In 2018, New Jersey Business Magazine listed Longport at 22nd in its listing of "The Most Expensive ZIP Codes in New Jersey", with a median sale price 2017 of $767,500.[22]
History
Church of the Redeemer, which has now burned down as a result of a derecho in June 2012. The church was rebuilt and reopened in July 2015.[23]
James Long, an absentee owner, purchased a parcel in 1857 that grew over the years as sand accumulated and as additional property was purchased. Acquired by M. Simpson McCullough in 1882, the community was named Longport in honor of Long.[24][25]
In 2014, residents of Seaview Harbor, located across Beach Thorofare, submitted a petition to join neighboring Longport, citing lack of access to the rest of Egg Harbor Township and high taxes.[27] In November 2016, the Township Committee voted to deny the secession plan.[28] The plan has been brought before an appeals judge and the outcome is pending.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 1.56 square miles (4.03 km2), including 0.40 square miles (1.02 km2) of land and 1.16 square miles (3.01 km2) of water (74.49%).[1][2]
Streets at the southern end of the borough start at 11th Avenue, as the 180 acres (73 ha) that made up the ten numbered streets below it were washed out on the barrier island by a series of storms between 1900 and 1916.[24][33] The Great Egg Harbor Inlet shifted north, and Ocean City island was extended by what is now the Gardens neighborhood of that city.[24]
Of the 470 households, 11.1% had children under the age of 18; 45.1% were married couples living together; 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present and 46.4% were non-families. Of all households, 43.2% were made up of individuals and 25.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.90 and the average family size was 2.61.[18]
11.6% of the population were under the age of 18, 3.8% from 18 to 24, 10.6% from 25 to 44, 36.3% from 45 to 64, and 37.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 58.2 years. For every 100 females, the population had 95.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 88.3 males.[18]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $70,625 (with a margin of error of +/− $13,665) and the median family income was $107,188 (+/− $48,480). Males had a median income of $72,143 (+/− $53,388) versus $65,357 (+/− $24,760) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $78,988 (+/− $16,924). About 1.0% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.[41]
2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census[15] there were 1,054 people, 544 households, and 317 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,765.2 inhabitants per square mile (1,067.6/km2). There were 1,574 housing units at an average density of 4,129.5 per square mile (1,594.4/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.58% White, 0.09% African American, 1.14% Asian, and 0.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.47% of the population.[39][40]
There were 544 households, out of which 10.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% were married couples living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.7% were non-families. 37.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.94 and the average family size was 2.53.[39][40]
In the borough the population was spread out, with 11.4% under the age of 18, 2.6% from 18 to 24, 18.9% from 25 to 44, 32.6% from 45 to 64, and 34.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 57 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.0 males.[39][40]
The median income for a household in the borough was $51,324, and the median income for a family was $68,194. Males had a median income of $53,250 versus $36,146 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $50,884. About 2.9% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.5% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.[39][40]
Parks and recreation
Longport offers surfing and other water sports recreation on the beaches.[42]
Government
Local government
Longport operates under the Walsh Actcommission form of New Jersey municipal government.[6][43][44] The city is one of 30 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use the commission form of government.[45] The governing body is comprised of three commissioners, who are elected at-large to four-year concurrent terms of office on a non-partisan basis as part of the May municipal election. Each commissioner is assigned a department to oversee and administer. The Mayor is then selected from among the three elected Commissioners by a vote between them and assigned to the office by resolution.
