]

As of 2011^[update], the Asbury Park City Council consists of Mayor Ed Johnson, Deputy Mayor John Loffredo, James Bruno, Sue Henderson and Kevin G. Sanders.^[21]

Federal, state, and county representation

Asbury Park is in the 6th Congressional district and is part of New Jersey's 11th state legislative district.^[22] The legislative district was unchanged based on the results of the 2010 Census.^[5]

New Jersey's Sixth Congressional District is represented by Frank Pallone (D, Long Branch). New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).

11th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature, which is represented in the New Jersey Senate by Sean T. Kean (R, Wall Township) and in the New Jersey General Assembly by Mary Pat Angelini (R, Ocean Township) and Dave Rible (R, Wall Township).^[23] The Governor of New Jersey is Chris Christie (R, Mendham).^[24] The Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey is Kim Guadagno (R, Monmouth Beach).^[25]

Monmouth County is governed by a Board of Chosen Freeholders consisting of five members who are elected at-large to serve three year terms of office on a staggered basis, with one or two seats up for election each year. ^[26] As of 2011, Monmouth County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Robert D. Clifton (R, Matawan; term ends December 31, 2013)^[27], Freeholder Deputy Director John P. Curley (R, Red Bank; 2012)^[28], Thomas A. Arnone (R, Neptune City; 2013), Lillian G. Burry (R, Colts Neck Township; 2011)^[29] and Amy A. Mallet (D, Fair Haven, 2011).^[30][31][32]

Music and culture

Musicians and bands with strong ties to Asbury Park, many of whom frequently played clubs here on their way to fame, include Bruce Springsteen, Clarence Clemons, the E Street Band, Jon Bon Jovi and Bon Jovi, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, Patti Smith, Arthur Pryor, Count Basie, Gary U.S. Bonds, along with many more.

Asbury Park is considered a destination for musicians, particularly a subgenre of rock and roll known as the Jersey Shore sound, which is infused with R&B. It is home to The Stone Pony, founded in 1974, a starting point for many performers. The Asbury Lanes, the Saint, Chico's House of Jazz, and the Wonder Bar^[33] are smaller venues that continue the tradition of offering original, live music to the Jersey Shore. Asbury Park Convention Hall holds larger events.

In 1973 Bruce Springsteen 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)". 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. 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.

West view of Asbury Park Convention Hall & Paramount Theatre (Asbury Park, New Jersey) complex

The Golden T-Bird Awards were established in 1993 by Scott Stamper 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 Asbury Music Awards in 1995. The award ceremony is held in November of each year, most recently at the Stone Pony.^[34]

The New Jersey Music Hall of Fame was founded in Asbury Park in 2005. There are plans to build a museum somewhere in the city as part of the redevelopment.^[35] In 2006, the Wave Gathering Music Festival was established. The festival is held during the summer. Businesses across Asbury Park offer food, drink, art, music, crafts, and their stages for performances. Stages are also set up in parks, on the boardwalk, and in other open spaces. The event takes place over several days.^[36] The town is the headquarters of the county newspaper TriCity news.^[37]

The Bamboozle Music Festival was held in Asbury Park in 2003, 2004, and 2005. It is expected to be returning to its original location for the ten year anniversary in 2012.

Nightlife

Asbury Lanes

Asbury Park's nightlife includes The Stone Pony, a bar frequented by Bruce Springsteen as well as Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. On Main Street is The Saint, (formerly the Clover Club), a club that showcases local and emerging acts, as well as established performers. Across town, on Fourth Avenue, is Asbury Lanes, a functioning vintage bowling alley and bar with live performances ranging from musical acts, Neo-Burlesque, hot rod, and art shows. The Baronet, a vintage movie theater which dates back to Buster Keaton's era, was near Asbury Lanes, but it's roof recently caved in and the building was demolished. A number of new restaurants, lounges and bars have opened up in teh city, including Tim McLoone's Supper Club, which features live entertainment, Langosta Lounge, The Annex, Stella Marina, the Watermark Lounge, Chico's House of Jazz, the Bond Street Bar and Johnny Mac's House of Spirits. A town that was once nearly abandoned, there are now over 60 restaurants, coffee houses, and live music venues situated in Asbury Park's boardwalk and downtown districts.

