Manalapan Township (, ) is a

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

in western Monmouth County, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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

. The township is centrally located within the Raritan Valley Region and is a part of the New York Metro Area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 40,905, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 2,033 (+5.2%) from the 2010 census count of 38,872, which in turn reflected an increase of 5,449 (+16.3%) from the 33,423 counted in the 2000 census. The name "Manalapan" is derived from a word in the

Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...

language that would mean either "land of good bread", "good land to settle upon", "good bread" or "covered swamp with edible roots".

History

The

Battle of Monmouth The Battle of Monmouth, also known as the Battle of Monmouth Court House, was fought near the Village of Monmouth Court House, New Jersey, Monmouth Court House in modern-day Freehold Borough, New Jersey and Manalapan, New Jersey, Manalapan, on J ...

was fought in 1778 on land that is now part of Manalapan and Freehold townships. Monmouth Battlefield State Park occupies in the two townships.Wikoff, Lydia
"Manalapan Spanning Three Centuries"
Manalapan Township. Accessed January 29, 2025. "In researching it could not be found how the decision to name it Manalapan came about. The name Manalapan translate from the Lenape Indian Words 'manel' for drinking and 'paune' for bread meant good land to settle upon, for the Indians.... You are well aware that Manalapan was the site of the Battle of Monmouth, a Revolutionary War engagement held on June 28, 1778 involving 30,000 British and Continental troops. On the two hundredth anniversary of the Battle, in 1978, the State opened the 1,520 acre Monmouth Battlefield State Park. Eighty percent of the Park is in Manalapan Township." Manalapan Township was formed by an act of the

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

on March 9, 1848, from portions of Freehold Township. Englishtown was formed as a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

from portions of Manalapan on January 4, 1888, based on the results of a referendum held the previous day.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 181. Accessed May 30, 2024.

Geography

According to the

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

, the township had a total area of 30.88 square miles (79.99 km²), including 30.65 square miles (79.39 km²) of land and 0.23 square miles (0.60 km²) of water (0.75%). The township has an elevation of . The township completely surrounds Englishtown, making it part of 21 pairs of "doughnut towns" in the state, where one municipality entirely surrounds another. The township borders the municipalities of Freehold Township,

Marlboro Marlboro (, ) is an American brand of cigarettes owned and manufactured by Philip Morris USA (a branch of Altria) within the United States and by Philip Morris International (PMI, now separate from Altria) in most global territories outside the ...

and Millstone Township in Monmouth County; and Monroe Township and Old Bridge in Middlesex County. Hayride_at_Battleview_Orchards

Yorketown (with a 2010 Census population of 6,535) is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

and

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 counte ...

(CDP) located within Manalapan Township. Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Cahills Corners, Clarks Mills, Elton, Gordons Corner, Lafayette Mills, Millhurst, Monmouth Heights, Oakland Mills, Smithburg, Taylors Mills, Tennent, Tracey, Whittier Oaks and Woodville.

Ecology

According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types, Manalapan Township would have an Appalachian

Oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

(''104'') vegetation type with an Eastern

Hardwood Hardwood is wood from Flowering plant, angiosperm trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostl ...

Forest (''25'') vegetation form.U.S. Potential Natural Vegetation, Original Kuchler Types, v2.0 (Spatially Adjusted to Correct Geometric Distortions)
Data Basin. Accessed October 13, 2020.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 38,872 people, 13,263 households, and 10,663 families in the township. The

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

was 1,270.0 per square mile (490.3/km²). There were 13,735 housing units at an average density of 448.8 per square mile (173.3/km²). The racial makeup was 88.55% (34,423)

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

, 2.38% (925) Black or African American, 0.05% (18) Native American, 6.90% (2,682) Asian, 0.02% (7)

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

, 0.94% (364) from other races, and 1.17% (453) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.66% (2,202) of the population. Of the 13,263 households, 39.6% had children under the age of 18; 70.2% were married couples living together; 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present and 19.6% were non-families. Of all households, 17.3% were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.32. 25.8% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 21.8% from 25 to 44, 32.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.7 years. For every 100 females, the population had 93.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 89.9 males. Manalapan_EpiCentre_at_Night

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010

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

showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars)

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

was $103,970 (with a margin of error of +/− $4,322) and the median family income was $115,292 (+/− $5,344). Males had a median income of $85,086 (+/− $5,699) versus $51,695 (+/− $3,038) for females. The

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

for the borough was $41,049 (+/− $1,717). About 2.5% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the

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

, including 3.7% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As the 2000 United States census there were 33,423 people, 10,781 households, and 9,002 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 11,066 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 91.81%

, 1.99%

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

, 0.03% Native American, 4.53% Asian, 0.01%

, 0.53% from other races, and 1.10% from two or more races.