As of 2023[update], members of the Longport Borough Commission are
Mayor Nicholas Russo (Commissioner of Public Works, Parks and Public Property),
Daniel Lawler (Commissioner of Public Affairs and Public Safety) and
James P. Leeds Sr. (Commissioner of Revenue and Finance), all of whom are serving terms that end December 31, 2024.[3][46][47][48]
In July 2016, the Board of Commissioners voted to shift municipal elections from May to November, which also had the effect of extending the four-year terms of the three commissioners by another six months.[49] The change allows the borough to save the costs associated with conducting the May municipal election.[50]
In 2018, the borough had an average property tax bill of $10,872, the highest in the county, compared to an average bill of $8,767 statewide.[51]
Federal, state and county representation
Longport is located in the 2nd Congressional District[52] and is part of New Jersey's 2nd state legislative district.[53][54][55]
Atlantic County is governed by a directly elected county executive and a nine-member Board of County Commissioners, responsible for legislation. The executive serves a four-year term and the commissioners are elected to staggered three-year terms, of which four are elected from the county on an at-large basis and five of the commissioners represent equally populated districts.[60][61] As of 2025[update], Atlantic County's Executive is Dennis Levinson (R, Northfield), whose term of office ends December 31, 2027.[62] Members of the Board of County Commissioners are:
Atlantic County's constitutional officers are:
Clerk Joesph J. Giralo (R, 2026, Hammonton),[73][74]
Sheriff Joe O'Donoghue (R, 2026, Egg Harbor Township)[75][76] and
Surrogate James Curcio (R, 2025, Hammonton).[77][78][79]
Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 774 registered voters in Longport, of which 146 (18.9% vs. 30.5% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 366 (47.3% vs. 25.2%) were registered as Republicans and 262 (33.9% vs. 44.3%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were no voters registered to other parties.[80] Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 86.5% (vs. 58.8% in Atlantic County) were registered to vote, including 97.9% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 76.6% countywide).[80][81]
In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 337 votes (66.5% vs. 41.1% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 160 votes (31.6% vs. 57.9%) and other candidates with 4 votes (0.8% vs. 0.9%), among the 507 ballots cast by the borough's 791 registered voters, for a turnout of 64.1% (vs. 65.8% in Atlantic County).[82][83] In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 372 votes (64.4% vs. 41.6% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 195 votes (33.7% vs. 56.5%) and other candidates with 10 votes (1.7% vs. 1.1%), among the 578 ballots cast by the borough's 903 registered voters, for a turnout of 64.0% (vs. 68.1% in Atlantic County).[84] In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 412 votes (62.0% vs. 46.2% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 242 votes (36.4% vs. 52.0%) and other candidates with 2 votes (0.3% vs. 0.8%), among the 664 ballots cast by the borough's 946 registered voters, for a turnout of 70.2% (vs. 69.8% in the whole county).[85]
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 306 votes (76.1% vs. 60.3% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 81 votes (20.1% vs. 34.9%) and other candidates with votes (0.0% vs. 1.3%), among the 402 ballots cast by the borough's 803 registered voters, yielding a 50.1% turnout (vs. 41.5% in the county).[92][93] In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 280 votes (63.9% vs. 47.7% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 135 votes (30.8% vs. 44.5%), Independent Chris Daggett with 14 votes (3.2% vs. 4.8%) and other candidates with 4 votes (0.9% vs. 1.2%), among the 438 ballots cast by the borough's 817 registered voters, yielding a 53.6% turnout (vs. 44.9% in the county).[94]
Education
For kindergarten through eighth grade, public school students from Longport attend the Margate City Schools in Margate City as part of a sending/receiving relationship.[95][96] Longport is a non-operating school district that had 49 students in the Margate district and 8 in Atlantic City for high school as of 2010, operating with a three-member board of education that oversaw its relationships with its sending districts.[97][98] As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 351 students and 48.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 7.2:1.[99] Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[100]) are
William H. Ross III Elementary School[101] 169 students in grades K–4 and
Eugene A. Tighe Middle School[102] with 181 students in grades 5–8.[103][104]
Starting in the 2014–15 school year, public school students from Longport in grades 9–12 attend Ocean City High School as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Ocean City School District; the Longport district, which is closer to Ocean City and would save significantly on tuition costs per student, received permission from the New Jersey Department of Education to end the relationship with Atlantic City.[105][106] As of the 2018–19 school year, Ocean City High School had an enrollment of 1,245 students and 98.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.6:1.[107]
Through the 2013–14 school year, Longport's students had attended Atlantic City High School, along with those from Brigantine, Margate City and Ventnor City, as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Atlantic City School District.[108] The Longport Board of Education had investigated the possibility of offering city students the option of attending either Atlantic City High School or Ocean City High School, as part of an effort to control the costs for the average of ten Longport students sent to attend public high school annually. With the Atlantic City district charging tuition estimated at nearly $24,000 per student as of 2013–2014 and the Ocean City School District charging 25% less per student, district officials estimated prospective savings of $128,000 in the first five years, though those savings could disappear if more of the nearly two-thirds of students attending private high schools were to shift to choose the new Ocean City option.[109] In June 2014, the Acting State Commissioner of Education approved the end of the relationship with the Atlantic City district under which Longport's students could start attending Ocean City High School starting with the 2014–2015 school year.[110]
As of May 2010[update], the borough had a total of 13.56 miles (21.82 km) of roadways, of which 12.78 miles (20.57 km) were maintained by the municipality and 0.78 miles (1.26 km) by Atlantic County.[113]
No Interstate, U.S., state or major county highways directly serve Longport. The only numbered roads in Longport are minor county routes, such as County Route 629.
