Keansburg is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, occupying the south shore of Raritan Bay in the Bayshore region, an area of waterfront communities that face Staten Island and the mouth of New York Harbor. With a population of about 9,800, Keansburg is a compact, close-knit borough whose identity has long been tied to the bay and to its role as a family-oriented shore resort. The area was first settled as the hamlet of Waackaack, and the community took its modern name in 1884, when a post office opened and residents honored John Kean, the U.S. senator and congressman who had helped secure it. The Borough of Keansburg was formally incorporated in 1917 from portions of Middletown and Raritan townships. The borough's defining institution is the Keansburg Amusement Park, which dates to 1904, when William Gelhaus purchased marshland on the bayfront to create a summer resort. The park has operated for more than a century, and its boardwalk, rides, arcades, and the adjacent Runaway Rapids waterpark remain the heartbeat of local summers and a draw for visitors across the region. Keansburg has a distinctly working-class, bayside character. Its streets hold a mix of older cottages and modest single-family homes, and the population includes many long-time residents and families. The borough offers bay beaches, a marina, and easy access to the bay's fishing and boating, while commuters reach New York City via nearby New Jersey Transit rail stations, bus lines, and the New York Waterway ferry at Belford. For those seeking an authentic Bayshore community with waterfront access and a classic Jersey shore atmosphere, Keansburg stands apart.