Monmouth County () is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located on the coast of

central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. The county is part of the

New York metropolitan area The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban landmass, at , and one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world. The vast metropolitan area ...

and is situated along the northern half of the Jersey Shore. As of the

2020 U.S. census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, the county's population was 643,615, making it the state's fifth most populous county,QuickFacts - Monmouth County, New Jersey; New Jersey; United States
,

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

. Accessed March 24, 2018. representing an increase of 13,245 (2.1%) from the 2010 census, when the population was counted to be 630,380, which, in turn, represented an increase of 15,079 from 615,301 at the 2000 census.DP-1 - Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000; Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Monmouth County, New Jersey

. Accessed January 22, 2013. As of 2010, the county fell to the fifth-most populous county in the state, having been surpassed by

Hudson County Hudson County is the most densely populated county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It lies west of the lower Hudson River, which was named for Henry Hudson, the sea captain who explored the area in 1609. Part of New Jersey's Gateway Region in ...

.NJ Labor Market Views
,

New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The New Jersey Civil Service Commission is an independent body within the New Jersey state government under the auspices of t ...

, March 15, 2011. Accessed October 7, 2013. Monmouth County's geographic area comprises 30% water. Craig House

Monmouth's

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

is Freehold Borough.New Jersey County Map
, New Jersey Department of State. Accessed July 10, 2017. The most populous place was Middletown Township, with 67,106 residents at the time of the 2020 Census, while Howell Township covered , the largest total area of any municipality.

History

Etymology

The naming of Monmouth County has different historical theories. It is thought that the county received its name from the Rhode Island Monmouth Society.The Origin of New Jersey Place Names: M
GetNJ.com. Accessed December 15, 2007. This is likely, due to many of the county's earliest settlers originating from

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...

. Another plausible theory, is from a suggestion from

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

Lewis Morris that the county should be named after Monmouthshire in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

. Other suggestions include that it was named for James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth (1649–1685), who had many allies among the East Jersey leadership.

Indigenous history

''See also

Lenape people The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory inclu ...

'' Around the year 1000, the area of Monmouth County began to be inhabited by the Lenape Native Americans prior to the arrival of European settlers. They came from the Mississippi River area. They lived along the vicinity of the Jersey Shore, the

Raritan Bay Raritan Bay is a bay located at the southern portion of Lower New York Bay between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey and is part of the New York Bight. The bay is bounded on the northwest by New York's Staten Island, on the west by Per ...

, the

Raritan River Raritan River is a major river of New Jersey. Its watershed drains much of the mountainous area of the central part of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay on the Atlantic Ocean. History Geologists assert that the lower Raritan provided t ...

and other areas in the northeastern United States. The Lenape were a hunter-gatherer society. They were largely sedentary, changing campsites seasonally. They were prolific hunters of small game and birds. They were also skilled fisherman, and were known to harvest vast amounts of clams from the bays and inlets on the Jersey Shore. They also practiced some agriculture to augment their food supply. During this time, an important crossroad of two major Lenape trails was located in the area of

Freehold Freehold may refer to: In real estate *Freehold (law), the tenure of property in fee simple * Customary freehold, a form of feudal tenure of land in England * Parson's freehold, where a Church of England rector or vicar of holds title to benefice ...

in western Monmouth County.Pepe, p. 19.

Dutch and English colonization

''See also

Monmouth Tract The Monmouth Tract, also known as the Monmouth Patent, Navesink Tract or Navesink Patent was a large triangular tract of land granted as a land patent to settlers of New Jersey during the early American colonial period. History Colonel Richard Nic ...

'' In 1609, the English navigator,

Henry Hudson Henry Hudson ( 1565 – disappeared 23 June 1611) was an English sea explorer and navigator during the early 17th century, best known for his explorations of present-day Canada and parts of the northeastern United States. In 1607 and 16 ...

, and his crew aboard the Dutch vessel '' Half Moon'' spotted land in what is now Monmouth County, most likely off

Sandy Hook Sandy Hook is a barrier spit in Middletown Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The barrier spit, approximately in length and varying from wide, is located at the north end of the Jersey Shore. It encloses the southern ...

; however, some historical accounts credit this landing to present-day Keansburg. Among the first European settlers and majority landowners in the area were Richard and

Penelope Stout Penelope Prince and her husband Richard Stout were among the original settlers of Middletown, colonial New Jersey's second English settlement, in 1664. As “Penelope Van Prince” (Van Princes, Van Princis), she is the central figure in a popula ...

. Penelope "miraculously" survived her wounds from a native attack in

and further lived to the age of 110. Additionally, a group of Quaker families from Long Island settled the

, an early land grant from

Richard Nicolls Richard Nicolls (sometimes written as Nichols, 1624 – 28 May 1672) was the first English colonial governor of New York province. Early life Nicolls was born in 1624 in Ampthill in Bedfordshire, England. He was the son of Francis Nicolls (1 ...

issued in 1665. They were followed by a group of Scottish settlers who inhabited Freehold Township in about 1682–1885, followed several years later by Dutch settlers. As they arrived in this area, they were greeted by Lenape people, who lived in scattered small family bands and developed a largely amicable relationship with the new arrivals.

Enslaved Africans The Atlantic slave trade, transatlantic slave trade, or Euro-American slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of enslaved African people, mainly to the Americas. The slave trade regularly used the triangular trade route and i ...

were present in the area from at least 1680, and by 1726 made up 9% of the total population of the county.Hodges, Graham Russell
''Slavery and Freedom in the Rural North: African Americans in Monmouth County, New Jersey, 1665–1865''
p. 32. Madison, WI: Madison House, 1997. . Accessed October 7, 2013. Monmouth County was established on March 7, 1683, while part of the province of

East Jersey The Province of East Jersey, along with the Province of West Jersey, between 1674 and 1702 in accordance with the Quintipartite Deed, were two distinct political divisions of the Province of New Jersey, which became the U.S. state of New Jersey. ...

. On October 31, 1693, the county was partitioned into the townships of

, Middletown and Shrewsbury.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 177. Accessed October 1, 2013. BattleofMonmouth

At the June 28, 1778, Battle of Monmouth, near Freehold Township,

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

's soldiers battled the British under Sir Henry Clinton, in the longest land battle of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. It was at Monmouth that the tactics and training from

Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand von Steuben (born Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin Louis von Steuben; September 17, 1730 – November 28, 1794), also referred to as Baron von Steuben (), was a Prussian military officer who ...

developed at

Valley Forge Valley Forge functioned as the third of eight winter encampments for the Continental Army's main body, commanded by General George Washington, during the American Revolutionary War. In September 1777, Congress fled Philadelphia to escape the ...

during the winter encampment were first implemented on a large scale. At independence, Monmouth's population included 1,640 slaves, as well as an undetermined number of free African Americans. The number of enslaved persons fell steeply after 1820, though a small number remained until at least 1850. Monmouth's free African American population climbed from 353 in 1790 to 2,658 in 1860. There was a small African-American middle class consisting of freedmen present in Monmouth County by the 1840s and 1850s.

