The community was established in 1901; it was named for the daughter of Captain Demarest, the founder of the village, which had formerly been known as Demarest on the Hill. Besides the Demarests, the first settlers included members of the Brown, Clark, Cooper, Crowell, Douglass, Edgar, and Thorpe families.
Community
The Avenel Fire Company #1 celebrated its 100th Anniversary on June 8, 2013, with a parade and picnic. The area also has three public schools, Avenel Middle School, Avenel Street School #4&5 and Woodbine Avenue School #23. Avenel is home to Woodbridge Developmental Center, a residential care facility for people with developmental disabilities. Places of worship in Avenel include the First Presbyterian Church, St. Andrew's Roman Catholic Church, Central Baptist Church and Fellowship Bible Church. Parks in Avenel include Mayor Frank Pelzman Memorial Park at Avenel, formerly Avenel Park, Eric LeGrand "Believe" Park, formerly Fifth District Park, and Prospect Avenue Park. Sport teams in Avenel include the Avenel Warriors who currently play at their home field : Gatorade Park, soon to be Montesinos Complex in Iselin temporarily because they are building a new field for them to play on.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, Avenel had a total area of 3.532 square miles, including 3.517 square miles of land and 0.015 square miles of water.
Demographics
Census 2010
Census 2000
As of the 2000 United States Census there were 17,552 people, 5,233 households, and 3,799 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,970.0/km2. There were 5,353 housing units at an average density of 600.8/km2. The racial makeup of the CDP was 53.52% White, 19.66% African American, 0.35% Native American, 18.90% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 3.65% from other races, and 3.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.85% of the population. There were 5,233 households, out of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.4% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.23. In the CDP the population was spread out, with 20.8% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 42.8% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 8.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 134.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 145.2 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $54,929, and the median income for a family was $61,029. Males had a median income of $48,000 versus $31,804 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $19,794. About 6.1% of families and 9.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.1% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over. As part of the 2000 Census, 13.65% of Avenel's residents identified themselves as being Indian American. This was the fifth highest percentage of Indian people in any place in the United States with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry.
Economy
Avenel was the flagship location of Bradco Supply, founded in 1966, one of the country's leading distributors of building products. The company had grown to over 130 locations in more than 30 states. Amazon.com operates a fulfillment center in Avenel. The facility, which opened in June 2013 covers.
