Jackson Township is a township in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A portion of the township is located within the Pinelands National Reserve."Pinelands Municipalities" , State of New Jersey Pinelands Commission. Accessed January 4, 2019."Pinelands National Reserve / National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior" , Library of Congress. Accessed January 4, 2019. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population was 58,544, an increase of 3,688 (+6.7%) from the 2010 census count of 54,856, which in turn reflected an increase of 12,040 (+28.1%) from the 42,816 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.

Roughly equidistant between New York City and Philadelphia, along with being close to the state capital of Trenton and the Jersey Shore on Interstate 195, Jackson is an outer-ring suburb of New York City within the New York metropolitan area.Capuzzo, Jill P."Living In Jackson Township, N.J.: A Range of Housing With ‘Tremendous Value’" , The New York Times, November 25, 2020. Accessed September 17, 2023.New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area , United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 17, 2023. Jackson is also the site of the Six Flags Great Adventure Resort complex, which includes the Six Flags Great Adventure theme park, Hurricane Harbor New Jersey water park, and Wild Safari Adventure safari park.Mulvaney, Nicole. "Six Flags Great Adventure launches off-road safari adventure in Jackson" , NJ.com, May 24, 2013. Accessed March 13, 2017. "Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson previewed its 350-acre safari off-road adventure today, driving members of the press and others through a landscape of 1,200 exotic animals from across the globe.... Following the fall 2012 closing of the drive-through Wild Safari, this major attraction now makes the theme park the largest in the world, park spokeswoman Kristin Siebeneicher said." The township is also home to Adventure Crossing, a mixed-use entertainment complex that opened in 2023."An inside look: Massive entertainment venue Adventure Crossing USA in Jackson" , news 12 New Jersey, January 23, 2023. Accessed April 21, 2023.

History Jackson Township was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 6, 1844, from portions of Dover Township (now Toms River Township), Freehold Township and Upper Freehold Township, while the area was still part of Monmouth County. The Township was named for President Andrew Jackson, a year before his death.Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names , New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed September 2, 2015. It became part of the newly created Ocean County on February 15, 1850. Portions of the Township were taken to form Plumsted Township on March 11, 1845.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.

The surnames of the first 25 families who settled in this town were Allen, Applegate, Benit (Bennett), Bills, Burdon (Borden) - a 1665 patentee, Buckelew, Cheeseman - a 1665 patentee, Henderson, Holman - a 1665 patentee, Hulse, Hyerse (Heyers), Johnstone, and Johnson, Perrino, Reynolds, Van Hise, and White.

Starting around 1920, the cranberry and other agricultural industries started to grow. It would remain like this until 1955 when the Federal Government terminated its subsidizing of chicken grain.

Rova Farms was a Russian-American cooperative colony and vacation resort established in 1934 on a heavily wooded of land located near Cassville. Launched by a membership organization called the Russian Consolidated Mutual Aid Society (ROOVA), Rova Farms served as a cultural center for the Russian-speaking population.Ruscitti, Keith. "Resort struggles to regain its footing", Asbury Park Press, July 26, 2010. Accessed March 12, 2026, via Newspapers.com. "The most festive days of those summers would be on the last Sunday of July, the St. Vladimir's Day Festival, held at the spacious Rova Farms Resort.... Rova Farms Resort was built in 1934 as a community center and social club for Russian immigrants. Once the resort owned about 1,400 acres of land in the area. St. Vladimir's Day would mean record crowds would converge on Jackson. 'There used to be 50,000 people coming here," said Neli Kurjaninow, a member of the Rova Farms Board of Directors."

Starting with an average of 100 new homes per year in the late 1950s, new homes built per year in the 1960s increased to an average of 750. And the 1970s to 1980s to more than a thousand units per year. From 1961 to 1966, 3,000 new children enrolled in the local elementary schools, and despite the recession of 1989-90, this trend still continued.

On July 1, 1974, under the direction of New York based entrepreneur Warner LeRoy, Six Flags Great Adventure amusement park opened in Jackson Township. It first opened to the public as simply Great Adventure in 1974, it was later acquired by the larger Six Flags brand in 1977. To accommodate for the rise in tourism in the township, in 1997 Simon Property Group opened Jackson Premium Outlets, an open-air outlet power center.Jackson Premium Outlets brochure . Accessed April 21, 2023.

Adventure Crossing opened in January 2023, located between Jackson Premium Outlets and Six Flags Great Adventure. The mixed-use complex features fast-food restaurants, a gas station and a family entertainment complex (with a sports bubble that has 42 Top Golf bays, axe throwing, virtual reality rides, and additional restaurants and bars). When completed, the complex will also have a surf pool, turf fields, luxury apartments, Hilton hotels, conference centers, a medical arts facility and other mixed-use amenities for business, lifestyle, healthcare, and leisure.Brochure , Adventure Crossing USA. Accessed April 21, 2023.

