Monroe Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey

Monroe Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey
See also Monroe Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey for another New Jersey Township with the same name
Monroe Township, New Jersey
—  Township  —
Monroe Township highlighted in Middlesex County. Inset: Location of Middlesex County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Monroe Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey.
Coordinates: 40°20′11″N 74°25′59″W / 40.33639°N 74.43306°W / 40.33639; -74.43306Coordinates: 40°20′11″N 74°25′59″W / 40.33639°N 74.43306°W / 40.33639; -74.43306
Country United States
State New Jersey
County Middlesex
Incorporated April 9, 1838
Government
 – Type Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council)
 – Mayor Richard Pucci
 – Administrator Wayne Hamilton[1]
Area
 – Total 42.0 sq mi (108.9 km2)
 – Land 41.9 sq mi (108.6 km2)
 – Water 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)
Elevation 66 ft (20 m)
Population (2000)
 – Total 27,999
 – Density 667.6/sq mi (257.7/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 – Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 08831
Area code(s) 732, 848, 609
FIPS code 34-47280[2][3]
GNIS feature ID 0882159[4]
Website http://www.monroetwp.com

Monroe Township is a Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 27,999. Monroe was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 9, 1838, from portions of South Amboy Township, based on the results of a referendum held that same day. Portions of the township were taken to form East Brunswick Township (February 28, 1860), Cranbury Township (March 7, 1872) and Jamesburg (March 19, 1887).[5]

Clearbrook Park, Concordia, Rossmoor and Whittingham are census-designated places and unincorporated areas located within Monroe Township. There is a large, growing amount of age-restricted communities.[6][7][8][9]

Contents

History

Monroe Township was founded in 1838 and named in honor of the President of the United States James Monroe. For many decades, it was largely a farming community; when parts of the township blossomed into the more densely-packed neighborhoods of Helmetta, Jamesburg, and Spotswood in the late 19th century, they seceded. Railroads came into Monroe from just about the very beginning, starting with the Camden and Amboy Rail Road in the 1830s and 1840s.

In 1905, Bernarr Macfadden, the then-famous proponent of physical culture, came to the part of Monroe near Helmetta and Spotswood, and attempted to set up a camp called "Physical Culture City", where he could teach his beliefs in relative peace. However, in 1907, Macfadden was arrested for distribution of what was in those times considered pornography and the camp dissolved. The area of this camp became the Outcalt neighborhood.

The New Jersey State Home for Boys, later the Training School for Boys, and now the New Jersey Training School for Boys was established near Jamesburg. It was opened in 1867 as a home for troubled youth; however, by the mid-20th century, its purpose was to incarcerate juvenile delinquents. One of the more famous residents of The State Home was Rubin "Hurricane" Carter. Clarence Clemons of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band was a social worker there for many years during the 60's before he found fame as a sax player with Springsteen.

The township's largely agrarian landscape began to turn more suburban between 1960 and 1968, when the New Jersey Turnpike opened up Exit 8A in the western part of Monroe, in conjunction with the effort to develop the Leisure World age-restricted community of Rossmoor. Since then, at least five more communities for senior citizens have joined Rossmoor: Concordia, Clearbrook, Greenbriar at Whittingham, The Ponds, and Encore, and the prestigious Regency at Monroe. More are under development.

At the same time, and over the next few decades, suburbs for people of all ages spread into the northern parts of Monroe Township, prompting the expansion of several schools and the construction of new ones. Since 1980, in addition to the age restricted communities, Monroe has added shopping centers, a synagogue, a recreation center, and a new library

On Wednesday March 22, 2006, ten residents of Monroe Township, from The Ponds retirement community, were killed in a tour bus accident in the Andes mountains in northern Chile.[10] The tour had been arranged by the Jewish organization, B'nai B'rith. As Governor of New Jersey Jon Corzine put it, "Today, all of New Jersey is stunned and saddened by the tragic accident in Chile that took the lives of lifelong friends — vibrant and beloved residents of a community in Monroe Township who chose to share the adventure of their twilight years together" (NY Times). Of the 12 people killed, one couple was from Stamford, Connecticut. The bodies that were recovered were flown back to Monroe Township for funerals on Sunday March 26, 2006.

