Marlboro 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 ...

Monmouth County 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 by ...

, 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 located within the Raritan Valley region and is a part of the

New York Metro Area The New York metropolitan area, also called the Tri-State area and sometimes referred to as Greater New York, is the largest metropolitan economy in the world, with a gross metropolitan product of over US$2.6 trillion. It is also the lar ...

. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 41,502, an increase of 1,311 (+3.3%) from the 2010 census count of 40,191, which in turn reflected an increase of 5,449 (+16.3%) from the 33,423 counted in the 2000 census. Marlboro 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 February 17, 1848, from portions of Freehold Township.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 182. Accessed May 30, 2024. The township was named for the

marl Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, Clay minerals, clays, and silt. When Lithification, hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae. M ...

beds found in the area.

History

Historical timeline

Lenni Lenape

The

Lenni Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historical territory included present-day northeastern Del ...

Native Americans were the first known organized inhabitants of this area, having settled here about one thousand years ago and forming an agricultural society, occupying small villages that dotted what was to become Marlboro Township. Their villages were known to be in the Wickatunk and Crawford's Corner sections of the township. In 1600, the Delaware / Lenape Native American population in the surrounding area may have numbered as many as 20,000. Several wars, at least 14 separate epidemics ( yellow fever,

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...

influenza Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These sympto ...

encephalitis lethargica Encephalitis lethargica (EL) is an atypical form of encephalitis. Also known as "von Economo Encephalitis", "sleeping sickness" or "sleepy sickness" (distinct from tsetse fly–transmitted sleeping sickness), it was first described in 1917 by ne ...

, etc.) and disastrous over-harvesting of the animal populations reduced their population to around 4,000 by the year 1700. Since the Lenape people, like all Native Americans, had no immunity to European diseases, when the populations contacted the epidemics, they frequently proved fatal. Some Lenape starved to death as a result of animal over-harvesting, while others were forced to trade their land for goods such as clothing and food. They were eventually moved to reservations set up by the US Government. They were first moved to the only Indian Reservation in New Jersey, the Brotherton Reservation in

Burlington County, New Jersey Burlington County is a county in the South Jersey region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The county is the largest by land area in New Jersey and ranks second behind neighboring Ocean County in total area. Its county seat is Mount Holly.< ...

(1758–1802). Those who remained survived through attempting to adapt to the dominant culture, becoming farmers and tradesmen. As the Lenni Lenape population declined, and the European population increased, the history of the area was increasingly defined by the new European inhabitants and the Lenape Native American tribes played an increasingly secondary role.

Dutch arrival

Within a period of 112 years, 1497–1609, four European explorers claimed this land for their sponsors:

John Cabot John Cabot ( ; 1450 – 1499) was an Italians, Italian navigator and exploration, explorer. His 1497 voyage to the coast of North America under the commission of Henry VII of England, Henry VII, King of England is the earliest known Europe ...

, 1497, for England;

Giovanni de Verrazano Giovanni da Verrazzano ( , ; often misspelled Verrazano in English; 1491–1528) was an Italian (Republic of Florence, Florentine) Exploration, explorer of North America, who led most of his later expeditions, including the one to America, in ...

, 1524, for France; Estevan Gomez, 1525, for Spain,

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 ...

, 1609, for Holland. After the Dutch arrival to the region in the 1620s, the Lenape were successful in restricting Dutch settlement to Pavonia in present-day Jersey City along the

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

until the 1660s and the Swedish settlement to

New Sweden New Sweden () was a colony of the Swedish Empire between 1638 and 1655 along the lower reaches of the Delaware River in what is now Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Established during the Thirty Years' War when Sweden was a g ...

(1655 – The Dutch defeat the Swedes on the Delaware). The Dutch established a garrison at

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

allowing settlement of areas within the province of New Netherland. For 50 years, 1614–1664, the Monmouth County area came under the influence of the Dutch, but it was not settled until after English rule in 1664. The initial European proprietors of the area purchased the land from the Lenni Lenape leader or Sakamaker. The chief of the Unami, or Turtle clan, was traditionally the great chief of all the Lenni Lenape. One of the sons of the leader, was Weequehela who negotiated the sale of several of the initial tracts of land to the first farmers. An early deed refers to "the chief sachems or leaders of Toponemus." On April 2, 1664, the English appointed

Richard Nicolls Richard Nicolls ( – 28 May 1672) was an English military officer and colonial administrator who served as the first governor of the Province of New York from 1664 to 1668. Early life Richard Nicolls was born in in Ampthill, Bedfordshire. He ...

to serve as the Deputy Governor of New York and New Jersey. One year later, April 8, 1665, Nicolls issued "The Monmouth Patent" to twelve men who had come from Western Long Island and New England seeking permanent stability for religious and civil freedom as well as the prospect of improving their estates. Nicolls was unaware that in June, 1664, James had given a lease and release for New Jersey to Lord John Berkeley and Sir George Carteret, thus invalidating the grant to the Monmouth Patentees.''History of Colts Neck''
Colts Neck Township. Accessed December 4, 2016. The rule at the time was that land should be purchased from the Patent. However, in the time between 1685 and the early 18th century, the patent was ignored and land was gradually purchased from the Lenni Lenape causing confusion and disputes over ownership. Following the initial sale of land, the history of the township starts about 1685, when the land was first settled by European farmers from

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. The Scottish exiles and early Dutch settlers lived on isolated clearings carved out of the forest. The

lingua franca A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, link language or language of wider communication (LWC), is a Natural language, language systematically used to make co ...

or common language spoken in the area was likely, overwhelmingly Dutch. However, this was one of many languages spoken with the culture very steeped in

New Netherlander New Netherlanders were residents of New Netherland, the seventeenth-century colonial outpost of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands on the northeastern coast of North America, centered around New York Harbor, the Hudson Valley, and ...

. The official documentation at the time is frequently found to be in the Dutch language. The documents of the time also suggest that money transactions used the British

shilling The shilling is a historical coin, and the name of a unit of modern currency, currencies formerly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, other British Commonwealth countries and Ireland, where they were generally equivalent to 1 ...

. The English and Scotch settlers were

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestantism, Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally ...

