Neptune City, New Jersey

"Neptune City" redirects here. For the album, see Neptune City (album).

Not to be confused with Neptune Township, New Jersey.

Neptune City, New Jersey
—  Borough  —
Map of Neptune City in Monmouth County. Inset: Location of Neptune City highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Neptune City, New Jersey
Coordinates: 40°12′2″N 74°1′53″W / 40.20056°N 74.03139°W / 40.20056; -74.03139Coordinates: 40°12′2″N 74°1′53″W / 40.20056°N 74.03139°W / 40.20056; -74.03139
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Monmouth
Incorporated	October 4, 1881
Government[1]
– Type	Borough (New Jersey)
– Mayor	Robert Brown
– Administrator	Mary Sapp[2]
Area
– Total	0.9 sq mi (2.4 km2)
– Land	0.9 sq mi (2.4 km2)
– Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	30 ft (9 m)
Population (2010)[3]
– Total	4,869
– Density	5,254.4/sq mi (2,028.8/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	07753
Area code(s)	732
FIPS code	34-49920[4][5]
GNIS feature ID	0878707[6]
Website	http://www.neptunecitynj.com

Neptune City is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 4,869.^[3]

The Borough of Neptune City was incorporated on October 4, 1881, based on a referendum held on March 19, 1881. The boundaries included all of what is now Avon-by-the-Sea, the southern portion of Bradley Beach and the present land area known as "Neptune City." On March 23, 1900, a bill approved in the New Jersey Legislature created the Borough of Avon-by-the-Sea. Seven years later, on March 13, 1907, the eastern portion of Neptune City was annexed to the Borough of Bradley Beach.^[7]

The earliest borough hall was erected in the year 1902 at the northwest corner of Evergreen Avenue and Railroad Avenue (now Memorial Drive).

Geography

Neptune City is located at 40°12′02″N 74°01′53″W / 40.200463°N 74.031282°W / 40.200463; -74.031282 (40.200463, -74.031282).^[8]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1930	2,258		—
1940	2,392		5.9%
1950	3,073		28.5%
1960	4,013		30.6%
1970	5,502		37.1%
1980	5,276		−4.1%
1990	4,997		−5.3%
2000	5,218		4.4%
2010	4,869		−6.7%
Population 1930 - 1990.[9]

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 5,218 people, 2,221 households, and 1,330 families residing in the borough. The population density was 5,742.8 people per square mile (2,213.9/km²). There were 2,342 housing units at an average density of 2,577.5 per square mile (993.7/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 83.38% White, 9.52% African American, 0.23% Native American, 2.72% Asian, 2.11% from other races, and 2.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.31% of the population.

There were 2,221 households out of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.1% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the borough the population was spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.2 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $43,451, and the median income for a family was $46,393. Males had a median income of $39,578 versus $34,044 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $22,191. About 5.0% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.8% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

Neptune City is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The Borough Council consists of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year.^[1]

As of 2011^[update], the Mayor of the Borough of Neptune City is Robert Brown. Members of the Neptune City Borough Council are Larry Cross Charlie Hartl, Sue Mitchell, Rick Pryor, Barbara Shafer and Joseph Zajack.^[10]

Federal, state and county representation

Neptune City is in the 6th Congressional district and is part of New Jersey's 11th state legislative district.^[11]

New Jersey's Sixth Congressional District is represented by Frank Pallone (D, Long Branch). New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).

11th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature, which is represented in the New Jersey Senate by Sean T. Kean (R, Wall Township) and in the New Jersey General Assembly by Mary Pat Angelini (R, Ocean Township) and Dave Rible (R, Wall Township).^[12] The Governor of New Jersey is Chris Christie (R, Mendham).^[13] The Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey is Kim Guadagno (R, Monmouth Beach).^[14]

Monmouth County is governed by a Board of Chosen Freeholders consisting of five members who are elected at-large to serve three year terms of office on a staggered basis, with one or two seats up for election each year. ^[15] As of 2011, Monmouth County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Robert D. Clifton (R, Matawan; term ends December 31, 2013)^[16], Freeholder Deputy Director John P. Curley (R, Red Bank; 2012)^[17], Thomas A. Arnone (R, Neptune City; 2013), Lillian G. Burry (R, Colts Neck Township; 2011)^[18] and Amy A. Mallet (D, Fair Haven, 2011).^[19][20][21]

Education

The Neptune City School District serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Woodrow Wilson School served 402 students as of the 2005-06 school year.^[22]

Before Woodrow Wilson School was constructed, students attended Roosevelt School, which was where Joe Freda Park on Third Ave is now. The school was demolished due to repairs that were beyond fixing.

