Location of Avon-by-the-Sea in
Monmouth County highlighted in red (right). Inset map: Location of Monmouth County in
New Jersey highlighted in black (left).
Avon-by-the-Sea was incorporated as a borough by an act of the
New Jersey Legislature on March 23, 1900, from portions of
Neptune City.[23] The borough was named for
Avon, England,[24][25] or for the Avon Inn, a hotel constructed in 1883.[26]
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 0.55 square miles (1.40 km2) of which 0.43 square miles (1.10 km2) are land and 0.12 square miles (0.30 km2) are water (21.30%).[1][2]
Avon-by-the-Sea is located on the Atlantic Ocean and is surrounded by two other bodies of water; the south side of Avon is located on the
Shark River and the north end of Avon rests on Sylvan Lake.[30]
Of the 901 households, 17.1% had children under the age of 18; 41.7% were married couples living together; 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present and 47.1% were non-families. Of all households, 40.8% were made up of individuals and 17.8% 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 2.94.[20]
16.8% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 19.5% from 25 to 44, 32.8% from 45 to 64, and 23.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49.1 years. For every 100 females, the population had 89.5 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 83.5 males.[20]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010
American Community Survey showed that (in 2010
inflation-adjusted dollars)
median household income was $83,333 (with a margin of error of +/− $10,008) and the median family income was $113,750 (+/− $18,599). Males had a median income of $56,635 (+/− $32,033) versus $58,300 (+/− $5,223) for females. The
per capita income for the borough was $58,063 (+/− $6,550). About 1.1% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the
poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 2.1% of those age 65 or over.[36]
2000 census
As of the
2000 United States census[15] there were 2,244 people, 1,043 households, and 535 families residing in the borough. The population density was 5,262.9 inhabitants per square mile (2,032.0/km2). There were 1,387 housing units at an average density of 3,253.0 per square mile (1,256.0/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 97.15%
White, 0.53%
African American, 0.45%
Native American, 0.89%
Asian, 0.62% from
other races, and 0.36% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 2.41% of the population.[37][35]
As of the 2000 Census, 36.5% of Avon-by-the-Sea residents were of
Irish ancestry, the third-highest percentage of any municipality in the United States, and second-highest in New Jersey, among all places with more than 1,000 residents identifying their ancestry.[38]
There were 1,043 households, out of which 18.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% were
married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.7% were non-families. 41.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 3.04.[37][35]
In the borough the population was spread out, with 18.4% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 22.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.[37][35]
The median income for a household in the borough was $60,192, and the median income for a family was $80,605. Males had a median income of $53,125 versus $35,857 for females. The
per capita income for the borough was $41,238. About 2.3% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 3.0% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.[37][35]
Government
Local government
Avon-by-the-Sea has governed under the
Walsh Act since 1919.[39][40] The borough is one of 30 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use the
commission form of government.[41] The governing body is comprised of three commissioners who are elected
at-large on a
non-partisan basis as part of the November general election to serve four-year terms of office on a concurrent basis.[6] At a reorganization meeting after each election, each commissioner is assigned a department to administer and oversee; one of the commissioners is chosen to serve as mayor.