. After initial European contact, the Lenape population sharply declined. The first settlers of the area were led by missionary George Keith. They were

. The Quakers established a town called Topanemus and nearby a meetinghouse and a cemetery on what is now Topanemus Road and held the first meeting on October 10, 1702. The first leader of the church was Rev. George Keith who received a large grant of land in the area due to his position as Surveyor-General. Among the first listed communicants of the new church were Garret and Jan Schenck. The church later changed its affiliation to the Episcopal faith and became St. Peter's Episcopal Church, which is now located in Freehold. The old burial ground still remains on Topanemus Road. In 1692 those of the Presbyterian Faith built a church and burial ground on what is now Gordons Corner Road. The church eventually moved to Tennent where it became known as the Old Tennent Church and played a role in 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 the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. The old Scots Cemetery still remains at its original site.

Marl's discovery

The township of Marlboro is named for the prevalence of

, which was first discovered in the area east of the village in 1768. Marl was used extensively on farms and spread during the winter months to be tilled into the soil in the spring. The "Marl Pits" are clearly reflected on maps from 1889 shown as a dirt road off of Hudson Street heading towards the current location of the township soccer fields. Farmers used marl to improve the soil in the days before commercial fertilizers and there was a heavy demand for it. Marlboro Township's first industry was the export of the material, used primarily as fertilizer. In 1853, the Marl was harvested and transported to other parts of the state and to the Keyport docks via the Freehold Marl Company Railroad (now 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 , paved m ...

). The marl was then sent to New York and other parts of the country via ship.Glickson, Grant
"If You're Thinking of Living in: Marlboro"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', August 22, 1993. Accessed April 20, 2012. "Settled by the Dutch in the late 1600s, Marlboro got its name from marl, a mixture of clay and shells, discovered on a farm shortly before the Revolutionary War. The material, used primarily as fertilizer, was shipped throughout the state and by boat to New York." Prior to the finding of Marl, the area was known as 'Bucktown' for John Buck who owned a tavern in the area.

Revolutionary War

Marlboro Township was the scene of a number of skirmishes during the

, in particular following 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 ...

in 1778. During the war, the Pleasant Valley section was often raided by the British for food supplies and livestock. The area was referred to as the "Hornet's Nest" because of the intensity of attacks on the British by local militia. Beacon Hill (of present-day Beacon Hill Road) was one of three Monmouth County sites where beacons were placed to warn the residents and the Continental forces if the enemy should approach from the bay. There was also considerable activity in the Montrose area of the Township as British troops, retreating from the Battle of Monmouth, tried to wind their way to ships lying off Sandy Hook. The area was also frequently sacked for food and livestock. The woods and surrounding vegetation were hunted for animals to depletion by the British. One description of a hunt was recorded: "A great deer-drive was organized, taking in almost the entire northern portion of Monmouth county. Before daylight... a line of men... was stretched... somewhere near Marlboro. At an appointed hour this line of beaters, with shot and shout... proceeded forward to drive as large as possible a number of deer to the shore between Port Monmouth and Atlantic Highlands. The drive was completely successful... that deer were almost exterminated in the northerly part of the county."

Township formation

Under the direction and influence of John W. Herbert, Marlboro was established as a township by an act of the

on February 17, 1848, formed from portions of Freehold Township. The township's name was originally "Marlborough," but was subsequently changed to "Marlboro." It is not known when the name was officially changed, with maps and other documents in the decades after the township's establishment referring variously to "Marlboro"Beers, F.W
''Atlas of Monmouth County NJ'', Plate 39
New York City, NY. 1873 or "Marlborough". The first elected freeholder was John W. Herbert. By 1873, Marlboro had a post office, school, hotel, multiple stores, churches, and a railroad station of the Freehold and Keyport Railroad. In 1882, the population was 102. Marlboro was described in 1939 as having "large frame houses comfortably spaced along the highway". Marlboro was

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically desc ...

and composed mostly of

dairy A dairy is a place where milk is stored and where butter, cheese, and other dairy products are made, or a place where those products are sold. It may be a room, a building, or a larger establishment. In the United States, the word may also des ...

farms,

potato The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...

tomato The tomato (, ), ''Solanum lycopersicum'', is a plant whose fruit is an edible Berry (botany), berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originate ...

and other farms laced with small

hamlets A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. This is often simply an informal description of a smaller settlement or possibly a subdivision or satellite entity to a larger settlement. Sometimes a hamlet is defined f ...

with modest inns or taverns. Before

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Marlboro Township was the nation's largest grower of potatoes and also known for a large tomato and egg industry. During World War II, egg farms significantly expanded to accommodate military demand. Following World War II, the state began to significantly build and improve the area transportation infrastructure. As the infrastructure improved, the population started to increase. The 1950s and 1960s saw Marlboro starting to significantly grow. Housing developments started to replace the farm and rural nature as the community expanded. After the early 1970s, Marlboro became a growing

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

for people working in

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

and in large nearby corporations. During the 1980s and early 1990s most of the new

housing development A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex, housing development, subdivision or community) is a group of homes and other buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Popular throug ...

s featured four- or five-bedroom houses, but later the trend shifted toward larger estate homes. The building effort became so advanced that Marlboro Township placed restrictions for building around wetlands; called the Stream Corridor Preservation Restrictions to mitigate construction and habitat contamination. The year 2000 saw continued growth of the housing trend toward larger homes. Towards the end of the decade, housing growth declined due to the

Great Recession The Great Recession was a period of market decline in economies around the world that occurred from late 2007 to mid-2009.

Historical events

Town center

The Marlboro township center has historically been considered an area around the intersection of Route 79 and School Road. In the late 19th century the intersection held two hotels (both of them are now gone), general store (was on the lot of the current fire department building), and Post Office (was on the lot of a current Chinese Restaurant). Behind the current small mini-mart on the corner of this intersection, you can still see one of the original barns from the early 19th century. However, Marlboro no longer has any official

town center A town centre is the commercial or geographical centre or core area of a town. Town centres are traditionally associated with shopping or retail. They are also the centre of communications with major public transport hubs such as train or bus st ...

and can be considered an example of

suburban sprawl Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city". Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted ...