Over the past years, Monroe has had a surge in residential development. New communities are being erected usually around the Turnpike. Portions of Monroe's farmland are beial zoning, and commercial zoning. Roads have been widened to allow for the extra vehicular volume. Warehouses are being/have been constructed in the last few years along CR 535, located near the 8A toll gate. The northern section of the township is already developed, with developers heading further south in Monroe to start new communities. New adult communities have set ground in central Monroe, along Route 33, and on CR 615. While these new senior citizen housing units are being built, luxury homes are also being constructed. However, many senior citizens are opposed to these new construction plans since new homes would bring in more children, and therefore raise their school taxes.

There is an ongoing expansion of the Monroe Township High School that is relocating it onto portions of Thompson Park. (This project slowly received approval after an archaeological study concluded that the land was not historically significant, except about 3 or 4 acres (16,000 m2) of land). The controversy that led to the study involved a Lenape settlement, Bethel Indian Town, which protesters contended existed on the site, whereas supporters of the move of the high school claimed that Bethel Indian Town was a half-mile away. In late April 2008, construction started of the new high school. "By early 2008, the State Preservation Office and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection gave full sanction to the de-accession of the land as a protected park. Ground breaking began immediately, only to be halted in June of 2008 when additional remains were found. The consultant identified these stone foundation remains as a 19th century farmstead, with no earlier association."[11] The new high school opened in September 2011. The old high school building is now being reused as the middle school.

Monroe is planning on developing the area of land along Route 33 (Route 33 Land Development Task Force) all the way from the town line in East Windsor Township to Millstone Township. This proposal would include the construction of new luxury houses, a new grocery store, a baseball park, a performing arts center, a bus stop, new restaurants, and new businesses.[12]

Along County Route 619, new developments are beginning to surge forward. This surge has led 619 to be widened as an avenue in anticipation for the future traffic. A proposed grocery store is planned to be built at the corner of Applegarth Road, and Halsey Reed Road/Federal Road (Extension). Along Federal Road, new luxury houses are being built and will extend south towards the village of Applegarth. Along the Millstone River will be a new high class development, called the Millstone Preserve. These new developments are under construction.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 42.0 square miles (109 km2), of which, 41.9 square miles (109 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) of it (0.24%) is water. It is the largest municipality in Middlesex County in terms of total land area.

A partial view from Monroe
A partial view from Monroe (at night)
South Brunswick and East Brunswick Township Spotswood and Helmetta Old Bridge Twp
Cranbury Twp Manalapan Twp
   Monroe Township    
East Windsor Township Millstone Township

Also: Monroe surrounds Jamesburg.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1930 2,894
—
1940 3,034 4.8%
1950 4,082 34.5%
1960 5,831 42.8%
1970 9,138 56.7%
1980 15,858 73.5%
1990 22,255 40.3%
2000 27,999 25.8%
Est. 2006 34,907 [13] 24.7%
Population 1930 - 1990.[14]

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 27,999 people, 12,536 households, and 8,236 families residing in the township. The population density was 667.6 people per square mile (257.8/km²). There were 13,259 housing units at an average density of 316.1 per square mile (122.1/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 93.31% White, 2.93% African American, 0.06% Native American, 2.34% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.68% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.38% of the population.

There were 12,536 households out of which 15.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples living together, 3.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 28.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.70.

In the township the population was spread out with 16.0% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 16.3% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 43.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 59 years. For every 100 females there were 84.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.3 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $53,306, and the median income for a family was $68,479. Males had a median income of $56,431 versus $35,857 for females. The per capita income for the township was $31,772. About 1.3% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.

