Jackson Township, New Jersey

Jackson Township, named after Andrew Jackson, is a township in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 54,856. The population increased by 12,040 (+28.1%) from the 42,816 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 9,583 (+28.8%) from the 33,233 counted in the 1990 Census. The 2010 population was the highest recorded in any decennial census. The township is located within the New Jersey Pine Barrens.

Jackson is the site of Six Flags Great Adventure, home to the 456 ft Kingda Ka, which as of 2017 is the tallest roller coaster in the world. Jackson is also home to Six Flags Hurricane Harbor and the 350 acres Safari Off Road Adventure, which replaced Six Flags Wild Safari in 2013.

Jackson Township was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 6, 1844, from portions of Dover Township (now Toms River Township), Freehold Township and Upper Freehold Township, while the area was still part of Monmouth County. It became part of the newly created Ocean County on February 15, 1850. Portions of the township were taken to form Plumsted Township on March 11, 1845.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 100.624 square miles (260.616 km2), including 99.244 square miles (257.041 km2) of land and 1.380 square miles (3.575 km2) of water (1.37%). Jackson is the largest municipality by area in Ocean County.

Vista Center (with a 2010 population of 2,095 ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Jackson Township. Other unincorporated communities, localities and populated places located completely or partially within the township include Archers Corner, Bennetts Mills, Burksville, Butterfly Bridge, Cassville, Colliers Mills, DeBow Corner, Francis Mills, Grayville, Harmony, Holmansville, Hyson, Jackson Mills, Kapps Corner, Leesville, Legler, Maryland, Midwood, New Prospect, Pleasant Grove, Prospertown, Ridgeway State Forest, Success, The Alligator, Van Hiseville, Webbsville, Whitesbridge and Whitesville.

The township borders Lakewood Township, Manchester Township, Plumsted Township and Toms River Township in Ocean County, and Freehold Township, Howell Township, Millstone Township and Upper Freehold Township in Monmouth County.

Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area is a 12906.63 acre wildlife management area located within portions of both Jackson Township and Plumsted Township operated by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's Division of Fish and Wildlife. Several man-made lakes are located within the township, including Success Lake in the Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area.

Climate
Jackson Township, New Jersey, gets 45 inches of rain per year. Snowfall is 23 inches and the number of days with any measurable precipitation is 115. On average, there are 206 sunny days per year in Jackson. The July high is around 86 degrees and the January low is 23. The comfort index is 45 out of 100.

2010 Census
The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $86,327 (with a margin of error of +/- $2,941) and the median family income was $96,171 (+/- $2,734). Males had a median income of $68,985 (+/- $4,126) versus $45,714 (+/- $2,238) for females. The per capita income for the township was $34,521 (+/- $912). About 2.8% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.4% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.

2000 Census
As of the 2000 United States Census there were 42,816 people, 14,176 households, and 11,269 families residing in the township. The population density was 427.9 people per square mile (165.2/km²). There were 14,640 housing units at an average density of 146.3 per square mile (56.5/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 91.26% White, 3.90% African American, 0.13% Native American, 2.06% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.97% from other races, and 1.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.78% of the population.

There were 14,176 households out of which 44.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.7% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.5% were non-families. 16.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.38.

In the township the population was spread out with 29.7% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 34.2% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 95.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $65,218, and the median income for a family was $71,045. Males had a median income of $51,276 versus $33,882 for females. The per capita income for the township was $23,981. About 2.5% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.2% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
Near Six Flags is Jackson Premium Outlets, a retail outlet center with 70 stores and a gross leasable area of 285719 sqft. It opened in 1997 and was expanded in 1998.

Media
The Asbury Park Press provides daily news coverage of the township, as does WOBM-FM radio. The township provides material and commentary to The Jackson Times, which is one of seven weekly papers from Micromedia Publications. In addition, JTOWN Magazine provides news, sports and other local information.