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

or Latino of any race were 3.54% of the population. Manalapan has large Italian and Jewish communities.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Manalapan township, Monmouth County, New Jersey

. Accessed February 24, 2012.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Manalapan township, Monmouth County, New Jersey
,

. Accessed July 8, 2012. There were 10,781 households, out of which 47.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.9% were

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

living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.5% were non-families. 14.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.09 and the average family size was 3.45. In the township the population was spread out, with 30.3% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males. The median income for a household in the township was $83,575, and the median income for a family was $94,112. Males had a median income of $72,198 versus $39,921 for females. The

for the township was $32,142. About 3.2% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the

, including 5.1% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.

Crime

Manalapan's crime rate per 1,000 residents had reached a low of 8.4 in 2003 (in data since 1996). After reaching a peak of 12.1 in 2007, the rate dropped each subsequent year, reaching 10.4 in 2010 before an uptick to 10.8 in 2011. The violent crime rate per 1,000 had reached a low of 0.3 in 2005, before climbing to 0.8 in 2007, then declining or remaining level in each succeeding year, reaching a rate of 0.4 in 2011. In 2008, seven residents of Manalapan were arrested on money laundering and drug trafficking charges for their involvement in an international drug ring bringing in a net of $1 million per month.

Parks and recreation

Manalapan's Recreation Center covers , offering two handball courts, nine softball/baseball fields, five batting cages, a fitness trail, two football fields (one turf), nine football/soccer fields (one turf), two street hockey courts, three tot lots, six basketball courts, six tennis courts, two bocce courts, two sand volleyball courts, a nine-hole disc golf course, a small water park, concession stand, two picnic areas, two maintenance buildings, two shelter buildings and a headquarters building.

Government

Local government

Manalapan is governed under the

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

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

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

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

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

Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, March 2013, p. 62. At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor and another as Deputy Mayor for one year. members of the Manalapan Township Committee are

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

Eric Nelson (R, term as committee and as mayor ends December 31, 2025),

Deputy Mayor The deputy mayor (also known as vice mayor and assistant mayor) is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many local governments. Duties and functions Many elected deputy mayors are members of the loca ...

Mary Ann Musich (R, term on committee and as deputy mayor ends 2025), Susan Cohen (R, 2026), Robert Gregowicz (R, 2027) and John P. "Jack" McNaboe (R, 2026).Mayor & Township Committee
Manalapan Township. Accessed January 29, 2025.November 5, 2024 General Election Official Results

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

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

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

Clerk, updated December 27, 2022. Accessed January 1, 2023.

Federal, state, and county representation

Manalapan is located in the 3rd Congressional District2022 Redistricting Plan

New Jersey Redistricting Commission The New Jersey Redistricting Commission is a constitutional body of the government of New Jersey tasked with redrawing the state's Congressional election districts after each decade's census. Like Arizona, Idaho, Hawaii, Montana, and Washington ...

, December 8, 2022. and is part of New Jersey's 12th state legislative district.Municipalities Sorted by 2011-2020 Legislative District

New Jersey Department of State The secretary of state of New Jersey oversees the Department of State, which is one of the original state offices. The Secretary is responsible for overseeing New Jersey State Council on the Arts, artistic, cultural, and New Jersey Historical Com ...

. Accessed February 1, 2020.''2019 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''
New Jersey

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV) is a nonpartisan American nonprofit political organization. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include Voter registration, registering voters, providing voter information, boosting voter turnout and adv ...

. Accessed October 30, 2019. Prior to the 2010 Census, Manalapan Township had been split between the and the , a change made by the

that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections.''2011 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''
, p. 60, New Jersey

. Accessed May 22, 2015.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 26,256 registered voters in Manalapan Township, of which 6,925 (26.4%) were registered as Democrats, 4,439 (16.9%) were registered as Republicans and 14,875 (56.7%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 17 voters registered as

Libertarians Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...

or Greens. In the 2012 presidential election, Republican

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

received 54.2% of the vote (9,949 cast), ahead of Democrat

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

with 44.8% (8,224 votes), and other candidates with 0.9% (169 votes), among the 18,449 ballots cast by the township's 27,734 registered voters (107 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 66.5%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican

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

received 51.9% of the vote (10,150 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 45.9% (8,984 votes) and other candidates with 0.8% (160 votes), among the 19,553 ballots cast by the township's 26,582 registered voters, for a turnout of 73.6%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican

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

received 52.2% of the vote (9,254 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat

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

with 46.2% (8,185 votes) and other candidates with 0.4% (96 votes), among the 17,730 ballots cast by the township's 23,926 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 74.1. In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican

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

received 73.0% of the vote (7,640 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 25.7% (2,688 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (132 votes), among the 10,583 ballots cast by the township's 28,056 registered voters (123 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 37.7%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 61.9% of the vote (7,581 ballots cast), ahead of 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 f ...

with 32.6% (3,995 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 4.4% (536 votes) and other candidates with 0.6% (69 votes), among the 12,251 ballots cast by the township's 26,168 registered voters, yielding a 46.8% turnout.