. Efforts are underway to create an official "Village Center" and multiple proposals have come forward in recent discussions.Marlboro Community Vision Plan Identified Issues
, Marlboro Township. Accessed June 29, 2011. Current vision statements suggest the creation of a pedestrian-friendly,

mixed use Mixed use is a type of Real estate development, urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning classification that blends multiple Land use, uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into ...

Village Center, with an emphasis on walkability and traffic calming.Heyer Gruel & Associates
''Master Plan Reexamination Report''
, Township of Marlboro, August 2012. Accessed September 29, 2015.

Cell phone ban

In 2000, Marlboro became the first municipality in New Jersey, and one of the first areas in the U.S., to ban cell phone use while driving, a ban that took effect in March 2001. The restriction made use of a cell phone a primary offense, allowing a police officer to stop a motorist for phone use.

Marlboro Psychiatric Hospital

Opened in 1931,

Marlboro Psychiatric Hospital Marlboro Psychiatric Hospital was a public hospital in Marlboro Township, New Jersey, Marlboro, New Jersey, United States, which was operated by the State of New Jersey. Construction of the hospital began in 1929. It first opened in early 1931, w ...

was located on in the eastern part of the township. It was opened with much fanfare as a "state of the art" psychiatric facility. It was closed 67 years later on June 30, 1998, as part of a three-year

deinstitutionalization Deinstitutionalisation (or deinstitutionalization) is the process of replacing long-stay psychiatric hospitals with less isolated community mental health services for those diagnosed with a mental disorder or developmental disability. In the 195 ...

plan in which some the state's largest facilities were being shut down, with Marlboro's 800 patients being shifted to smaller facilities and group homes. The land that the hospital was placed on was known as the "Big Woods Settlement". It was largely farm land but there was a large distillery on the property which was torn down to make room for the hospital. Additionally, due to the long residential stays at the hospital, a cemetery was also located near the hospital for the residents who died while in residence and were unclaimed. The hospital was completely demolished in 2015. Most of the land was handed over to the Monmouth County Park system, with some of the ground becoming the final linkage of the

. The park system had developed the Big Brook Park and continues to expand and work on the park to provide services to the Monmouth County residents.

40% Green

In June 2009, Marlboro Township Municipal Utilities Authority deployed a 900 kW solar power array from Sharp that will enable the MTMUA to meet nearly 40% of its electricity needs with emissions-free solar-generated power. This is considered one of the largest of its kind in the East. This solar energy system will reduce New Jersey CO₂ emissions by more than annually; SO₂ emissions by ; and NO₂ emissions by ., as well as eliminating significant amounts of mercury. Additionally, Marlboro has been recognized as a ''Cool City'' by the

Sierra Club The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization with chapters in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded in 1892, in San Francisco, by preservationist John Muir. A product of the Pro ...

. Marlboro is the 10th Monmouth County municipality to be named a Cool City.

Preston Airfield

Marlboro had an airport, Preston Airfield, which opened in 1954 and was in operation for almost 50 years. The airport was opened by Rhea Preston on his farm and consisted of two runways, one was as well as airplane hangars. It obtained a paved runway before 1972. In 1974, the airport had approximately 100 planes, 8 of which are used for air instruction. It won many awards and in 1974 was cited by the state Aviation Advisory Council as the "best maintained" airport. In 1975, the airport was given Planning Board approval to expand with 21 additional hangars and add an 840 square foot operations building."Board Favors Airport Plans", Asbury Park Press, December 5, 1975, Page 8 Exact records are not known as to when it changed its name to Marlboro Airport. The Garden State Art Center was known to have used the airport to fly in entertainers such as

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter, author, and businessman. He was known for his tropical rock sound and persona, which often portrayed a lifestyle described as "island escapis ...

Jon Bon Jovi John Francis Bongiovi Jr. (born March 2, 1962), known professionally as Jon Bon Jovi, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He is best known as the founder and Lead vocalist, frontman of the rock band Bon Jovi, which was fo ...

, and

Howard Stern Howard Allan Stern (born January 12, 1954) is an American broadcaster and media personality. He is best known for his radio show, ''The Howard Stern Show'', which gained popularity when it was nationally syndicated on terrestrial radio from 1 ...

for performances. Planning board records reflect the intention to make this change in 1976. The NJ department of Transportation provided $4.8 million to expand Preston Airport. In 1979, the airport was described as having a single runway long. The airport was used for private aviation (Fixed wing as well as helicopters) as well as having a private school for flying instruction. In 2000, the airport was purchased by Marlboro Holdings LLC owned by

Anthony Spalliero Antonio "Anthony" Spalliero (July 30, 1942 in Maddaloni – December 19, 2010 in Edison, New Jersey) was a real estate developer with ties to organized crime. From 1968 to 2005, Spalliero had been arrested at least eight times, and indicted t ...

who closed it with the intent to redevelop the airport into housing. To foster the case for redevelopment, Spalliero donated land holdings he had near the airport to the township board of education, which was used to develop the Marlboro Early Learning Center, a school specialized for

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

classes. Following a $100,000 pay-off to former mayor

Matthew Scannapieco Matthew V. Scannapieco (born May 21, 1944) is an American politician who served as Mayor of Marlboro, New Jersey from 1992 to 2003. During the course of his career in public service, Scannapieco, a Republican, also served on the Township Council, ...

the planning board used the distance to the new school as justification to close the airfield citing a reference to a fatal plane crash in 1997. Part of the airport has now been developed into Marlboro Memorial Cemetery which now borders the defunct airfield. The other part of the airfield has been absorbed into the Monmouth County Park System.

Virgin Mary sighting

Starting in 1989, Joseph Januszkiewicz started reporting visions of the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

near the

blue spruce The blue spruce (''Picea pungens''), also commonly known as Colorado spruce or Colorado blue spruce, is a species of spruce tree native to North America in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. It is noted for its blue-green co ...

trees in his yard. The visions started to appear six months after he returned from a

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

Međugorje Medjugorje (, ) is a village in the municipality of Čitluk in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since 1981, it has become a popular site of Catholic pilgrimage due to Our ...