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

and

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

, as well as small amounts of African Americans and Northern Irish Protestants. By the year 2010 Monmouth County's population was 628,112 of whom 40,489 were of English descent. Between 1890 and 1907 nearly 18 million European immigrants came to America. At the same time the region underwent massive and not unrelated economic changes, this process led to places like Monmouth County, New Jersey becoming significantly more diverse and somewhat less rural.

Geography and climate

Navesink Twin Lights from Sandy Hook, New Jersey

According to the 2010 census, the county had a total area of , including of land (70.5%) and of water (29.5%).Census 2010 U.S. Gazetteer Files: New Jersey Counties
,

. Accessed May 12, 2015. Much of Monmouth County remains flat and low-lying even far inland. However, there are some low hills in and around Holmdel Township, and one of them, Crawford Hill, the former site of a radar facility, is the county's highest point, variously listed at above sea level. The top portion of the hill is owned by

Alcatel-Lucent Alcatel–Lucent S.A. () was a French–American global telecommunications equipment company, headquartered in Boulogne-Billancourt, France. It was formed in 2006 by the merger of France-based Alcatel and U.S.-based Lucent, the latter being a s ...

and houses a research laboratory of

Bell Laboratories Nokia Bell Labs, originally named Bell Telephone Laboratories (1925–1984), then AT&T Bell Laboratories (1984–1996) and Bell Labs Innovations (1996–2007), is an American industrial research and scientific development company owned by mult ...

. The northeastern portion of the county, in the

Locust Locusts (derived from the Vulgar Latin ''locusta'', meaning grasshopper) are various species of short-horned grasshoppers in the family Acrididae that have a swarming phase. These insects are usually solitary, but under certain circumstanc ...

section of Middletown Township and the boroughs of

Highlands Highland is a broad term for areas of higher elevation, such as a mountain range or mountainous plateau. Highland, Highlands, or The Highlands, may also refer to: Places Albania * Dukagjin Highlands Armenia * Armenian Highlands Australia *Sou ...

and

Atlantic Highlands Atlantic Highlands is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, in the Bayshore Region. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 4,385,Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

and

Ocean The ocean (also the sea or the world ocean) is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of the surface of Earth and contains 97% of Earth's water. An ocean can also refer to any of the large bodies of water into which the wo ...

counties, Monmouth County is a mecca for boating and fishing. Its waterways include several

tributaries A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainag ...

that flow from the more agrarian regions of western Monmouth County into the

, and various rivers and inlets that flow from the more

densely populated Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

region of the

Raritan Bayshore The Raritan Bayshore region of New Jersey is a subregion of the larger Jersey Shore. It is the area around Raritan Bay from The Amboys to Sandy Hook, in Monmouth and Middlesex counties, including the towns of Woodbridge, Perth Amboy, South Amboy, ...

of northern Monmouth County into the

and the

Lower New York Bay Lower New York Bay is a section of New York Bay south of the Narrows (the strait between Staten Island and Brooklyn). The eastern end of the Bay is marked by two spits of land, Sandy Hook, New Jersey, and Rockaway, Queens. The waterway b ...

, before finally draining out into the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

. The

Manasquan Inlet The Manasquan Inlet is an inlet that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Manasquan River, dividing the counties of Ocean County and Monmouth County in the state of New Jersey. Passage to Bay Head Harbor and the Barnegat Bay is possible via t ...

is located in the county, which connects the Atlantic Ocean with the estuary of the

Manasquan River The Manasquan River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 waterway in central New Jersey. It flows from western Monmouth County, beginning in Freehold T ...

, a bay-like body of saltwater that serves as the starting point of the

Intracoastal Waterway The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, then following t ...

, which attracts as many as 1,600 boats each weekend during the peak season.

Climate and weather

Much of Monmouth County has a humid subtropical climate (''Cfa''), while some inland areas have a hot-summer

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(''Dfa''). In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Freehold Borough have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1984 and a record high of was recorded in July 2011. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in July. Average monthly temperatures in Asbury Park range from 32.5 °F in January to 75.0 °F in July, while in Allentown, NJ they range from 32.1 °F in January to 75.5 °F in July

On October 29, 2012,

Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as ''Superstorm Sandy'') was an extremely destructive and strong Atlantic hurricane, as well as the largest Atlantic hurricane on record as measured by diameter, with tropical-storm-force winds spann ...

caused catastrophic damage to coastal areas of Monmouth County. As Sandy's surge arrived in Monmouth County, flood levels of above normal were measured at

shortly before the destruction of the tidal station, breaking all previous local records. The surge caused waves as high as , measured where the

Sandy Hook Bay The Raritan Bayshore region of New Jersey is a subregion of the larger Jersey Shore. It is the area around Raritan Bay from The Amboys to Sandy Hook, in Monmouth and Middlesex counties, including the towns of Woodbridge, Perth Amboy, South Amboy, ...

meets the New York Bay.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had 643,615 people, 240,377 households, and 161,545 families. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...

was . There were 268,912 housing units at an average density of . The county's racial makeup was 71.6%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 6.08%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.07% Native American, 5.6%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, and 3.4% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 12.5% of the population. Of the 240,377

household A household consists of two or more persons who live in the same dwelling. It may be of a single family or another type of person group. The household is the basic unit of analysis in many social, microeconomic and government models, and is i ...

s, of which 38.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were married couples living together, 25.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 14.4% had a male householder with no wife present and 32.8% were non-families. 13.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.16. About 21.4% of the county's population was under age 18, 8.1% was from age 18 to 24, 34.8% was from age 15 to 44, and 18.2% was age 65 or older. The median age was 43.5 years. The gender makeup of the city was 48.7% male and 51.3% female. For every 100 females, there were 95.0 males. The county's median household income was $102,870, and the median family income was $124,778. About 6.0% 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 t ...

, including 9.1% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

Government

County government

Monmouth County is governed by a five-member Board of County Commissioners, who are elected at-large for three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats up for election each year. Each January, the commissioners select one of their members to serve as the director of the board for the year to preside over the meetings and activities of the board. Monmouth County's Commissioners have both administrative and policy-making powers. The commissioners oversee the five mandatory functions of the county government delegated to it by the state. Each commissioner is assigned responsibility for one of the five functional areas: Administration and Special Services; Public Works and Engineering; Human Services, Health and Transportation; Finance and Administration of Justice, overseeing more than 70 county departments in total.Board of County Commissioners
Monmouth County, New Jersey. Accessed July 7, 2022. In 2016, freeholders were paid $27,000 and the freeholder director was paid an annual salary of $27,900. The Republican Party had held all five Commissioner seats until 2006, but after the 2006 and 2008 elections, Democrats controlled the Board by a 3–2 margin. The Board swung back in favor of the Republicans after the 2009 election when Republican John Curley beat Democrat Sean Byrnes. Both were running to succeed former Commissioner Director Barbara McMorrow, a Democrat, who had chosen not to seek re-election. In 2010, former mayor of Neptune City, NJ, Thomas Arnone (R) and incumbent Commissioner Robert Clifton (R) won seats giving Republicans control of the Board of Chosen Commissioners by a 4–1 margin. County Administrator Teri O'Connor, an appointed position, serves as the county's

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especial ...

