Bay Head is a borough situated on the Jersey Shore in northern Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 930, a decrease of 38 (−3.9%) from the 2010 census count of 968, which in turn reflected a decline of 270 (−21.8%) from the 1,238 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. Bay Head is situated on the Barnegat Peninsula, also known as Barnegat Bay Island, a long, narrow barrier island that separates Barnegat Bay from the Atlantic Ocean. Together with Mantoloking, Bay Head is considered part of the Jersey Shore's "Gold Coast".Staff. "Ahoy! HD:Set a course for Point Pleasant, home of the New Jersey Museum of Boating", Courier-Post, April 14, 2003. Accessed August 25, 2013. "Noted O'Brien, 'We've been very, very successful in appealing to the relatively affluent community here in Bay Head, Point Pleasant and Mantoloking, the Gold Coast of the Jersey Shore, at least during the summer.'"
Bay Head was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on June 15, 1886, from portions of Brick Township, based on the results of a referendum held three days earlier.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 194. Accessed May 1, 2026.
The community was supposed to have been named "Bayhead" after the Bayhead Land Company that developed the area in the 1870s.Konrad, Walecia. "Havens; Weekender | Bay Head, N.J.", The New York Times, June 13, 2003. Accessed March 20, 2012."In the 1870s three New Jersey bankers formed the Bayhead Land Company and divided the area's farms, woods and cranberry bogs into building lots. The rail line, laid soon afterward, opened the beach to financiers and industrialists from New York and North Jersey, and Bay Head became one of New Jersey's most high-end resorts." A railroad sign posted in the 1880s labeled the station as "Bay Head," and the name stuck when the borough was incorporated in 1886. The name also comes from the town's location, which is at the "head" of Barnegat Bay.Staff. "Bay Head & Mantoloking: A brief history", from Asbury Park Press, June 20, 2002. Accessed March 20, 2012. "Bay Head's two-word name resulted from a typographical error. It was meant to be Bayhead, named for the Bayhead Land Co., organized by three Princeton bankers. But when the railroad station sign was hung in the early 1880s, it read Bay Head. And so, Bay Head was incorporated in 1886."Gannett, Henry. The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States, p. 39. United States Government Printing Office, 1905. Accessed August 27, 2015.Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed August 27, 2015.
History
The Bayhead Land Company was incorporated on September 6, 1879, capitalized at $12,000. The founding partners were David H. Mount of Rocky Hill, and three Princeton men: Edward Howe, his brother Leavitt Howe and William Harris. Within several years, the resort had grown in population, with a seawall installed, roads built and graded. In 1882, Bay Head had 20 new cottages and a population of 75.
The first post office was established in Bay Head in the summer of 1882. Julius Foster was first postmaster.Salter, Edwin. Salter's History of Monmouth and Ocean Counties New Jersey, Embracing a Genealogical Record of Earliest Settlers in Monmouth and Ocean Counties and Their Descendants, p. 286. reprinted by Heritage Books, 1997. . Accessed March 20, 2012. "A Postoffice was established at Bay Head in the Summer of 1882, Julius Foster, Postmaster."
The Bay Head Historic District, listed in the New Jersey and the National Registers of Historic places in 2005, includes over 550 contributing structures (over half of the town's buildings) making it one of the largest historic districts in New Jersey.Salter, Edwin. Salter's History of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, New Jersey, p. 286. Reissued by Heritage Books, 2007. Bay Head's historic district is architecturally significant for its large collection of well-preserved Shingle style, Stick Style, and Queen Anne style structures.
The stone rubble seawall built in 1882, which had been buried by dunes and largely forgotten, played a role in reducing damage to the town by Hurricane Sandy.
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 0.71 square miles (1.83 km2), including 0.59 square miles (1.52 km2) of land and 0.12 square miles (0.32 km2) of water (17.32%).
Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the borough include Twilight Lake.Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed May 21, 2015.
