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Middletown Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census had a total population of 66,327. Middletown is one of the oldest sites of European settlement in New Jersey. Belford (2000 Census population of 1,340), Fairview (3,942), Leonardo (2,823), Lincroft (6,255), Navesink (1,962), North Middletown (3,165) and Port Monmouth (3,742) are all Census-designated places and unincorporated areas located within Middletown Township. In 2006, Middletown was voted 50th in CNN Money's Best Places to Live.
History Though small communities of Lenape Native Americans were common throughout the area, the first known European landing in what would become Middletown Township occurred in 1609, when the English explorer Henry Hudson landed along the shores of the Sandy Hook Bay. Hudson was in search of the mythical Northwest Passage in the service of the Dutch West India Company. Middletown Township was established in 1664, after the English conquest of New Amsterdam; but there was unauthorized settlement before that. The long-standing tradition had Penelope Stout, one of the first settlers, hiding in a tree from hostile Indians. During the American Revolution, Middletown and much of the rest of Eastern Monmouth County was held by the British. After the Battle of Monmouth, the British retreat from Freehold Township, New Jersey carried them down King's Highway in Middletown to their embarkation points in the bay. Upon the completion of a railroad junction in 1875, the town grew more rapidly, eventually changing from a group of small and loosely connected fishing and agricultural villages into a wealthy and alarmingly fast-growing suburb at the turn of the 21st century. If Middletown ever had a recoginizable town center or town square, it was lost in that rapid growth soon after World War II. In May of 1958, several Nike Ajax missiles exploded at Battery NY-53 in Chapel Hill, killing ten Army and civilian personnel. The accident was one of the worst missile-related disasters of the Cold War. Middletown was extremely hard hit during the attack on the World Trade Center, losing 36 of its residents, among the largest number for any municipality in New Jersey; there is a memorial to them in the Highlands of Middletown. Geography and Geology According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 153.7 km² (59.3 mi²). 106.5 km² (41.1 mi²) of it is land and 47.2 km² (18.2 mi²) of it (30.72%) is water. Middletown borders Colts Neck Township, Holmdel Township, Red Bank, the Boro of Tinton Falls, Atlantic Highlands, Rumson, Sea Bright, Highlands, Fair Haven, Keansburg and Hazlet Township. Poricy Creek (Poricy Park, Oak Hill Road) is locally well-known for its deposits of Cretaceous marine fossils, including belemnites. Demographics As of the census² of 2000, there were 66,327 people, 23,236 households, and 18,100 families residing in the township. The population density was 622.8/km² (1,613.0/mi²). There were 23,841 housing units at an average density of 223.9/km² (579.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 94.71% White, 1.21% African American, 0.07% Native American, 2.59% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.41% of the population. There were 23,236 households out of which 37.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.3% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.1% were non-families. 18.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.27. In the township the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males. The median income for a household in the township was $75,566, and the median income for a family was $86,124. Males had a median income of $60,755 versus $36,229 for females. The per capita income for the township was $34,196. About 1.9% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.2% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over. Local government The Township Committee operates under a special charter approved on June 23, 1971, by the New Jersey Legislature. Middletown Township is governed by a five-member Township Committee. At an anuual reorganization meeting, the Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor and another as Deputy Mayor, each for a one-year term. The term for each Committee member is three years. The Township Committee supervises the operation of municipal government by establishing policies and programs and appropriating funds. After the municipal elections of November 2005, the Mayor of Middletown Township remained Thomas G. Hall. Other members of the Township Committee are Deputy Mayor Gerard P. Scharfenberger, Pamela M. Brightbill, Rosemarie D. Peters, and Thomas P. Wilkens. Federal, state and county representation Middletown Township is split between the Sixth and Twelfth Congressional Districts and is part of New Jersey's 13th Legislative District. Education The Middletown Township Public School District consists of seventeen public schools, with a student population of more than 10,000. There are twelve K-5 Elementary Schools ( Bayview, Fairview, Harmony, Leonardo, Lincroft, Middletown Village, Navesink, New Monmouth, Nut Swamp, Ocean Avenue, Port Monmouth and River Plaza), three grade 6-8 middle schools ( Bayshore, Thompson and Thorne), and two high schools for grades 9-12, Middletown High School North * and Middletown High School South *. Four elementary schools feed into each of the three middle schools. The facilities vary in age, architecture, size, and student population. Along with public education, Middletown Township is home to one private high school, Christian Brothers Academy, as well as one parochial grammar school, Saint Leo the Great. Both schools are in the Lincroft District of Middletown Township. Christian Brothers Academy is an all boys College preparatory school with a focus on Christian education run by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. Transportation Exits 109 and 114 of the Garden State Parkway's are located in Middletown Township, which provides easy access to the New Jersey Turnpike, New York City and the state of New York. Routes 35 and 36 pass through Middletown. The North Jersey Coast Line is a major commuter rail line into and out of the New York City metropolitan area, operating on routes under the shared operation of CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway. Notable residents | ||||||||
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