Asbury Park, New Jersey early years of Springsteen's career in Asbury Park. Daniel Wolff's "4 July Asbury Park" examines the social, political and cultural history of the city with a special emphasis on the part that music played in the city's development, culminating in Springsteen. "Beyond the Palace" by Gary Wien is a comprehensive look at the local music scene that Springsteen emerged from, and includes many photographs of musicians and clubs. Against the backdrop of the fading resort, Alex Austin's novel "The Red Album of Asbury Park" tracks a young rock musician pursuing his dream in the late 60s/early 70s, with Springsteen as
Asbury Park, New Jersey a number of grand hotels were built, including the Plaza Hotel. Uriah White, an Asbury Park pioneer, installed the first artesian well water system. As many as 600,000 people a year vacationed in Asbury Park during the summer season in the early years, riding the New York and Long Branch Railroad from New York City and Philadelphia to enjoy the mile-and-a-quarter stretch of oceanfront Asbury Park. By 1912, "The New York Times" estimated that the summer population could reach 200,000. The "country by the sea" destination experienced several key periods of popularity. The first notable era was the 1890s, marked