The city and waterway of Toms River was founded and established in 1767. Toms River is the county seat of Ocean County.

You can be sure to find all the amenities of New York city and Philadelphia in Toms River – the halfway point of these major centers. At one time Dover Township was part of Shrewsbury Township in Monmouth County. According to the "Township of Dover, 1767 - 1992," a booklet published during the community's 225th Anniversary, in 1767 a group of local residents petitioned the Royal General Assembly to create their own township. The 441 square mile township ranged from what is the Monmouth County line at its northern extremity to present day Oyster Creek in Lacey Township in the south and from the Burlington County line on the west to the Atlantic Ocean on the east. The township was formed more than 80 years before Ocean County was established.

Entwined with the history of Dover Township is the village of Toms River. The first and original identity is historic Toms River. It is the "village" area with which most people associate "downtown" Toms River. Today its focal point is the area around Main, Washington and Water Streets and Hooper Avenue. The village is home to most of the Ocean County and Dover Township offices. Yesteryear it was a major trading center bustling with activity along the riverfront. Only a few thousand people reside in this area today. The official municipality in which Toms River is located is Dover Township, not to be co