The borough borders the Ocean County municipalities of Brick Township, Mantoloking, Point Pleasant and Point Pleasant Beach.Areas touching Bay Head, MapIt. Accessed March 18, 2020.Ocean County Map , Coalition for a Healthy NJ. Accessed March 18, 2020.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.
Demographics
2010 census The 2010 United States census counted 968 people, 459 households, and 270 families in the borough. The population density was . There were 1,023 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 98.55% (954) White, 0.52% (5) Black or African American, 0.00% (0) Native American, 0.72% (7) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 0.00% (0) from other races, and 0.21% (2) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.03% (10) of the population.
Of the 459 households, 15.0% had children under the age of 18; 49.0% were married couples living together; 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present and 41.2% were non-families. Of all households, 37.0% were made up of individuals and 22.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.78.
15.5% of the population were under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 12.9% from 25 to 44, 32.9% from 45 to 64, and 34.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 57.2 years. For every 100 females, the population had 90.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 86.3 males.
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $88,417 (with a margin of error of +/− $13,902) and the median family income was $134,583 (+/− $24,739). Males had a median income of $75,833 (+/− $22,227) versus $60,625 (+/− $37,439) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $78,226 (+/− $12,220). About 0.9% of families and 1.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over., United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 24, 2012.
2000 census As of the 2000 United States census there were 1,238 people, 584 households, and 349 families residing in the borough. The population density was . There were 1,053 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 97.98% White, 0.16% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.48% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.29% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Bay Head borough, New Jersey, United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 24, 2012., United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 24, 2012.
There were 584 households, out of which 16.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.1% were non-families. 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.73.
In the borough the population was spread out, with 15.4% under the age of 18, 4.0% from 18 to 24, 21.7% from 25 to 44, 33.7% from 45 to 64, and 25.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 52 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $77,790, and the median income for a family was $93,055. Males had a median income of $64,063 versus $38,672 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $49,639. About 0.3% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.8% of those under age 18 and 2.1% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Local government Bay Head is governed under the borough form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 municipalities (of the 564) statewide, making it the most common form of government in New Jersey.Inventory of Municipal Forms of Government in New Jersey , Rutgers University Center for Government Studies, July 1, 2011. Accessed June 1, 2023. The governing body is comprised of the mayor and the borough council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. The mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The borough council includes 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.2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, March 2013, p. 53. The borough form of government used by Bay Head 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.Cerra, Michael F. "Forms of Government: Everything You've Always Wanted to Know, But Were Afraid to Ask" , New Jersey State League of Municipalities. Accessed November 30, 2014."Forms of Municipal Government in New Jersey" , p. 6. Rutgers University Center for Government Studies. Accessed June 1, 2023.
, the mayor of the Borough of Bay Head is Republican William W. Curtis, whose term of office ends December 31, 2027. Members of the Bay Head Borough Council are Council President Dennis J. Shaning (R, 2024), Jennifer Barnes-Gambert (R, 2026), Diane M. Cornell (R, 2024), James W. Gates Jr. (R, 2026), Douglas J. Lyons (R, 2025) and Holly MacPherson (R, 2025).Mayor Council, Borough of Bay Head. Accessed June 3, 2024.2024 Municipal Data Sheet, Borough of Bay Head. Accessed June 3, 2024.Borough of Bay Head, Ocean County, New Jersey. Accessed June 3, 2024.2024 Ocean County & Municipal Elected Officials, Ocean County, New Jersey Clerk, updated April 2, 2024. Accessed April 17, 2024.General Election Results November 7, 2023 Official Results, Ocean County, New Jersey, updated November 22, 2023. Accessed January 1, 2024.2022 General Election Official Results November 8, 2022, Ocean County, New Jersey Clerk, updated November 21, 2022. Accessed January 1, 2023.2021 General Election Official Results, Ocean County, New Jersey. Accessed January 1, 2022.