Egg Harbor Township is a township in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 47,842, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 4,519 (+10.4%) from the 2010 census count of 43,323, which in turn reflected an increase of 12,597 (+41.0%) from the 30,726 counted in the 2000 census.Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023.Population Density by County and Municipality: New Jersey, 2000 and 2010 , New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Accessed May 3, 2012.

Egg Harbor Township was first mentioned as part of Gloucester County in records dating back to March 20, 1693, and at times was called New Weymouth. The township's western boundary was established on May 13, 1761, with the area called Great Egg-Harbour Township. Portions of the township were taken to form Galloway Township, which was established by Royal charter on April 4, 1774. Additional portions were taken to form Weymouth Township on February 12, 1798. On February 21, 1798, the area was incorporated as Egg-Harbour Township. Over the ensuing centuries, portions of the township were taken to create many new municipalities: Hamilton Township on February 5, 1813; Atlantic City on May 1, 1854; Absecon on May 1, 1854; South Atlantic City (now Margate City) on September 7, 1885; Pleasantville on January 10, 1889; Linwood on February 20, 1889; Somers Point on April 24, 1886; Longport on March 7, 1898; Ventnor City on March 17, 1903; and Northfield on March 21, 1905.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. Accessed May 1, 2026. Geographically, the township, and all of Atlantic County, is part of the South Jersey region and of the Atlantic City-Hammonton metropolitan statistical area, which in turn is included in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.New Jersey: 2020 Core Based Statistical Areas and Counties, United States Census Bureau. Accessed February 1, 2023.

Great Egg Harbor got its name from Dutch explorer Cornelius Jacobsen Mey. In 1614, Mey came upon the inlet to the Great Egg Harbor River. The meadows were so covered with the eggs of waterfowl and shorebirds that he called it "Eieren Haven" (Egg Harbor).Staff. "The Press Answer Guy", The Press of Atlantic City, January 11, 2004. Accessed May 3, 2012. "Where exactly did the name of Egg Harbor Township originate? Did it have anything to do with eggs? Answer Guy: Yes. If you believe the local lore, the area got its name when Dutch Capt. Cornelius Jacobsen Mey hopped off his boat Fortuyn in 1614 and found he couldn't walk anywhere without stepping on egg."Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed Accessed May 1, 2026.Gannett, Henry. The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States, p. 115. United States Government Printing Office, 1905. Accessed August 30, 2015.

History The first residents of what would become Egg Harbor Township were the Lenni Lenape Native Americans, who would spend their summers on the elevated land around the cedar swamp that is now Bargaintown Lake, as well as along the banks of Patcong Creek, where they made use of the abundant fish, shellfish, wild berries, and bird's eggs in the area and collected shells that could be carved to make wampum.Mason, Beryl D. "Bargaintown" , Sketches of Egg Harbor Township, 1964, by the Egg Harbor Township Terecentenary Publications Committee.

Great Egg Harbor was part of Gloucester County, West Jersey. On May 17, 1694 a law was passed that made this official, reading:

The same Act set the legal boundaries of Gloucester County from the Delaware River, along the Burlington County line to the sea and back up the Great Egg Harbor River to the Delaware River. At that time Great Egg Harbor encompassed all of present-day Atlantic County. In 1837, Atlantic County was set apart from Gloucester County and the Townships were Egg Harbor, Galloway, Hamilton and Weymouth.Staff. "Celebrating A County's Birth With A Trip Through Time", The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 11, 1987. Accessed May 3, 2012. "Their destination: a Lenape River tavern on Sugar Hill, where on May 10, 1837, nine founding freeholders met to organize Atlantic County.... At its conception, Atlantic County had four townships - Egg Harbor, Hamilton, Galloway and Weymouth - and 8164 people"

Since 1837, ten municipalities have separated from the original Egg Harbor Township, including Atlantic City (1854), Absecon (1872), South Atlantic City (1885; now Margate City), Somers Point (1886), Pleasantville (1888), Linwood (1889), Longport (1898), Brigantine (1903), Ventnor City (1903) and Northfield (1905).

In 2017, Egg Harbor township joined Bellmawr, Cranbury, Montclair, and Woodbridge Township as one of the first five municipalities in New Jersey to authorize medical cannabis dispensaries.Guion, Payton. "Marijuana legalization would force tough choice for N.J. towns", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 15, 2017. Accessed November 15, 2017. "NJ Advance Media reached out to mayors in all five towns that have medical dispensaries: Bellmawr, Cranbury, Egg Harbor, Montclair and Woodbridge."

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 75.47 square miles (195.48 km2), including 67.05 square miles (173.65 km2) of land and 8.43 square miles (21.82 km2) of water (11.16%).