Sports
In 2015, the Jackson Little League 12 year old All-Stars won the state championship, and went on to the Mid-Atlantic Regional final where they lost to Red Land Little League from Pennsylvania who eventually won the U.S. Championship, but fell to the team from Japan in the 2015 Little League World Series. In 2017, the Holbrook Little League All-Stars defeated Maryland 8-3, sending Holbrook to the 2017 Little League World Series

Local government
As of July 1, 2006, Jackson Township adopted the Mayor-Council form of government under the Faulkner Act, and is governed by a Mayor and five-member Township Council elected at-large in nonpartisan elections. Council members serve four-year terms on a staggered basis, with either two or three seats coming up for election in even years. The Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office that comes up for election during the same year that two council seats are up for vote. The Council selects a President and a Vice President from among its members. Until 2006, Jackson Township was governed under the Township form of government with a five-member Township Committee, whose members were elected directly by the voters in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with one or two seats coming up for election each year. As of June 2011, the Township Council passed an ordinance shifting nonpartisan elections from May to November.

, the Mayor of Jackson Township is Michael "Mike" Reina, whose term of office ends December 31, 2018. Township Council members are Council President Barry Calogero (2016), Council Vice President Scott R. Martin (2018), Kenneth J. Bressi (2016), Robert A. Nixon (2016) and Ann M. Updegrave (2018).

Public safety departments
Jackson Township has its own Police Department which was established in 1946 and which operates out of the Municipal Justice Complex. Chief of Police Matthew D. Kunz.
 * Police Department

Jackson Township has four fire districts and an industrial fire department:
 * Fire Department
 * Station 54 - Jackson Mills Fire Co./Jackson Fire District No. 4 (Combination Volunteer/Career) Chief Michael Lubertazzi
 * Station 55 - Jackson Township Fire Co. No. 1/Jackson Twp Fire District No. 3 (Combination Volunteer/Career) Chief Timothy Carson
 * Station 56 - Cassville Fire Co./Jackson Fire District No. 2 (Combination Volunteer/Career) Chief John Alchevsky
 * Station 57 - Whitesville Fire Co./Jackson Fire District No. 1 (Combination Volunteer/Career [contract for personnel from Fire District No. 3]) Chief Scott Rauch
 * Station 58 - Six Flags Fire Department Chief Edward Zakar (Career)

Jackson Township has two Fire Bureaus that enforce the NJ Uniform Fire Safety Act:
 * Fire Bureau

Jackson Bureau of Fire Prevention District 4 Fire Official John Burmiester Jr.

Jackson Bureau of Fire Safety Fire Districts 1, 2 and 3 Fire Official Frank McDonnell

Currently emergency medical services are provided by a combination of an independent volunteer first aid squad and a private third party contractor.
 * Emergency Medical Services


 * Quality Medical Transport (units 103, 159, 155) covers EMS calls from 5AM-6PM - Manager Sal Murante
 * Jackson Township First Aid Squad (Squad 22) covers EMS calls from 6PM-5AM - Chief Al Couceiro
 * Six Flags Great Adventure EMS (Squad 80) covers EMS calls within the park during park operating hours.

Advanced life support E.M.S., (i.e., paramedics or "Mobile Intensive Care Units"), is provided by hospital providers under a statewide system mandated by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services. Jackson Township is served primarily by MONOC paramedic units.

Federal, state and county representation
Jackson Township is located in the 4th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 12th state legislative district. Prior to the 2011 reapportionment following the 2010 Census, Jackson Township had been in the 30th state legislative district.

Politics
As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 34,003 registered voters in Jackson Township, of which 7,177 (21.1%) were registered as Democrats, 7,693 (22.6%) were registered as Republicans and 19,108 (56.2%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 25 voters registered to other parties. Among the township's 2010 Census population, 62.0% (vs. 63.2% in Ocean County) were registered to vote, including 82.3% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 82.6% countywide).

In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 55.5% of the vote (13,752 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 43.3% (10,728 votes), and other candidates with 1.1% (279 votes), among the 24,925 ballots cast by the township's 36,446 registered voters (166 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 68.4%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 55.2% of the vote (14,069 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 43.0% (10,951 votes) and other candidates with 1.2% (296 votes), among the 25,480 ballots cast by the township's 34,749 registered voters, for a turnout of 73.3%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 58.7% of the vote (12,451 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry with 39.9% (8,458 votes) and other candidates with 0.6% (185 votes), among the 21,202 ballots cast by the township's 29,329 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 72.3.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 73.9% of the vote (11,171 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 24.4% (3,693 votes), and other candidates with 1.7% (259 votes), among the 15,356 ballots cast by the township's 36,215 registered voters (233 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 42.4%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 66.8% of the vote (11,564 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 26.7% (4,620 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 4.3% (737 votes) and other candidates with 1.1% (194 votes), among the 17,315 ballots cast by the township's 34,318 registered voters, yielding a 50.5% turnout.

