Spring Lake is a borough situated on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 2,789, a decrease of 204 (−6.8%) from the 2010 census count of 2,993, which in turn reflected a decline of 574 (−16.1%) from the 3,567 counted in the 2000 census.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.

New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Spring Lake as the 240th best place to live in New Jersey in its 2010 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey.Staff. "Top Towns 2010: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, February 9, 2010. Accessed July 14, 2011.

In 2012, Forbes.com listed Spring Lake as 187th in its listing of "America's Most Expensive ZIP Codes", with a median home price of $1,190,586.Brennan, Morgan. "America's Most Expensive ZIP Codes 2012", Forbes, October 16, 2012. Accessed February 18, 2020.

History

Spring Lake was formed as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 14, 1892, from portions of Wall Township, based on the results of a referendum held on March 8, 1892. On February 24, 1903, the borough of North Spring Lake was annexed to Spring Lake.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 186. Accessed May 30, 2024.Honeyman, Abraham Van Doren. Index-analysis of the Statutes of New Jersey, 1896-1909: Together with References to All Acts, and Parts of Acts, in the 'General Statutes' and Pamphlet Laws Expressly Repealed: and the Statutory Crimes of New Jersey During the Same Period, p. 263. New Jersey Law Journal Publishing Company, 1910. Accessed October 8, 2015. The borough was named for a clear spring-fed lake.Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed October 7, 2015.Gannett, Henry. The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States, p. 288. United States Government Printing Office, 1905. Accessed October 7, 2015.Brief History, Borough of Spring Lake. Accessed February 5, 2025. "In the early 1900s, the town boasted fine hotels, lavish estates, and pretentious private homes (known as 'cottages'), surrounded by the beautiful clear pond renamed 'Spring Lake.'"

During the "Gilded Age" of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Spring Lake developed into a coastal resort for members of New York City and Philadelphia high society, in similar fashion to the settlements of Newport, Rhode Island, and Bar Harbor, Maine.Corcoran, David. "All That Glitters", The New York Times, July 24, 2005. Accessed July 14, 2011. "Spring Lake... The town was founded in the Gilded Age and in certain ways has never left it." A surviving example of architecture constructed during this era is the Martin Maloney Cottage on Morris Avenue next to the tycoon's former and no longer existent Ballingarry Estate.Seebohn, Caroline; and Cook, Peter C. Cottages and mansions of the Jersey shore, p. 99. Rutgers University Press, 2007. . Accessed July 14, 2011. "One of the most spectacular examples of Spring Lake architecture is the so-called Maloney Cottage, at 101 Morris Avenue. Its wedding-cake opulence, fantastical porches and verandahs up steep flights of stairs, elaborate carpentry, curved balustrades, and dizzying rooflines cause people today to stop and stare. Brilliantly white, intricately decorated, the house represents the Gilded Age of Spring Lake at its most glamorous." Another fine example of period architecture listed on the National Register of Historic Places is the Audenried Cottage on Tuttle Avenue.New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places for Monmouth County, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Historic Preservation Office, updated January 7, 2020. Accessed March 11, 2020.

The owner of the Ballingarry Estate, Marquis Martin Maloney, built St. Catharine Roman Catholic Church on a knoll overlooking the eponymous Spring Lake. The cornerstone of the church was laid on St. Patrick's Day in 1901.Larsen, Erik. "How Monmouth County's south shore became the 'Irish Riviera'", Asbury Park Press, March 17, 2018. Accessed March 11, 2020. "On St. Patrick’s Day in 1901, workers laid the cornerstone of St. Catharine Roman Catholic Church in Spring Lake. The church, which essentially is a mini-cathedral, was built in renaissance architecture to resemble St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City and includes frescoes that depict life in medieval and modern Ireland. The church was built by Martin Maloney, who was born in Ballingarry, Ireland, in 1847 during the Irish Potato Famine."