As of 2023[update], members of the Avon-by-the-Sea Board of Commissioners are
Mayor Edward R. Bonanno (Commissioner of Public Affairs and Public Safety),
John B. Magrini (Commissioner of Public Works, Parks and Public Property) and
Robert Mahon (Commissioner of Revenue and Finance), all serving concurrent terms of office that end December 31, 2023.[3][42][43]
Federal, state and county representation
Avon-by-the-Sea is located in the 4th Congressional district[44] and is part of New Jersey's 30th state legislative district.[45]
Monmouth County is governed by a
Board of County Commissioners comprised of five members who are elected
at-large to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats up for election each year as part of the November general election. At an annual reorganization meeting held in the beginning of January, the board selects one of its members to serve as director and another as deputy director.[52] As of 2024[update], Monmouth County's Commissioners are:
As of March 2011, there were a total of 1,465 registered voters in Avon-by-the-Sea, of which 379 (25.9%) were registered as
Democrats, 415 (28.3%) were registered as
Republicans and 670 (45.7%) were registered as
Unaffiliated. There was one voter registered to another party.[67]
In the
2012 presidential election, Republican
Mitt Romney received 63.3% of the vote (662 cast), ahead of Democrat
Barack Obama with 35.7% (373 votes), and other candidates with 1.1% (11 votes), among the 1,053 ballots cast by the borough's 1,530 registered voters (7 ballots were
spoiled), for a turnout of 68.8%.[68][69] In the
2008 presidential election, Republican
John McCain received 57.2% of the vote (680 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 40.4% (480 votes) and other candidates with 0.8% (9 votes), among the 1,189 ballots cast by the borough's 1,520 registered voters, for a turnout of 78.2%.[70] In the
2004 presidential election, Republican
George W. Bush received 61.5% of the vote (759 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat
John Kerry with 37.2% (459 votes) and other candidates with 0.2% (3 votes), among the 1,234 ballots cast by the borough's 1,605 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 76.9.[71]
In the
2013 gubernatorial election, Republican
Chris Christie received 75.4% of the vote (600 cast), ahead of Democrat
Barbara Buono with 23.0% (183 votes), and other candidates with 1.6% (13 votes), among the 812 ballots cast by the borough's 1,502 registered voters (16 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 54.1%.[72][73] In the
2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 64.1% of the vote (583 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat
Jon Corzine with 29.6% (269 votes), Independent
Chris Daggett with 5.1% (46 votes) and other candidates with 0.4% (4 votes), among the 909 ballots cast by the borough's 1,484 registered voters, yielding a 61.3% turnout.[74]
Education
The
Avon School District serves public school students in
pre-kindergarten through
eighth grade at Avon Elementary School.[75][76] As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 137 students and 17.7 classroom teachers (on an
FTE basis), for a
student–teacher ratio of 7.7:1.[77] During the 2016–17 school year, Avon was tied with the 23rd smallest enrollment of any school district in the state, with 158 students.[78]
The Manasquan school also serves students from
Belmar,
Brielle,
Lake Como,
Sea Girt,
Spring Lake,
Spring Lake Heights who attend as part of sending/receiving relationships with their respective districts.[84][85] As of the 2020–21 school year, Manasquan High School had an enrollment of 1,006 students and 76.9 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.1:1.[86]
As of May 2010[update], the borough had a total of 13.29 miles (21.39 km) of roadways, of which 11.07 miles (17.82 km) were maintained by the municipality, 1.48 miles (2.38 km) by Monmouth County and 0.74 miles (1.19 km) by the
New Jersey Department of Transportation.[90]
^Edelstein, Jeff.
The Best of Everything at the Jersey Shore, p. 37. New Jersey Monthly Press, 1999.
ISBN9781893787001. Accessed July 6, 2014. "Avon-by-the-Sea: First, it's pronounced AH-von, as if your doctor were sticking a piece of wood down your throat, or maybe A-von, as in 'can't.' It is not AY-von, like the lipstick people."
^History of Avon, Avon-by-the-Sea. Accessed March 18, 2020. "Most important of all was the construction of the Avon Inn in 1883.... Where the name Avon comes from is something that a good many people wonder about, but it is easily enough understood when one considers that even in the days of 'Key East' that hotel at the foot of Sylvania Avenue was known as the 'Avon' Inn. It is not logical then to believe that when the town was renamed they patterned after the name and called the borough Avon-By-The-Sea."
^Avon-by-the-Sea Municipal Public Access Plan,
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Accessed March 18, 2020. "Avon is surrounded by three different bodies of water. To the north is Sylvan Lake, the quiet home of our famous swans. The southern border of town is the busy Shark River inlet where you can watch our drawbridges and a parade of boats come and go. On the east is the mighty Atlantic Ocean where you can enjoy the rolling surf, laughing gulls and gentle sea breezes."
^Biography of Bob Menendez,
United States Senate, January 26, 2015. "Menendez, who started his political career in Union City, moved in September from Paramus to one of Harrison's new apartment buildings near the town's PATH station.."
^Monmouth County Government, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Accessed July 19, 2022. "Monmouth County is governed by five commissioners elected at-large for three-year terms. Each January, the freeholders select one of their members to serve as the director of the board for the year to preside over the meetings and activities of the Board."
^Avon Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Avon School District. Accessed June 16, 2020. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Kindergarten through eight in the Avon School District. Composition: The Avon School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Avon."
^Guion, Payton.