Popular with numerous Asbury Park residents and visitors is the monthly First Saturday event. On the first Saturday of every month, Asbury Park's downtown art galleries, home design studios, restaurants, antique shops, and clothing boutiques remain open throughout the evening, serving hors d'oeuvres and offering entertainment, to showcase the city's residential and commercial resurgence.

Gay community

Since the 1970s, Asbury Park has had a growing gay community. After the property values plummeted, gays from New York City purchased and restored Victorian homes, leading to a rejuvenation of parts of the city.^[38] In 1999, Shep Pettibone opened Paradise Nightclub, a gay discotheque near the ocean. He has since also opened the Empress Hotel, the state's only gay oriented hotel. Another notable establishment is Georgie's (formerly the Fifth Avenue Tavern). Every summer the Jersey Gay Pride parade as well as the gay Road Trip Weekend, and the Sand Blast Weekend which draws thousands of gays to the city. Both Road Trip and Sand Blast were started by the local gay homeowners who wanted to encourage friends from the tri-state area to come check out the up & coming beach town and hopefully make it a regular destination year-round. In 2010 Road Trip Weekend became Sand Blast Weekend, re-named after the popular gay dance on the beach, which had become the main event of the Road Trip Weekend.

Commerce

Urban Enterprise Zone

Portions of Asbury Park are part of an Urban Enterprise Zone . In addition to other benefits to encourage employment within the Zone, shoppers can take advantage of a reduced 3½% sales tax rate (versus the 7% rate charged statewide).^[39]

Hotels

Berkeley Hotel, south face 2007

There were at one time 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. Hotels like the Berkeley and Oceanic Inn have operated concurrently for decades, while the Empress Hotel and Hotel Tides were recently restored and reopened.

Currently open hotels include the Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel (formerly the Berkeley-Carteret Oceanfront Hotel), The Empress Hotel, Hotel Tides, Oceanic Inn, Sixth Avenue House Bed & Breakfast Hotel and Mikell's Big House Bed & Breakfast.

Demolished:

• The Albion Hotel^[40]
• The Metropolitan Hotel

Education

Asbury Park's public schools are operated by Asbury Park Public Schools. The district is one of 31 Abbott Districts statewide.^[41]

Schools in the district (with 2009-10 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics^[42] are Barack Obama Elementary School (formerly Bangs Avenue Elementary School (383 students), Bradley Elementary School (325) and Thurgood Marshall Elementary School (523) for grades K-5; Asbury Park Middle School (379) and Asbury Park Alternative Middle School for grades 6–8; and Asbury Park High School (498) for 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 2010-11 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.^[43]

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.^[44]

Students from Asbury Park in grades 9-12 may also attend Academy Charter High School, located in Lake Como, which also serves residents of Allenhurst, Avon-by-the-Sea, Belmar, Bradley Beach, Deal, Interlaken and Lake Como, and accepts students on a lottery basis.^[45]

Sports

In 1943 the New York Yankees held spring training in Asbury Park.^[46]

Geography

Asbury Park is located at 40°13′21″N 74°00′44″W / 40.222399°N 74.012098°W / 40.222399; -74.012098 (40.222399, −74.012098).^[47]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.60 square miles (4.1 km²), of which 1.43 square miles (3.7 km²) of it is land and 0.17 square miles (0.44 km²) of it (10.62%) is water.^[4]

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1900	4,148		—
1910	11,150		168.8%
1920	13,400		20.2%
1930	14,981		11.8%
1940	14,617		−2.4%
1950	17,094		16.9%
1960	17,366		1.6%
1970	16,533		−4.8%
1980	17,015		2.9%
1990	16,799		−1.3%
2000	16,930		0.8%
2010	16,116		−4.8%
Population sources: 1930-1990[48] 2000[49] 2010[6][5]

