Hazlet is a

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. The township is located near the Raritan Bay within the Raritan Valley region. It is located in the

New York Metropolitan Area The New York metropolitan area, also called the Tri-State area and sometimes referred to as Greater New York, is the List of cities by GDP, largest metropolitan economy in the world, with a List of U.S. metropolitan areas by GDP, gross metropo ...

and is a

bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 20,125, a decrease of 209 (−1.0%) from the 2010 census count of 20,334, which in turn reflected a decline of 1,044 (−4.9%) from the 21,378 counted in the 2000 census.

History

What is now Hazlet Township was originally incorporated as Raritan Township by an act of the

New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and ...

on February 25, 1848, from portions of Middletown Township. Portions of the township were taken to form Holmdel Township (February 23, 1857), Matawan Township (also February 23, 1857, now Aberdeen Township), Keyport (March 17, 1870), Keansburg (March 26, 1917) and Union Beach (March 16, 1925). The township was renamed "Hazlet Township" as of November 28, 1967, based on the results of a referendum held on November 7, 1967.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 179 re Hazlet Township, p. 184 re Raritan Township. Accessed May 28, 2024. Hazlet derives its name from Dr. John Hazlett, who had an estate in Raritan Township near the Keyport-Holmdel Turnpike, now Holmdel Road. Hazlet was the site of the last drive-in movie theater in New Jersey, the Route 35 Drive-In, which closed in 1991, until the Delsea Drive-In in Vineland reopened in 2004. Hazlet was part of the Bayshore Regional Strategic Plan, an effort by nine municipalities in northern Monmouth County to reinvigorate the area's economy by emphasizing the traditional downtowns, dense residential neighborhoods, maritime history, and the natural environment of the Raritan Bayshore coastline. The plan has since been integrated into the 2016 Monmouth County Master Plan.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the township had a total area of 5.67 square miles (14.68 km²), including 5.57 square miles (14.42 km²) of land and 0.10 square miles (0.26 km²) of water (1.76%). Hazlet is roughly south of

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

and northeast of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. Unincorporated communities located partially or completely within Hazlet include Centerville, Mechanicsville, North Centerville, South Keyport, Tiltons Corner, Van Marters Corner and West Keansburg. The township borders Aberdeen Township, Holmdel Township, Keansburg, Keyport, Middletown Township and Union Beach.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 20,334 people, 7,140 households, and 5,526 families in the township. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was 3,659.4 per square mile (1,412.9/km²). There were 7,417 housing units at an average density of 1,334.8 per square mile (515.4/km²). The racial makeup was 91.93% (18,694)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.48% (301) Black or African American, 0.07% (15) Native American, 3.40% (691) Asian, 0.01% (3)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.58% (322) from other races, and 1.51% (308) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.87% (1,601) of the population. Of the 7,140 households, 33.4% had children under the age of 18; 63.0% were married couples living together; 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present and 22.6% were non-families. Of all households, 19.3% were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.26. 22.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 31.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.3 years. For every 100 females, the population had 92.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 89.3 males. The Census Bureau's 2006–2010

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars)

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...

was $89,415 (with a margin of error of +/− $5,891) and the median family income was $102,743 (+/− $5,511). Males had a median income of $71,710 (+/− $5,920) versus $53,371 (+/− $2,532) for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the township was $33,051 (+/− $1,340). About 1.2% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 1.3% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census there were 21,378 people, 7,244 households, and 5,802 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 7,406 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 93.17%

, 1.10%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.06% Native American, 3.39% Asian, 1.13% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 5.87% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Hazlet township, New Jersey

. Accessed August 5, 2012.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Hazlet township, Monmouth County, New Jersey
,

. Accessed August 5, 2012. There were 7,244 households, out of which 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.9% were non-families. 17.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.32. In the township the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males. The median income for a household in the township was $65,697, and the median income for a family was $71,361. Males had a median income of $51,776 versus $32,439 for females. The

for the township was $25,262. About 2.3% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the

, including 2.6% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

Hazlet is governed under the

Township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 141 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form, the second-most commonly used form of government in the state. The Township Committee is comprised of five members, who are elected directly by the voters

