Ship Bottom, New Jersey, 08008

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Ship Bottom is a borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 1,156, reflecting a decline of 228 (-16.5%) from the 1,384 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 32 (+2.4%) from the 1,352 counted in the 1990 Censu  The borough is located on Long Beach Island and borders the Atlantic Ocean. 

The borough's name derives from an incident in March 1817, in which a woman was saved from a wrecked ship that had flipped over, after her rescuers used axes to cut through the bottom of the hull.

What is now Ship Bottom was originally incorporated as the borough of Ship Bottom-Beach Arlington by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 3, 1925, from portions of Long Beach Township, based on the results of a referendum held on May 23, 1925. The borough name was shortened to Ship Bottom in 1947.

The borough is known as the "Gateway to Long Beach Island", as Route 72 provides the sole road access from Manahawkin in Stafford Township, ending in Ship Bottom as it crosses Manahawkin Bay via the Manahawkin Bay Bridge (formally known as the Dorland J. Henderson Memorial Bridge). 

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 1.001 square miles (2.592 km2), including 0.713 square miles (1.847 km2) of land and 0.288 square miles (0.745 km2) of water (28.73%).

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the borough include Beach Arlington. The borough borders the Ocean County municipalities of Long Beach Township, Stafford Township and Surf City.

The 2010 United States Census counted 1,156 people, 555 households, and 329.115 families in the borough. The population density was 1,620.6 per square mile (625.7/km2). There were 2,066 housing units at an average density of 2,896.3 per square mile (1,118.3/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 92.91% (1,074) White, 1.30% Black or African American, 0.17% (2) Native American, 0.43% (5) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 3.98% from other races, and 1.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.17% of the population. 

The 555 households accounted 13.7% with children under the age of 18 living with them; 46.8% were married couples living together; 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.7% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.60.

Ship Bottom is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The governing body consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The Borough Council consists of 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. The Borough form of government used by Ship Bottom, the most common system used in the state, 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 ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council. 

Each Council member chairs a committee that oversees a department:  Revenue and Finance; Public Safety; Water/Sewer; Parks and Recreation; Public Property and Community Affairs; and Public Works.

As of 2020, the Mayor of Ship Bottom Borough is Republican William Huelsenbeck, whose term of office ends on December 31, 2022. Members of the Ship Bottom Borough Council are Council President Edward English (R, 2020), Robert J. Butkus (R, 2022), David Hartman (R, 2020), Peter J. Rossi Sr. (R, 2021), Tom Tallon (R, 2022) and Joseph Valyo (R, 2021). 

Federal, State and County Representation

Ship Bottom is located in the 2nd Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 9th state legislative district. Prior to the 2010 Census, Ship Bottom had been part of the 3rd Congressional District, a change made by the New Jersey Redistricting Commission that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections.

For the 116th United States Congress, New Jersey's Second Congressional District is represented by Jeff Van Drew (R, Dennis Township). New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Democrats Cory Booker (Newark, term ends 2021) and Bob Menendez (Paramus, term ends 2025). 

For the 2018–2019 session (Senate, General Assembly), the 9th Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Christopher J. Connors (R, Lacey Township) and in the General Assembly by DiAnne Gove (R, Long Beach Township) and Brian E. Rumpf (R, Little Egg Harbor Township).

Ocean County is governed by a Board of Chosen Freeholders consisting of five members, elected on an at-large basis in partisan elections and serving staggered three-year terms of office, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election.[55] At an annual reorganization held in the beginning of January, the board chooses a Director and a Deputy Director from among its members. As of 2019, Ocean County's Freeholders (with party affiliation, term-end year, residence and department directorship listed in parentheses) are  Freeholder Director Virginia E. Haines (R, 2019, Toms River; Parks and Recreation and Natural Lands), Freeholder Deputy Director John P. Kelly (R, 2019, Eagleswood Township; Law and Public Safety),[57] Gerry P. Little (R, 2021, Surf City; Roads), Gary Quinn (R, 2021, Lacey Township; Human Services and Transportation) and Joseph H. Vicari (R, 2020, Toms River; Senior Services and County Operations).[60][61][62] Constitutional officers elected on a countywide basis are  County Clerk Scott M. Colabella (R, 2019, Barnegat Light), Sheriff Michael Mastronardy (R, 2019; Toms River) and Surrogate Jeffrey Moran (R, 2023, Beachwood). 