As of the census^[8] of 2000, there were 16,930 people, 6,754 households, and 3,586 families residing in the city. The population density was 14,290.0 per square mile (5,629.4/km²) making it Monmouth County's most densely populated municipality. There were 7,744 housing units at an average density of 5,416.7 per square mile (2,090.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 15.77% White, 67.11% Black, 0.32% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 6.49% from other races, and 5.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.58% of the population.^[49]

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 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.^[49]

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.^[49]

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 per capita income for the city was $13,516. About 29.3% of families and 40.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 46.5% of those under age 18 and 37.1% of those age 65 or over.^[49]

Crime

The vacant streets of Asbury Park were a common sight in the 1980s and 1990s.

While 8 of the 17 murders in Monmouth County in 2006 took place in Asbury Park, and 7 of the 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.^[50]

Transportation

New Jersey Transit offers rail service from the Asbury Park on the North Jersey Coast Line. Bus routes include the 317 to Philadelphia, and local service on the 830, 832, 836 and 837 routes.^[51]

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Asbury Park include:

• Bud Abbott (1895–1974), straight man for comedy team Abbott and Costello, born in Asbury Park.^[52]
• Stewart H. Appleby (1890–1964), represented New Jersey's 3rd congressional district from 1925–1927.^[53]
• T. Frank Appleby (1864–1924), represented New Jersey's 3rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1921 to 1923, and was mayor of Asbury Park from 1908 to 1912.^[54]
• Nicole Atkins (born 1978), singer-songwriter on Columbia Records.^[55]
• Frederick Bayer (1921–2007), emeritus curator of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History and marine biologist.^[56]
• Scott "Bam Bam" Bigelow (1961–2007), professional wrestler.^[57]
• Marie Castello (1915–2008), longtime boardwalk fortuneteller known as Madam Marie.^[58]
• Edna Woolman Chase (1877–1957) editor in chief of Vogue magazine from 1914–1952.^[59]
• Stephen Crane (1871–1900), author of "The Red Badge of Courage".^[60]
• Danny DeVito (born 1944), actor, born in nearby Neptune, NJ, grew up in Asbury Park.^[61]
• Tim Hauser (born 1941), member of The Manhattan Transfer.^[62]
• Leon Hess (1914–99), oil magnate and founder of the Hess Corporation, began his business in the city.^[63]
• Lou Liberatore (born 1959), actor, has a second home in Asbury Park.^[64]
• Robert Melee (born 1966), artist.^[65]
• Arthur Pryor (1870–1942), bandleader.^[66]
• Ben Rindner (born 1987), actor who has appeared in the film version of Sex in the City Movie and Don't Burn.^{[citation needed]}
• Richie Rosenberg, trombonist who performed with Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes.^[67]
• David Sancious (born 1953), early member of the E Street Band.^[68]
• Arthur Siegel (1923–94), songwriter.^[69]
• Thomas S. Smith (1917–2002), former mayor of Asbury Park who served in the New Jersey General Assembly.^[70]
• Margaret Widdemer (1884–1976) Pulitzer Prize-winning poet ^[71]
• Wendy Williams (born 1964), talk show host and New York Times bestselling author, born in Asbury Park.^[72]
• Arthur Augustus Zimmerman (1869–1936), the first world cycling champion, grew up here and owned a hotel after retiring from racing.^[73]

Gallery

• 

  Wonder Bar at night.

• 

  Interior of Convention Hall.

• 

  Southeast side of Convention Hall as seen from the Atlantic Ocean.

• 

  Detail of vestibule stairway.

• 

  Entry into Convention Hall through the Grand Arcade.

• 

  "Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J." echo its most famous near-resident artist.

• 

  Convention Hall is used as a venue for the roller derby.

• 

  Memorial to Asbury Park Firemen.

• 

  Asbury Park zombies await the annual Zombie Parade.

• 

  Asbury Park Rodeo next to the boardwalk.

