Lacey Township, New Jersey

Lacey Township, New Jersey
Township
Lacey Schoolhouse Museum
Lacey Schoolhouse Museum
Official seal of Lacey Township, New Jersey
Seal
Location of Lacey Township in Ocean County highlighted in yellow (right). Inset map: Location of Ocean County in New Jersey highlighted in black (left).
Location of Lacey Township in Ocean County highlighted in yellow (right). Inset map: Location of Ocean County in New Jersey highlighted in black (left).
Census Bureau map of Lacey Township, New Jersey
Census Bureau map of Lacey Township, New Jersey
Lacey Township is located in Ocean County, New Jersey
Lacey Township
Lacey Township
Location in Ocean County
Lacey Township is located in New Jersey
Lacey Township
Lacey Township
Location in New Jersey
Lacey Township is located in the United States
Lacey Township
Lacey Township
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 39°51′19″N 74°16′02″W / 39.855153°N 74.267152°W / 39.855153; -74.267152[1][2]
Country United States
state New Jersey
County Ocean
IncorporatedMarch 23, 1871
Named forJohn Lacey
Government
[7]
 • TypeTownship
 • BodyTownship Committee
 • MayorPeggy Sue Juliano (R, term ends December 31, 2024)[3][4]
 • AdministratorVeronica Laureigh[5]
 • Municipal clerkAmy McGuckin[6]
Area
[1]
 • Total
99.81 sq mi (258.49 km2)
 • Land83.25 sq mi (215.62 km2)
 • Water16.55 sq mi (42.87 km2)  16.58%
 • Rank5th of 565 in state
2nd of 33 in county[1]
Elevation
[8]
72 ft (22 m)
Population
 (2020)[9][10]
 • Total
28,655
 • Estimate 
(2023)[9][11]
29,714
 • Rank85th of 565 in state
7th of 33 in county[12]
 • Density344.2/sq mi (132.9/km2)
  • Rank466th of 565 in state
31st of 33 in county[12]
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Codes
08731 – Forked River[13]
08734 – Lanoka Harbor[14]
Area code(s)609 exchanges: 242, 693, 971[15]
FIPS code3402937380[1][16][17]
GNIS feature ID0882072[1][18]
Websitewww.laceytownship.org

Lacey Township is a township in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is considered part of the Jersey Shore and South Jersey regions, as well as of the New York metropolitan area.[19] As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 28,655,[9][10] an increase of 1,011 (+3.7%) from the 2010 census count of 27,644,[20][21] which in turn reflected an increase of 2,298 (+9.1%) from the 25,346 counted in the 2000 census.[22] The 2010 population was the highest recorded in any decennial census. It was named for Continental Army General John Lacey.[23]

Lacey Township was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 23, 1871, from portions of Dover Township (now known as Toms River Township) and Union Township (now Barnegat Township). Portions of the township were taken on June 23, 1933, to form the borough of Island Beach (which is now Island Beach State Park, part of Berkeley Township).[23][24] The township was named for Revolutionary War brigadier general John Lacey, who developed Ferrago Forge in 1809.[25]

The Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station is located in the southern part of the township. The single-unit 636 MWe boiling water reactor power plant adjoins the Oyster Creek and is owned and operated by Exelon Corporation. It produced 9% of the state's electricity and is the nation's oldest operating nuclear power plant, having first been brought online on December 1, 1969, and is licensed to operate until April 9, 2029.[26] In 2010, Exelon announced that it would close the facility in 2019 as part of an agreement with the State of New Jersey under which the plant would be allowed to operate without cooling towers.[27] The plant, which had contributed a third of the township's budget through taxes, was closed in September 2018, after which a decommissioning process estimated to take eight years and cost $1.4 billion was to be undertaken.[28]

Murray Grove is a Unitarian-Universalist retreat and conference center in Lanoka Harbor, traditionally considered the site where Universalism in America began.[29]