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

. Since that time as many as 8,000

pilgrim The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often vocalize it as ...

s have gathered on the first Sundays of June, July, August and September to pray, meditate and share in the vision. On September 7, 1992, Bishop

John C. Reiss John Charles Reiss (May 13, 1922 – March 4, 2012) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Trenton in New Jersey from 1980 to 1997. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the s ...

gave Januszkiewicz permission to release his messages. In 1993, the

Catholic Diocese of Trenton The Diocese of Trenton is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in central New Jersey in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Newark. ...

ruled that nothing "truly miraculous" was happening at the Januszkiewicz home. Pictures were taken in November 2004 of a paranormal mist that showed up at the location of the vision, though by April 2005, Januszkiewicz claimed that the visions had stopped and he reports there have been no sightings since.

Train crash

On October 13, 1919, a Central Railroad train collided with a truck on the Hudson Street crossing. The truck was owned by Silvers Company. The train suffered a derailment but the accident only had one loss of life. Michael Mooney, train engineer, died from burns from the train boiler water.

Historic sites

Marlboro Township has a number of historically significant sites. These were identified by the Marlboro Township Historic Commission,

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 rela ...

, Monmouth County Park System and other entities. The township of Marlboro has erected signs in front of some of the historically significant buildings to explain their historical significant status. Multiple signs can be seen along Main Street and on some other streets in the town center area. The Marlboro Township Historic Commission was set up to assist in preserving and publicizing the township's history. It recommends programs and policies to the mayor and the township council on issues of historic significance. It provides homeowners with information on historic preservation and renovation. The commission also maintains signs in Marlboro Township of some of the historically significant locations. The Historic Commission is comprised of nine members, appointed by the mayor for three year terms, who volunteer their time without receiving any compensation.

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 30.45 square miles (78.85 km²), including 30.34 square miles (78.58 km²) of land and 0.11 square miles (0.27 km²) of water (0.34%). The New Jersey Geological Survey map suggests the land is mostly made up of

cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...

soil consisting of sand, silt and clay. Morganville (2010 Census population of 5,040) and Robertsville (2010 population of 11,297) 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 counte ...

s and

unincorporated communities 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 ...

located within Marlboro Township. Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Beacon Hill, Bradevelt, Claytons Corner, Henningers Mills, Herberts Corner, Hillsdale,

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 ...

(also known as Marlboro Village), Monmouth Heights, Montrose, Mount Pleasant, Pleasant Valley, Smocks Corner, Spring Valley and Wickatunk. The township borders

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

, Colts Neck, Freehold Township,

Holmdel Holmdel is a township in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Located near Raritan Bay in the Raritan Valley Region, the township is a regional commercial hub of Central Jersey, home to Bell Labs and PNC Bank Arts Center, and a ...

, Manalapan and Matawan in Monmouth County; and Old Bridge in Middlesex County.

Weather

Marlboro Township is located close to the Atlantic Ocean. Due to the Marlboro Township's location on the Eastern Seaboard, the following weather features are noted: *On average, the warmest month is July where the average high is and the average low is . *The highest recorded temperature was in 1936. *On average, the coolest month is January reaching an average low of and an average high of . *The lowest recorded temperature was in 1934. *The most precipitation on average occurs in July with an average of rain. *The least precipitation on average occurs in February with an average of of rain. *The average annual precipitation is . *The average number of freezing days is 179. *The average snowfall .

Climate

According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Marlboro Township sits on the northern border between the

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(''Cfa'') zone and the

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 cold ...

(Dfa) zone, with the township being one of the most northern localities in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

that has a humid subtropical climate. ''Cfa'' climates are characterized by all months having an average temperature above , at least four months with an average temperature at or above , at least one month with an average temperature at or above and no significant precipitation difference between seasons.

Tornado

* On October 16, 1925, Marlboro Township experienced a tornado. It was reported to be less than a mile wide in destruction. "Large trees were uprooted, small buildings overturned and telephone poles went down". * On May 27, 2001, Marlboro Township had a strong F2 tornado – the tornado was located in southwest Marlboro Township. Four houses had severe roof damage and about a dozen others suffered minor damage. A construction trailer was tossed and two vehicles were overturned. Between 150 and 200 trees were either uprooted or damaged. Tree damage was so extensive that Hawkins Road Park was closed.

Demographics

Dutch_Reformed_Chapel_on_Newman_Springs_Road

Marlboro has experienced steady growth since 1940, with the largest population swell occurred during the 1960s and 1970s and a noticeable increase of 10,414 people from 1980 to 1990. The pace of the growth has slowed in the last decade.

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 40,191 people, 13,001 households, and 11,194 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 . There were 13,436 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 78.59% (31,587)

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 ...

, 2.09% (841) Black or African American, 0.06% (25) Native American, 17.27% (6,939) Asian, 0.00% (2)

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 ...

, 0.64% (257) from other races, and 1.34% (540) from two or more races.

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...

of any race were 4.03% (1,619) of the population. Of the 13,001 households, 46.6% had children under the age of 18; 77.8% were married couples living together; 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present and 13.9% were non-families. Of all households, 12.0% were made up of individuals and 6.9% 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 3.38. 28.8% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 21.0% from 25 to 44, 32.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.7 years. For every 100 females, the population had 95.8 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 92.7 males. Marlboro_Jewish_Center

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 In economics, nominal value refers to value measured in terms of absolute money amounts, whereas real value is considered and measured against the actual goods or services for which it can be exchanged at a given time. Real value takes into acco ...

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 $130,400 (with a margin of error of +/− $6,434) and the median family income was $145,302 (+/− $7,377). Males had a median income of $101,877 (+/− $3,707) versus $66,115 (+/− $5,292) for females. The

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

for the township was $50,480 (+/− $2,265). About 1.2% of families and 1.6% of the population were below the

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

, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census there were 36,398 people, 11,478 households, and 10,169 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 11,896 housing units at an average density of 388.8 inhabitants/mi² (150.1 inhabitants/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 83.76%

, 2.07%

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 ...