, and is responsible for carrying out the policies and directives established by the Board of County Commissioners and managing the daily operations of the county's more than 3,000 employees. , Monmouth County's Commissioners are (with terms for director and deputy director ending every December 31st):November 2, 2021 General Election Official Results
Monmouth County, New Jersey, December 13, 2021. Accessed January 1, 2022.November 3, 2020 General Election Official Results
Monmouth County, New Jersey, updated November 3, 2020. Accessed January 1, 2021.General Election November 5, 2019 Official Results
Monmouth County, New Jersey Clerk, updated December 16, 2019. Accessed January 1, 2020. Pursuant to Article VII Section II of the New Jersey State Constitution, each county in New Jersey is required to have three elected administrative officials known as "constitutional officers." These officers are the County Clerk and County Surrogate (both elected for five-year terms of office) and the

County Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

(elected for a three-year term).New Jersey State Constitution (1947), Article VII, Section II, Paragraph 2
, New Jersey Department of State. Accessed October 26, 2017. Monmouth county's constitutional officers are: Christopher J. Gramiccioni of Wall Township is the county's prosecutor, having been formally nominated to the position by

Governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official r ...

Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, lobbyist, and former federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. Christie, who was born in N ...

in May 2016. Gramiccioni had been serving on an acting basis for almost four years, since being appointed to the post in July 2012 by

Attorney General of New Jersey The attorney general of New Jersey is a member of the executive cabinet of the state and oversees the Department of Law and Public Safety. The office is appointed by the governor of New Jersey, confirmed by the New Jersey Senate, and term limited ...

Jeffrey S. Chiesa. Monmouth County constitutes Vicinage 9 of the

New Jersey Superior Court The Superior Court is the state court in the U.S. state of New Jersey, with statewide trial and appellate jurisdiction. The New Jersey Constitution of 1947 establishes the power of the New Jersey courts.Jeffrey S. Mandel, New Jersey Appellate Pr ...

and is seated at the Monmouth County Courthouse in Freehold Borough, with additional facilities in Freehold and Ocean Township; the Assignment Judge for Vicinage 9 is Lisa P. Thornton.

Federal representatives

The 3rd, 4th, and 6th

Congressional Districts Congressional districts, also known as electoral districts and legislative districts, electorates, or wards in other nations, are divisions of a larger administrative region that represent the population of a region in the larger congressional bod ...

cover the county.

State representatives

Fire departments

Monmouth County is covered by 53 different fire departments, which contain 135 individual fire companies and over 7,000 volunteer firefighters, who are all represented by the Monmouth County Firemen's Association. The Monmouth County Fire Marshal's Office is responsible for training all of the firefighters through the Monmouth County Fire Academy, as well as investigating any fires which may be deemed suspicious and/or involving a fatality. The Monmouth County

fire marshal A fire marshal, in the United States and Canada, is often a member of a state, provincial or territorial government, but may be part of a building department or a separate department altogether. Fire marshals' duties vary but usually in ...

, currently Kevin Stout, and his staff – including assistant fire marshals and academy staff – are appointed by the County Board of Commissioners. With the exception of the fully professional

Asbury Park Asbury Park () is a beachfront city located on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 15,188

Fire Department and the US Navy Fire Department at NWS Earle, the remainder of the municipalities in the county have volunteer or

combination fire department A combination fire department is a type of fire department which consists of both career and volunteer firefighters. In the United States, combination fire departments are typically tax-supported in some fashion, and generally have an annual call ...

s. The largest volunteer department is in Middletown Township with 11 stations and 350 active members, special services, air and fire police units, in addition to operating its own training facility. In terms of hazardous material (

HazMat Dangerous goods, abbreviated DG, are substances that when transported are a risk to health, safety, property or the environment. Certain dangerous goods that pose risks even when not being transported are known as hazardous materials ( syllabi ...

) emergencies, very few towns have special units to respond to these types of emergencies.

Fort Monmouth Fort Monmouth is a former installation of the Department of the Army in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The post is surrounded by the communities of Eatontown, Tinton Falls and Oceanport, New Jersey, and is located about from the Atlantic Ocean. T ...

responded to most HazMat cases prior to the closing of the base.

Naval Weapons Station Earle Naval Weapons Station Earle is a United States Navy base in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. Its distinguishing feature is a pier in Sandy Hook Bay where ammunition can be loaded and unloaded from warships at a safe distance from heavi ...

is also available for HazMat incidents. Hazardous Materials incidents are currently managed by Monmouth County Hazmat as the lead agency with a joint cooperative team comprised of Neptune Township OEM, Southard (Howell) Fire Company and Middletown Fire Department Special Services. The oldest fire department in the county in continuous operation is the Hope Fire Company in Allentown, organized in 1856. The newest fire department, Holmdel Fire Co. No. 2 was established in 2006. Monmouth County utilizes a mutual aid system, in which surrounding municipalities are available to send their resources to incidents where extra help or expertise is needed.

Politics

Monmouth County has generally leaned moderately

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

in federal, state, and local races, though registered Republicans only outnumber registered Democrats by less than 1%. All five County Commissioners and all three constitutional officers are Republicans, and State Senator

Vin Gopal Vinod Gopal (born May 18, 1985) is an American Democratic politician who took office on January 9, 2018 to represent the 11th Legislative District in the New Jersey Senate, which covers portions of Monmouth County. Prior to his election to t ...

is currently the only Democrat to represent any part of the county in the legislature. As of December 1, 2021, there were a total of 496,012 registered voters in Monmouth County, of whom 144,092 (29.1%) were registered as Democrats, 147,358 (29.7%) were registered as Republicans, and 198,605 (41.3%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 5,957 (1.2%) voters registered to other parties. Among the county's 2010 Census population, 89% of residents of age 18 and over were registered to vote. In 2008, John McCain carried Monmouth by an unexpectedly close margin of only 3.7% margin over

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

, with Obama winning New Jersey by 15.5% over McCain. In the state's U.S. Senatorial election that same year,

Dick Zimmer Richard Alan Zimmer (born August 16, 1944) is an American Republican Party (United States), Republican Party politician from New Jersey, who served in both houses of the New Jersey Legislature and in the United States House of Representatives. H ...

also won here, by a 6.2% margin over incumbent

Frank Lautenberg Frank Raleigh Lautenberg (; January 23, 1924 June 3, 2013) was an American businessman and Democratic Party politician who served as United States Senator from New Jersey from 1982 to 2001, and again from 2003 until his death in 2013. He was ori ...

, with Lautenberg winning reelection by 14.1% over Zimmer. In the

2016 United States presidential election The 2016 United States presidential election was the 58th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. The Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana governor Mike Pence defeated the Democratic ticket ...

