November 7, 2006: Voters change the name of Dover Township to Toms River Township

On November 7, 2006, residents voted to change the name of Dover Township to Toms River Township, with the name change being official a week later on November 14.  The idea met mixed results from the beginning.  The argument was that people may have found the township name confusing, as there is no Dover anywhere near Ocean County, with the exceptions of Dover, Delaware, and the town of Dover up in Morris County.  Proponents argued the changing of Toms River’s township to, well, , just made sense and avoided unnecessary confusion.

Opponents failed to see any sense in the change, as Dover Township was the township’s name since its founding over two hundred years ago.  The name was alright for over two centuries, so why change it now?  Some also viewed it as a loss of history.  Others worried about an increase in taxes to fund the name change.

Well, the times, they are a changin’, and Dover Township is no more. That's what happened today in Toms River's history.