Ocean County, New Jersey

Ocean County is a located in the  of. It is the southernmost county in the ; however the southern part of the county borders the. Its is. As of the, the population was 510,916. 2006 Census Bureau estimates show the county's population growing to around 553,251 making it the fastest growing county in the state and one of the fastest growing in America. Ocean County was established in 1850 from portions of.

Ocean County is home to many attractions including, , , home of the world's tallest, fastest roller coaster,. Ocean County is also the northeast gateway to New Jersey's.

The state's largest suburban school district,, is located in the county.

It is also home to, the and , America's safest city.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 2,372 (916 ). 1,648 km² (636 sq mi) of it is land and 724 km² (280 sq mi) of it (30.53%) is water. It is the second largest county by area in New Jersey.

Much of the county is flat and coastal, and boasts some of the most beautiful beaches in the nation. The highest point is one of three unnamed hills (one in, the other two in ) that reach at least 230 feet (70 m) in elevation. The lowest elevation in the county is sea level.

Adjacent Counties

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Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 510,916 people, 200,402 households, and 137,876 families residing in the county. The was 310/km² (803/sq mi). There were 248,711 housing units at an average density of 151/km² (391/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 93.05%, 2.99% or , 0.14% , 1.28% , 0.02% , 1.24% from , and 1.29% from two or more races. 5.02% of the population were or  of any race. 24.9% were of, 18.2% , 12.5% , 7.0% and 5.4%  ancestry according to.

There were 200,402 households out of which 28.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.40% were living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.20% were non-families. 27.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the county the population was spread out with 23.30% under the age of 18, 6.60% from 18 to 24, 26.00% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 22.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 90.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $46,443, and the median income for a family was $56,420. Males had a median income of $44,822 versus $30,717 for females. The for the county was $23,054. About 4.80% of families and 7.00% of the population were below the, including 10.00% of those under age 18 and 5.60% of those age 65 or over.

Government
Ocean County is governed by a consisting of five members. Freeholders are elected at large by the voters of Ocean County in partisan elections and serve staggered 3-year terms. Ocean County's Freeholders have both administrative and policy making powers, and are paid some $50,000 in salary and additional benefits.

Ocean County's Freeholders are:

Politics
Ocean County is a Republican stronghold in New Jersey, a solid. All parts of the county are represented by Republicans at the federal, state and county level.

carried Ocean County by 12 points in the, winning every municipality but Lakewood Township and South Toms River Boro. A year before, won the county by 21 points, carrying every municipality in the county.

Attractions
Ocean County is home to many attractions including, , , America's largest Six Flags theme park, home of the world's tallest, fastest roller coaster,. Ocean County is also the northeast gateway to New Jersey's, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, New Jersey's largest water park, Six Flags Wild Safari, the largest drive-thru animal safari outside of Africa. Ocean County has an extensive stretch along the, including the communities and oceanfront boardwalk resorts of  and. Forty miles of barrier beaches form the Barnegat and Little Egg Harbor Bays, offering ample watersports. It also is home of the Tuckerton Seaport, a 40-acre maritime history village and the, the Class A-affiliate of the.

Municipalities
The following is a list of the municipalities in Ocean County. Other, s in the county are listed below their parent municipality (or municipalities, as the case may be). Most of these areas are s that have been created by the for enumeration purposes within a.
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