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather tha ...

in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle.''2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book'',

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, March 2013, p. 67. The Mayor and Deputy Mayor are elected annually by the Committee from among its five members at a reorganization meeting held each January. , members of the Hazlet Township Committee are

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Michael C. Sachs ( R, term on committee ends December 31, 2027; term as mayor ends 2025), Deputy Mayor Peter Terranova (R, term on committee ends 2027; term as deputy mayor ends 2027), James A. Cavuto (R, 2025), Robert Preston Jr. (R, 2025) and Alice Campos Zanghi (R, 2027).Township Committee
Township of Hazlet. Accessed January 27, 2025. "The governing body is comprised of five members, elected to three-year, staggered terms. There is an election of at least one member every year. The members appoint a mayor and a deputy mayor for one-year terms."November 5, 2024 General Election Official Results

Monmouth County, New Jersey Monmouth County () is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is bordered to its west by Mercer and Middlesex Counties, to its south by Ocean County, to its east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to its north ...

, updated December 16, 2024. Accessed January 1, 2025.November 8, 2023 General Election Official Results

, updated January 18, 2024. Accessed January 22, 2024.General Election November 8, 2022 Official Results

Clerk, updated December 27, 2022. Accessed January 1, 2023. In April 2022, the Township Committee selected Peter Terranova to fill the seat expiring in December 2024 that had been held by Tara Corcoran-Clark until she stepped down from office in February due to health issues. In May 2022, Robert Preston was appointed to the seat that had been held by Scott Aagre until resigned from office the previous month from a seat expiring in December 2022. In January 2019, former councilmember Michael Sachs was selected to fill the council seat expiring in December 2020 that had been held by Susan Kiley until she resigned to take office on the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders. Sachs served on an interim basis until the November 2019 general election, when he was chosen to serve the balance of the term of office.General Election November 5, 2019 Official Results

Clerk, updated December 16, 2019. Accessed January 1, 2020.

Federal, state and county representation

Hazlet Township is located in the 6th Congressional DistrictPlan Components Report
New Jersey Redistricting Commission, December 23, 2011. Accessed February 1, 2020. and is part of New Jersey's 13th state legislative district.Municipalities Sorted by 2011-2020 Legislative District
New Jersey Department of State. Accessed February 1, 2020.''2019 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''
New Jersey League of Women Voters. Accessed October 30, 2019.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 13,685 registered voters in Hazlet Township, of which 3,679 (26.9%) were registered as Democrats, 2,606 (19.0%) were registered as Republicans and 7,388 (54.0%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 12 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens. In the 2012 presidential election, Republican

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...

received 51.8% of the vote (4,844 cast), ahead of Democrat

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

with 46.6% (4,365 votes), and other candidates with 1.6% (148 votes), among the 9,430 ballots cast by the township's 13,851 registered voters (73 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 68.1%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...

received 54.0% of the vote (5,732 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 43.5% (4,618 votes) and other candidates with 1.3% (139 votes), among the 10,617 ballots cast by the township's 14,345 registered voters, for a turnout of 74.0%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

received 56.2% of the vote (5,756 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...

with 42.7% (4,375 votes) and other candidates with 0.6% (86 votes), among the 10,249 ballots cast by the township's 13,777 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 74.4. In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican

Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician and former United States Attorney, federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party (United States) ...

received 72.0% of the vote (4,164 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 26.3% (1,524 votes), and other candidates with 1.7% (97 votes), among the 5,883 ballots cast by the township's 13,838 registered voters (98 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 42.5%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 65.7% of the vote (4,517 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 26.2% (1,805 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 6.1% (420 votes) and other candidates with 1.3% (87 votes), among the 6,877 ballots cast by the township's 13,927 registered voters, yielding a 49.4% turnout.

Education

The Hazlet Township Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through

twelfth grade Twelfth Grade (also known as Grade 12, Senior Year, Standard 12, 12th Standard, 12th Class, or Class 12th or Class 12) is the twelfth and final Educational stage, year of Formal education, formal or compulsory education. It is typically the final ...

