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Freehold Township, New Jersey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Freehold Township is a Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 31,537.
Freehold Township was first formed on October 31, 1693, and was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798. Portions of Freehold Township were taken to form Upper Freehold Township (c. 1731), Millstone Township (February 28, 1844), Jackson Township (March 6, 1844), Atlantic Township (February 18, 1847; now Colts Neck Township), Marlboro Township (February 17, 1848) and Manalapan Township (March 9, 1848).[1]
The Battle of Monmouth was fought in what has been preserved as Monmouth Battlefield State Park, which is in Freehold Township and Manalapan. Freehold Township is sometimes incorrectly credited as the hometown of American Rock and Roll legend Bruce Springsteen, who actually spent his childhood in nearby Freehold Borough.
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According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 99.8 km² (38.5 mi²). 99.6 km² (38.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.21%) is water. Freehold Township shares borders with Marlboro, Manalapan, Colts Neck, Millstone Township, Jackson, Howell, and Freehold Borough. The borough is entirely surrounded by the township.
East Freehold (2000 Census population of 4,936) and West Freehold (12,498) are census-designated places and unincorporated areas located within Freehold Township.
The township is located approximately one hour south of New York City an one hour northeast of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Many residents of Freehold Township work in New York and commute to the city daily. Freehold Township is also just fifteen minutes from Belmar which is located on the Jersey Shore and is a popular summer destination for beach goers.
On 12 April 1782, at Middletown Point, on the southern coast of Sandy Hook Bay, Joshua Huddy was hanged by British Loyalists under the direction of Richard Lippincott. Patriots discovered Huddy's body hanging from the gallows the following morning, cut it down and brought it to Freehold Township, where he was buried at Old Tennent Church in an unmarked grave.[2]
The township's title, 'freehold', was manifestly adapted from the English noun (occasionally utilized as an adverb) meaning 'the tenure of property held in fee simple for life '.
Route 33 once ran through the heart of Freehold, but congestion led to the study of a new freeway alignment. After several years, the freeway was downsized to merely a bypass of Freehold. Construction from near Sweetmans Lane (CR 527) to U.S. Route 9 was finished in 1972. Eventually construction began again and the bypass was extended to Halls Mill Road in 1989. For decades traffic was detoured, and congestion just kept getting worse. Finally, after nearly 30 years of waiting, the bypass was fully completed in January of 2003. Since then, the congestion on Route 33 and Route 33 Business has considerably lessened.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 1,720 |
|
|
| 1940 | 2,459 | 43.0% | |
| 1950 | 3,442 | 40.0% | |
| 1960 | 4,779 | 38.8% | |
| 1970 | 13,185 | 175.9% | |
| 1980 | 19,202 | 45.6% | |
| 1990 | 24,710 | 28.7% | |
| 2000 | 31,537 | 27.6% | |
| historical data source: [3] | |||
As of the census² of 2000, there were 31,537 people, 10,814 households, and 8,283 families residing in the township. The population density was 316.7/km² (820.2/mi²). There were 11,032 housing units at an average density of 110.8/km² (286.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 87.09% White, 5.12% African American, 0.14% Native American, 5.15% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.19% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.19% of the population.
There were 10,814 households out of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.9% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.4% were non-families. 20.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.21.
In the township the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 97.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.3 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $77,185, and the median income for a family was $89,845. Males had a median income of $62,545 versus $36,668 for females. The per capita income for the township was $31,505. About 2.8% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.
The Township Committee governs Freehold Township. It is the oldest form of government in New Jersey and is considered to be the most responsive to the needs of its citizens. Freehold Township is governed by five Committee persons, each of whom is elected for a three-year staggered term. At the beginning of each year, the Committee members elect one of their members to serve as Mayor and one as Deputy Mayor for that year.
This five-member Committee is empowered to enact local ordinances, to levy municipal taxes and conduct the affairs of this community. In almost all cases, it can review and approve the actions of other Freehold Township boards, committees and agencies. The Township Committee conducts all of its business during monthly meetings open to the public.