Neighborhoods and historical place names

Though Monroe is not officially broken down into traditional neighborhoods (the Census-designated places oriented around active adult communities notwithstanding), but, over the years residents have given names to various parts of the township. Three common names heard in the township are Mill Lake Manor (an area centered around Monmouth Road and 10th Avenue) and Outcalt (in the northern part of the township, near Spotswood and Helmetta). For those who have lived in Mill Lake Manor, the area is broken down further into the "Old" and "New" Manor (split by Monmouth Road on the east and west sides, the Old being east and the New being the west side). The Manor also encompasses the developments of Inwood. The neighborhood east of Spotswood-Englishtown Road, centered around Monmouth Road, extending down to 1st Avenue, is called the North Manor, or Manor Heights.

List of Neighborhoods and Historical Place Names of Monroe Township:

  • Applegarth
  • Brookside
  • Dynasty Estates
  • Fertile Land Section
  • Forsgate
  • Grace Hill
  • Gravel Hill
  • Half Acre (Home to the retirement communities of Concordia and Whittingham)
  • Hoffman
  • Hoffman Station
  • Inwood
  • Lower Jamesburg
  • Matchaponix
  • Mill Lake Manor
  • Middlesex Downs
  • Monroe Hills
  • Monroe Woods
  • Mount Mills
  • North Manor (Manor Heights)
  • Old Church
  • Outcalt
  • Prospect Plains (Home to the retirement communities of Rossmoor and Clearbrook)
  • Red Tavern
  • Rhode Hall
  • Shore Road Estates
  • South Helmetta
  • Spring Garden (later referred to as Applegarth)
  • State Home for Boys (located in Matchaponix)
  • Stone Museum (located in Machaponix)
  • Texas Road
  • The Pines (located near Outcalt)
  • Tracy
  • Tracy Station
  • Union Valley (radiates from the intersection of Union Valley Road and Union Valley-Gravel Hill Road)
  • Woodland

List of Historical Railroads of Monroe Township:

  • Camden and Amboy Railroad
  • Freehold and Jamesburg Railroad
  • Pennsylvania Railroad Amboy Division (formerly the Camden and Amboy Railroad)
  • Jamesurg Railroad Amboy Division (formerly the Freehold and Jamesburg Railroad)

Government

Local government

Monroe Township is governed by the Mayor-Council system of New Jersey municipal government under the Faulkner Act.[15]

As of 2011, the Mayor of Monroe Township is Richard Pucci. Members of the Borough Council are Council President Gerald W. Tamburro (Ward 2), Vice President Henry L. Miller (Ward 1), Leslie Koppel (at-large), Michael Leibowitz (Ward 3) and Irwin Nalitt (at-large).[16]

Federal, state and county representation

Monroe Township is in the 12th Congressional district. New Jersey's Twelfth Congressional District is represented by Rush D. Holt, Jr. (D, Hopewell Township).[17] New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).

Monroe Township is in the 14th district of the New Jersey Legislature, which is represented in the Senate by Linda R. Greenstein (D, Plainsboro Township and in the New Jersey General Assembly by Daniel R. Benson (D, Hamilton Township) and Wayne DeAngelo (D, Hamilton Township).[18] The New Jersey Senate seat, which was vacant after the resignation of Bill Baroni, was filled by Tom Goodwin (R, Hamilton Township) on March 15, 2010. In a special election held to fill the remainder of Baroni's term, Goodwin lost re-election to then Assemblywoman Greenstein.[19] Benson was chosen to fill Greenstein's vacancy in the Assembly.[20]

Middlesex County is governed by a Board of Chosen Freeholders, whose seven members are elected at-large to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with two or three seats coming up for election each year. As of 2010 , Middlesex County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Christopher D. Rafano (South River), Freeholder Deputy Director Ronald G. Rios (Carteret), Carol Barrett Ballante (Monmouth Junction), Stephen J. "Pete" Dalina (Fords), H. James Polos (Highland Park), Mildred Scott (Piscataway) and Blanquita B. Valenti (New Brunswick). Constitutional officers are County Clerk Elaine M. Flynn (Old Bridge Township), Sheriff Mildred S. Scott (Piscataway) and Surrogate Kevin J. Hoagland (New Brunswick).[21]

