Monmouth County, New Jersey
Monmouth County is a county located on the coast of New Jersey, in the United States within the New York metropolitan area, and the northernmost county along the Jersey Shore. As of the 2019 Census estimate, the county's population was 618,795, making it the state's fifth-most populous county, representing a decrease of 0.6% from the 2010 Census, when the population was enumerated at 630,380, in turn an increase of 15,079 from 615,301 at the 2000 Census. As of 2010, the county fell to the fifth-most populous county in the state, having been surpassed by Hudson County. Its county seat is Freehold Borough. The most populous place was Middletown Township, with 66,522 residents at the time of the 2010 Census, while Howell Township covered, the largest total area of any municipality.
In 2015, the county had a per capita personal income of $69,410, the fifth-highest in New Jersey and ranked 74th of 3,113 counties in the United States. Monmouth County ranked 38th among the highest-income counties in the United States as of 2011, placing it among the top 1.2% of counties by wealth. As of 2009, it was ranked 56th in the United States by personal per-capita income.
History
In 1609, the English navigator, Henry Hudson, and his crew aboard the Dutch vessel Half Moon spotted land in what is now Monmouth County, most likely off Sandy Hook; however, some historical accounts credit this landing to present-day Keansburg.Among the first European settlers and majority landowners in the area were Richard and Penelope Stout. Penelope miraculously survived her wounds from a native attack in Sandy Hook and further lived to the age of 110. Additionally, a group of Quaker families from Long Island settled the Monmouth Tract, an early land grant from Richard Nicolls issued in 1665. They were followed by a group of Scottish settlers who inhabited Freehold Township in about 1682–85, followed several years later by Dutch settlers. As they arrived in this area, they were greeted by Lenape Native Americans, who lived in scattered small family bands and developed a largely amicable relationship with the new arrivals. Enslaved Africans were present in the area from at least 1680, and by 1726 made up 9% of the total population of the county.
Monmouth County was established on March 7, 1683, while part of the province of East Jersey. On October 31, 1693, the county was partitioned into the townships of Freehold, Middletown and Shrewsbury.
Its name may come from the Rhode Island Monmouth Society or from a suggestion from Colonel Lewis Morris that the county should be named after Monmouthshire in Wales, Great Britain. Other suggestions include that it was named for James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, who had many allies among the East Jersey leadership. In 1714, the first county government was established.
At the June 28, 1778, Battle of Monmouth, near Freehold Township, General George Washington's soldiers battled the British under Sir Henry Clinton, in the longest land battle of the American Revolutionary War. It was at Monmouth that the tactics and training from Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben developed at Valley Forge during the winter encampment were first implemented on a large scale.
At independence, Monmouth's population included 1,640 slaves, as well as an undetermined number of free African Americans. The number of enslaved persons fell steeply after 1820, though a small number remained until at least 1850. Monmouth's free African American population climbed from 353 in 1790 to 2,658 in 1860. There was a small African-American middle class consisting of freedmen present in Monmouth County by the 1840s and 1850s.
Ocean County was carved out of Monmouth County in 1850.
In 1790 Monmouth County's population was 16,918, of whom roughly 6,600 were of English descent and the remainder were Welsh, Dutch and Swedish, as well as small amounts of African Americans and Northern Irish Protestants. By the year 2010 Monmouth County's population was 628,112 of whom 40,489 were of English descent. Between 1890 and 1907 nearly 18 million European immigrants came to America. At the same time the region underwent massive and not unrelated economic changes, this process led to places like Monmouth County, New Jersey becoming significantly more diverse and somewhat less rural.
Geography
According to the 2010 census, the county had a total area of, including of land and of water.Much of Monmouth County remains flat and low-lying even far inland. However, there are some low hills in and around Holmdel Township, and one of them, Crawford Hill, the former site of a radar facility, is the county's highest point, variously listed at above sea level. The top portion of the hill is owned by Alcatel-Lucent and houses a research laboratory of Bell Laboratories. The northeastern portion of the county, in the Locust section of Middletown Township and the boroughs of Highlands and Atlantic Highlands, are also very hilly. The lowest point is sea level.