Politics

As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 988 registered voters in Ship Bottom, of which 142 (14.4%) were registered as Democrats, 497 (50.3%) were registered as Republicans and 349 (35.3%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were no voters registered to other parties. Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 85.5% (vs. 63.2% in Ocean County) were registered to vote, including 97.1% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 82.6% countywide). 

In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 57.3% of the vote (335 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 42.4% (248 votes), and other candidates with 0.3% (2 votes), among the 590 ballots cast by the borough's 998 registered voters (5 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 59.1%.

In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 57.2% of the vote (419 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 40.3% (295 votes) and other candidates with 1.4% (10 votes), among the 732 ballots cast by the borough's 1,036 registered voters, for a turnout of 70.7%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 57.3% of the vote (449 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry with 41.5% (325 votes) and other candidates with 0.6% (7 votes), among the 784 ballots cast by the borough's 1,084 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 72.3. 

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 75.3% of the vote (381 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 23.7% (120 votes), and other candidates with 1.0% (5 votes), among the 523 ballots cast by the borough's 967 registered voters (17 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 54.1%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 63.2% of the vote (349 ballots cast), ahead of  Democrat Jon Corzine with 29.2% (161 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 5.8% (32 votes) and other candidates with 0.9% (5 votes), among the 552 ballots cast by the borough's 1,005 registered voters, yielding a 54.9% turnout. 

Education

For pre-kindergarten through sixth grade, public school students attend the Long Beach Island Consolidated School District, which also serves students from Barnegat Light, Harvey Cedars, Long Beach Township and Surf City.  As of the 2017–18 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 234 students and 33.1 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 7.1:1.[78] Schools in the district (with 2017-18 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are  Ethel Jacobsen School in Surf City with 111 students in pre-kindergarten to second grade and  Long Beach Island Grade School[81] in Ship Bottom with 125 students in grades 3 – 6. The district's board of education is made of nine members who are directly elected from the constituent municipalities on a staggered basis, with three members elected each year. Of the nine seats, one member is elected from Ship Bottom.

Students in public school for seventh through twelfth grades attend the Southern Regional School District, which serves the five municipalities in the Long Beach Island Consolidated School District, along with students from Beach Haven and Stafford Township, as well as students from Ocean Township (including its Waretown section) who attend as part of a sending/receiving relationship.[8][85][86] Schools in the district (with 2017-18 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are  Southern Regional Middle School with 944 students in grades 7–8 and  Southern Regional High School with 1,941 students in grades 9–12. Both schools are in the Manahawkin section of Stafford Township.

Transportation

Roads and Highways

As of May 2010, the borough had a total of 18.57 miles (29.89 km) of roadways, of which 13.32 miles (21.44 km) were maintained by the municipality, 4.65 miles (7.48 km) by Ocean County and 0.60 miles (0.97 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation. The eastern terminus of Route 72 is in Ship Bottom, which connects the borough to the Manahawkin section of Stafford Township via the Manahawkin Bay Bridge (formally known as the Dorland J. Henderson Memorial Bridge).

Public Transportation

Ocean Ride local service is provided on the OC9 Long Beach Island route. The LBI Shuttle operates along Long Beach Boulevard, providing free service every 5 to 20 minutes from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM. It serves the Long Beach Island municipalities / communities of Barnegat Light, Loveladies, Harvey Cedars, North Beach, Surf City, Ship Bottom, Long Beach Township, Beach Haven and Holgate.

In the borough, the population age was spread out with 12.0% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 20.2% from 25 to 44, 32.0% from 45 to 64, and 28.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 54.2 years. For every 100 females, the population had 104.2 males.  For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 99.4 males. 

The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $60,673 (with a margin of error of +/- $15,872) and the median family income was $97,841 (+/- $19,072). Males had a median income of $51,641 (+/- $9,381) versus $33,580 (+/- $4,778) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $41,184 (+/- $4,936). About 5.4% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 1.9% of those age 65 or over.

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