, 0.05% Native American, 12.67% Asian, 0.01%

, 0.47% from other races, and 0.97% 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 2.89% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Marlboro township, Monmouth County, New Jersey
,

. Accessed December 18, 2011.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Marlboro township, Monmouth County, New Jersey
,

. Accessed July 13, 2012. There were 11,478 households, out of which 50.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them. 81.3% 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, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 11.4% were non-families. 9.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.15 and the average family size was 3.38. In the township the population was spread out, with 30.2% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. There are slightly more females than males in the township for both total and adult categories. The census shows that for every 100 females in the township, there were 98.4 males; for every 100 females over 18, there were 94.3 males. The median income for a household in the township was $101,322, and the median income for a family was $107,894. Males had a median income of $76,776 versus $41,298 for females. The

for the township was $38,635. About 2.4% of families and 3.5% of the population were below the

, including 3.4% of those under age 18 and 2.7% of those age 65 or over.

Crime

The number of violent crimes recorded by the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

in 2003 was 15. The number of murders and homicides was 5. The violent crime rate was reported to be very low, at 0.4 per 1,000 people.

Housing

Housing costs

The median home cost in Marlboro Township was $446,890. Home prices decreased by 8.18% in 2010. Compared to the rest of the country, Marlboro Township's cost of living is 57% higher than the U.S. average.Best Places to Live in Marlboro Township, New Jersey
BestPlaces.net. Accessed June 29, 2011.

Affordable housing

As part of its obligation under the Mount Laurel doctrine, the

Council on Affordable Housing The Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) was, until its abolition in 2024, an agency of the Government of New Jersey within the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs that was responsible for ensuring that all 566 New Jersey municipalities ...

requires Marlboro Township to provide 1,673 low / moderate income housing units.Morton, Rebecca
"Marlboro sets record for COAH objectors"
, ''News Transcript'', May 13, 2009. Accessed January 20, 2018. "Marlboro is facing an obligation of providing 1,673 affordable housing units from COAH for three rounds dating back to 1987." The first two rounds of New Jersey's affordable housing regulations ran from 1987 to 1999. Under a Regional Contribution Agreement (RCA), Marlboro Township signed an agreement in June 2008 that would have Trenton build or rehabilitate 332 housing units, with Marlboro Township paying $25,000 per unit, a total of $8.3 million to Trenton for taking on the responsibility for these units. Under proposed legislation, municipalities may lose the ability to use these RCAs to pay other communities to accept their New Jersey COAH fair housing obligations, which would mean that Marlboro Township is now required to build the balance of housing. When the New Jersey Council on Affordable Housing requested plans to complete this obligation, Marlboro generated the largest number of objectors to an affordable housing plan in the history of New Jersey. Numerous appeals followed and in October 2010, the Appellate Division struck down portions of the 2007 regulations, invalidated the growth share methodology and directed COAH to develop new regulations. The NJ supreme court granted all petitions for certification in October 2010 and is set to hear the appeals. In June 2011, the governor issued a reorganization plan which eliminated the 12-member COAH, though state courts overturned the governor's plan.

Retirement communities

Marlboro Township has a number of retirement communities, which include: * The Royal Pines at Marlboro * The Sunrise Senior Community * Greenbriar North Senior Housing Development. This development contains over 750 homes. * Marlboro Greens – This community was built between 1986 and 1988 contains 341 homes. * Rosemont Estates – Built by Regal Homes, Rosemont Estates offers 242 single-family homes in nine different models and range in size from approximately 2,400 to 2,800 square feet. * The Chelsea Square in Marlboro – for adults aged 55 and better consists of 225 condos. Chelsea Square includes a clubhouse, walking and biking trails, and a full-time activities director.

Parks and recreation

Marlboro has a township-sponsored recreation program, with activities for all ages including active

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

and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

leagues for boys and girls; in addition Little League

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...

and

Pop Warner Glenn Scobey Warner (April 5, 1871 – September 7, 1954), most commonly known as Pop Warner, was an American college football coach at various institutions who is responsible for several key aspects of the modern game. Included among his inn ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

cheerleading Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense Physical exercise, physical activity. It can be performed to motivate s ...

, and a growing amateur wrestling program. In the summer, the township holds free outdoor concerts by notable popular music artists. In recent years performers have included Jay and the Americans, Bill Haley's Comets,

Lesley Gore Lesley Gore (born Lesley Sue Goldstein, May 2, 1946 – February 16, 2015) was an American singer and songwriter. At the age of 16, she recorded her first hit song " It's My Party", a US number one in 1963. She follow ...

Little Anthony & The Imperials Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt * ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film *The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...

, Johnny Maestro & the Brooklyn Bridge,

The Platters The Platters are an American vocal group formed in 1952. They are one of the most successful vocal groups of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound bridges the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the new burgeoning genre. The act ...

The Trammps The Trammps are an American disco and soul band, who were based in Philadelphia and were one of the first disco bands. The band's first major success was their 1972 cover version of " Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart", while the first disc ...

, and

The Tokens The Tokens were an American doo-wop band (rock and pop), band and production of phonograph records, record production company group from Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York City. The group had four top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' H ...

. In 2007, Marlboro introduced monthly indoor concerts at the recreation center. These shows feature many upcoming artists as well as local talent. Artists have included Marlboro's own

Bedlight for Blue Eyes Bedlight for Blue Eyes (stylized as BEDlight For BlueEYES) was an alternative rock band from Berkeley Heights, New Jersey signed to Trustkill Records. In June and July 2005, the band embarked on their first headlining tour, with support from the ...

and Sound the Alarm. Marlboro is also home to the Marlboro Players, a private theater group that holds open auditions for background roles. Formed in 1975, the group presented its first performance, '' Don't Drink the Water'', in the following spring. For walkers and bicyclists, two segments of the

have substantial stretches within the township.

General parks

The Recreation Commission maintains several parks and facilities for public use. However, some ball fields require permits for usage. The following is a list of recreation facilities:

Dog parks

Marlboro has an off-leash dog park located at the township municipal complex off Wyncrest Road, located on Recreation Way.