Along with adjacent Ocean County, Monmouth County is a mecca of boating and fishing. Its waterways include several rivers and bays that flow from the Raritan Bayshore into Raritan Bay and Lower New York Bay and into the Atlantic Ocean. The Manasquan Inlet is located in the county, which connects the Atlantic Ocean with the estuary of the Manasquan River, a bay-like body of saltwater that serves as the starting point of the Intracoastal Waterway, which attracts as many as 1,600 boats each weekend during the peak season.
Adjacent counties
The county adjoins:- Middlesex County – northwest
- Ocean County – south
- Mercer County – west
- Burlington County – southwest
- Richmond County, New York – north
National protected area
- Gateway National Recreation Area
Demographics
Census 2010
2000 Census
As of the 2000 United States Census there were 615,301 people, 224,236 households, and 160,328 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,304 people per square mile. There were 240,884 housing units at an average density of 510 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 84.39% White, 8.06% Black or African American, 0.14% Native American, 3.97% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.74% from other races, and 1.68% from two or more races. 6.20% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Based on the first ancestries reported by Monmouth County residents in the 2000 Census, 23.2% of residents were of Italian ancestry, 23.0% Irish, 14.0% German, 7.5% Polish and 7.0% English ancestry.There were 224,236 households out of which 35.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.20% were married couples living together, 10.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.50% were non-families. 23.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.24.
In the county, the population was spread out with 26.10% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 30.40% from 25 to 44, 24.10% from 45 to 64, and 12.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $64,271, and the median income for a family was $76,823. Males had a median income of $55,030 versus $35,415 for females. The per capita income for the county was $31,149. About 4.5% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.5% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Monmouth County is governed by a five-member Board of Chosen Freeholders, who are elected at-large for three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats up for election each year. Each January, the freeholders select one of their members to serve as the director of the board for the year to preside over the meetings and activities of the board. Monmouth County's Freeholders have both administrative and policy making powers. The freeholders oversee the five mandatory functions of county government delegated to it by the state. Each freeholder is assigned responsibility for one of the five functional areas: Administration and Special Services; Public Works and Engineering; Human Services, Health and Transportation; Finance and Administration of Justice, overseeing more than 70 county departments in total. In 2016, freeholders were paid $27,000 and the freeholder director was paid an annual salary of $27,900.County Administrator Teri O'Connor, an appointed position, serves as the county's chief executive officer, and is responsible for carrying out the policies and directives established by the Board of Chosen Freeholders and managing the daily operations of the county's more than 3,000 employees.
, Monmouth County's Freeholders are:
- Freeholder Director Thomas A. Arnone
- Freeholder Deputy Director Lillian G. Burry
- Sue Kiley
- Patrick G. Improveduto
- Dominick DiRocco
Pursuant to Article VII Section II of the New Jersey State Constitution, each county in New Jersey is required to have three elected administrative officials known as "constitutional officers." These officers are the County Clerk and County Surrogate and the County Sheriff. Monmouth county's constitutional officers are:
- County clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon
- Sheriff Shaun Golden Monmouth County has had sheriffs since he colonial era.
- Surrogate Rosemarie D. Peters
Monmouth County constitutes Vicinage 9 of the New Jersey Superior Court and is seated at the Monmouth County Courthouse in Freehold Borough, with additional facilities in Freehold and Ocean Township; the Assignment Judge for Vicinage 9 is Lisa P. Thornton.
The 4th and 6th Congressional Districts cover the county.
The county is part of the 11th, 12th, 13th and 30th Districts in the New Jersey Legislature.
Politics
Monmouth County generally leans Republican in federal, state and local races, though registered Democrats very narrowly outnumber registered Republicans. Al Gore in 2000 and Bill Clinton in 1996 are the only two Democratic presidential candidates to have won it since 1964, when Lyndon B. Johnson won a national landslide and carried every county in New Jersey. Republicans also hold all five county Freeholder seats, all three constitutional offices, and the majority of state legislative seats.As of September 30, 2019, there were a total of 461,043 registered voters in Monmouth County, of whom 128,776 were registered as Democrats, 128,121 were registered as Republicans and 198,930 were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 5,216 voters registered to other parties. Among the county's 2010 Census population, 89% of residents of age 18 and over were registered to vote.