Education

The Monroe Township School District serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district (with 2008-09 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[22]) are Barclay Brook Elementary School (PreK-3; 516 students), Brookside Elementary School (3-6; 694), Mill Lake Elementary School (PreK-3; 659), Oak Tree Elementary School (PreK-6; 660), Woodland Elementary School (4-6; 505), Applegarth Middle School (7&8; 801) and Monroe Township High School for grades 9-12 (1,564)

During the 1991-1992 academic school year, Mill Lake Elementary School received the Blue Ribbon Award from the United States Department of Education, the highest honor that an American school can achieve. This honor was followed during the 1998-99 academic school year, to Barclay Brook Elementary School across town. Both of Monroe Township's pre-K through third grade schools received such an esteemed honor.[23]

Students from Jamesburg attend Monroe Township High School as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Jamesburg Public Schools.[24]

Transportation

Congestion on the New Jersey Turnpike approaching the merge
8A Toll Gate in Monroe Township, NJ

Some of the age-restricted communities, such as Rossmoor and Concordia, have their own transportation services within the communities. In addition, Middlesex County runs shuttles to Jamesburg from East and New Brunswick (the New Brunswick shuttle schedule is at [1]). Since Monroe entirely surrounds Jamesburg, Monroe Township also benefits from the shuttles.

Route 33 runs through the southern part of Monroe for approximately 2½ miles which then travels through Millstone Township and East Windsor Township (Monroe is the only municipality in the county that hosts Route 33). Monroe has various bus stops that allow passengers to take a bus to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, adjacent to the Lincoln Tunnel. Monroe's most busiest roads during the peak hours are Applegarth Road, Forsgate Drive and Route 32, which connects to the New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95) (the busiest road despite peak hours). Exit 8A is located on the western edge of Monroe Township, with a 9-lane toll gate featuring a "modified" double trumpet interchange (with a few ramps continuing into South Brunswick). Interstate 195 is outside the township in neighboring Millstone Township.

Monroe also houses a few county routes: County Route 535, County Route 522, County Route 527, County Route 619, County Route 615, County Route 614, County Route 613 and County Route 612. While County Route 520 doesn't pass through Monroe, it turns into CR 612. (However, some maps (such as Tele Atlas) indicate that 520 traverses through Monroe Township, and ends at CR 613.[25]) County Routes 612/520 connect to Shore Points/Garden State Parkway (Exit 109 in Middletown Township) with the New Jersey Turnpike at Exit 8A in Monroe Township.

While the turnpike passes through at an approximate length of 1½ miles, Monroe Township is known for the Turnpike's division (where it divides into Inner Car Lanes & Outer Truck Lanes) and its dangerous (and often-congested) merge, where the dual-dual configuration ends (5 lanes each direction; 2-3-3-2) and becomes a single roadway, consisting of three lanes in each direction (3-3); the merge is particularly difficult to travel through on Friday afternoons, summertime and on holidays. When the turnpike is congested (in the 8A vicinity), many motorists exit in Monroe Township at 8A and use 32 West to U.S. Route 130 south. Since 8A has become so busy, the turnpike interchange has been upgraded. The ramp (from the Turnpike) that merges onto 32 west, has been destroyed; a new two-lane ramp is now open that connects to County Route 535 (with a traffic signal) in South Brunswick. Motorists must then take 535 south to gain access to 32 westbound.

On December 1, 2004, it was unveiled that the Turnpike would be widened by extending the dual-dual setup from Interchange 8A in Monroe Township to Interchange 6 (the Pennsylvania Extension) in Mansfield Township. This would require mostly minimal construction in Monroe. Besides residents demanding sound barriers, the only major construction would be to build a new ramp from the toll gate to the southbound inner roadway (or Car Lanes). As part of this project, there are plans to widen the turnpike between Exit 9 in East Brunswick Township to Exit 8A. This would change the dual-dual configuration (from 2-3-3-2) to "3-3-3-3".