Education
The Jackson School District serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2011-12 school year, the district's 10 schools had an enrollment of 9,477 students and 677.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.00:1. Schools in the district (with 2011-12 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are six elementary schools — Crawford-Rodriguez Elementary School (800 students; in grades PreK-5), Elms Elementary School (759; K-5), Lucy N. Holman Elementary School (690; K-5), Howard C. Johnson Elementary School (607; K-5), Sylvia Rosenauer Elementary School (335; K-5) and Switlik Elementary School (871; K-5) — Carl W. Goetz Middle School (1,280) and Christa McAuliffe Middle School (1,027) for grades 6-8, along with Jackson Liberty High School which opened in 2006 (1,346) and Jackson Memorial High School (1,762) for grades 9-12. On January 20, 2015, the Jackson Board of Education voted to implement full-day kindergarten. The full-day kindergarten program began in September 2015.

Roads and highways
, the township had a total of 312.39 mi of roadways, of which 201.70 mi were maintained by the municipality, 101.77 mi by Ocean County and 8.92 mi by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

CR 527, CR 528, CR 547, CR 537, CR 526, and CR 571 pass through the township. CR 539 also passes through the township, but in the southwest corner, for less than half a mile. Interstate 195 is a major artery that travels through the northern section of Jackson (it just so happens that Jackson is the only municipality in Ocean County that hosts any interstate). While the expressway travels into Howell and Millstone Townships, it is also a vital link for Six Flags since it grants access to the Garden State Parkway, Interstate 295 and the New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95).

Public transportation
NJ Transit bus service is provided on the 139 to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, and to Philadelphia on the 317 route. Seasonal service is offered to Great Adventure on routes 308 (from the Port Authority Bus Terminal) and 318 (from Philadelphia).

Academy Bus offers service to Port Authority New York and to Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, with a stop at the Brook Plaza on County Road 526.

Ocean Ride local service is provided on the Shopper's Loop route.

Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Jackson Township include: ( (B) denotes that the person was born there.)
 * Parker Bohn III (born 1963), professional bowler.
 * Melvin Cottrell (1929–2002), former mayor of Jackson Township who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1992 until his death.
 * Scotty Cranmer (born 1987), BMX rider.
 * Rich Gaspari (born 1963), former professional bodybuilder and CEO of Gaspari Nutrition.
 * Daniel Grabstein (born 2000), voice actor
 * Marty Grabstein (born 1954), voice actor
 * Matthew Grabstein (born 2001), voice actor
 * Frank B. Holman (c. 1930–2005), former mayor of Jackson Township and New Jersey Republican State Chairman.
 * Rob Johnson (born 1973), former professional soccer player who played for the MetroStars.
 * Vini Lopez (born 1949), drummer who played with the E Street Band.
 * Gina Lynn (born 1974), pornographic actress.
 * Steve Niles (born 1965), writer of 30 Days of Night. (B)
 * Stephen Panasuk (born 1989), quarterback for the Cleveland Gladiators of the Arena Football League.
 * Johnny Petraglia (born 1947), professional bowler.
 * Anthony Ranaudo (born 1989), pitcher who has played for the Boston Red Sox.
 * Anthony Stolarz (born 1994), professional ice hockey goaltender drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2nd round of the 2012 NHL entry draft who has played for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the American Hockey League.
 * Stanley Switlik (1890–1981), parachuting pioneer who donated the land that is the site of Switlik Elementary School.
 * Matt Thaiss (born 1995), first round pick in the 2016 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Angels.
 * Zakk Wylde (born 1967 as Jeffrey Phillip Wiedlandt), guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne and Black Label Society.