Public school students in grades 9 through 12 attend Neptune High School as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Neptune Township Schools. The district also provides students with the opportunities to attend other high schools, including the Monmouth County Vocational School District Academies which include: the Marine Academy of Science and Technology (MAST) located on Sandy Hook, High Technology High School located on the campus of Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, the Academy of Allied Health & Science in Neptune Township and affiliated with the Jersey Shore University Medical Center, the Communications High School located on the property of Wall High School, and the new Biotechnology High School located in Freehold Township. Neptune City also provides the students with the opportunity to attend the Performing Arts Program at Red Bank Regional High School for Performing Arts in Little Silver. Along with the Performing Arts Program students may also apply to the Academy of Information Technology and the Academy of Finance both located at the Red Bank Regional High School for Performing Arts.^[23]

Landmarks

Steiner and Son's Pajama Factory

This factory was the first factory to ever be built in Neptune City, constructed in 1891 on land donated by James A. Bradley. Immanuel Steiner was a silk dealer in Austria when he emigrated to New York City in the late 1860s. He began manufacturing pajamas and nightgowns in New York City shortly thereafter. With his sons Edwin and Clarence, they sought to expand operations, opting to construct the flagship factory at the corner of Fourth and Railroad Avenue (now Memorial Drive.) The construction costs were $17,590 and the brickwork was carried out by A.A Taylor of Asbury Park. Their flagship product, "The Universal Nightshirt" became enormously popular throughout the country. Within two years time, they constructed another nearly identical factory three blocks north (since the 1930s this has been the home of The SS Adams Novelty Company). Their first national slogan was "We Put the World To Sleep".

By 1918, Steiner and Sons had nearly 2000 employees in factories in Neptune City, Neptune, Asbury Park, Long Branch, Keyport, Freehold, Manasquan and Toms River. They built a baseball park on the land between the two factories on Fourth and Seventh Avenues. In the spring of 1922, Babe Ruth and other members of the New York Yankees played an exhibition game there. Edwin Steiner assumed control at his father's passing, and he expanded the original building considerably. The Steiner corporation had a reputation for spotlessly clean working conditions, and the quality of their products is attested to in countless period advertisements stretching all the way to California.

The first ever murder in Neptune City occurred there, which was a robbery of the payroll, in 1927. George Danielson, a 65 year old courier from the First National Bank in Bradley Beach was shot point-blank at the employee entrance on 4th avenue. The bandits got away with the payroll of nearly $8000 and were later caught and tried.

In the late 1920s, the Steiner corporation purchased and merged with the Liberty Nightshirt Company, headquartered in Baltimore. The decline in demand for nightshirts was one of the reasons for the acquisition. The same circumstances forced the company to shutter most of their other area operations. Tax squabbles with the Borough of Neptune City led them to close their long-time headquarters in Neptune City in 1939 and move to Shrewsbury, Pennsylvania. They eventually went out of business.

Mario Mirabelli and his brother Michael were running a military clothing manufacturing outfit in Elizabeth at the time when they purchased the building in 1940. They expanded their operations and won considerable government contracts during the Second World War. They produced close to $11 billion worth of military clothing during the war. The Mirabelli Company continued to win military contracts after the war. Mario Mirabelli was called to testify before Congress in the late 1950s when government suppliers were accused of forcing the company to manufacture items using second-rate materials that were deemed unusable by other government manufacturing outfits. The scandal hurt Mirabelli's business and reputation. They continued to win small government contracts until the early 1960s, but eventually sold the building and went out of business.

Flea markets were held on the first floor in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Outerama, a company founded by Zenek Lapinsky in the late 1960s, continued to manufacture suits and jackets in the building until 1975 on the 2nd and 3rd floors. The bankruptcy of many of Outerama's clients led to the company's demise. The building was shuttered in 1976 and remained so for the next 25 years.

For nearly 20 years, the Borough of Neptune City sought to have the property revamped. In the early 1990s plans were underway to convert the building to retail shops and apartments, but funding was short, and the Borough foreclosed on the owners before they could realize their goal. In 2000, the building was razed and condominiums were constructed. A demolition crane was destroyed when it fell into the side of the building during the wrecking-ball operations. The Charline Motel

Religion

Neptune City has only one church, the Memorial United Methodist Church.