The Republican Party had held all five Freeholder seats until 2006, but after the 2006 and 2008 elections, Democrats controlled the Board by a 3–2 margin. The Board swung back in favor of the Republicans after the 2009 election when Republican John Curley beat Democrat Sean Byrnes. Both were running to succeed former Freeholder Director Barbara McMorrow, a Democrat, who had chosen not to seek re-election. In 2010, former mayor of Neptune City, NJ, Thomas Arnone and incumbent Freeholder Robert Clifton won seats giving Republicans control of the Board of Chosen Freeholders by a 4–1 margin.
In the 2004 U.S. presidential election, George W. Bush carried the county by a 10% margin over John Kerry, with Kerry carrying the state by 6.7% over Bush. In 2008, John McCain carried Monmouth by an unexpectedly close margin of only 3.7% margin over Barack Obama, with Obama winning New Jersey by 15.5% over McCain. In the state's U.S. Senatorial election that same year, Dick Zimmer also won here, by a 6.2% margin over incumbent Frank Lautenberg, with Lautenberg winning reelection by 14.1% over Zimmer. In the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Republican Donald Trump received 166,723 of the vote, Democrat Hillary Clinton received 137,181 of the vote, and other candidates received 10,473 of the vote. In the 2009 Gubernatorial Election, Republican Chris Christie received 62% of the vote, defeating Democrat Jon Corzine, who received around 31%. In the 2017 Gubernational Election, Republican Kim Guadagno received 101,525 of the vote, and Democrat Phil Murphy received 79,423 of the vote. Notably, both Guadagno and Murphy were Monmouth County residents.
In the 2018 United States Midterms, there were 261,419 votes cast for the United States Senate. 112,383 voted for Democrat Bob Menedez, 140,628 voted for Republican Bob Hugin, while other candidates from 6 different parties received a total of 8,408 of the vote. Monmouth County has two Congressional Districts within it: the 4th and 6th. For the 4th district 178,640 ballots were cast within Monmouth County, of which 93,491 voted for Republican Chris Smith, 82,535 voted for Democrat Joshua Welle, and 2,614 voted for candidates of other parties. For the 6th district, 80,977 ballots were cast within Monmouth County, of which 44,405 voted for Democrat Frank Pallone, and 36,572 voted for Republican Richard J. Pezzullo.
Transportation
Roads and highways
Monmouth County has numerous important roads that pass through., the county had a total of of roadways, of which are maintained by the local municipality, by Monmouth County and by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.The state routes include Route 18, Route 33, Route 33 Business, Route 34, Route 35, Route 36, Route 66, Route 70, Route 71, Route 79, and Route 138. U.S. Route 9 passes through and practically bisects Monmouth, stretching through the county for more than from Lakewood in Ocean County in the south to Old Bridge Township in Middlesex County to the north.
Limited access roads include Interstate 195, the only interstate to pass through the county, which extends for from Jackson in Ocean County on the west to Wall in Monmouth County on the east. The New Jersey Turnpike just misses the county border by near Upper Freehold Township. The Garden State Parkway extends from Brick Township in Ocean County in the south to Old Bridge Township in Middlesex County to the north. The Parkway's Monmouth Service Area is located at milepost 100, between exits 98 and 100.
Public transportation
Numerous NJ Transit buses crisscross and deliver hundreds of passengers each day to northern New Jersey and New York's Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan as well as the 317 bus line going into Philadelphia. Many hundreds more each day travel on NJ Transit Rail Operations' North Jersey Coast Line, which serves Penn Station in New York City, and passes through Middlesex County, entering Monmouth County at Matawan, with 14 stations covering the length of the county, connecting the New York region to Atlantic Ocean shore communities.Municipalities
Municipalities in Monmouth County are listed below. Other, unincorporated communities in the county are listed next to their parent municipality. Many of these areas are census-designated places that have been created by the United States Census Bureau for enumeration purposes within a township, with the 2010 Census population listed. Other communities and enclaves that exist within a municipality are also listed.