, Republican

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

received 166,723 (53%) of the vote, Democrat

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

received 137,181 (43.6%) of the vote, and other candidates received 10,473 (3.3%) of the vote. In 2020, Joe Biden came closer to winning the county than any Democrat since

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic no ...

in 2000 and

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

in 1996, the only two Democratic presidential candidates to have won it since 1964, when

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

won a national landslide and carried every county in New Jersey. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican

received 62% of the vote, defeating Democrat

Jon Corzine Jon Stevens Corzine ( ; born January 1, 1947) is an American financial executive and retired politician who served as a United States Senator from New Jersey from 2001 to 2006 and the 54th governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. Corzine ran fo ...

, who received around 31%. In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Governor Chris Christe received 70.7% of the vote (123,417 votes) to Democrat Barbara Buono's 27.7% (48,477 votes). In the 2017 gubernatorial election, Republican

Kim Guadagno Kimberly Ann Guadagno (; ''née'' McFadden; born April 13, 1959) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the first lieutenant governor and 33rd secretary of state of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. Guadagno was the Republican nominee ...

received 101,525 (55%) of the vote, and Democrat

Phil Murphy Philip Dunton Murphy (born August 16, 1957) is an American financier, diplomat, and politician serving as the 56th governor of New Jersey since January 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the United States ambassador to Germa ...

received 79,423 (43%) of the vote. Notably, both Guadagno and Murphy were Monmouth County residents. In the 2021 gubernatorial election, Republican

Jack Ciattarelli Jack M. Ciattarelli ( ; born December 12, 1961) is an American politician and businessman. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2011 to 2018, representing the 16th legislative district. He was also t ...

received 58.8% of the vote (141,100 ballots cast) to Democrat

's 40.3% (96,664 votes), thus Murphy lost his home county in both of his bids for governor.

Economy

Housing expense

In 2015, the county had a per capita personal income of $69,410, the fifth-highest in New Jersey and ranked 74th of 3,113 counties in the United States. Monmouth County ranked 38th among the

highest-income counties in the United States There are 3,144 counties and county-equivalents in the United States. The source of the data is the U.S. Census Bureau and the data is current as of the indicated year. Independent cities are considered county-equivalent by the Census Bureau. ...

as of 2011, placing it among the top 1.2% of counties by wealth. As of 2009, it was ranked 56th in the United States by personal per-capita income.

Gentrification

in 2012 devastated much of the northern part of the Jersey Shore, particularly in Monmouth County. This necessitated the demolition and rebuilding of entire neighborhoods. Some were rebuilt to a higher economic level; this process of climate gentrification is rapidly escalating property values and transforming many communities along the Shore. Many houses have become vacation homes for the New York financial community, akin to shoreline communities on Long Island like the

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

and

The Hamptons The Hamptons, part of the East End of Long Island, consist of the towns of Southampton and East Hampton, which together comprise the South Fork of Long Island, in Suffolk County, New York. The Hamptons are a popular seaside resort and one o ...

Telecommunications and high technology

The

Bell Labs Holmdel Complex The Bell Labs Holmdel Complex, in Holmdel Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, functioned for 44 years as a research and development facility, initially for the Bell System and later Bell Labs. The centerpiece of the campus i ...

has been the site of many

innovation Innovation is the practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new goods or services or improvement in offering goods or services. ISO TC 279 in the standard ISO 56000:2020 defines innovation as "a new or changed entit ...

s in telecommunications and is experiencing a

renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

as a

business incubator Business incubator is an organization that helps startup companies and individual entrepreneurs to develop their businesses by providing a fullscale range of services starting with management training and office space and ending with venture c ...

for high-tech

startup companies A startup or start-up is a company or project undertaken by an entrepreneur to seek, develop, and validate a scalable business model. While entrepreneurship refers to all new businesses, including self-employment and businesses that never intend t ...

. Today

Verizon Wireless Verizon is an American wireless network operator that previously operated as a separate division of Verizon Communications under the name Verizon Wireless. In a 2019 reorganization, Verizon moved the wireless products and services into the div ...

AT&T Communications AT&T Communications is a division of AT&T that focuses on mobile phone, broadband, fixed line telephone, home security, network security, and business services. The division houses AT&T Mobility, AT&T Internet, AT&T Phone, AT&T Labs, AT&T Di ...

Vonage Vonage (, legal name Vonage Holdings Corp.) is an American cloud communications provider operating as a subsidiary of Ericsson. Headquartered in Holmdel Township, New Jersey, the organization was founded in 1998 as ''Min-X'' as a provider of resi ...

Avaya Avaya Holdings Corp., often shortened to Avaya (), is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, that provides cloud communications and workstream collaboration services. The company's platform inclu ...

, and

Bell Labs Nokia Bell Labs, originally named Bell Telephone Laboratories (1925–1984), then AT&T Bell Laboratories (1984–1996) and Bell Labs Innovations (1996–2007), is an American industrial Research and development, research and scientific developm ...

are located in the region.

Commerce

The county has been a commercial hub for the state and the larger northeastern United States for years. This is due to the county's location on the Jersey Shore, which attracts residents from

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 or geography. Etymology The word ''north ...

and South Jersey, along with the nearby states of New York,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

, and

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

during the summer months. The region also boasts year-round attractions, such as

hayrides A hayride, also known as a hayrack ride, is a traditional American and Canadian activity consisting of a recreational ride in a wagon or cart pulled by a tractor, horses or a truck, which has been loaded with hay or straw for comfortable seati ...

wine tasting Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. While the practice of wine tasting is as ancient as its production, a more formalized methodology has slowly become established from the 14th century onward. Modern, professional w ...

, and

apple picking Fruit picking or fruit harvesting is a seasonal activity (paid or recreational) that occurs during harvest time in areas with fruit growing wild or being farmed in orchards. Some farms market "You-Pick" for orchards, such as the tradition of App ...

during the autumn months. The county also features five major shopping malls: *

Freehold Raceway Mall Freehold Raceway Mall is a super-regional high-end shopping mall, located in Freehold Township, New Jersey. A premier shopping center for Central Jersey, the mall is located off of U.S. Route 9, Route 33, and County Route 537, opposite the Freeh ...

Monmouth Mall Monmouth Mall is an enclosed split level shopping center in Eatontown, New Jersey located on the corner of the intersection of NJ 35, NJ 36, and Wyckoff Road ( Route 547). It is owned Kushner Companies and managed by Westminster Management. T ...

* Pier Village * The Grove at Shrewsbury * Jersey Shore Premium Outlets

Education

Tertiary education

Murry Guggenheim House, West Long Branch, NJ - south view

Monmouth University Monmouth University is a private university in West Long Branch, New Jersey. Founded in 1933 as Monmouth Junior College, it became Monmouth College in 1956 and Monmouth University in 1995 after receiving its charter. There are about 4,400 full ...

is a four-year private university located in West Long Branch that was founded in 1933 as Monmouth Junior College.

Brookdale Community College Brookdale Community College is a public community college in the Lincroft section of Middletown Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1967, the college also has regional locations in Neptune Township, ...

is the two-year

community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior se ...

for Monmouth County, one of a network of 19 county colleges statewide. The school is located in the Lincroft section of Middletown Township, having been founded in 1967.

