Asbury Park, New Jersey

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Image:Ashbury park nj 025.png Asbury Park is a City located in Monmouth County, New Jersey. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city had a total population of 16,930.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 History
4 Culture
5 Nightlife
6 Government
- 6.1 Federal, state and county representation
7 External links

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Geography

Asbury Park is located at 40°13'21" North, 74°0'44" West (40.222399, -74.012098)Template:GR. Image:DSCN0369 crumblingroof2.JPG

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.1 km² (1.6 mi²). 3.7 km² (1.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 10.62% water.

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Demographics

As of the census Template:GR of 2000, there were 16,930 people, 6,754 households, and 3,586 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,571.1/km² (11,842.0/mi²). There were 7,744 housing units at an average density of 2,090.9/km² (5,416.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 24.77% White, 62.11% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 6.49% from other races, and 5.53% from two or more races. 15.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,754 households out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 20.2% were married couples living together, 26.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.9% were non-families. 39.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.36.

In the city the population was spread out with 30.1% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 88.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,081, and the median income for a family was $26,370. Males had a median income of $27,081 versus $24,666 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,516. 30.1% of the population and 29.3% of families were below the poverty line. 40.5% of those under the age of 18 and 27.1% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

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History

Image:DSCN0373 beachtickets.JPG Image:Asbury park boardwalk.jpg A seaside resort town, Asbury Park once flourished, but businesses later moved out and large parts of the city lay abandoned, so much so that a city manager called it 'Sarajevo-by-the-sea'. In the past few years, there has been a resurgence in the real estate market as the town center has gradually become more gentrified and as developers have begun various large projects in different areas of the city.

From 2002 onward, Asbury Park has been in the midst of a cultural, political and economic revival led by a burgeoning industry of local and national artists. Its dilapidated downtown district is slowly being rebuilt, and the vacated beachfront is undergoing a massive revitilization project. In 2005, the Casino's walkway re-opened, as did the boardwalk pavilions.

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Culture

Asbury Park is considered to be a mecca for musicians, particularly for a subgenre of rock and roll known as the Jersey Shore sound. It is home to The Stone Pony, founded in 1974 and a starting point for many musical artists.

In particular, Asbury Park became famous after Bruce Springsteen released his debut album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. in 1973. On his follow-up album, The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle, one of the songs is entitled "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)".

In the movie Dogma by Kevin Smith, God took the form of an old man so that he/she could play skeeball in Asbury Park. This is in reference to Smith's earlier feature Chasing Amy, wherein the characters played by Ben Affleck and Joey Lauren Adams played the same game in what could be Asbury, but is more likely to be either Keansburg, Point Pleasant, or Seaside Heights, all of which have a large number of arcades with this game and a larger tourist draw than Asbury.

Asbury Park was once home to Palace Amusements, an amusement park famous for the grinning fun face on the side of it called "Tillie".

Bud Abbott, straight-man for legendary comedy team Abbott and Costello was born in Asbury Park.

Asbury Park was once home to the famous bandleader Arthur Pryor.

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Nightlife

Asbury Park's nightlife is primarily, but not all, gay oriented. The Stone Pony, the bar where Bruce Springsteen hangs out, is still serving the rockers of the Jersey Shore. Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, before going on to international fame, was the house band at the Stone Pony in the mid-seventies. The Fast Lane, the club where Bon Jovi got his start, is still rocking too, as are other venues in the city that appeal to both gay and straight travelers.

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