The second of the five victims of the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916, Charles Bruder, 27, a Swiss bellhop for the Essex and Sussex Hotel, was killed on July 6, 1916, while swimming approximately from shore in Spring Lake.Staff. "Shark Kills Bather: Bites Off Both Legs Of Bellboy At Springlake, N. J.--Second Case In Week", The Baltimore Sun, July 7, 1916. Accessed September 17, 2025, via Newspapers.com. "While hundreds of summer visitors on the beach and in the south end pavilion looked on helpless, Charles Bruder, a bellboy in one of the largest beach-front hotels, was attacked by a shark this afternoon and before help could arrive lost both his legs." The wave of attacks took place between July 1 and July 12, 1916, along of Atlantic Ocean coastline and is often attributed as having inspired the novel Jaws by Peter Benchley and the corresponding film by Steven Spielberg,Staff. "The Shark That Inspired 'Jaws'", The Early Show, February 11, 2009. Accessed July 14, 2011. "Taking a dip in the ocean just hasn't been the same since the release of "Jaws" more than 25 years ago. But what many people don't know is that the film is based on a series of deadly shark attacks in the summer of 1916 along the New Jersey shoreline.... The second victim was a bellboy from Switzerland working at a hotel in Spring Lake. His name was Charles Bruder, and he was a very strong swimmer." though Benchley has explicitly denied the claim.Broad, William J. "Scientists Say Frenzy Over Shark Attacks Is Unwarranted", The New York Times, September 5, 2001. Accessed October 15, 2015. "As proof, they note a series of fatal shark attacks that terrorized the Jersey Shore in the summer of 1916, events that inspired the movie Jaws.... Correction: September 8, 2001, Saturday An article on Wednesday and one in the New Jersey section on Sunday about fears over sharks referred incorrectly to the inspiration for the 1974 novel Jaws. Its author, Peter Benchley, says the book was not inspired by attacks off New Jersey in 1916.

The borough and its environs are known as the "Irish Riviera" because of the large Irish-American population in the area, with Spring Lake having the highest percentage of any municipality in the United States.Warner, Susan. "Painting By The Numbers: What And Where Is Home?", The New York Times, July 14, 2002. Accessed August 30, 2013. "Spring Lake, New Jersey's so-called Irish Riviera, is indeed New Jersey's most Irish municipality. Just over half of Spring Lake's population, 50.7 percent, said it had roots in the auld sod."

The Spring Lake 5 Mile Run, a race that was first run in 1977, circles the borough, beginning and ending at the beachfront.History, Spring Lake Five Mie Run. Accessed July 17, 2012. "At first glance it may seem odd that a small town on the Jersey Shore would be home to one of the largest and best running events in the nation. Since it was first held in 1977, the Spring Lake Five Mile Run has grown from a small local fun run into New Jersey's largest road race and a nationally recognized event. " The 2014 race had 10,360 finishers, out of 12,500 registered;Hinck, Penny. "Ten Thousand Finishers at 2014 Spring Lake Five Mile Run", Atlantic Highlands Herald, May 27, 2014. Accessed May 9, 2016. " Ten thousand three hundred sixty road racers (5,018 males – 5,342 females, 12,500 registered) was the huge number that finished this year in the 38th annual Spring Lake Five Mile Run on the perfect-running-weather morning of May 24." it is the country's largest 5-mile race. In 2015, the race was listed as one of the top 100 races in America by Runner's World magazine.History, The Spring Lake Five Mile Run. Accessed May 9, 2016. " The race has been recognized by Runner's World Magazine as one of the top 100 races in America." Over the span of 20 years, participants and supporters of the race have raised roughly 4.5 million dollars.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 1.75 square miles (4.52 km2), including 1.33 square miles (3.45 km2) of land and 0.41 square miles (1.07 km2) of water (23.60%).

Wreck Pond is a tidal pond located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Wall Township and the boroughs of Spring Lake, Spring Lake Heights, and Sea Girt, covering an area of . The Wreck Pond watershed covers about in eastern Monmouth County.Wreck Pond Restoration Measures, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Watershed Management and Office of Construction and Engineering, May 2004. Accessed July 17, 2012.

The borough borders the Monmouth County municipalities of Belmar, Lake Como, Sea Girt, Spring Lake Heights and Wall Township.Areas touching Spring Lake, MapIt. Accessed March 10, 2020.Regional Location Map, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Accessed March 10, 2020.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.

North Spring Lake was an independent borough established in 1884 which comprised the northern portion of Spring Lake. The borough was disestablished and its territory was annexed by Spring Lake in 1903.

Demographics

2020 census As of the 2020 census, Spring Lake had a population of 2,789. The median age was 58.4 years. 14.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 35.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.2 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,225 households in Spring Lake, of which 18.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 56.3% were married-couple households, 15.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 2,107 housing units, of which 41.9% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.3%.

+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 2,618 93.9% Black or African American 11 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native 3 0.1% Asian 36 1.3% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0 0.0% Some other race 15 0.5% Two or more races 106 3.8% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 86 3.1%

2010 census The 2010 United States census counted 2,993 people, 1,253 households, and 829 families in the borough. The population density was 2,250.8 per square mile (869.0/km2). There were 2,048 housing units at an average density of 1,540.2 per square mile (594.7/km2). The racial makeup was 97.63% (2,922) White, 0.27% (8) Black or African American, 0.03% (1) Native American, 1.00% (30) Asian, 0.03% (1) Pacific Islander, 0.50% (15) from other races, and 0.53% (16) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.90% (57) of the population.