On April 1, 2023, two separate tornadoes rated EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita scale struck Jackson Township, with winds of up to . The first tornado struck western sections of the township near County Route 537 (Monmouth Road), inflicting significant damage to the Adventure Crossing USA mixed-use complex (causing the sports bubble to actually collapse), a newly built warehouse development and several homes.Rodas, Steven."One of the nation’s largest sports bubbles collapses in severe N.J. storm" , NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, April 3, 2023. Accessed April 21, 2023.Rickman, Rick."Confirmed tornado in Jackson, NJ destroys warehouse, dome, homes" , New Jersey 101.5, April 2, 2023. Accessed April 21, 2023. The second tornado struck near the border with neighboring Howell Township near the Aldrich Road area.McDaniel, Pat. "Howell Tornado Hit Aldrich Area First In 1.4-Mile Path: Officials" , Howell, NJ Patch, April 3, 2023. Accessed April 6, 2023. "The National Weather Service also confirmed that what it referred to as the 'Jackson-Howell' tornado was indeed a category EF-2. It was 150 yards wide and 1.4 miles in length, the weather service said." The National Weather Service confirmed that the path of the tornado was wide and long. Both of these tornadoes were some of the strongest recorded to have hit the state and were part of four separate powerful tornadoes that had impacted the state in the outbreak.Oglesby, Amanda. "4 tornadoes hit NJ: What we know about damage in Howell, Jackson, Sea Girt, Cinnaminson" , Asbury Park Press, April 3, 2023. Accessed April 6, 2023.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of , comprised of of land (98.63%) and of water (1.37%). Jackson is the largest municipality by area in Ocean County.

Vista Center (with a 2020 population of 2,370) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Jackson Township.GCT-PH1 – Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 – County – County Subdivision and Place from the 2010 Census Summary File 1 for Ocean County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 25, 2012.2006–2010 American Community Survey Geography for New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 25, 2012.New Jersey: 2010 – Population and Housing Unit Counts – 2010 Census of Population and Housing (CPH-2-32) , United States Census Bureau, August 2012. Accessed December 25, 2012. Other unincorporated communities, localities and populated places located completely or partially within the township include Archers Corner, Bennetts Mills, Burksville, Butterfly Bridge, Cassville, Colliers Mills, DeBow Corner, Francis Mills, Grayville, Harmony, Holmansville, Holmeson, Hyson, Jackson Mills, Kapps Corner, Leesville, Legler, Maryland, Midwood, New Prospect, Pleasant Grove, Prospertown, Ridgeway State Forest, Success, The Alligator, Van Hiseville, Webbsville, Whitesbridge and Whitesville.Locality Search , State of New Jersey. Accessed December 20, 2014.O'Donnell, Victoria; and Ippolito, Christopher. Jackson Township, p. 7. Arcadia Publishing, 2012. . Accessed December 20, 2014.Benjamin, Dave. "Jackson still working out affordable housing details" , Tri-Town News, September 20, 2007. Accessed January 8, 2012. "One item was the Hovbilt project in the Cassville section of Jackson which was approved by the court by way of an affordable housing agreement with the township and the developer in 1999."

The township borders Lakewood Township, Manchester Township, Plumsted Township and Toms River in Ocean County; and Freehold Township, Howell Township, Millstone Township and Upper Freehold Township in Monmouth County.Areas touching Jackson Township , MapIt. Accessed February 24, 2020.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries , New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.

Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area is a wildlife management area located within portions of both Jackson Township and Plumsted Township operated by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's Division of Fish and Wildlife.New Jersey Wildlife Management Areas , New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife. Accessed November 24, 2015.Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area Ocean County – Jackson & Plumsted Townships , New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife. Accessed November 24, 2015. Several man-made lakes are located within the township, including Success Lake in the Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area.

The township is one of 11 municipalities in Ocean County that are part of the Toms River watershed.Toms River Watershed , Barnegat Bay Partnership. Accessed July 3, 2022.

Climate The climate of Central Jersey is in the transition zone from the humid subtropical climate (Cfa) of the southeast United States and humid continental (Dfa) to the north. Jackson Township gets of rain per year. Snowfall is inches and the number of days with any measurable precipitation is 115. On average, there are 206 sunny days per year in the township. The July high is around and the January low is . The comfort index is 45 out of 100.Jackson, New Jersey , Sperling's BestPlaces. Accessed December 30, 2016.

Demographics

Jackson Township is a suburban community that is sparsely populated, with most residents owning their homes.

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 54,856 people, 19,417 households, and 15,048 families in the township. The population density was . There were 20,342 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 88.90% (48,765) White, 4.86% (2,664) Black or African American, 0.10% (57) Native American, 2.95% (1,616) Asian, 0.03% (18) Pacific Islander, 1.27% (696) from other races, and 1.90% (1,040) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 7.83% (4,295) of the population.