Belmar 1992 in the New York Times

 


If You're Thinking of Living in: Belmar
By GRANT GLICKSON
BELMAR, a Monmouth County shore resort between Avon-by-the-Sea and South Belmar, is bounded on two sides by water: the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Shark River on the north. Its population, nearly 6,000 year-round, swells to almost 50,000 in the summer.

"Most of the residents here have young kids or are looking to start a family," Mayor Kenneth E. Pringle said. "And they like the fact that Belmar is a small town with a small-town feel for nine months out of the year. And for three months it's really a fun place to be. It's the quintessential shore town."

All year long, pleasure craft and party fishing boats tie up at the Shark River Inlet municipal marina, with its 325 slips, on the west side of town.

In the summer months, said Jim Klug, the harbormaster, traffic is particularly heavy in what he calls the largest marina in the state.

It is believed that in the 17th century, Henry Hudson entered the Shark River Inlet and claimed New Jersey as Dutch territory. At the time, Belmar was occupied by the Leni Lenape Indians, who sold the land to Galvin Drummond, a settler, in 1687.

The land was used as a summer residence for centuries by the Indians, the Dutch and all who followed. In 1872, a group of 41 people formed the Ocean Beach Association, creating the boundaries of a village they called Ocean Beach. Its name was changed to Belle-Mer, French for beautiful sea, which evolved into Belmar in 1885.

The area has since been divided into three towns: Belmar, South Belmar and West Belmar.

In the early 1900's, many residents, realizing that renting summer homes could be profitable, began building bungalows on rear lots and apartments over stables. This let them live at home year-round and have all expenses paid during the summer.

New York Times 1992