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

has a partnership with Brookdale which offers bachelor's degree completion programs at Brookdale's Freehold campus.

K-12 education

School districts in Monmouth County include:New Jersey School Directory for Monmouth County
New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed August 1, 2022. ;K-12 districts: *

Asbury Park Public Schools Asbury Park Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district headquartered in Asbury Park, New Jersey, United States, serving children in pre-Kindergarten through twelfth grade. The district is one of 31 former Abbott district ...

* Freehold Township Schools * Hazlet Township Public Schools * Holmdel Township Public Schools * Keansburg School District * Keyport Public Schools *

Long Branch Public Schools Long Branch Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade in the city of Long Branch, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The district is one of 31 ...

Manasquan Public Schools The Manasquan Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students from kindergarten through twelfth grade from Manasquan, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2018–19 school year, the ...

Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District The Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District is a regional public school district in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The district serves students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from the communities of Aberdeen Townsh ...

Middletown Township Public School District The Middletown Township Public School District is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Middletown Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of ...

Monmouth County Vocational School District The Monmouth County Vocational School District (MCVSD) is a vocational and technical public school district in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, providing vocational education to students across the county. Monmouth County Vocational ...

Neptune Township Schools The Neptune Township School District (NTSD) or Neptune Township Schools are a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Neptune Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, ...

* Ocean Township School District *

Upper Freehold Regional School District The Upper Freehold Regional School District is a regional state school, public school district in Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, which provides educational services to students in pre-kindergarten throug ...

– Regional *

Wall Township Public Schools The Wall Township Public Schools are a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Wall Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020–21 schoo ...

;Secondary districts: *

Freehold Regional High School District The Freehold Regional High School District is a public regional school district established in 1953, that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from eight communities in western Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The district ...

Henry Hudson Regional High School Henry Hudson Regional High School is a comprehensive regional public high school and school district for students in 7th through 12th grade from both Atlantic Highlands and Highlands in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

Monmouth Regional High School Monmouth Regional High School is a regional, four-year public high school and public school district based in Tinton Falls, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Eatontown, Shre ...

Red Bank Regional High School Red Bank Regional High School (often abbreviated RBR) is a comprehensive regional four-year public high school and school district that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from the boroughs of Little Silver, Red Bank and Shrewsbur ...

Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School The Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (often abbreviated RFH) is a regional, four-year comprehensive public high school and school district in the eastern United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from the suburban ...

Shore Regional High School Shore Regional High School is a regional public high school and school district serving students from four communities in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The high school serves students from the constituent municipalities of Monmo ...

– Regional ;Elementary districts(K-8, except as indicated): *

Atlantic Highlands School District The Atlantic Highlands School District is a community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade from Atlantic Highlands, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2018–19 school year, ...

(K-6) * Avon School District * Belmar School District *

Bradley Beach School District The Bradley Beach School District is a community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from Bradley Beach in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020–21 school year, the dis ...

* Brielle School District * Colts Neck School District *

Deal School District The Deal School District is a community public school district that serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade from Deal, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The school was established in September 1953. As of the 2018– ...

* Eatontown Public Schools *

Fair Haven Public Schools The Fair Haven Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from Fair Haven, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2018–19 school year, ...

Farmingdale School District The Farmingdale School District is a community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from Farmingdale in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, ...

* Freehold Borough Schools * Freehold Township Schools *

Highlands School District The Highlands School District is a community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in Highlands, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. In the 2016–17 school year, Highlands was tied for ...

(K-6) *

Howell Township Public Schools The Howell Township Public Schools is a community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from Howell Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020–21 school year, the ...

* Little Silver School District * Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District *

Marlboro Township Public School District The Marlboro Township School District is a community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in Marlboro Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2018–19 school year, the ...

* Millstone Township Schools * Monmouth Beach School District * Oceanport School District * Red Bank Borough Public Schools *

Roosevelt Public School District The Roosevelt Public School District is a community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade from Roosevelt in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2018–19 school year, the distric ...

(K-5) *

Rumson School District The Rumson School District is a community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from the Borough of Rumson, in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2021–22 school year, ...

* Sea Girt School District *

Shrewsbury Borough School District The Shrewsbury Borough School District is a community public school district that serves students ranging from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from Shrewsbury, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The school features three homer ...

Spring Lake School District Spring Lake School District is a public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in Spring Lake, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprising one ...

* Spring Lake Heights School District * Tinton Falls School District – Regional *

Union Beach School System The Union Beach School System is a community state school, public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from Union Beach, New Jersey, Union Beach, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, New Jerse ...

West Long Branch Public Schools The West Long Branch Public Schools is a community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from West Long Branch, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. Students from Interlaken attend the ...

In addition to multiple

public high schools State schools (in England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand) or public schools (Scottish English and North American English) are generally primary or secondary educational institution, schools that educate all students without charge. They are ...

, parochial schools in Monmouth County include St. Rose High School,

Red Bank Catholic High School Red Bank Catholic High School is a four-year private coeducational Roman Catholic high school, located in Red Bank in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades, operating under the supervision ...

, Christian Brothers Academy, St. John Vianney High School, and Mater Dei High School, which operate under the auspices of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton The Diocese of Trenton is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church that encompasses Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth, and Ocean counties in central New Jersey. The Diocese of Trenton is a suffragan diocese in the ecc ...

. A secular private school,

Ranney School , motto_translation = Life grants nothing to mortals without great work , address = 235 Hope Road , location = , region = , city = Tinton Falls , county ...

, is also located in the county. The county has an extensive

vocational high school A vocational school is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocational education or technical skills required to complete the tasks ...

program, known as the

, including five

magnet school In the U.S. education system, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities (usually school boards) as school ...

s: * Academy of Allied Health & Science (Allied) in Neptune Township * Biotechnology High School (BioTech) in Freehold Township *

Communications High School Communications High School (CHS) is a four-year magnet public high school and career academy serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as part of the Monmouth County Vocational School District in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United Stat ...

(Communications, CHS) in Wall Township *

High Technology High School High Technology High School (HTHS), founded in 1991, is a four-year magnet public high school for students in ninth through twelfth grades, located in the Lincroft section of Middletown Township, in Monmouth County, United States, operated a ...

(High Tech) in Lincroft (located on the

campus) *

Marine Academy of Science and Technology The Marine Academy of Science and Technology (MAST) is a coeducational four-year magnet public high school located in the Sandy Hook section of Middletown Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth throu ...

(MAST) in

Arts and culture

Battle of Monmouth Monument at Courthouse

Count Basie Theatre The Count Basie Center for the Arts is a landmarked performing arts center in Red Bank, New Jersey, United States. In 1926, the building opened as the "Carlton Theater" became the "Monmouth Arts Center" in 1973, and was renamed "Count Basie The ...

- A landmarked

performing arts center Performing arts center/centre (see spelling differences), often abbreviated as PAC, is used to refer to: * A multi-use performance space that is intended for use by various types of the performing arts, including dance, music and theatre. :The ...

in Red Bank. The core structure opened as the "Carlton Theater" in 1926, became the "Monmouth Arts Center" in 1973, then was renamed to the "Count Basie Theatre" in 1984 to honor jazz great and Red Bank native William "Count" Basie. It was designed by William E. Lehman and has

seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...

for 1,568 patrons. *

Two River Theater Two River Theater is a professional, not-for-profit, regional theater company producing plays and educational programs for audiences from central New Jersey and beyond. It is located in Red Bank, New Jersey, on the peninsula between the Navesink ...