Recreation

The Neptune City Community Center offers a recreation center with a gym, game room, exercise room, computer room, TV room, and a special occasion room. Neptune City also owns four parks, Memorial Park which is located along the Shark River, Laird Avenue Park, the first playground built in Neptune City, Joe Freida Park, which is located on Third Avenue, and Adams Field, which is located on West Sylvania Avenue.

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Neptune City include:

• Nicole Atkins (born 1978), musician.^[24]
• Marie Castello (1915–2008), made famous in Bruce Springsteen's hit "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)".^[25]
• Danny DeVito (born 1944), actor.^[26]
• Dave McDonald (born 1977), radio personality.^{[citation needed]}
• Jack Nicholson (born 1937), actor.^[27]
• Jennifer Tisdale (born 1981), actress.^{[citation needed]}

References

1. ^ ^{a b} 2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 58.
2. ^ Borough Directory, Borough of Neptune City. Accessed May 27, 2011.
3. ^ ^{a b} "Race, Hispanic or Latino, Age, and Housing Occupancy: 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File (QT-PL), Neptune City borough, New Jersey". U.S. Census Bureau, American FactFinder 2. http://factfinder2.census.gov. Retrieved September 1, 2011. 
4. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
5. ^ A Cure for the Common Codes: New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed July 14, 2008.
6. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
7. ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1906-1968", John P. Snyder, New Jersey Bureau of Geology and Topography. 1968. p. 183.
8. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
9. ^ New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.
10. ^ The Council, Borough of Neptune City. Accessed May 27, 2011.
11. ^ 2011 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 61. Accessed May 27, 2011.
12. ^ "Legislative Roster: 2010-2011 Session". New Jersey Legislature. http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/roster.asp. Retrieved 2010-02-08. 
13. ^ "About the Governor". New Jersey. http://www.nj.gov/governor/about/. Retrieved 2010-01-21. 
14. ^ "About the Lieutenant Governor". New Jersey. http://www.nj.gov/governor/lt/. Retrieved 2010-01-21. 
15. ^ Monmouth County Government, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Accessed January 5, 2011.
16. ^ Freeholder Director Robert D. Clifton, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Accessed January 7, 2011.
17. ^ Deputy Director Freeholder John P. Curley, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Accessed January 7, 2011.
18. ^ Freeholder Lillian G. Burry, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Accessed January 7, 2011.
19. ^ Freeholder Amy A. Mallet, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Accessed January 7, 2011.
20. ^ Board of Chosen Freeholders, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Accessed January 7, 2011.
21. ^ Rizzo, Nina. "Monmouth County freeholders sworn into office", Asbury Park Press, January 6, 2011. Accessed January 7, 2011.
22. ^ Data for the Neptune City School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed May 15, 2008.
23. ^ Neptune City School District 2007 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed May 15, 2008.
24. ^ Staff. "Pop and Rock Listings", The New York Times, June 1, 2007. Accessed January 31, 2011. "Nicole Atkins, from Neptune City, N.J., is a marvelously talented fantasist with a bit of Stevie Nicks and a bit more of Rufus Wainwright in her, spinning prom-night-beautiful piano ballads with a masterly cinematic sweep."
25. ^ Staff. "Passings; Marie Castello; Psychic was a figure in Springsteen song", Los Angeles Times, July 2, 2008. Accessed January 31, 2011. "Castello, a native of Neptune City, NJ, became known worldwide in 1973 when Springsteen paid homage to her in the song '4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy).'"
26. ^ Willistein, Paul. "BIG MAN DIMINUTIVE ACTOR DANNY DEVITO STANDS TALL FOR DAY CARE", The Morning call, December 21, 1985. Accessed January 31, 2011. "DeVito was born in Neptune, N.J., where Jack Nicholson grew up. The first time DeVito and Nicholson met was during the filming of 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.'"
27. ^ McDougal, Dennis (October 2007). Five Easy Decades: How Jack Nicholson Became the Biggest Movie Star in Modern Times. Wiley. pp. 7. ISBN 0471722464. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0471722464.  "Jack grew up in 1940s Neptune City, about an hour’s drive south of Manhattan"

External links

• Borough of Neptune City official website
• Woodrow Wilson School
• Neptune City School District's 2009–10 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
• Data for the Neptune City School District, National Center for Education Statistics
• Neptune City Library