"These 43 N.J. school districts have fewer than 200 students", NJ Advance Media for
NJ.com, September 2017. Accessed January 30, 2020. "Based on data from the state Department of Education from the last school year and the Census Bureau, NJ Advance Media made a list of the smallest of the small school districts in the state, excluding charter schools and specialty institutions.... 23. Avon Borough (tie); Enrollment: 146; Grades: K-8; County: Monmouth; Town population: 1,901"
^High School Lottery Information, Avon School District. Accessed July 10, 2022. "The Avon-by-the-Sea School District is part of a dual send-receive (Sending District) relationship with both Manasquan High School and Asbury Park High School. Each year, a high school assignment lottery is conducted for all resident students to determine their high school assignment."
^Policy 5411 High School Assignment, Avon Board of Education. Accessed October 20, 2014. "The Superintendent of Schools shall determine the number of eighth grade students to be assigned to each receiving high school by apportioning 37.5% of those pupils to Asbury Park High School and 62.5% to Manasquan High School. Pupils shall have the right to choose to attend either high school based upon a random form of selection made on a lottery basis."
^Boyd, Alesha Williams.
"School districts likely to see overhaul", Asbury Park Press, January 18, 2009. Accessed October 2, 2013. "But Avon Board of Education President John Magrini said he expects that taxpayers in smaller districts would not benefit from regionalization. The 155 students in his K-8 district are sent to Manasquan and Asbury Park high schools through a lottery process after graduating from the elementary district."
^Manasquan Public Schools 2016-17 Report Card Narrative,
New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed March 15, 2018. "Students from the communities of Avon, Belmar, Brielle, Lake Como, Manasquan, Sea Girt, Spring Lake, and Spring Lake Heights attended MHS in 2016-2017, amassing an enrollment of 960 students. There were 260 students in the senior class, as well as 256 juniors, 220 sophomores, and 224 freshmen."
^Sending Districts,
Manasquan Public Schools. Accessed May 29, 2016. "Manasquan High School receives students from seven different districts; Avon, Brielle, Belmar, Lake Como, Sea Girt, Spring Lake, and Spring Lake Heights. Including our Manasquan students, the high school population is just under one thousand students."
^Our Story,
Academy Charter High School. Accessed March 15, 2018. "Academy Charter High School is a free public high school for residents of Allenhurst, Asbury Park, Avon, Belmar, Bradley Beach, Deal, Interlaken, and Lake Como."
^Mullen, Shannon; Shields, Nancy; and Matheson, Kathy.
"Crime, school solutions costly as city seeks rebirth; High school improving, but not enough, many say", Asbury Park Press, January 27, 2005. Accessed October 3, 2013. "It was the day of the charter school's annual lottery, when names of applicants are drawn at random to fill the last remaining slots in next fall's freshman class. Academy Charter, now in its seventh year, is free to students in Asbury Park and the seven nearby towns that are sending districts for Asbury Park High School: Allenhurst, Avon, Belmar, Bradley Beach, Deal, Interlaken and Lake Como, formerly South Belmar."
^Pace, Eric.
"Leo Carlin, a Mayor of Newark, Dies at 91", The New York Times, December 22, 1999. Accessed August 8, 2016. "Leo P. Carlin, Democratic mayor of Newark from 1953 to 1962 who was the city's first mayor in modern times to be chosen by its electorate, died on Friday. He was 91. He died at his home in Avon-by-the-Sea, N.J., where he had lived year-round since the late 1960s."
^Gehman, Jim.
"Where Are They Now: Bob Scrabis",
New York Jets, December 16, 2021. Accessed February 17, 2023. "Scrabis and his wife, Janice, make their home in Avon-by-the-Sea, New Jersey."
^"Faces in the Crowd", Sports Illustrated, March 12, 1984. Accessed February 17, 2023. "Bob Scrabis; Avon, N.J. - Bob, a 6'3" junior guard for the Red Bank Catholic High basketball team, sank 23 of 24 free throws, including all 10 in the fourth quarter, to lead the Caseys to a 71-65 win over Long Branch High."
^Staff.
"E. Donald Sterner, 89; Held Jersey State Posts", The New York Times, October 3, 1983. Accessed September 9, 2015. "E. Donald Sterner, a lumber company president who served as a New Jersey state senator and became the state's first Highway Commissioner, died Friday at the Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune City. He was 89 years old and lived in Avon."