Municipality | Map index | Mun. type | Pop. | Housing units | Total area | Water area | Land area | Pop. density | Housing density | School district | Unincorporated communities |
Aberdeen Township | 50 | township | 18,636 | 7,102 | 7.77 | 2.33 | 5.45 | 3,343.0 | 1,303.8 | Matawan-Aberdeen | Cliffwood Cliffwood Beach CDP Henningers Mills Strathmore CDP |
Allenhurst | 14 | borough | 496 | 365 | 0.28 | 0.02 | 0.26 | 1,887.9 | 1,389.3 | Asbury Park | |
Allentown | 38 | borough | 1,828 | 735 | 0.63 | 0.03 | 0.60 | 3,023.9 | 1,215.8 | Upper Freehold Regional | |
Asbury Park | 11 | city | 15,511 | 8,076 | 1.60 | 0.18 | 1.42 | 11,319.5 | 5,672.4 | Asbury Park | |
Atlantic Highlands | 29 | borough | 4,385 | 2,002 | 4.56 | 3.27 | 1.29 | 3,401.2 | 1,552.9 | Henry Hudson Regional Atlantic Highlands | Hilton Stone Church |
Avon-by- the-Sea | 8 | borough | 1,901 | 1,321 | 0.54 | 0.12 | 0.43 | 4,459.1 | 3,098.6 | Manasquan Avon | |
Belmar | 7 | borough | 5,587 | 3,931 | 1.65 | 0.60 | 1.05 | 5,544.0 | 3,761.4 | Manasquan Belmar | |
Bradley Beach | 10 | borough | 4,298 | 3,180 | 0.63 | 0.02 | 0.61 | 7,023.6 | 5,196.6 | Asbury Park Neptune Twp Bradley Beach | |
Brielle | 1 | borough | 4,774 | 2,034 | 2.37 | 0.62 | 1.76 | 2,717.5 | 1,157.8 | Manasquan Brielle | Manasquan Park |
Colts Neck Township | 47 | township | 9,879 | 3,735 | 31.79 | 1.06 | 30.73 | 330.0 | 121.5 | Freehold Regional Colts Neck | Bucks Mill Colonial Terrace Cooks Mills Montrose Phalanx Scobeyville Vanderburg |
Deal | 15 | borough | 750 | 926 | 1.32 | 0.08 | 1.24 | 604.8 | 746.7 | Shore Regional Deal | |
Eatontown | 24 | borough | 12,242 | 5,723 | 5.88 | 0.05 | 5.83 | 2,181.5 | 982.3 | Monmouth Regional Eatontown | |
Englishtown | 36 | borough | 1,847 | 647 | 0.59 | 0.02 | 0.57 | 3,245.7 | 1,137.0 | Freehold Regional Manalapan-Englishtown | |
Fair Haven | 20 | borough | 5,820 | 2,065 | 2.11 | 0.51 | 1.60 | 3,832.5 | 1,292.9 | Rumson-Fair Haven Fair Haven | |
Farmingdale | 34 | borough | 1,329 | 578 | 0.52 | 0.00 | 0.52 | 2,547.7 | 1,108.0 | Freehold Regional Farmingdale | |
Freehold Borough | 35 | borough | 11,767 | 4,249 | 1.95 | 0.00 | 1.95 | 6,180.8 | 2,179.1 | Freehold Regional Freehold Borough | |
Freehold Township | 42 | township | 34,735 | 13,140 | 38.73 | 0.22 | 38.50 | 939.8 | 341.3 | Freehold Regional Freehold Township | Burlington Heights East Freehold CDP Georgia Orchard Estates Siloam Smithburg Stonehurst East Stonehurst West West Freehold CDP |
Hazlet Township | 53 | township | 19,802 | 7,417 | 5.67 | 0.12 | 5.56 | 3,659.4 | 1,334.8 | Hazlet Township | Centerville Mechanicsville North Centerville Tiltons Corner Van Marters Corner West Keansburg |
Highlands | 28 | borough | 5,005 | 3,146 | 1.37 | 0.60 | 0.77 | 6,522.8 | 4,100.1 | Henry Hudson Regional Highlands | Waterwitch |
Holmdel Township | 51 | township | 16,662 | 5,792 | 18.11 | 0.22 | 17.90 | 937.3 | 323.7 | Holmdel Township | Centerville Crawford Corners Everett Morrells Corner Pleasant Valley Crossroads |
Howell Township | 43 | township | 52,114 | 17,979 | 61.21 | 0.65 | 60.56 | 843.4 | 296.9 | Freehold Regional Howell Township | Adelphia Ardena Ardmore Estates Bergerville Candlewood Collingwood Park Fairfield Fort Plains Freewood Acres Jerseyville Lake Club Land of Pines Larrabees Lower Squankum Matthews Maxim Oak Glen Parkway Pines Ramtown CDP Salem Hill Shacks Corner Southard Squankum West Farms Winston Park Wyckoff Mills |