• 

  Asbury Park Fire Department fire truck.

• 

  Asbury Lanes, a nightclub housed in a former bowling alley.

• 

  Madam Marie's Fortunes.

• 

  Sons of Ireland Polar Bear Plunge.

• 

  Deal Lake Western edge

• 

  Old One Post Plaza Building Entrance (Originally Seacoast Trust Company)

• 

  Renovated shops along the boardwalk

See also

• SS Asbury Park, a coastal steamship that operated between the northern New Jersey shore and New York City from 1904 to 1918
• Asbury Park (NJT station), the New Jersey Transit station that connects Asbury Park to New York City, Bay Head and Newark Airport.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} 2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 58.
2. ^ 2011 New Jersey Mayors Directory, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. Accessed July 28, 2011.
3. ^ A message from the City Manager, City of Asbury Park. Accessed April 1, 2011.
4. ^ ^{a b} GCT-PH1. Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2000 for Monmouth County, New Jersey -- County Subdivision and Place, United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 31, 2011.
5. ^ ^{a b c d} 2011 Apportionment Redistricting: Municipalities sorted alphabetically, New Jersey Department of State. Accessed June 2, 2011.
6. ^ ^{a b} Table DP-1. Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2010 for Asbury Park city, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Accessed August 31, 2011.
7. ^ Look Up a ZIP Code, United States Postal Service. Accessed August 31, 2011.
8. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
9. ^ A Cure for the Common Codes: New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Retrieved July 14, 2008.
10. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
11. ^ Urgo, Jacqueline L. (May 23, 2008). "Triumph for South Jersey". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on 2008-06-05. http://web.archive.org/web/20080605225601/http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/entertainment/19204259.html. Retrieved 2008-05-30. 
12. ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606–1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 177.
13. ^ Pike, Helen-Chantal (2005). Asbury Park's Glory Days: The Story of an American Resort. Rutgers University Press, pp 8 ISBN 0-8135-3547-6
14. ^ 1888 Palace Amusements Online Museum. Retrieved 2007-08-17.
15. ^ Asbury Park, NJ Side O'Lamb: Urban Exploration of the Jersey Shore. Retrieved 2007-08-17.
16. ^ Pike, Helen-Chantal (1997,2003). Images of America: Asbury Park. Arcadia Publishing, pp 13 ISBN 0-7524-0538-1
17. ^ Suehsdorf, A. D. (1978). The Great American Baseball Scrapbook, p. 103. Random House. ISBN 0-394-50253-1.
18. ^ "National Register of Historical Places – New Jersey (NJ), Monmouth County". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-02-14. http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/NJ/Monmouth/state.html. Retrieved 2009-10-08. 
19. ^ ^{a b} Aftermath Palace Amusements Online Museum.'.' Retrieved 2007-08-17.
20. ^ "Largest gathering of zombies". http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records-5000/largest-gathering-of-zombies/. Retrieved October 24, 2011. 
21. ^ Mayor and Council, City of Asbury Park. Accessed April 1, 2011.
22. ^ 2011 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 54. Accessed June 2, 2011.
23. ^ "Legislative Roster: 2010-2011 Session". New Jersey Legislature. http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/roster.asp. Retrieved 2010-02-08. 
24. ^ "About the Governor". New Jersey. http://www.nj.gov/governor/about/. Retrieved 2010-01-21. 
25. ^ "About the Lieutenant Governor". New Jersey. http://www.nj.gov/governor/lt/. Retrieved 2010-01-21. 
26. ^ Monmouth County Government, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Accessed January 5, 2011.
27. ^ Freeholder Director Robert D. Clifton, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Accessed January 7, 2011.
28. ^ Deputy Director Freeholder John P. Curley, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Accessed January 7, 2011.
29. ^ Freeholder Lillian G. Burry, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Accessed January 7, 2011.
30. ^ Freeholder Amy A. Mallet, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Accessed January 7, 2011.
31. ^ Board of Chosen Freeholders, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Accessed January 7, 2011.