- A professional, not-for-profit, regional theater company producing plays and educational programs. The company received "Theatre of the Year" awards from the New Jersey Theatre Alliance in 2006, and from ''

The Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to '' The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of ...

'' in both 2006 and 2008. At the July 2009 meeting of the

New Jersey State Council on the Arts The New Jersey State Council on the Arts was founded in 1966 to support artistic activities in the state of New Jersey. It is funded by the New Jersey State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Art ...

, Two River Theater was designated as a Major Impact Organization. *

Monmouth County Historical Association The Monmouth County Historical Association was established in 1898 by a group of county residents headed by professional educator Caroline Gallup Reed. They soon incorporated in order “to discover, procure, preserve and perpetuate whatever relates ...

– Established in 1898 by a group of county residents headed by professional educator Caroline Gallup Reed, it was soon incorporated in order “to discover, procure, preserve and perpetuate whatever relates to the history of Monmouth County.” The headquarters are located in Freehold Borough in a brick Georgian-style building designed by architect J. Hallam Conover. *

Monmouth County Jewish Heritage Museum The Jewish Heritage Museum of Monmouth County was established in 2006 by a group of county residents headed by professionals from the Jewish Federation of Monmouth County.

- focuses on Jewish life in the county, which dates back to 1720. *

Monmouth Battlefield State Park Monmouth Battlefield State Park is a New Jersey state park located on the border of Manalapan and Freehold Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. This park preserves the historical battlefield on which the American Revolutio ...

— Located in Freehold Township and

Manalapan Township Manalapan Township (, ) is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The township is centrally located within the Raritan Valley region and is a part of the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the t ...

, the park preserves a rural eighteenth-century landscape of orchards, fields, woods and wetlands, encompassing miles of trails for hiking and horseback riding, space for picnic areas, and four restored Revolutionary War farmhouses that were associated with the American Revolutionary War's Battle of Monmouth, including the Craig House, the Cobb House, the Sutfin House, and the Rhea-Applegate House. The park includes a visitor center with replicas of eighteenth-century canons and other exhibits. * Gateway National Recreation Area at Sandy Hook - The

barrier peninsula Barrier islands are coastal landforms and a type of dune system that are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that form by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from a f ...

segment of the much larger Gateway National Recreation Area (which has other sections in Staten Island,

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, and

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

in New York) forms the other side of the "gateway" to New York Harbor. It includes two main park sites: ** Fort Hancock served as part of the harbor's coastal defense system from 1895 until 1974 and contains 100 historic buildings and fortifications. **

contains seven beaches, including

Gunnison Beach Gunnison Beach is a beach within the Sandy Hook unit of the Fort Hancock and the Sandy Hook Proving Ground Historic District which is the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area, on the Atlantic coast of New Jersey. It is located in ...

, a

nude beach A nude beach, sometimes called a clothing-optional or free beach, is a beach where users are at liberty to be nude. Nude beaches usually have mixed bathing. Such beaches are usually on public lands, and any member of the public is allowed to ...

by custom, as well as salt marshes and a maritime holly forest. Ferries from

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

are available in season. Fishing and using hand-launched vessels are popular here. *

Monmouth County Courthouse The Monmouth County Courthouse is in Freehold Borough, New Jersey, Freehold, the county seat of Monmouth County, New Jersey. It was designed by James W. Mancusa and built in 1954. The Battle of Monmouth Monument stands before the courthouse. Ear ...

– In front of the courthouse, is a park at the center of town which hosts a tall monument to the Battle of Monmouth at its center. * St. Peter's Episcopal Church — a historic Episcopal church building that was constructed in 1771, featuring

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

and Gothic Revival elements. * Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association District - An association founded in 1869 by a group of

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

clergymen, led by William B. Osborn and Ellwood H. Stokes. Its mission is to "provide opportunities for spiritual birth, growth, and renewal in a Christian seaside setting." It was to operate as a summer camp meeting site on the New Jersey seashore. By the early 20th century, the popular Christian meeting ground became known as the "Queen of Religious Resorts."Page, Tim
"'Summerfare' Offers Choir Festival"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', July 30, 1986. Accessed June 30, 2015. "Ocean Grove, about six miles south of Long Branch, was founded in 1869 as a Methodist camp meeting ground; by the early 20th century it had been dubbed the 'Queen of Religious Resorts.'" The community's land is still owned by the camp meeting association and leased to individual homeowners and businesses. Ocean Grove remains the longest-active camp meeting site in the United States.Home page
Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association. Accessed November 6, 2007. * Church of the Presidents - Originally consecrated in 1879 as St. James Protestant Episcopal Chapel, a branch of St. James Episcopal Church, this former Episcopal chapel was where seven United States presidents during the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...

worshipped. It was visited by presidents

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 19th president of the United States from 1877 to 1881, after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and as governo ...

James A. Garfield James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 4, 1881 until his death six months latertwo months after he was shot by an assassin. A lawyer and Civil War gene ...

Chester A. Arthur Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 21st president of the United States from 1881 to 1885. He previously served as the 20th vice president under President James ...

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 23rd president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia–a grandson of the ninth pr ...

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...

, and

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

.(2006) The Year in Review, The Long Branch Historical Museum Association, Page 1. All except Grant were in office when they paid their visits to the church. * Seabrook–Wilson House – Nicknamed the "Spy House" by local residents, the house was built in 1663 in the town of Port Monmouth, a part of Middletown Township, making it the oldest structure in Monmouth County and one of the oldest in the state. The house's architecture was emblematic of the early

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

influence in the county. For most of its history, the farm on Sandy Hook Bay was home to generations of two prominent Port Monmouth families, the Seabrooks and the Wilsons. Ship owners and captains, a Revolutionary War militia officer, local business owners and investors, and a clergyman were part of these notable families, many of whom served in local government positions. *

Allaire State Park Allaire State Park is a park located in Howell and in Wall Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, near the borough of Farmingdale, operated and maintained by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry and is part of the New ...

- Historic park, known for its restored 19th century ironworks,

Allaire Village Allaire Village is a living history museum located within New Jersey's Allaire State Park in Wall Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey. The property was initially an Indian ceremonial ground prior to 1650, by 1750 a sawmill had been established ...