Fossil collecting

Open to the public, Big Brook transects the border of Colts Neck and Marlboro, New Jersey. The stream cuts through sediments that were deposited during the

Late Cretaceous The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cre ...

period. Reportedly, prolific finds of fossils, such as shark teeth, and other deposits of

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...

marine fossils, including

belemnites Belemnites may refer to: *Belemnitida, an extinct order of cephalopods commonly known as "belemnites" *Belemnites (genus), ''Belemnites'' (genus), a belemnite genus from the Early Jurassic {{disambiguation ...

are frequently found. This is a particularly fossiliferous site, with finds including fish teeth, crab and crustacean claws, shark teeth, rarely dinosaur teeth, dinosaur bone fragments (and on a very rare occasion a complete bone), megalodonyx (prehistoric sloth) teeth and bone fragments. The area is regarded as one of the top three dinosaur fossil sites in the state. Multiple dinosaur finds have been found in this area. In 2009, a leg section from a duckbilled dinosaur called a

hadrosaur Hadrosaurids (), also hadrosaurs or duck-billed dinosaurs, are members of the ornithischian family Hadrosauridae. This group is known as the duck-billed dinosaurs for the flat duck-bill appearance of the bones in their snouts. The ornithopod fami ...

was found. The first dinosaur discovery in North America was made in 1858 in this area. Several bones from a

Mastodon A mastodon, from Ancient Greek μαστός (''mastós''), meaning "breast", and ὀδούς (''odoús'') "tooth", is a member of the genus ''Mammut'' (German for 'mammoth'), which was endemic to North America and lived from the late Miocene to ...

were found in 2009 by an individual fossil hunting. The deposits of marl which gave the township its name have played a major role in preserving the fossils found in the area. The fossil beds can be accessed from the bridge on Monmouth Road in Marlboro.

Bow hunting

Some areas of Monmouth County Big Brook Park allow bow hunting access with a permit.

Golf

Bella Vista Country Club has an 18-hole course over 5,923 yards with a par of 70. It is considered a Private Non-Equity club.

Walking/jogging trail

The

goes through parts of Marlboro. In September 2009, the Monmouth County Park System closed a section of the Henry Hudson Trail Southern Extension going through Marlboro Township ( Aberdeen Township to Freehold) for 18 months while a portion of the path that runs through the Imperial Oil superfund clean-up site was remediated.

Festivals

* Music Festival – Spring * Dinosaur Day – April * Memorial Day Parade – May * Marlboro Stomp The Monster 5K & Festival – May * Marlboro Blues & BBQ Festival – Fall * Marlboro Day – September * Halloween Party & Parade – October * Multicultural Day – November * Pancake Day - June

Summer camps

Marlboro Township offers a summer camp program for grade school children. The program is a six-week program, with an optional 7th week consisting of aqua-week. It is run by the Marlboro Township Recreation & Parks Commission.

Wineries

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 li ...

Future open space

The township has attempted to preserve the areas known as F&F properties, Stattel's Farm and McCarron Farm (also known as Golden Dale Farm) from future development. The last two farms are currently working farms and while the township has purchased the development rights on the property, their fate remains unknown. The development rights of F&F property were purchased for $869,329 to keep the site as open space. Open space funding is paid for by a number of sources. State and local sources account for most of the funding. Marlboro obtains the funding from a special tax assessment. The town collects $600,000 annually from a local open space tax assessment of 2 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.

Government

Local government

Marlboro Township is governed within the

Faulkner Act The Optional Municipal Charter Law or Faulkner Act (, et seq.) provides New Jersey municipalities with a variety of models of local government. This legislation is called the Faulkner Act in honor of the late Bayard H. Faulkner, former mayor ...

under the Mayor-Council system of municipal government.''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 The Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy of Rutgers University (The Bloustein School) serves as a center for the theory and practice of urban planning, public policy and public health/health administration scholarship. The sc ...

, March 2013, p. 63. The township is one of 71 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form of government. The governing body is comprised of the mayor, who is elected directly, and the five-member Marlboro Township Council, with all elected positions chosen

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 voting to serve four-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with a municipal election conducted in odd-numbered years as part of the November general election. Three council seats come up for vote together and two other council seats come up for election together with the mayoral seat two years later. At a reorganization meeting held in January after each election, the Council selects a President and Vice-President from among its members. As the township's legislative body, the council sets policies, approves budgets, determines municipal tax rates, and passes resolutions and ordinances to govern the township. The council also appoints citizen volunteers to certain advisory boards and the Zoning Board of Adjustment. The council may investigate the conduct of any department, officer or agency of the municipal government. They have full power of subpoena as permitted by statute. , the

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 ...

of Marlboro Township is

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

Jonathan Hornik, whose term of office ends December 31, 2027.Mayor Jonathan Hornik
Township of Marlboro. Accessed January 29, 2025. Members of the Marlboro Township Council are Council President Michael Milman (D, 2025), Council Vice President Juned Qazi (D, 2025), Antoinette DiNuzzo (D, 2025), Michael Scalea (D, 2027) and Iqleen K. Virdi (D, 2027).November 8, 2023 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 January 18, 2024. Accessed January 22, 2024.November 2, 2021 General Election Official Results

, December 13, 2021. Accessed January 1, 2022. In January 2015, the township council selected Mike Scalea from a list of three candidates nominated by the Democratic municipal committee to fill the vacant seat expiring in December 2015 of Frank LaRocca, who resigned earlier that month to take a seat as a municipal judge.

Mayors of Marlboro

The following individuals have served as mayor (or the other indicated title), since the Faulkner Act system was adopted in 1952: * Leroy Van Pelt (1952–1954) – Van Pelt was Chairman of the Township Committee for the five preceding years in office. In 1952, the Faulkner Act changed the township leadership positions to the current mayor–council system. * Dennis Buckley (1954–1958) – Township Chairman * Charles T. "Specs" McCue (1958–1962) – Township Chairman * Paul E. Chester (1962–1963) – Elected Mayor January 3, 1962 – Prior to election he served on the Township Committee. * Joseph A. Lanzaro (1963–1964) * Walter Grubb (1964–1968) * Charles T. "Specs" McCue (1968–1969) – Owning a grocery store on Main Street in Marlboro, his career started in 1942 under the old form of government. During his time in local government, he was mayor for four terms and a member of the Planning Board for 8 years. * Walter Grubb (1969) – appointed to serve out for McCue who died in office. After the November general election in which Morton Salkind won the balance of the mayoral term, he and Grubb battled over who would fill the seat until January 1. *

Morton Salkind Morton Salkind (June 1, 1932 – October 4, 2014) was an American politician who served as the Mayor of Marlboro Township from 1969 to 1975 and in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1974 to 1976. He died of liver cancer on October 4, 2014, i ...