32. ^ Rizzo, Nina. "Monmouth County freeholders sworn into office", Asbury Park Press, January 6, 2011. Accessed January 7, 2011.
33. ^ "The Wonder Bar". Wonderbarasburypark.com. http://www.WonderBarAsburyPark.com. Retrieved 2011-08-28. 
34. ^ Pfeiffer, John (December 1, 2010). Asbury Park Music Awards and Musical Heritage Kickoff. The Aquarian. Retrieved December 18, 2010.
35. ^ Wise, Brian. "From Croon to Doom Metal", The New York Times, June 5, 2005. Accessed November 2, 2007. "Even so, plans for a New Jersey Music Hall of Fame center on Asbury Park, where Mr. Springsteen got his start by playing in the scrubby clubs there."
36. ^ La Gorce, Tammy (May 13, 2007). Still Rocking Hard in Asbury Park as the Bands Play On. New York Times. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
37. ^ www.trinews.com;accessed August 4 2011
38. ^ Kuhr, Fred. "There goes the gayborhood: the urban renewal of Asbury Park, N.J., renews the debate: can gay men and lesbians single-handedly transform bad neighborhoods?", The Advocate, July 6, 2004. Accessed June 2, 2011.
39. ^ Geographic & Urban Redevelopment Tax Credit Programs: Urban Enterprise Zone Employee Tax Credit, State of New Jersey. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
40. ^ Alexander, Andrea; Nancy Shields (April 2, 2002). "Plan to rebuild city draws a big crowd Forum on redevelopment will continue tonight". Asbury Park Press: p. A1. 
41. ^ Abbott Districts, New Jersey Department of Education, backed up by the Internet Archive as of May 15, 2009. Accessed April 1, 2011.
42. ^ Data for the Asbury Park Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed August 31, 2011.
43. ^ Shields, Nancy. "State monitor orders Asbury's Barack Obama School closed", Asbury Park Press, March 18, 2011. Accessed April 1, 2011.
44. ^ "Investigators probe Asbury Park Board of Ed", WABC-TV, February 22, 2007. Accessed April 1, 2011.
45. ^ Academy Charter High School 2010 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 1, 2011. "Academy Charter High School allocates seats in each grade level based upon the resident student population of each of the following towns: Allenhurst, Asbury Park, Avon, Belmar, Bradley Beach, Deal, Interlaken and Lake Como."
46. ^ The ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia. Sterling Publishing. 2007. pp. 1789. ISBN 1-4027-4771-3. 
47. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
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52. ^ Pike, 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."
53. ^ Stewart Hoffman Appleby, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved August 30, 2007.
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58. ^ "Boardwalk fortune teller Madam Marie dies". Asbury Park Press. 2008-07-01. http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080701/NEWS/80701031. Retrieved 2008-08-26. ^{[dead link]}
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63. ^ Anderson, Dave. "Sports of The Times; Hess Mulled The Return Of the Jets", The New York Times, May 9, 1999. Accessed September 23, 2007. "'I was born and brought up in Asbury Park, N.J.,' Hess said that day in a rare appearance at a news conference."
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66. ^ "Greetings From Asbury Park", NJN. Accessed June 18, 2007. "Rick Benjamin, founder of the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra, and a specialist in the music of Arthur Pryor – an Asbury Park musical superstar long before Bruce Springsteen – who transformed the forbidden music of Ragtime into wholesome popular entertainment."
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72. ^ Cotter, Kelly-Jane. "The Year in Entertainment", Asbury Park Press, December 27, 2009. Accessed February 2, 2011. "Radio personality Wendy Williams who grew up in Asbury Park and Ocean Township became a TV star this year with her syndicated talk show."
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External links

• City of Asbury Park website
• Asbury Park Public Schools
• Asbury Park Public Schools's 2009–10 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
• Asbury Park Public Library
• Asbury Park.co: The most comprehensive calendar of Asbury Park concerts, theatre, cultural and municipal events
• 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