Interlaken | 13 | borough | 820 | 393 | 0.38 | 0.05 | 0.33 | 2,482.3 | 1,189.7 | Shore Regional West Long Branch | |
Keansburg | 30 | borough | 10,105 | 4,318 | 16.79 | 15.72 | 1.07 | 9,452.3 | 4,039.1 | Keansburg | Tiltons Corner |
Keyport | 32 | borough | 9,719 | 3,272 | 1.47 | 0.07 | 1.40 | 5,188.4 | 2,344.8 | Keyport | |
Lake Como | 6 | borough | 1,759 | 1,115 | 0.27 | 0.01 | 0.25 | 6,943.6 | 4,401.4 | Manasquan Belmar | |
Little Silver | 21 | borough | 5,813 | 2,278 | 3.32 | 0.61 | 2.71 | 2,197.3 | 841.3 | Red Bank Regional Little Silver | Little Silver Point |
Loch Arbour | 12 | village | 194 | 159 | 0.14 | 0.04 | 0.10 | 1,928.2 | 1,580.4 | Shore Regional West Long Branch | |
Long Branch | 16 | city | 30,406 | 14,170 | 6.28 | 1.01 | 5.27 | 5,824.4 | 2,686.7 | Long Branch | Branchport East Long Branch Elberon North Long Branch Pier Village West End |
Manalapan Township | 41 | township | 39,596 | 13,735 | 30.84 | 0.23 | 30.61 | 1,270.0 | 448.8 | Freehold Regional Manalapan-Englishtown | Clarks Mills Elton Gordons Corner Lafayette Mills Millhurst Monmouth Heights Oakland Mills Smithburg Taylors Mills Tennent Whittier Oaks Yorketown CDP |
Manasquan | 2 | borough | 5,846 | 3,500 | 2.53 | 1.15 | 1.38 | 4,263.0 | 2,530.2 | Manasquan | |
Marlboro Township | 49 | township | 39,874 | 13,436 | 30.47 | 0.11 | 30.36 | 1,323.7 | 442.5 | Freehold Regional Marlboro Township | Beacon Hill Bradevelt Claytons Corner Henningers Mills Herberts Corner Hillsdale Marlboro Monmouth Heights Montrose Morganville CDP Mount Pleasant Pleasant Valley Robertsville CDP Smocks Corner Spring Valley Wickatunk |
Matawan | 33 | borough | 8,736 | 3,606 | 2.40 | 0.14 | 2.26 | 3,896.6 | 1,594.9 | Matawan-Aberdeen | Freneau |
Middletown Township | 52 | township | 65,490 | 24,959 | 58.73 | 17.75 | 40.99 | 1,622.9 | 608.9 | Middletown Township | Belford CDP Chapel Hill East Keansburg Everett Fairview CDP Harmony Hendrickson Corners Holland Leonardo CDP Leonardville Lincroft CDP Locust Monmouth Hills Navesink CDP New Monmouth North Middletown CDP Oak Hill Philips Mills Port Monmouth CDP Red Hill River Plaza Stone Church Tiltons Corner Town Brook |
Millstone Township | 40 | township | 10,453 | 3,434 | 37.27 | 0.68 | 36.59 | 288.8 | 93.9 | Upper Freehold Regional Millstone Township | Bairdsville Bergen Mills Carrs Corner Carrs Tavern Charleston Springs Clarksburg Ely Elys Corner Fair Play Holmeson Perrineville Smithburg Stone Tavern Sweetman |
Monmouth Beach | 17 | borough | 3,279 | 1,981 | 2.07 | 0.99 | 1.08 | 3,049.5 | 1,842.4 | Shore Regional Monmouth Beach | Galilee |
Neptune Township | 45 | township | 27,595 | 12,991 | 8.67 | 0.49 | 8.18 | 3,414.3 | 1,587.8 | Neptune Township | Bradley Park Green Grove Hamilton Ocean Grove CDP Shark River Hills CDP West Grove |
Neptune City | 9 | borough | 4,869 | 2,312 | 0.95 | 0.00 | 0.95 | 5,105.0 | 2,424.0 | Neptune Township Neptune City | |
Ocean Township | 46 | township | 26,708 | 11,541 | 11.00 | 0.12 | 10.88 | 2,509.1 | 1,061.1 | Ocean Township | Cold Indian Springs Deal Park Dogs Corners Elberon Park Green Grove Oakhurst CDP Oakhurst Manor Wanamassa CDP Wayside Wertheins Corner West Allenhurst West Deal |