The members of the Township Committee are Mayor Anthony J. Ammiano, Deputy Mayor Raymond A. Kershaw, Dorothy H. Avallone, Dr. Eugene B. Golub and David M. Salkin[4]. All the current members of the township committee are members of the Republican Party.
Freehold Township is split between the Fourth and Twelfth Congressional Districts, and is part of New Jersey's 12th Legislative District.[5]
New Jersey's Fourth Congressional District, covering portions of Burlington County, Mercer County, Monmouth County and Ocean County, is represented by Christopher Smith (R). New Jersey's Twelfth Congressional District, covering all of Hunterdon County and portions of Middlesex County, Monmouth County, Morris County, and Somerset County, is represented by Rush D. Holt Jr. (D). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
The 12th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Ellen Karcher (D, Marlboro) and in the Assembly by Jennifer Beck (R, Red Bank) and Michael J. Panter (D, Red Bank). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).
Monmouth County is governed by a five-member Board of Chosen Freeholders. Monmouth County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director William C. Barham, Freeholder Deputy Director Robert D. Clifton, Lillian G. Burry, Anna C. Little and Theodore J. Narozanick.
Students in Kindergarten through eighth grade are educated by the Freehold Township Elementary and Middle Schools as follows, with 2003-04 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics. Students in Kindergarten or grades 1-5 attend one of the five elementary schools: C. Richard Applegate School with 588 students, Joseph J. Catena School with 649 students, Marshall W. Errickson School with 677 students, Laura Donovan School with 815 students or West Freehold School with 235 students. Then, in grades 6-8, most students in Applegate and Catena go to Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School (with 757 students) and most students in Laura Donovan and West Freehold go to Clifton T. Barkalow Middle School(with 808 students). Errickson is split between Eisenhower and Barkalow.
Students in grades 9-12 attend either Freehold Township High School or Freehold High School (based on home address), as part of the Freehold Regional High School District. The Freehold Regional High School District also serves students from Colts Neck, Englishtown, Farmingdale, Freehold Borough, Howell, Manalapan and Marlboro. Also, in High School, students in Freehold Township have the opportunity of going to Vocational Schools such as High Technology High School and the Academy of Allied Health & Science, which are part of the Monmouth County Vocational School District. These schools are only available to students in Monmouth County.
Monmouth Battlefield State Park, Turkey Swamp Park, and Michael J. Tighe Park (formerly known as Liberty Oak Park) are all located within the township and provide assorted recreational opportunities. The southernmost segment of the Henry Hudson Trail also starts in the township and is used by walkers, runners, and bicyclists. The township also boasts other smaller parks such as Durand Park, Whittier Oaks Park, Opatut Park, Wynnefield Park, Stonehurst Park, Sandy Brook Park, Duchess Court Park, Greentree Park, Medford Park, Woodgate Park, Woodcrest Park, Orchard Hills Park, and Sargent Park.
Freehold Raceway offers horse lovers and bettors an opportunity to see harness racing, while the large Freehold Raceway Mall is, in addition to a large-scale shopping area, a venue for mall walkers in the mornings and a teenage hangout center in the evenings. As of January 2007, the mall is undergoing a major expansion project.
In 2004, the Freehold Township Senior League baseball team won the Senior League World Series. Led by manager Mike Brach of Freehold Township, the team became the first from Freehold Township to make it to the World Series, let alone win it.[6]
- Val Majewski, center fielder who played for the Baltimore Orioles in 2004
- ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 179-180.
- ^ The Joshua Huddy era, accessed December 14, 2006
- ^ New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990. Retrieved on 2007-03-03.
- ^ Township Committee Members, accessed July 4, 2006
- ^ League of Women Voters: 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, p. 57, accessed August 30, 2006
- ^ Jersey’s best standing tall at World Series, North Brunswick Sentinel by Tim Morris, August 19, 2004
- Freehold Township website
- Freehold Township Elementary and Middle Schools website
- Freehold Township Elementary and Middle Schools's 2005-06 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- National Center for Education Statistics data for the Freehold Township Elementary and Middle Schools
- Freehold Boro High School
- Freehold Township High School
- Freehold Regional High School District
- Freehold Regional High School District's 2005-06 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- Monmouth Battlefield State Park
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