Portions of the township, notably the West Atlantic City and Anchorage Poynte areas, are not contiguous to the main body of the municipality, having been separated from the mainland portion of the township as municipalities were formed, largely since the boroughitis phenomenon in the 1890s.Lemongello, Steven. "Egg Harbor Township borders leave locals, businesses confused", The Press of Atlantic City, December 27, 2011. Accessed July 2, 2012. "Besides the main section, which contains the vast majority of residents and businesses, there is the West Atlantic City section — snugly squeezed between the embracing arms of Pleasantville — and also the large swath of marshes and islands between the mainland towns and Absecon Island.... The brand-new communities — many of them created during the manic period of 'borough-itis' in the late 1890s, when dozens of practically postage stamp-sized towns across the state broke away to take advantage of a school tax loophole — took the easy route when deciding which land to include."

The township is one of 56 South Jersey municipalities that are included within the New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve, a protected natural area of unique ecology covering , that has been classified as a United States Biosphere Reserve and established by Congress in 1978 as the nation's first National Reserve.The Pinelands National Reserve, New Jersey Pinelands Commission. Accessed November 18, 2013. Part of the township is included in the state-designated Pinelands Area, which includes portions of Atlantic County, along with areas in Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Ocean counties.Pinelands Municipalities, New Jersey Pinelands Commission, April 2003. Accessed November 18, 2013.

Egg Harbor Township includes the unincorporated communities of Bargaintown (the township's seat of governmentMason, Beryl D. Bargaintown , Sketches of Egg Harbor Township. Accessed October 7, 2013.), Cardiff, English Creek, Farmington, Scullville (formerly known as Jeffers), Steelmanville and West Atlantic City, as well as part of McKee City.Staff. "Egg Harbor Township: A Brief History (Timeline)", The Press of Atlantic City, January 28, 2004. Accessed May 3, 2012. "It will become known as one of the seven 'outlying' schools, along with Bargaintown, Steelmanville, Farmington, McKee City, Cardiff and West Atlantic City." Other localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Devenshire, English Creek Landing, Greenwood, Idlewood, Jeffers Landing, Jobs Point, Jones Island, McKee City Station, Mount Calvary, Pleasantville Terrace, Pork Island, Rainbow Islands, Sculls Landing,Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed November 28, 2014. and Seaview Harbor.

The township borders the municipalities of Absecon, Atlantic City, Corbin City, Estell Manor, Galloway Township, Hamilton Township, Linwood, Longport, Margate City, Northfield, Pleasantville, Somers Point, Ventnor City and Weymouth Township in Atlantic County; and Ocean City and Upper Township in Cape May County.Areas touching Egg Harbor Township, MapIt. Accessed March 30, 2020.Atlantic County District Map, Atlantic County, New Jersey. Accessed July 9, 2024.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.

Parks and protected areas

There are three wildlife management areas (WMAs) in Egg Harbor Township, two of them in the eastern discontinuous segment of the township. Malibu Beach WMA is located on marshlands between the Great Egg Harbor Bay and Broad Thorofare, covering , and bifurcated by Ocean Drive and NJ 152.Malibu Beach Wildlife Management Area Atlantic County, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Accessed September 25, 2019. It serves as the habitat for several birds, including migratory species in the spring and fall. Known locally as "Dog Beach", the WMA consists of a back-bay pond, dunes, and one of the only beaches in New Jersey that permits dogs. From the 1930s to the early 2000s, Malibu Beach lost about of sand due to erosion. The Environmental Protection Agency designated the beach as a priority wetland in 1994. From 2002 to 2004, the state Department of Environmental Protection purchased Malibu Beach for $975,000 to make it available to the public, with funding from the Federal Highway Administration related to the NJ 52 causeway replacement project. About of clean sand was dredged from nearby waterways and placed on Malibu Beach. The state also restored the beach's wetlands, and removed rubble and invasive plant species. In 2012, Hurricane Sandy severely eroded the beach, as did Winter Storm Jonas in 2015. In 2017, the city of Ocean City began collecting trash from the site, after the Cape May County Bridge Commission ended collection in Fall 2016, and the state considered shutting down the park.

Adjacent to Malibu Beach WMA is Pork Island WMA, which covers of land on four marshy islands between NJ 152 and Margate Blvd, and between Absecon Island and the mainland. It is inaccessible by car.Pork Island Wildlife Management Area Atlantic County, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Accessed March 30, 2020. In the southern part of Egg Harbor Township are scattered plots of wetland near the Great Egg Harbor River that consist of about , or 5.9%, of the Lester G. MacNamara WMA, previously known as Tuckahoe WMA. Established in 1933, the WMA is the oldest in the state, and spreads across four municipalities in Atlantic and Cape May counties.Tuckahoe Wildlife Management Area Atlantic County - Corbin City Egg Harbor Township, Estelle Manor City; Cape May County - Upper Township, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Accessed March 30, 2020.Other Parks in Atlantic County, Atlantic County, New Jersey. Accessed March 30, 2020.

The area is home to the Egg Harbor Township Nature Reserve, a former mining site that was converted into a park in 2013.

Demographics

2010 census