Forked River, New Jersey

Forked River, New Jersey
Lacey Schoolhouse Museum
Map of Forked River CDP in Ocean County. Inset: Location of Ocean County in New Jersey.
Forked River
Location in Ocean County
Forked River
Location in New Jersey
Forked River
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 39°50′23″N 74°11′25″W / 39.8398413°N 74.1901399°W / 39.8398413; -74.1901399
Country United States
State New Jersey
CountyOcean
TownshipLacey
Area
  Total
3.47 sq mi (8.99 km2)
  Land2.73 sq mi (7.08 km2)
  Water0.74 sq mi (1.91 km2)  73.66%
Elevation
13 ft (4 m)
Population
 (2020)
  Total
5,274
  Density1,928.3/sq mi (744.5/km2)
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
  Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code
08731
Area code609
FIPS code34-76107
GNIS feature ID02390441

Forked River (/ˈfɔːrkɪd/) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Lacey Township, in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the CDP's population was 5,274, an increase of 30 (+0.6%) from the 5,244 enumerated at the 2010 census, which in turn reflected an increase of 330 (+6.7%) from the 4.914 counted in the 2000 census.

Many Ocean County residents commonly refer to all of Lacey Township as Forked River. The first word is pronounced by locals with two syllables (/ˈfɔːrkɪd/). Pronouncing the first word with one syllable (/fɔːrkt/) is a sign of a new resident or outsider.