[25][26][27] During the "Gilded Age" of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Spring Lake developed into a coastal resort for members of New York City and Philadelphia high society, in similar fashion to the settlements of Newport, Rhode Island, and Bar Harbor, Maine.

[28] A surviving example of architecture constructed during this era is the Martin Maloney Cottage on Morris Avenue next to the tycoon's former and no longer existent Ballingarry Estate.

[29] Another fine example of period architecture listed on the National Register of Historic Places is the Audenried Cottage on Tuttle Avenue.

[30] The owner of the Ballingarry Estate, Marquis Martin Maloney, built St. Catharine Roman Catholic Church on a knoll overlooking the eponymous Spring Lake.

[31] The second of the five victims of the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916, Charles Bruder, 27, a Swiss bellhop for the Essex and Sussex Hotel, was killed on July 6, 1916, while swimming approximately 130 yards (120 m) from shore in Spring Lake.

[32] The wave of attacks took place between July 1 and July 12, 1916, along 80 miles (130 km) of Atlantic Ocean coastline and is often attributed as having inspired the novel Jaws by Peter Benchley and the corresponding film by Steven Spielberg,[33] though Benchley has explicitly denied the claim.

[34] The borough and its environs are known as the "Irish Riviera" because of the large Irish-American population in the area, with Spring Lake having the highest percentage of any municipality in the United States.

[1][2] Wreck Pond is a tidal pond located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Wall Township and the boroughs of Spring Lake, Spring Lake Heights, and Sea Girt, covering an area of 28 acres (11 ha).

The Wreck Pond watershed covers about 12 square miles (31 km2) in eastern Monmouth County.

[6] The borough form of government used by Spring Lake is a "weak mayor / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie.

The mayor can veto ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council.

[53][54] As of 2025[update], the mayor of Spring Lake is Democrat Jennifer Naughton, whose term of office ends on December 31, 2027.

Members of the Spring Lake Borough Council are Joseph T. Erbe Jr. (R, 2025), Edwin J. Hale (R, 2025), Brendan Judge (R, 2026), Kathleen McDonough (R, 2027), Matthew Q. Sagui (R, 2026) and Syd Whalley (D, 2027).

[60] For the 119th United States Congress, New Jersey's 4th congressional district is represented by Chris Smith (R, Manchester Township).

[63] For the 2024-2025 session, the 10th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by James W. Holzapfel (R, Toms River) and in the General Assembly by Paul Kanitra (R, Point Pleasant Beach) and Gregory P. McGuckin (R, Toms River).

Manasquan High School also serves students from Avon-by-the-Sea, Belmar, Brielle, Lake Como, Sea Girt and Spring Lake Heights who attend Manasquan High School as part of sending/receiving relationships with their respective districts.

NJ Transit offers passenger train service at the Spring Lake station.

On average, the wettest month of the year is July which corresponds with the annual peak in thunderstorm activity.

The plant hardiness zone at Spring Lake Beach is 7a with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of 3.8 °F (−15.7 °C).

[147] Spring Lake was used as a stand-in for turn-of-the-century Atlantic City, New Jersey, in the 1981 film Ragtime.

[148] In John Frankenheimer's 1962 film The Manchurian Candidate, the character of Major Bennett Marco (played by Frank Sinatra) suffers from a nightmare set in Spring Lake.

He imagines himself and his fellow soldiers sitting through a lecture by Mrs. Henry Whitaker of the Spring Lake Garden Club.

A sign reveals the location of the lecture to be the fictional "Spring Lake Hotel".

Yen Lo, portrayed by Spring Lake native Khigh Dhiegh.