(1969–1975) * Arthur Goldzweig (1976–1979) * Saul Hornik (1980–1991) *

(1992–2003) * Robert Kleinberg (2003–2005) * Jonathan Hornik (2005–present)

Local political issues

Perennially popular political issues of note in Marlboro include

land development Land development is the alteration of landscape in any number of ways, such as: * Changing landforms from a natural or semi-natural state for a purpose such as agriculture or House, housing * subdivision (land), Subdividing real estate into Lot ( ...

and loss of open space, growth of population leading to the need for additional

public schools Public school may refer to: *Public school (government-funded), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government *Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging private schools in England and Wales *Great Public Schools, ...

and higher

property tax A property tax (whose rate is expressed as a percentage or per mille, also called ''millage'') is an ad valorem tax on the value of a property.In the OECD classification scheme, tax on property includes "taxes on immovable property or Wealth t ...

es, and recurring instances of graft and

political corruption Political corruption is the use of powers by government officials or their network contacts for illegitimate private gain. Forms of corruption vary but can include bribery, lobbying, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, parochialism, patronage, influen ...

. Former three-term mayor

was arrested by the

and subsequently pleaded guilty to taking $245,000 in bribes from land developer

, in exchange for favorable rulings and sexual favors. The same investigation has also resulted in charges against several other township officials as well as a Monmouth County Freeholder.

Federal, state, and county representation

Marlboro Township 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 13th state legislative district.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 26,633 registered voters in Marlboro Township, of which 7,125 (26.8%) were registered as Democrats, 4,299 (16.1%) were registered as

Republicans 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 ...

and 15,202 (57.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 7 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 This national electoral calendar for 2012 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2012 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *3–4 January: ...

, 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 53.5% of the vote (9,915 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 45.6% (8,450 votes), and other candidates with 0.8% (154 votes), among the 18,636 ballots cast by the township's 27,821 registered voters (117 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 67.0%. 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 49.9% of the vote (10,014 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 48.1% (9,663 votes) and other candidates with 0.8% (155 votes), among the 20,082 ballots cast by the township's 27,603 registered voters, for a turnout of 72.8%. In the 2004 presidential election, 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 ...

received 50.1% of the vote (9,378 ballots cast), outpolling 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 ...

with 49.2% (9,218 votes) and other candidates with 0.3% (87 votes), among the 18,731 ballots cast by the township's 25,204 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 74.3. 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 73.7% of the vote (7,518 cast), ahead of Democrat

Barbara Buono Barbara A. Buono (born July 28, 1953) is an American politician who served in the New Jersey Senate from 2002 to 2014, where she represented the 18th Legislative District. She served from 2010 to 2012 as the Majority Leader in the Senate, succ ...

with 25.2% (2,574 votes), and other candidates with 1.0% (107 votes), among the 10,337 ballots cast by the township's 27,919 registered voters (138 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 37.0%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 58.5% of the vote (7,355 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 36.1% (4,541 votes), Independent

Chris Daggett Christopher Jarvis Daggett (born March 7, 1950) is an American businessman who is the president and CEO of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, one of the largest foundations in New Jersey. A former regional administrator of the United States En ...

with 4.2% (533 votes) and other candidates with 0.6% (80 votes), among the 12,570 ballots cast by the township's 26,863 registered voters, yielding a 46.8% turnout.

Education

Elementary schooling

The Marlboro Township Public School District serves 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. As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of eight schools, had an enrollment of 4,537 students and 410.6 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 11.1:1.District information for Marlboro Township School District

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

. Accessed February 1, 2024. The district has eight school facilities: one pre-school, five elementary schools and two middle schools. The schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the

) are David C. Abbott Early Learning Center with 187 students (opened 2002) serves

and

preschool A preschool (sometimes spelled as pre school or pre-school), also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, play school, is an school, educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they ...

special education Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual di ...

, Defino Central Elementary School with 526 students in grades K–5 (opened 1957), Frank J. Dugan Elementary School with 649 students in grades K–5 (opened 1987), Asher Holmes Elementary School with 447 students in grades 1–5 (opened 1973), Marlboro Elementary School with 493 students in grades K–5 (opened 1971), Robertsville Elementary School with 461 students in grades 1–5 (opened 1968), Marlboro Memorial Middle School with 1,004 in grades 6–8 students (opened 2003) and Marlboro Middle School with 755 students in grades 6–8 (opened 1976).

High school

Most public students in

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 from Marlboro Township attend

Marlboro High School Marlboro High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Marlboro Township, in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as one of the six secondary schools of t ...

, which is part of the

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, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The di ...

, with some Marlboro students attending

Colts Neck High School Colts Neck High School is a four-year comprehensive high school, comprehensive state school, public Secondary education in the United States, high school located in Colts Neck Township, New Jersey, Colts Neck Township, in Monmouth County, New Je ...

. The district also serves students from Colts Neck Township, Englishtown, Farmingdale, Freehold Borough, Freehold Township, Howell Township and Manalapan Township. Many Marlboro students attend the various Learning Centers and Academies available at other district high schools and students from other municipalities in the district attend Marlboro High School's Business Learning Center. As of the 2022–23 school year, Marlboro High School had an enrollment of 1,816 students and 112.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

of 16.2:1 and Colts Neck High School had an enrollment of 1,432 students and 91.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis) and a student–teacher ratio of 15.7:1. 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 Marlboro Township allocated one member, who has 1.4 votes.

Private schools

The

High Point Schools The High Point Schools are a group of private special education elementary and adolescent schools located on a campus in the Morganville section of Marlboro Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The schools provide educationa ...

are a group of private

elementary and adolescent schools located on a campus in the Morganville section of the township. The schools have been providing educational and therapeutic services for students ages 5–21 who have emotional, behavioral and learning difficulties for 45 years. The staff-to-student ratio is 1:3. The school was built on the Doyle apple orchard. Among other private schools serving Marlboro children is the Christian Brothers Academy, a boys Catholic high school (grades 9-12) located in nearby Lincroft; the Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Monmouth County, a Pre-K to Grade 8 Jewish Day School, which is a member of the

Solomon Schechter Day School Association The Schechter Day School Network, formerly the Solomon Schechter Day School Association, located at 820 Second Avenue, New York, New York, is an organization of Jewish day schools that identify with Conservative Judaism. The network provides gu ...

