Oceanport
Oceanport can be separated into two sections. One is called Oceanport and the other Port-au-peck (a main road through the town is Port-au-peck Avenue). Although both range from middle class to upper-middle class, Port-au-peck is more heavily residential and has many more high end homes. There are several reasons for this. One is that it is a complete peninsula jutting into the Shrewsbury River. Because of this it has many more elegant waterfront homes. It is also very close to the communities of Little Silver, Fair Haven,Long Branch, Monmouth Beach, and Rumson. These towns and Port-au-peck form the boundaries of the Shrewsbury River. The Oceanport side houses some senior citizens. Monmouth Park Racetrack, Fort Monmouth, and a border with the town of Eatontown are also within Oceanport. The New Jersey Transit train line which runs in front of Monmouth Park is the common separator to divide the two sections.
Presently, almost all residents use an Oceanport mailing address. This is encouraged by the borough as it has only one post office, which is under the name Oceanport and has one ZIP Code (07757). In the past however (1920s-1970s), many citizens would use Port-au-peck as a mailing address because to people who knew the area, it sounded more high end and was considered more wealthy. They would still however, use the same zip code of 07757.
Oceanport is governed by the Borough form of New Jersey Government. The mayor is directly elected by the voters to serve a four-year term. There are six members of the Borough Council elected to three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year.
The Mayor of Oceanport Borough is Michael J. Mahon. Members of the Borough Council are Council President Ellynn M. Kahle, Gerald Briscione, Richard Gallo Jr., John Ibex, William Johnson and Joseph A. Irace.
Oceanport is a participating municipality in an initiative to study regionalizing their municipal police force with one or more municipalities. The borough received a grant from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs in the amount of $40,950 along with the Boroughs of Fair Haven, Little Silver, Shrewsbury and Rumson to hire professional consultants to conduct the study on their behalf. A report is due before the end of 2007.
Oceanport is in the Twelfth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 12th Legislative District.
New Jersey's Twelfth Congressional District, covering all of Hunterdon County and portions of Middlesex County, Monmouth County, Morris County, and Somerset County, is represented by Rush D. Holt Jr. (D). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
For the 2008-2009 Legislative Session, the 12th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Jennifer Beck (R, Red Bank) and in the Assembly by Caroline Casagrande (R, Colts Neck Township) and Declan O'Scanlon (R, Little Silver).[10] The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken)
Monmouth County is governed by a five-member Board of Chosen Freeholders. As of 2008, Monmouth County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Lillian G. Burry (R, Matawan), Freeholder Deputy Director Robert D. Clifton (R, Matawan), William C. "Bill" Barham (R, Monmouth Beach), John D'Amico, Jr. (D, Oceanport) and Barbara McMorrow (D, Freehold Township)
Students in Kindergarten through eighth grade in public school are educated by the Oceanport School District, which also serves students from Sea Bright as part of a sending/receiving relationship. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics are Wolf Hill Elementary School, with 361 students in Kindergarten through 4th grade; and Maple Place Middle School, with 312 students in grades 5 - 8.
For grades 9 - 12, public school students attend Shore Regional High School, a regional high school that serves students from the constituent districts of Monmouth Beach, Sea Bright, Oceanport and West Long Branch. The high school is part of the Shore Regional High School District.
The famed Monmouth Park, a thoroughbred horse race track, is home to the annual Haskell Invitational Handicap. The choice to put the track in this small community in 1946 was made because of its prime location at the shore. Oceanport is also an easy getaway for New Yorkers and North Jersey folk who make up the majority of the track crowd. The Haskell, which next to the Triple Crown is horse racing biggest event, takes place each year in August. In October of 2007, Oceanport's Monmouth Park is scheduled to host the multi-day Breeder's Cup. Monmouth Park has been repeatedly fined by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for polluting the Branchport Creek section of the Shrewsbury River.
New Jersey Transit's North Jersey Coast Line also has a nearby limited-service stop at the Monmouth Park station for Monmouth Park Racetrack.
NJ Transit local bus service is provided on the 831 route.
Notable current and former residents of Oceanport include:
Oceanport was named one of the top five towns to live in New Jersey according to New Jersey Monthly magazine 2008 list of 100 Best Places to live in the state. |