Beach Day

On Saturday, I went to Asbury Park, New Jersey, a beach on the Atlantic Ocean. It was a great beach, with clean sand, big waves, and a nice boardwalk. The beach was huge and had a pier and also ships nearby.

History

In 1871, James Bradley turned Asbury Park from a seaside community to a residential resort. The park was named for Francis Asbury, an American Bishop. Bradley built the boardwalk, pier, locker rooms, pavilions, and also added electricity.

By the 1920’s the Park was a thriving tourist attraction. A Paramount Thathre was added that decade. During the ‘30’s The SS Morro Castle caught fire and crashed on the beach. The Park turned the wreck into a tourist attraction for visitors to explore. By the 1940’s, the Garden State Parkway was built, providing a means for visistors to come by car instead of train. The Yankees also held spring training there in the year of 1943. By the 1950’s suburban livers had begun leaving Asbury, following World War II. Offices, hospitals, movie theaters, etc were relocated and Asbury began to lose its population and shoopers to places like Monmouth and other nearby towns.

During the 21st century, Asbury was one of the few places to escape Hurrican Sandy relatively unscathed. President Barack Obama made a speech to 4,000 residents, declaring the reopening of the park and beach and emphasizing the ‘Stronger Than Storm Motto’.

Geography

Asbury Park, in Monmouth County, is a city of 1.61 square miles, which comprises of 1.43 square miles of land and .18 square miles of water. It has a large coastline of beaches and is a senior living area as well. The town contains North Asbury and Whiteville as well. It borders the towns of Interlaken, Loch Arbour, Neptune Township, and Ocean Township. It is also on the 158 acre Deal Lake.