  1. ^ a b c d e 2019 Census Gazetteer Files: New Jersey Places, United States Census Bureau. Accessed July 1, 2020.
  2. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 4, 2014.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Government was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ 2023 New Jersey Mayors Directory, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, updated February 8, 2023. Accessed February 10, 2023.
  5. ^ Office of the Administrator, Lacey Township. Accessed July 2, 2024.
  6. ^ Office of the Municipal Clerk, Lacey Township. Accessed July 2, 2024.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference DataBook was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Township of Lacey, Geographic Names Information System. Accessed March 7, 2013.
  9. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Census2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference LWD2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference PopEst was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ a b Population Density by County and Municipality: New Jersey, 2020 and 2021, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Accessed March 1, 2023.
  13. ^ Look Up a ZIP Code for Forked River, NJ, United States Postal Service. Accessed December 26, 2012.
  14. ^ Look Up a ZIP Code for Lanoka Harbor, NJ, United States Postal Service. Accessed December 26, 2012.
  15. ^ Area Code Lookup - NPA NXX for Lacey, NJ, Area-Codes.com. Accessed January 24, 2015.
  16. ^ U.S. Census website, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 4, 2014.
  17. ^ Geographic Codes Lookup for New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed April 1, 2022.
  18. ^ US Board on Geographic Names, United States Geological Survey. Accessed September 4, 2014.
  19. ^ New Jersey: 2020 Core Based Statistical Areas and Counties, United States Census Bureau, March 2020. Accessed October 26, 2023.
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference Census2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference LWD2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ a b Township's History Archived 2013-05-14 at the Wayback Machine, Lacey Township. Accessed December 26, 2012.
  24. ^ Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 203. Accessed May 29, 2024.
  25. ^ Lacey Community Profile Archived 2015-09-06 at the Wayback Machine, Ocean County Library. Accessed September 2, 2015. "In 1809, John Lacey, a Revolutionary War general, built Ferrago Forge---for his contribution to the growth and importance of the area, the township was named for him when it was incorporated in 1871."
  26. ^ Staff. "Feds OK new license for NJ nuclear power plant", The Washington Times, April 1, 2009. Accessed December 26, 2012. "The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission voted 3-1 on Wednesday to grant a new license to the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in Lacey Township, N.J. It provides 9 percent of New Jersey's electricity. Oyster Creek and Nine Mile Point Nuclear Generating Station in upstate New York both went online Dec. 1, 1969. But Oyster Creek is considered older because its initial license was granted first."
  27. ^ "Exelon to shut NJ Oyster Creek reactor in 2019", Reuters, December 9, 2010. Accessed August 12, 2014. "Exelon Corp (EXC.N) will shut the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant in New Jersey in 2019, about 10 years before its license expires, in a deal with the state allowing the reactor to operate until then without building expensive cooling towers, the company said in a release late Wednesday.... The decision also delays any immediate economic impact on Lacey Township, where the plant is located, Exelon said, noting Oyster Creek is one of the largest employers in Ocean County, providing more than $70 million annually in wages for nearly 700 plant workers, property taxes and purchases of goods and services from New Jersey businesses."
  28. ^ Davis, Mike. "Oyster Creek shut down: Lacey nuclear power plant, oldest in US, closed after 49 years", Asbury Park Press, September 17, 2018. Accessed September 30, 2018. "After over 49 years, the nuclear reactor at the Oyster Creek Generating Station was powered down on Monday, the final day in the life of the country's oldest commercial nuclear power plant.... Now, Oyster Creek's property taxes and energy tax receipts account for more than $13 million, over one third of the town's revenue.... Holtec will take over the process of decommissioning the plant and restoring it for future development, a process that Exelon has estimated will cost upward of $1.4 billion."
  29. ^ "Towns of Lanoka Harbor and Murray Grove: Written Historical and Descriptive Data"[permanent dead link‍], Historic American Buildings Survey, National Park Service. Accessed December 26, 2012. "Murray Grove is further renowned as the 'birthplace of Universalism America,' where the first Universalist sermon in the United States was preached."