Ocean Township dates to 1876, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 34% of U.S. towns · #387 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Most of Ocean Township was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1984. Its Register listing is the Falkinburg Farmstead. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1838.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Ocean Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ocean Township is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns, #387 of 468 in New Jersey. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Ocean Township’s overall grade.
New Jersey towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical New Jersey town has 3.7 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Ocean Township’s 4.4 sits near the middle of its state (55% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 4 historic buildings outnumber those of 68% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1876.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C+. The pre-1940 share (±1.9 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Ocean Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost a third of its people between 1880 and 1920, then grew more than tenfold.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Ocean Township’s Wikipedia page.
On the map
Ocean Township on the map, 1888 to 1989
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Ocean Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1888Barnegat sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Ocean Township.
Ocean Township was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 13, 1876, from portions of both Lacey Township and Union Township (now Barnegat Township). Portions of the township were taken to create Long Beach Township (March 23, 1899) and Island Beach (June 23, 1933; dissolved in 1965 and absorbed into Berkeley Township). The township derives its name from its seaside location.
In 1876, according to Wikidata. Ocean Township’s post office opened in 1838, and the census of 1880 counted 484 people here.
How does Ocean Township rank for history?
Ocean Township is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns, #387 of 468 in New Jersey. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Ocean Township?
One place: the Falkinburg Farmstead (listed 1993).
How old are the homes in Ocean Township?
3% of Ocean Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.9 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1984.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (4), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
Date?
2025
2025
2005