, which is a

living history Living history is an activity that incorporates historical tools, activities and dress into an interactive presentation that seeks to give observers and participants a sense of stepping back in time. Although it does not necessarily seek to ree ...

museum on the park premises. It was a prosperous industrial town producing pig iron and

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron– carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impur ...

from the surrounding

bog iron Bog iron is a form of impure iron deposit that develops in bogs or swamps by the chemical or biochemical oxidation Redox (reduction–oxidation, , ) is a type of chemical reaction in which the oxidation states of substrate change. O ...

deposits. The buildings which remain and have been restored today include a general store,

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, gr ...

shop, carpenter's shop, manager's house, foreman's house and a

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

. One of the workers' row house buildings has been recreated and now houses a visitor center, museum, and reenactments of nineteenth-century life in this bustling mill town. The historic village is run by a non-profit organization independent of the park and charges a nominal fee to enter the buildings. It is named after

James P. Allaire James Peter Allaire (July 12, 1785 – May 20, 1858) was a noted master mechanic and steam engine builder, and founder of the Allaire Iron Works (est. 1815), the first marine steam engine company in New York City, and later Howell Works (est. 1822) ...

, founder of the

Howell Works Howell Works (later the Howell Works Company) was a bog iron-based production facility for pig iron which was established in New Jersey in the early 19th century by American engineer and philanthropist James P. Allaire. It is notable as one of ...

at the same site. The park also hosts the Pine Creek Railroad, a tourist railroad. * Holmdel Park - Located in Holmdel Township, this massive park is part of the Monmouth County Park System. The initial park land was established in 1962, with an additional section added in 2001. The park's recreational offerings include fishing (with permit), individual and group picnic areas, tennis courts, playgrounds and 10 miles of hiking trails. Ice skating and sledding are permitted when conditions are deemed safe. The park contains four distinct visitor areas, each with its own parking; three are accessed via the main park entrance while the fourth is located at the activity center further north on Longstreet Road. The park also features: **

Holmdel Arboretum Holmdel Arboretum (), also known as the David C. Shaw Arboretum, is an arboretum located in Holmdel Park, on Longstreet Road in Holmdel Township, New Jersey. The arboretum is open daily without charge. The arboretum was established in 1963 with 8 ...

- Also known as the David C. Shaw Arboretum, which contains nearly 3,000 trees and shrubs, representing hundreds of species, cultivars, and varieties, including the Jane Kluis Memorial Dwarf Conifer Garden, a collection of true cedars (

Cedrus ''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, is a genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae (subfamily Abietoideae). They are native to the mountains of the western Himalayas and the Mediterranean region, occurring at altitudes of 1,500 ...

) in honor of David Rossheim, and a variety of other plantings such as weeping Atlas cedar, cherry trees,

Amur cork tree ''Phellodendron amurense'' is a species of tree in the family Rutaceae, commonly called the Amur cork tree. It is a major source of '' huáng bò'' ( or 黄檗), one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine. The Ainu pe ...

, among many others. A map at the entrance identifies the major plant collections. ** Longstreet Farm - A

farm museum displaying a recreation of life in the 1890s. Workers dress in period costume, and perform the activities of a resident of the time period, such as planting and harvesting of crops, and taking caring of livestock. The Holmes-Hendrickson House, built in 1754, is a museum operated by the

near the farm.

Sports

Monmouth Park Racetrack Monmouth Park Racetrack is an American race track for thoroughbred horse racing in Oceanport, New Jersey, United States. It is owned by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and is operated under a five-year lease as a partnership with ...

in Oceanport and

Freehold Raceway Freehold Raceway is a half-mile racetrack in Freehold Borough, New Jersey, and is the oldest racetrack in the United States. Horseraces have been taking place at Freehold Raceway since the 1830s. The Monmouth County Agricultural Society was fo ...

offer fans of

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

horse racing a chance to bet on races. In 1943, the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

held their spring training in Asbury Park instead of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. This was because rail transport had to be conserved during the war, and

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

's Spring Training was limited to an area east of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

and north of the Ohio River.

Parks and recreation

Monmouth County parks are under the administration of the Monmouth County Park System. Established in 1960, the agency that maintains over 40 parks and recreational areas, in Monmouth County. General parks include

Turkey Swamp Park Turkey Swamp Park is a park located in Freehold Township, New Jersey on the northern fringes of the Pine Barrens. The Turkey Swamp area is located on a ridge within the geographic heartland of New Jersey. The region includes the headwaters of ...

Manasquan Reservoir The Manasquan Reservoir is a source of water for municipalities and utilities, as well as a 1,204- acre (4.87 km2) park, located in Howell Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The reservoir doubles as a park that ...

, Holmdel Park, Freneau Woods Park, Crosswicks Creek Park, and

Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park Seven Presidents Park is an oceanfront park in the city of Long Branch, New Jersey, USA, maintained by the Monmouth County Park System. It is named after U.S. Presidents Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Chester A. Arthur ...

, among many others. There are also three major bike trails (which were formerly rail-lines) in the county, the

Union Transportation Trail The Union Transportation Trail is a rail trail situated in western Monmouth County, New Jersey. It extends from Hornerstown, New Jersey, to the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area. The trail occupies the former roadbed of the Pennsylvania Rail ...

in the southwestern section of the county (near the Delaware Valley region), the

Edgar Felix Bikeway The Edgar Felix Bikeway is a rail trail in New Jersey between Manasquan and Allaire State Park. The trail was constructed on a former roadbed of the Farmingdale and Squan Village Railroad and the Freehold and Jamesburg Agricultural Railroad. ...

in the southeastern section of the county (near the Jersey Shore region), and the

Henry Hudson Trail The Henry Hudson Trail is a rail trail in western and northern Monmouth County, New Jersey. The trail is named for Henry Hudson, who explored the harbor at Atlantic Highlands and the Raritan Bayshore coastline in the early 1600s. The trail is no ...

in the western and northern sections of the county (near the

and Raritan Valley regions). The county also has two major state parks,

and

, along with a section of the

Gateway National Recreation Area Gateway National Recreation Area is a U.S. National Recreation Area in New York City and Monmouth County, New Jersey. It provides recreational opportunities that are not commonly found in a dense urban environment, including ocean swimming, bir ...

at the

Unit.

National protected area

(part)

Wineries, breweries, and distilleries

The county is home to several

wineries A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, b ...

, including: * Basil T's Brewery * Carton Brewing *

Cream Ridge Winery Cream Ridge Winery is a winery in the Cream Ridge section of Upper Freehold Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey.

Four JG's Orchards & Vineyards Four JG's Orchards & Vineyards is a winery in Colts Neck in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The vineyard was first planted in 1999, and opened to the public in 2004. Four JG's has 40 acres of grapes under cultivation, and produces 2,500 cases of win ...

Kane Brewing Kane Brewing is a craft brewery in Ocean Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey.New Jersey Craft Beer"New Jersey Breweries & Brewpubs – contact info, tours, tastings and more"(21 September 2013) Retrieved 8 October 2013. It was started in 2011. ...

* Laird & Company *

Peppadew Fresh Vineyards Peppadew Fresh Vineyards was a winery in the Morganville section of Marlboro in Monmouth County, New Jersey. Formerly a flower farm, grapes were first planted in 2011, and the winery opened to the public in 2012.Murtha, Jack"Marlboro farm has l ...

Other points of interest

* Keansburg Amusement Park & Runaway Rapids *

PNC Bank Arts Center The PNC Bank Arts Center (originally the Garden State Arts Center) is an amphitheatre in Holmdel, New Jersey. About 17,500 people can occupy the venue; there are 7,000 seats and the grass area can hold about 10,500 people. Concerts are from May t ...