The Longport Bridge
There is access to and from the mainland and Ocean City by way of a series of bridges and causeways including the JFK Memorial Bridge, The Ocean City Bridge, and the Dolores G. Cooper Bridge, also known as Longport-Somers Point Boulevard.
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Longport has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) with hot, moderately humid summers, cool winters and year-around precipitation. Cfa climates are characterized by all months having an average mean temperature above 32.0 °F (0.0 °C), at least four months with an average mean temperature at or above 50.0 °F (10.0 °C), at least one month with an average mean temperature at or above 71.6 °F (22.0 °C) and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. During the summer months in Longport, a cooling afternoon sea breeze is present on most days, but episodes of extreme heat and humidity can occur with heat index values at or above 95.0 °F (35.0 °C). During the winter months, episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill values below 0.0 °F (−17.8 °C). The plant hardiness zone at Longport Beach is 7b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of 7.0 °F (−13.9 °C).[116] The average seasonal (November–April) snowfall total is 12 to 18 inches (30 to 46 cm), and the average snowiest month is February which corresponds with the annual peak in nor'easter activity.
Climate data for Longport Beach, NJ (1981–2010 Averages)
Thomas Cruse (1857–1943), United States Army brigadier general who was a recipient of the Medal of Honor for valor in action in 1882 at the Battle of Big Dry Wash[122]
^ abMayor and Commissioners, Borough of Longport. Accessed June 6, 2023. "Longport operates under the borough type of government under the Walsh Act of 1911. Three non-partisan commissioners are elected at large for a four year term."
^Galloway, Nanette LoBiondo. "Longport’s Church of Redeemer rises from the ashes", The Press of Atlantic City, July 13, 2015. Accessed February 22, 2020. "Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, The Church of the Redeemer took on new life Sunday after more than two years of reconstruction following a devastating fire that consumed the historic church the night of the freakish derecho June 30, 2012."
^ abcHistory of Longport, Borough of Longport. Accessed September 3, 2015. "Three years later, Barton traded what was known as Lot 32 for a total of $2,000 plus land in Arkansas to James Long. Long kept the property for 25 years and over the years, his property value increased in both value and size. His property increased by a little more than a mile in length after accumulating sand from an erosion updrift from Atlantic City between 1870 and 1880....McCullough purchased the area, which had increased to a size of 250 acres for a total of $150,000. He then decided to name the area "Longport" in honor of the previous parcel owner and his friend."
^"Egg Harbor Township Committee denies Seaview Harbor deannexation", The Current of Egg Harbor Towsnhip, December 8, 2016. Accessed September 25, 2019. "The Township Committee Wednesday, Nov. 30 denied the Seaview Harbor Realignment Committee's petition for deannexation, bringing to a close the township’s role in the waterfront community's efforts to secede from the township. In February 2014, the citizens organization submitted a petition to the governing body asking for the township's consent to a deannexation of the Seaview Harbor portion of the township and to allow it to request annexation to the borough of Longport."
^Peterson, Iver. "The Public-Private Clash Over Beaches", The New York Times, October 15, 1989. Accessed January 15, 2012. "That those 10 city blocks have disappeared from the map is a lesson that New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection wishes more people would remember when they seek to build houses on the seashore, particularly on barrier islands like the one Longport shares with Atlantic City."
^Commission Meeting Minutes July 23, 2016, Borough of Longport. Accessed May 19, 2017. "An Ordinance establishing that the Borough of Longport Municipal Elections Shall Be held on the same day as the November General Elections and Extending the Terms of Office for the Existing Mayor and Commissioners... All AYES - none opposed"
^LoBiondo, Nanette. "Longport to hold Saturday commission meeting for summer residents", The Current of Ventnor, Margate & Longport, July 20, 2016. Accessed May 19, 2017. "The board is scheduled to hold a public hearing on an ordinance that would move non-partisan elections to the general election in November. The move is expected to save taxpayers on the cost of running a second election every four years."