Oceanport | 22 | borough | 5,751 | 2,390 | 3.80 | 0.62 | 3.18 | 1,833.7 | 751.5 | Shore Regional Oceanport | Port-au-peck Sands Point |
Red Bank | 26 | borough | 12,048 | 5,381 | 2.16 | 0.42 | 1.74 | 7,019.1 | 3,094.4 | Red Bank Regional Red Bank Borough | |
Roosevelt | 37 | borough | 882 | 327 | 1.92 | 0.01 | 1.91 | 461.8 | 171.2 | East Windsor Roosevelt | |
Rumson | 19 | borough | 6,776 | 2,585 | 7.12 | 2.06 | 5.06 | 1,408.0 | 511.0 | Rumson-Fair Haven Rumson | Oceanic Waterloo |
Sea Bright | 18 | borough | 1,412 | 1,211 | 1.29 | 0.56 | 0.73 | 1,935.5 | 1,659.9 | Shore Regional Oceanport | Low Moor Navesink Beach Normandie |
Sea Girt | 3 | borough | 1,828 | 1,291 | 1.45 | 0.39 | 1.06 | 1,729.6 | 1,221.5 | Manasquan Sea Girt | |
Shrewsbury Borough | 25 | borough | 3,809 | 1,310 | 2.20 | 0.03 | 2.17 | 1,757.2 | 604.4 | Red Bank Regional Shrewsbury Borough | |
Shrewsbury Township | 48 | township | 1,141 | 648 | 0.10 | 0.00 | 0.10 | 10,877.7 | 6,177.7 | Monmouth Regional Tinton Falls | |
Spring Lake | 5 | borough | 2,993 | 2,048 | 1.73 | 0.40 | 1.33 | 2,250.8 | 1,540.2 | Manasquan Spring Lake | North Spring Lake |
Spring Lake Heights | 4 | borough | 4,713 | 2,972 | 1.31 | 0.03 | 1.28 | 3,671.3 | 2,315.1 | Manasquan Spring Lake Heights | Villa Park |
Tinton Falls | 27 | borough | 17,563 | 8,766 | 15.62 | 0.14 | 15.49 | 1,155.3 | 566.0 | Monmouth Regional Tinton Falls | Green Grove Hockhockson Macedonia Pine Brook Reevytown Wayside West Shrewsbury Wileys Corner |
Union Beach | 31 | borough | 5,485 | 2,269 | 1.89 | 0.09 | 1.80 | 3,461.5 | 1,257.7 | Keyport Union Beach | Natco Van Marters Corner |
Upper Freehold Township | 39 | township | 7,019 | 2,458 | 47.23 | 0.82 | 46.42 | 148.7 | 53.0 | Upper Freehold Regional | Arneytown Cooleys Corner Cream Ridge Ellisdale Emleys Hill Homes Mills Hornerstown Imlaystown Kirbys Mills Nelsonville New Canton New Sharon Polhemustown Pullentown Red Valley Robinsville Sharon Shrewsbury Spring Mill Walnford Wrightsville |
Wall Township | 44 | township | 25,705 | 10,883 | 31.74 | 1.06 | 30.67 | 853.0 | 354.8 | Wall Township | Algers Mills Allaire Allenwood CDP Baileys Corner Blansingburg Carmerville Collingwood Park Glendola New Bedford Osbornes Mills Remsen Mills Sterling Woods West Belmar CDP |
West Long Branch | 23 | borough | 7,909 | 2,528 | 2.89 | 0.04 | 2.86 | 2,832.9 | 884.5 | Shore Regional West Long Branch | |
Monmouth County | — | county | 630,380 | 258,410 | 665.32 | 196.53 | 468.79 | 1,344.7 | 551.2 |
Fire departments
Monmouth County is covered by 53 different fire departments, which contain 135 individual fire companies and over 7,000 volunteer firefighters, who are all represented by the Monmouth County Firemen's Association.The Monmouth County Fire Marshal's Office is responsible for training all of the firefighters through the Monmouth County Fire Academy, as well as investigating any fires which may be deemed suspicious and/or involving a fatality. The Monmouth County fire marshal, currently Kevin Stout, and his staff – including assistant fire marshals and academy staff – are appointed by the County Board of Chosen Freeholders.