. As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of eight schools, had an enrollment of 2,703 students and 247.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.9:1.District information for Hazlet Township Public School District

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the principal federal agency responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data on education in the United States. Established under , it operates within the Institute of Education S ...

. Accessed February 1, 2024. Schools in the district (with 2022–23 enrollment data from the

) are Sycamore Drive Early Childhood Learning Center with 282 students in grades PreK-K, Lilian Drive Elementary School with 258 students in grades 1–4, Middle Road Elementary School with 271 students in grades 1–4, Raritan Valley Elementary School with 251 students in grades 1–4, Beers Street Elementary School with 188 students in grades 5–6, Cove Road Elementary School with 188 students in grades 5–6 Hazlet Middle School with 402 students in grades 7–8 and Raritan High School with 838 students in grades 9–12.

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the township had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Monmouth County and by the

New Jersey Department of Transportation The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey, including maintaining and operating the state's highway and public road system, planning and developing transport ...

. Route 35, Route 36 and County Route 516 are within Hazlet Township's borders. The

Garden State Parkway The Garden State Parkway (GSP) is a Controlled-access highway, controlled-access toll road that stretches the north–south length of eastern New Jersey from the state's southernmost tip near Cape May, New Jersey, Cape May north to the New York ...

also travels through the township, providing access to the Jersey Shore and destinations

south South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

and to

and destinations

north North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

. The Parkway's interchange 117, labeled for Keyport / Hazlet, is located within the township.

Public transportation

NJ Transit train service is available at the Hazlet station. The station offers commuter service on the North Jersey Coast Line to Hoboken Terminal, Newark Penn Station and New York Penn Station in

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan, serving as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Building, the ...

. NJ Transit provides local bus service on the 817 route. Through rail freight service is provided by Conrail Shared Assets Operations, which provides freight service between South Amboy and Lakehurst via Red Bank.

Cemeteries

The Aumack Family Burying Ground contains the graves of 20 people, including

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

Private Garret Aumack and War of 1812 Corporal Leonard Aumack.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Hazlet include: * David Burke (born 1962), chef and restaurateur * Jonathan Capehart (born 1967), journalist * James Coonan (born 1946), former head of the Irish-American gang The Westies * Ray Evernham (born 1957),

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

co-owner of Evernham Motorsports and former crew chief of Jeff Gordon * Jeff Feuerzeig (born 1964), film screenwriter and director * Sammi "Sweetheart" Giancola (born 1987), television personality, model and actress who appeared on MTV's '' Jersey Shore'' * Doug Hamilton (1963–2006), Major League Soccer executive * Jyllissa Harris (born 2000), professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

defender for the Houston Dash of the

National Women's Soccer League The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a women's professional Association football, soccer league and the highest level of the United States soccer league system#Women's leagues, United States soccer league system (alongside the USL Supe ...

* Bennett Jackson (born 1991),

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

who attended the University of Notre Dame * Joey Janela (born 1989), professional wrestler with

All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. It is owned and operated by Shahid Khan, Shahid and Tony Khan, with the latter serving as President (corporate title), president an ...

* Daniel O'Brien (born 1986), editor and senior writer for the comedy website Cracked.com * Skip O'Brien (1950–2011), actor who had a recurring role on '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' * Jim Ortlieb (born 1956), film, television and theatre actor known for his roles in ''Roswell'' and ''Felicity'' * Jerry Recco (born 1974), WFAN sports anchor * Denise Reddy (born 1970), former professional

player who has been head coach of Sky Blue FC in the

since November 2017 * Michael A. Sheehan (1955–2018), author, government official and military officer * Dave Witte (born 1971), heavy metal drummer known for his work with Municipal Waste, Discordance Axis, Black Army Jacket,

Birds of Prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively predation, hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and smaller birds). In addition to speed ...

, and Burnt By The SunDoerschuk, Andy
"Dave Witte of Municipal Waste"
'' DRUM! Magazine'', March 26, 2010. Accessed July 25, 2014. "Hometown: Hazlet, NJ"

References

External links

Hazlet Township official website
{{Authority control 1848 establishments in New Jersey Populated places established in 1848 Raritan Bayshore Township form of New Jersey government Townships in New Jersey Townships in Monmouth County, New Jersey