* Pier Village * Asbury Park Boardwalk *

iPlay America Freehold Township is a township in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is both a regional commercial hub for Central New Jersey (home to the Freehold Raceway and Freehold Raceway Mall) and a bedroom community of New ...

* Numerous

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc sh ...

es along the Jersey Shore *

Monmouth Executive Airport Monmouth Jet Center is a privately owned, public use airport in Monmouth County, New Jersey. It is in Wall Township six miles west of Belmar (which its codes are derived from), east of Farmingdale. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Syst ...

* Holmdel Cemetery & Mausoleum

Municipalities

The 53 municipalities in Monmouth County (with 2010 Census data for housing units and area in square miles, as well as 2018 estimates for population) are listed below. Other,

unincorporated communities An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in the county are listed next to their parent municipality. Many of these areas are

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the count ...

s (labeled as CDPs) that have been created by the

for enumeration purposes within a

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...

, with the 2010 Census population listed. Other communities and enclaves that exist within a municipality are also listed.

Coroners and medical examiners

Jordan Woolley served as coroner circa 1880. John W. Flock Sr. was the coroner in 1902. The office of medical examiner was merged with Middlesex County, New Jersey in 2016. Dr. Diane Karluk is the

medical examiner The medical examiner is an appointed official in some American jurisdictions who is trained in pathology that investigates deaths that occur under unusual or suspicious circumstances, to perform post-mortem examinations, and in some jurisdictio ...

serving Mercer County, Middlesex County and Monmouth County.

Monmouth County SPCA

The Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is an animal welfare organization in Eatontown providing animal sheltering and cruelty investigation services to Monmouth County, New Jersey. It was founded in 1945 to care for the community's homeless, neglected and abused animals. It is a private, not-for-profit s. 501(c)3 organization. In 1999, the organization made the decision to become a

no-kill shelter A no-kill shelter is an animal shelter that does not kill healthy or treatable animals even when the shelter is full, reserving euthanasia for terminally ill animals or those considered dangerous to public safety. A no-kill shelter uses many stra ...

. The organization remains open-admission for communities it serves, taking owner surrenders by appointment and also offers animals for adoption. Its Humane Law Enforcement Division investigates more than 900 animal cruelty complaints every year, and accepts anonymous calls. The SPCA also provides dog obedience training, a spay/neutering clinic and pet bereavement counselling."Monmouth County SPCA"
Charity Navigator, accessed Nov. 16, 2014."Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax"
Monmouth County SPCA, 2011.

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the county had a total of of roadways, of which are maintained by the local 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 transporta ...

and by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. The state routes include Route 18, Route 33, Route 33 Business,

Route 34 The following highways are numbered 34: for a list of roads numbered N34 : see list of N34 roads. International * AH34, Asian Highway 34 * European route E34 Australia * Cox Peninsula Road (Northern Territory) * (Sydney) * Maroondah Highway (Vi ...

, Route 35, Route 36, Route 66, Route 70, Route 71, Route 79, and Route 138.

U.S. Route 9 U.S. Route 9 (US 9) is a north–south United States highway in the states of Delaware, New Jersey, and New York in the Northeastern United States. It is one of only two U.S. Highways with a ferry connection (the Cape May–Lewes Ferry, between ...

passes through and practically bisects Monmouth, stretching through the county for more than from Lakewood in

Ocean County Ocean County is a county located along the Jersey Shore in the south-central portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It borders the Atlantic Ocean on the east. Its county seat is Toms River.Old Bridge Township in Middlesex County to the north. Limited access roads include Interstate 195, the only interstate to pass through the county, which extends for from

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

Ocean County Ocean County is a county located along the Jersey Shore in the south-central portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It borders the Atlantic Ocean on the east. Its county seat is Toms River.Wall A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, shelter, or soundproofing; or, is decorative. There are many kinds of walls, including: * Walls in buildings that form a fundamental part of the sup ...

in Monmouth County on the east. The New Jersey Turnpike ( Interstate 95) just misses the county border by near Upper Freehold Township. The

Garden State Parkway The Garden State Parkway (GSP) is a controlled-access toll road that stretches the north–south length of eastern New Jersey from the state's southernmost tip near Cape May to the New York state line at Montvale. Its name refers to New Jerse ...

extends from Brick Township in Ocean County in the south to Old Bridge Township in Middlesex County to the north. The Parkway's Monmouth Service Area is located at milepost 100, between exits 98 and 100.

Public transportation

Historic train station building, Red Bank, NJ

Numerous

NJ Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit, and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey, along with portions of New York State and Pennsylvania. It operates bu ...

buses crisscross and deliver hundreds of passengers each day to

northern New Jersey North Jersey comprises the northern portions of the U.S. state of New Jersey between the upper Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. The designation of northern New Jersey with a distinct toponym is a colloquial one rather than an administrati ...

and New York's

Port Authority Bus Terminal The Port Authority Bus Terminal (colloquially known as the Port Authority and by its acronym PABT) is a bus terminal located in Manhattan in New York City. It is the busiest bus terminal in the world by volume of traffic, serving about 8,000 buse ...

in Midtown Manhattan as well as the 317 bus line going into

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. Many hundreds more each day travel on

NJ Transit Rail Operations NJ Transit Rail Operations is the rail division of NJ Transit. It operates commuter rail service in New Jersey, with most service centered on transportation to and from New York City, Hoboken, and Newark. NJ Transit also operates rail service ...

North Jersey Coast Line The North Jersey Coast Line is a commuter rail line running from Rahway to Bay Head, New Jersey, traversing through the Jersey Shore region. Operated by New Jersey Transit, the line is electrified as far south as Long Branch. On rail system m ...

, which serves

Penn Station Pennsylvania Station is a name applied by the Pennsylvania Railroad to several of its grand passenger terminals. Pennsylvania Station or Penn Station may also refer to Current train stations * Baltimore Penn Station * Pennsylvania Station (Cinc ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, and passes through Middlesex County, entering Monmouth County at Matawan, with 14 stations covering the length of the county, connecting the New York region to

shore communities.North Jersey Coast Line
,

. Accessed October 7, 2013.

References

External links

Monmouth County official website

Monmouth County map, New Jersey
{{Authority control 1683 establishments in New Jersey Central Jersey Counties in the New York metropolitan area Jersey Shore Geography of the Pine Barrens (New Jersey) Populated places established in 1683

History

Etymology

Indigenous history

Dutch and English colonization

Geography and climate

Climate and weather

Demographics

2020 census

2010 census

Government

County government

Federal representatives

State representatives

Fire departments

Politics

Economy

Housing expense

Gentrification

Telecommunications and high technology

Commerce

Education

Tertiary education

K-12 education

Arts and culture

Sports

Parks and recreation

National protected area

Wineries, breweries, and distilleries

Other points of interest

Municipalities

Coroners and medical examiners

Monmouth County SPCA

Transportation

Roads and highways

Public transportation

See also

References

Further reading

External links