^Marcus, Samantha. "These are the towns with the highest property taxes in each of N.J.’s 21 counties", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, April 22, 2019. Accessed November 5, 2019. "The average property tax bill in New Jersey was $8,767 last year. But there can be big swings from town to town and county to county.... The average property tax bill in Longport Borough was $10,872 in 2018, the highest in Atlantic County."
^"About Margate and the School District", Margate City Schools, backed up by the Internet Archive as of August 7, 2011. Accessed July 29, 2014. "The City of Margate School District is a Type I District providing a full range of educational services appropriate to grade levels K through 8 in the City of Margate and the adjoining Borough of Longport, including special education for handicapped youngsters."
^About Us, Margate City Schools. Accessed May 8, 2020. "Margate City District pupils are housed in two separate facilities: the Eugene A. Tighe Middle School constructed in 1956, and the William H. Ross III Elementary School constructed in 2000. As a result of a 24 million dollar addition and renovation project and new school construction in 1999, all schools have been upgraded to enhance the educational environment. The elementary school houses the district administrative offices and grades K-4. The middle school, which houses grades 5-8, is departmentalized with an emphasis on thematic teaching.... Overall responsibility for the education of the K-8 children within the City of Margate lies with the district's Board of Education, composed of seven members, appointed by the mayor for staggered terms of three years."
^Bergen, Doug. "Longport Students Will Move to Ocean City High School", OCNJDaily, August 27, 2014. Accessed November 27, 2014. "The Ocean City Board of Education on Wednesday (Aug. 27) voted unanimously to approve an agreement to accept students from Longport at Ocean City High School as part of a new sending district. Ten students from Longport are expected to attend Ocean City High School when the school year starts next week."
^Student Handbook 2010-2011Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, Atlantic City High School. Accessed November 27, 2014. "Atlantic City High School is a unique, comprehensive state-of-the-art facility that serves a diverse student population from Atlantic City, Brigantine, Longport, Margate and Ventnor."
^Lemongello, Steve. "Longport school board studies adding high school sending district", The Press of Atlantic City, December 8, 2011. Accessed October 21, 2013. "The feasibility study, which was discussed at a public hearing last week, showed that if Longport were to end or alter its sending relationship with Atlantic City, it would have 'no substantial racial impact' on either Atlantic City or Ocean City high schools - mostly because of the small numbers involved, less than 10 projected students in each of the next five years. In addition, the study estimates that the per-pupil tuition would be $23,917 for Longport students to attend ACHS in 2013–14 and $17,871 to attend OCHS, which would result in a three-year cost savings of more than $128,000."
^D'Amico, Diane. "State rules Longport students can attend Ocean City High School", The Press of Atlantic City, June 11, 2014. Accessed November 27, 2014. "Acting Education Commissioner David Hespe has ruled that the Longport Board of Education can end its sending relationship with Atlantic City High School and instead send its high school students to Ocean City. Longport students could begin attending Ocean City High School in September."
^Frequently Asked Questions, Atlantic County Institute of Technology. Accessed July 20, 2020. "What does it cost to attend ACIT? As a public school, there is no cost to Atlantic County residents of high school age. New Jersey Title 18A:54-20.1 entitles students the right to choose ACIT for their high school education."
^Schneider, Howard. "Beloff Planning To Keep Seat", The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 30, 1986. Accessed November 19, 2013. "During a 20-minute interview in the den of his Longport home, Beloff, a former actor and prize-fighter - unshaven from his court appearance the day before and clad in a brightly colored striped bathrobe - offered no explanation or theories for the arrests."
^Staff. "Dear President Lincoln: We have your bed. Sincerely, Longport", The Press of Atlantic City, May 24, 2009. Accessed November 19, 2013. "Thomas Cruse bought an old Longport home in about 1926, after he retired from a highly decorated military career - including being awarded the Medal of Honor for 'distinguished gallantry in action with hostile Indians' in August 1882."
^Kennedy, Shawn G. "James Tate Of Philadelphia; Held Mayor's Post In 1962–72", The New York Times, May 29, 1983. Accessed November 19, 2013. "James H.J. Tate, the Mayor of Philadelphia from 1962 to 1972, died Friday at Shore Memorial Hospital, in Somers Point, N.J., apparently of a heart attack. He was 73 years old and lived in Longport, N.J."
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