With the exception of the fully professional Asbury Park Fire Department and the US Navy Fire Department at NWS Earle, the remainder of the municipalities in the county have volunteer or combination fire departments. The largest volunteer department is in Middletown Township with 11 stations and 350 active members, special services, air and fire police units, in addition to operating its own training facility.
In terms of hazardous material emergencies, very few towns, notably Middletown which has a special services unit, have special units to respond to these types of emergencies. Fort Monmouth responded to most HazMat cases prior to the closing of the base. Naval Weapons Station Earle is also available for HazMat incidents.
The oldest fire department in the county in continuous operation is the Hope Fire Company in Allentown, organized in 1856. The newest fire department, Holmdel Fire Co. No. 2 was established in 2006.
Monmouth County utilizes a mutual aid system, in which surrounding municipalities are available to send their resources to incidents where extra help or expertise is needed.
Coroners and medical examiners
Jordan Woolley served as coroner circa 1880. John W. Flock Sr. was the coroner in 1902. The office of medical examiner was merged with Middlesex County, New Jersey in 2016. Dr. Diane Karluk, M.D. is the medical examiner serving Mercer County, Middlesex County and Monmouth County.Education
is a four-year private university located in West Long Branch that was founded in 1933 as Monmouth Junior College.Brookdale Community College is the two-year community college for Monmouth County, one of a network of 19 :Category:New Jersey County Colleges|county colleges statewide. The school is located in the Lincroft section of Middletown Township, having been founded in 1967. Rutgers University has a partnership with Brookdale which offers bachelor's degree completion programs at Brookdale's Freehold campus.
In addition to multiple public high schools, parochial schools in Monmouth County include St. Rose High School, Red Bank Catholic High School, Christian Brothers Academy, St. John Vianney High School, and Mater Dei High School, which operate under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton. A secular private school, Ranney School, is also located in the county.
The county has an extensive vocational high school program, known as the Monmouth County Vocational School District, including five magnet schools:
- Academy of Allied Health & Science in Neptune Township
- Biotechnology High School in Freehold Township
- Communications High School in Wall Township
- High Technology High School in Lincroft
- Marine Academy of Science and Technology in Sandy Hook
Climate and weather
Average monthly temperatures in Asbury Park range from 32.5 °F in January to 75.0 °F in July, while in Allentown, NJ they range from 31.9 °F in January to 75.5 °F in July.
On October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy caused catastrophic damage to coastal areas of Monmouth County. As Sandy's surge arrived in Monmouth County, flood levels of above normal were measured at Sandy Hook shortly before the destruction of the tidal station, breaking all previous local records. The surge caused waves as high as, measured where the Sandy Hook Bay meets the New York Bay.
Points of Interest
- Monmouth Battlefield State Park
- Allaire State Park
- Keansburg Amusement Park & Runaway Rapids
- PNC Bank Arts Center
- Pier Village
- Asbury Park Boardwalk
- Gateway National Recreation Area
- Holmdel Park
- Freehold Raceway Mall
- Monmouth Mall
- iPlay America
- Jenkinson's Boardwalk & Aquarium
- Numerous beaches along the Jersey Shore
Wineries, breweries, and distilleries
- Basil T's Brewery
- Carton Brewing
- Cream Ridge Winery
- Four JG's Orchards & Vineyards
- Kane Brewing
- Laird & Company
- Peppadew Fresh Vineyards
Footnotes