Brick Township (also commonly known as Bricktown or Brick) is a Township in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the2010 United States Census, the township had a total population of 75,072,[6] making it the third most populous municipality in Ocean County behind Lakewood Township and Toms River Township. The 2010 population represents a decline of 1,047 from the 76,119 residents enumerated during the 2000 Census, with the township ranking as the 13th largest municipality in the state in 2010 after having been ranked 12th in 2000.[5]
While the majority of Brick Township is located on the mainland, Beaches I, II and III are situated on the Barnegat Peninsula, a long, narrow barrier peninsula that separates Barnegat Bay from the Atlantic Ocean. The mainland and beach area of the town are not geographically adjacent.
Brick Township was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 15, 1850, from portions of both Dover Township (now Toms River Township) and Howell Township. Portions of the township were taken to form Point Pleasant Beach(May 18, 1886), Bay Head (June 15, 1886), Lakewood (March 23, 1892), Mantoloking (April 10, 1911) and Point Pleasant (April 21, 1920).[10]
After hovering for years in the top five, in 2006, the township earned the title of "America's Safest City", out of 371 cities included nationwide in the 13th annual Morgan Quitno survey.[11] Since the year 2000, Brick Township has been the safest "city" (population over 75,000) in New Jersey. In 2003 and 2004, Brick Township was ranked as the second safest city in the United States after Newton,Massachusetts.[12] In 2005, Brick Township had dropped down to the fifth safest "city" (population over 75,000) in the United States, before it rebounded to the top in 2006.[13]
Brick Township has also been in the news for a claimed autism epidemic, in which 40 children out of over 6,000 surveyed were found to be autistic, though Brick's autism rate is statistically not far removed from national average. Many of the children found to be autistic were born in Northern New Jersey and other parts of the country. There is no evidence that the levels of autism are linked to any specific environmental factor in Brick.[14]