Education

Public school students in

pre-kindergarten Pre-kindergarten (also called pre-K or PK) is a voluntary classroom-based preschool program for children below the age of five in the United States, Canada, Turkey and Greece (when kindergarten starts). It may be delivered through a preschool ...

through eighth grade attend the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District, which also serves children from Englishtown. Manalapan and Englishtown formally joined as a regional elementary school district in 1963, with an initial enrollment of 1,140 students; The student body is primarily from Manalapan Township, which accounts for about 95% of enrollment, with Englishtown students accounting for the remaining 5%. As of the 2019–20 school year, the district, comprised of eight schools, had an enrollment of 4,910 students and 408.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

student–teacher ratio The student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio refers to the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers or staff in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that ...

of 12.0:1.District information for Manalapan-Englishtown Regional Schools School District

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

. Accessed April 1, 2021. Schools in the district (with 2019–20 enrollment from the

) are John I. Dawes Early Learning Center with 365 students in Pre-K and K, Clark Mills School with 491 students in grades 1–5, Lafayette Mills School with 489 students in grades 1–5, Milford Brook School with 523 students in grades K–5, Taylor Mills School with 600 students in grades K–5, Wemrock Brook School with 626 students in grades 1–5, Pine Brook School with 563 students in sixth grade and Manalapan-Englishtown Middle School with 1,227 students in grades 7 and 8. The district is overseen by a nine-member

board of education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional area, ...

, which sets policy and oversees the fiscal and educational operation of the district; Seats on the board are allocated based on population, with eight seats assigned to Manalapan Township. Students from Manalapan Township in public school for

ninth In music, a ninth is a compound interval consisting of an octave plus a second. Like the second, the interval of a ninth is classified as a dissonance in common practice tonality. Since a ninth is an octave larger than a second, its ...

through

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

s attend either Freehold Township High School or Manalapan High School as part of the Freehold Regional High School District (FRHSD), with the school attended based on the student's address. The Freehold Regional High School District also serves students from Colts Neck Township, Englishtown, Farmingdale, Freehold Borough, Freehold Township, Howell Township and Marlboro Township. of the 2019–2020 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 1,879 students and 122.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

of 15.3:1 and As of the 2019–2020 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 2,029 students and 133.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 15.2:1. The FRHSD board of education has nine members, who are elected to three-year terms from each of the constituent districts. Each member is allocated a fraction of a vote that totals to nine points, with Manalapan Township allocated one member, who has 1.4 votes. Public high school students in Manalapan and all of Monmouth County also have the option of attending one of the Monmouth County Vocational School District's five career academies. Manalapan's academy is the Science and Engineering Program.

Historic district

The Monmouth Battlefield Historic District is a

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains historic building, older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal p ...

within the much larger Monmouth Battlefield State Park, located on both sides of County Route 522 (Freehold-Englishtown Road) and west of U.S. Route 9 on the border of Manalapan Township and Freehold Township. The site of the battlefield originally contained many colonial-era farmhouses though many did not survive the rapid development of the area in the 20th century. Three of the original seven farmhouses that were present during the battle are still standing in the park. These include the Sutfin Farmhouse (1731); the Rhea-Applegate House (1745); and the Craig House (1746). Near the battlefield lies the historic meadow creek housing development. Founded in the 2000s by K hovnanian, it has become home to a multitude of Indian and Russian immigrants. It remains a beautiful display of architecture featuring the villages and estates. European style townhouses paired with suburban American houses. The development is renowned for its clubhouse that features sports fields, a lounge, a pool, ping pong, and a gym. Three other homes were built on the battlefield. The Conover-Perrine House (1832) is to the north of the park, erected on the site of the original 18th-century Perrine House, an important example of late

Federal Architecture Federal-style architecture is the name for the classical architecture built in the United States following the American Revolution between 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815, which was influenced heavily by the works of And ...

. The

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style combined its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century It ...

Cobb House was later constructed in 1872 near the Conover-Perrine House. The Combs' Farmhouse (mid-18th Century) was demolished sometime in the 1960s and was located near the park's playground and ice pond. The district was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

on October 15, 1966, for its significance in military history and for the remaining settlement of colonial architecture and agriculture akin to the fated events of the

. With Image:Monmouth Battlefield (26).JPG, 1753 Old Tennent Church Image:Craig House farmhouse, Monmouth Battlefield State Park.jpg, 1746 Craig House Image:Cobbhouse_monmouth.jpg, 1872 Cobb House Image:Mollypitcher_spring2.jpg, Molly Pitcher Spring Image:Sutfin_house.jpg, 1731 Sutfin House Image:Rhea_Applegate_House.jpg, 1745 Rhea Applegate House

Community

Manalapan landmarks include the headquarters facility of the Monmouth County Library, the Manalapan Recreation Center, and the battlefield for the

. Manalapan Under the Stars, the township's community celebration featuring rides, concerts, fireworks, and other activities, is held annually at the Recreation Center. Performers featured in the series have included Herman's Hermits Starring Peter Noone and

Tommy James and the Shondells Tommy James and the Shondells is an American rock band formed in Niles, Michigan, in 1964. The band has had two No. 1 singles in the U.S.: " Hanky Panky" (1966), the band's only RIAA Certified Gold record, and "Crimson and Clover" (1969). The ...