, the educational arm of the United Synagogue of America. Shalom Torah Academy in Morganville is an independent Jewish day school that serves students from the age of two through eighth grade. Now defunct, the Devitte Military Academy was established in 1918 by Major Leopold Devitte. Starting out as co-educational residential school, in 1920, it became an all-male school. The campus consisted of five buildings and other sleeping cottages. All buildings but one were demolished. One of the buildings was re-purposed and adapted for the Hindu-American Temple which currently occupies the campus.

School summary

Library

The Marlboro Free Public Library is open six days a week (closed Sundays). There are meeting rooms for groups to gather and hold meetings or parties. The children's department is large and well-lit, with a diverse selection of books. There is no additional charge for movie rentals.

Little Free Library

Marlboro Township has two

Little Free Library Little Free Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes neighborhood book exchanges, usually in the form of a public bookcase. More than 150,000 public book exchanges are registered with the organization and branded as Little Free ...

locations at opposite sides of the town. The first is in Morganville subdivision and the second is toward the town center, close to the town hall.

Infrastructure

Public safety

Emergency services

The Township of Marlboro has multiple departments which handle emergency services. In addition to the offices below, other departments can be reached through a countywide directory maintained by the Township of Marlboro. The following are the emergency service departments in Marlboro Township:

=Police

= The police department was established in May 1962. At that time, there was one police officer who served the township. The Marlboro Township Police Department has more than 67 full-time police officers. The current Chief of Police is Bruce E. Hall who started in this position in February 2009 following Police Chief Robert C. Holmes Sr. retiring suddenly on New Year's Eve 2008. *Office of Emergency Management – The Office of Emergency Management is responsible for preparing for and managing any declared or other large-scale emergency, event, or occurrence, either man-made or natural, which may occur within Marlboro Township. By law the Office of Emergency Management must have an Emergency Operation Plan (EOP) that addresses all of the possible/probable emergencies that may occur.

=Fire Prevention Bureau

= The Fire Prevention Bureau enforces the New Jersey Uniform Fire Code in all buildings, structures and premises, Condo development residential buildings and other owner-occupied residential buildings. The Fire Prevention Bureau does not enforce codes in residential units with fewer than three dwelling units.

=Fire and rescue squads

= Marlboro Township has four volunteer fire companies and two volunteer first aid squads: ;Fire companies * Marlboro Fire Co. No. 1 * Robertsville Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 (founded 1958) * Morganville Independent Volunteer Fire Company District 3 * Morganville Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 (founded 1914)

=First aid squads

= * Marlboro First Aid & Rescue Squad (founded 1971) * Morganville First Aid & Rescue Squad (founded 1952)

=Emergency notification system

= SWIFT911 is a high speed notification program with the capability of delivering recorded warnings to the entire community or targeted areas, via telephone, email, text or pager. Messages can be transmitted through the Marlboro Township Police Department or Office of the Mayor and the system can contact up to four telephone numbers until reaching the designated party. Emergency and Non-emergency messages are also able to reach TTY (

teletypewriter A teleprinter (teletypewriter, teletype or TTY) is an electromechanical device that can be used to send and receive typed messages through various communications channels, in both point-to-point and point-to-multipoint configurations. Init ...

) phones used by those who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Transportation

Stage coach station

A stage coach station was located at the intersection of County Route 520 and Tennent Road in Robertsville. The stage coach line was a layover location for those traveling between Jersey City and Atlantic City."Rural Marlboro Awaits Industry", Asbury Park Press, July 5, 1961, Page 20

Railroad

Started in 1867 (completed in 1877) as the Monmouth County Agricultural Railroad; A train rail ran through Marlboro. There were four stops in Marlboro (Bradevelt, Marlboro, Morganville, and Wickatunk). The railroad line was largely abandoned by the 1970s. Owned by Jersey Central in the 1990s it was leased to the Monmouth County Park System in a rail to trail process.

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 ...

. The car is the most common mode of transportation in Marlboro. The main public thoroughfares in Marlboro are

US 9 U.S. Route 9 (US 9) is a north–south United States Numbered 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–Le ...

, Route 18, CR 520 and Route 79. Also, Route 34 goes through the northeastern part of the township. These routes provide access to major highways including 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 ...

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 ...

. Taxi services are also available through a number of local private companies.

Public transportation

There are multiple public transportation options available, including bus, rail, air and ferry service.

=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 ...

provides bus service to and from the

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

on the List of NJ Transit bus routes (100-199)#To points south of the Raritan River from PABT">131 131 may refer to: *131 (number) *AD 131 *131 BC *131 (album), the album by Emarosa *131 (MBTA bus), the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus. For the MBTA bus, see 131 (MBTA bus). *131 (New Jersey bus), the New Jersey Transit bus *131 Val ...

History

Historical timeline

Lenni Lenape

Dutch arrival

Marl's discovery

Revolutionary War

Township formation

Historical events

Town center

Cell phone ban

Marlboro Psychiatric Hospital

40% Green

Preston Airfield

Virgin Mary sighting

Train crash

Historic sites

Geography

Weather

Climate

Tornado

Demographics

2010 census

2000 census

Crime

Housing

Housing costs

Affordable housing

Retirement communities

Parks and recreation

General parks

Dog parks

Fossil collecting

Bow hunting

Golf

Walking/jogging trail

Festivals

Summer camps

Wineries

Future open space

Government

Local government

Mayors of Marlboro

Local political issues

Federal, state, and county representation

Politics

Education

Elementary schooling

High school

Private schools

School summary

Library

Little Free Library

Infrastructure

Public safety

Emergency services

=Police

=Fire Prevention Bureau

=Fire and rescue squads

=First aid squads

=Emergency notification system

Transportation

Stage coach station

Railroad

Roads and highways

Public transportation

=Busing

=Rail

=Ferry

=Aviation

Healthcare

Industrial park

Contaminated and Superfund sites

Underground storage tanks

Burnt Fly Bog

Imperial Oil Co.

Marlboro Middle School

Entron Industries site

Arky property

DiMeo property

Big Brook Park