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority had proposed to build two roads that were to pass through Monroe. The first was the Driscoll Expressway which was to start from the Garden State Parkway at exit 80 in South Toms River and end 3 miles north of exit 8A along the turnpike in South Brunswick. This project was killed in the 1980s. The other was an west-east spur, Route 92. It would have started at U.S. Route 1 just north of the intersection with Ridge Road in the township of South Brunswick and would have terminated at the Exit 8A toll gate in Monroe Township. However, this was cancelled on December 1, 2006. The Authority's main focus is now widening the Turnpike between Exit 6 and Exit 8A.

Notable residents

References

  1. ^ Administration and Finance, Monroe Township. Accessed March 27, 2011.
  2. ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  3. ^ A Cure for the Common Codes: New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed July 14, 2008.
  4. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  5. ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 171.
  6. ^ Clearbrook website
  7. ^ Concordia website
  8. ^ Rossmoor website
  9. ^ "Greenbriar at Whittingham" website
  10. ^ Silent embraces, kisses mark memorial, Home News Tribune, March 24, 2006.
  11. ^ Bethel Indian Town, Richard S. Walling, February 2009, http://gnadenhutten.tripod.com/bethelindiantown/id27.html
  12. ^ http://www.monroebaseball.net/faq.html The Marketplace (Monroe Township)
  13. ^ Census data for Monroe township, United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 18, 2007.
  14. ^ New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.
  15. ^ 2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 70.
  16. ^ Mayor and Township Council, Monroe Township. Accessed March 27, 2011.
  17. ^ Municipalities, Congressman Rush D. Holt, Jr. Accessed June 29, 2008.
  18. ^ "Legislative Roster: 2010-2011 Session". New Jersey Legislature. http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/roster.asp. Retrieved 2010-02-08. 
  19. ^ "Hamilton councilman wins N.J. Senate seat vacated by Bill Baroni". The Star-Ledger. 2010-03-12. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/03/councilman_wins_state_senate_s.html. Retrieved 2010-03-14. 
  20. ^ "Mercer freeholder Dan Benson chosen to fill 14th District Assembly seat". The Times (Trenton). 2011-01-09. http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2011/01/mercer_freeholder_dan_benson_c.html. Retrieved 2011-01-31. 
  21. ^ Elected County Officials, Middlesex County, New Jersey. Accessed January 5, 2011.
  22. ^ Data for the Monroe Township School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed March 27, 2011.
  23. ^ Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 1982-1983 through 1999-2002 (PDF), United States Department of Education. Accessed March 27, 2011.
  24. ^ Cheslow, Jerry. "A Townful of Empty Nesters", The New York Times, October 14, 2007. Accessed August 8, 2008. "In addition to the four elementary schools, the Applegarth Middle School teaches Grades 7 and 8, and the 1,400-student Monroe Township High School covers Grades 9 through 12. It is shared with the borough of Jamesburg, the “hole in the doughnut” municipality in the center of the township."
  25. ^ NJDEP - i-MapNJ DEP
  26. ^ Former Jets star enjoys retirement in Monroe, East Brunswick Sentinel, July 13, 2001.
  27. ^ "Will the Real Amelia . . .", Time (magazine), November 23, 1970. Accessed November 27, 2007. "The woman they name as Amelia is Mrs. Guy Bolam, widow of a businessman and now living in Monroe Township, N.J."
  28. ^ "NEW EARHART BOOK CALLED 'NONSENSE'", The New York Times, November 11, 1970. "Mrs. Bolam, who lives in the Leisure World retirement community in Monroe Township, N. J., said she had met Mr. Gervais, a retired Army major, at a meeting of plane enthusiasts..."
  29. ^ "Pierce cited on pit bull charges at his Monroe Township Residence"

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