Headquarters_for_Monmouth_County_Library

In 2004, Manalapan was rated the second-hottest town on the East Coast by ''

Money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are: m ...

'' magazine. On May 27, 2001, Manalapan was struck by a

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...

rated F2 on the

Fujita scale The Fujita scale (F-Scale; ), or Fujita–Pearson scale (FPP scale), is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation. The official Fujita scale category is determ ...

, causing over $1 million in damage. The tornado had winds of up to over a path of .

Infrastructure

Public safety

Emergency services

The Township of Manalapan has multiple emergency service departments.

=Police

= The Manalapan Township Police Department has 55 officers. The force has two major divisions; operations and administration. The Operations Division is headed by Deputy Chief Leonard Maltese, and the Administration Division is headed by Deputy Chief Thomas Mantle. On February 8, 2021, Edward Niesz was promoted as Chief of the Manalapan Township Police Department, succeeding former Chief Michael Fountain; Fountain had served with the department for 27 years, the final four-plus years as Police Chief.

=Fire Prevention

Fire squads

Manalapan has three volunteer fire companies: * Manalapan Township Fire Company #1, founded in 1949, is located on Sweetmans Lane and serves the southern portion of the township * Manalapan Township Fire Company #2: Gordons Corner Fire Company (founded 1962) is located in the heavily suburbanized community of Yorketown in the northern portion of the township. It has two branches that serves the community, one located on Tennent Road, and another on Pease Road * Englishtown Fire Department is located in neighboring Englishtown and serves central portions the township.

=First aid squads

= Englishtown-Manalapan First Aid Squad (EMFAS) is a regional pre-hospital emergency care service for Englishtown and Manalapan residents. The organization was founded in 1941, and is located in Englishtown.

Transportation

Roads and highways

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

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

. Manalapan hosts US 9 in the northeast, and Route 33 passes through near the southern part of the township. Major county routes, such as 522 and 527 traverse through the municipality, while 524 and 537 goes along the southeast border of the township. Other major roads that are accessible outside the township are the

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

in bordering Old Bridge, I-195 in bordering Millstone Township, and the

New Jersey Turnpike The New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) is a system of controlled-access highway, controlled-access toll roads in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The turnpike is maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA).The Garden State Parkway, although ma ...

(

I-95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...

) in East Windsor (Exit 8) and bordering Monroe Township (Exit 8A).

Public transportation

=Rail

= In the 19th & 20th centuries, Englishtown Borough and Manalapan Township had a major railway in the area, which was the Freehold and Jamesburg Agricultural Railroad. This railway was owned and operated by the Camden & Amboy Railroad Company (C&A), in which surveying for the line began on September 8, 1851, grading began on October 19, 1852, and the first track was laid on April 4, 1853. The first section of line was opened on July 18, 1853. The establishment of the Freehold & Jamesburg Agricultural Railroad allowed this region to become a transportation hub. The Freehold and Jamesburg Railroad was abandoned by the early 1930s. A portion of the former railroad's right-of-way was later approved to be sold by the New Jersey Board of Public Utility Commissioners (PUC) to Jersey Central Power & Light Company in 1966, with occasional freight service still being utilized through the Freehold Industrial Track. The Monmouth Ocean Middlesex Line is a proposal by New Jersey Transit to restore passenger railway service to the region. The township would be a potential stop for the 'MOM' Line. As of now, the nearest train stations to the township are Metropark in Iselin, Metuchen,

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

, and Princeton Junction on the

Northeast Corridor Line The Northeast Corridor Line is a commuter rail service operated by NJ Transit between the Trenton Transit Center and New York Penn Station on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor in the United States. The service is the successor to Pennsylvania Railroad ...

=Busing

NJ Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit or NJTransit and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey and portions of the states of New York and Pennsylvania. I ...

currently provides bus service on the List of NJ Transit bus routes (100-199)#To points south of the Raritan River from PABT">139 139 may refer to: * 139 (number), an integer * AD 139, a year of the Julian calendar * 139 BC, a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar * 139 (New Jersey bus) * 139 Juewa 139 Juewa ( ) is a very large and dark main belt asteroid. It is probabl ...