Monroe Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey

History

Monroe Township was founded in 1838 and named in honor of the President of the United States James Monroe.

For many decades, it was largely a farming community. After parts of the township grew into the more densely packed neighborhoods of Helmetta, Jamesburg, and Spotswood in the late 19th century, they seceded. Railroads came into Monroe from just about the very beginning, starting with the Camden and Amboy Rail Road in the 1830s and 1840s.

In 1905, Bernarr Macfadden, the proponent of physical culture, came to the part of Monroe near Helmetta and Spotswood, and attempted to set up a camp called "Physical Culture City", where he could teach his beliefs in relative peace. However, in 1907, Macfadden was arrested for distribution of what was in those times considered pornography and the camp dissolved. The area of this camp became the Outcalt neighborhood.

The New Jersey State Home for Boys, later the Training School for Boys, and now the New Jersey Training School for Boys was established near Jamesburg. It was opened in 1867 as a home for troubled youth; however, by the mid-20th century, its purpose was to incarcerate juvenile delinquents. One of the more famous residents of The State Home was Rubin "Hurricane" Carter. Clarence Clemons of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band was a social worker there for many years during the 1960s before he found fame as a sax player with Springsteen.

The township became more suburban between 1960 and 1968, when the New Jersey Turnpike opened up Exit 8A in the western part of Monroe, in conjunction with the effort to develop the Leisure World age-restricted community of Rossmoor. Since then, at least five more communities for senior citizens have joined Rossmoor: Concordia, Clearbrook, Greenbriar at Whittingham, The Ponds, Encore, and the Regency at Monroe. More are under development.

At the same time, and over the next few decades, suburbs for people of all ages spread into the northern parts of Monroe Township, prompting the expansion of several schools and the construction of new ones. Since 1980, in addition to the age restricted communities, Monroe has added shopping centers, a synagogue, a recreation center, and a new library

Circa 1980 it was found that the Superfund Landfill which was located at the corner of what is now Spotswood Gravel Hill Road and Carnegie Street, contaminated the ground water which forced Outcalt residents to get municipal-supplied water.

On March 22, 2006, ten residents of Monroe Township, from The Ponds retirement community, were killed in a tour bus accident in the Andes mountains in northern Chile. The tour had been arranged by the Jewish organization, B'nai B'rith. As Governor of New Jersey Jon Corzine put it,

"Today, all of New Jersey is stunned and saddened by the tragic accident in Chile that took the lives of lifelong friends — vibrant and beloved residents of a community in Monroe Township who chose to share the adventure of their twilight years together" (NY Times).

Of the 12 people killed, one couple was from Stamford, Connecticut. The bodies that were recovered were flown back to Monroe Township for funerals on Sunday March 26, 2006.

Over the past years, Monroe has had a surge in residential development. New communities are being erected, usually around the Turnpike. Portions of Monroe's farmland are receiving commercial zoning. Roads have been widened to allow for the extra vehicular volume. Warehouses are being/have been constructed in the last few years along CR 535, located near the 8A toll gate. The northern section of the township is already developed, with developers heading further south in Monroe to start new communities. New adult communities have set ground in central Monroe, along Route 33, and on CR 615. While these new senior citizen housing units are being built, luxury homes are also being constructed. However, many senior citizens are opposed to these new construction plans since new homes would bring in more children, and therefore raise their school taxes.

There is an ongoing expansion of the Monroe Township High School that is relocating it onto portions of Thompson Park. This project slowly received approval after an archaeological study concluded that the land was not historically significant, except about 3 to 4 acres (12,000 to 16,000 m²) of land. The controversy that led to the study involved a Lenape settlement, Bethel Indian Town, which protesters contended existed on the site, whereas supporters of the move of the high school claimed that Bethel Indian Town was a half-mile away. In late April 2008, construction started of the new high school.

"By early 2008, the State Preservation Office and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection gave full sanction to the de-accession of the land as a protected park. Ground breaking began immediately, only to be halted in June of 2008 when additional remains were found. The consultant identified these stone foundation remains as a 19th-century farmstead, with no earlier association."

The new high school opened in September 2011. The old high school building is now being reused as the middle school.

The township's Route 33 Land Development Task Force is considering options for developing the area of land along Route 33 from the township's border with East Windsor Township to Millstone Township. This proposal would include the construction of new luxury houses, a new grocery store, a baseball park, a performing arts center, a bus stop, new restaurants, and new businesses.

Along County Route 619, new developments are beginning to surge forward. This surge has led 619 to be widened as an avenue in anticipation for the future traffic. A proposed grocery store is planned to be built at the corner of Applegarth Road, and Halsey Reed Road/Federal Road (Extension). Along Federal Road, new luxury houses are being built and will extend south towards the village of Applegarth. Along the Millstone River will be a new high class development, called the Millstone Preserve. These new developments are under construction.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, Monroe township had a total area of 42.232 square miles (109.382 km²), including 41.974 square miles (108.713 km²) of land and 0.258 square miles (0.668 km²) of water (0.61%). At 42 square miles, it is the largest municipality in Middlesex County in terms of total area.

Clearbrook Park (with a 2010 population of 2,667), Concordia (3,092 in 2010), Rossmoor (2,666 as of 2010) and Whittingham (2,476 in 2010) are unincorporated communities and census-designated places (CDPs) located within Monroe Township.

Monroe completely surrounds Jamesburg, making it part of 21 pairs of "doughnut towns" in the state, where one municipality entirely surrounds another. The township borders Cranbury Township, East Brunswick Township, Helmetta, Old Bridge Township, South Brunswick Township, Spotswood in Middlesex County; East Windsor Township in Mercer County; and Manalapan Township and Millstone Township in Monmouth County.

Neighborhoods and historical place names

Though Monroe is not officially broken down into traditional neighborhoods (the Census-designated places oriented around active adult communities notwithstanding), but, over the years residents have given names to various parts of the township. Three common names heard in the township are Mill Lake Manor (an area centered on Monmouth Road and 10th Avenue) and Outcalt (in the northern part of the township, near Spotswood and Helmetta). For those who have lived in Mill Lake Manor, the area is broken down further into the "Old" and "New" Manor (split by Monmouth Road on the east and west sides, the Old being east and the New being the west side). The Manor also encompasses the developments of Inwood. The neighborhood east of Spotswood-Englishtown Road, centered on Monmouth Road, extending down to 1st Avenue, is called North Manor or Manor Heights.

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Applegarth, Brookside, Clearbrook, Dynasty Estates, Fertile Land Section, Forsgate, Grace Hill, Gravel Hill (also spelled as Gravelhill), Half Acre (home to the retirement communities of Concordia and Whittingham), Hoffman, Hoffman Station, Inwood, Jamesburg Gardens, Lower Jamesburg, Matchaponix, Mill Lake Manor, Middlesex Downs, Monroe Hills, Monroe Woods, Mounts Mills, North Manor (Manor Heights), Old Church, Outcalt, Pineview Estates, Prospect Plains (home to the retirement communities of Rossmoor and Clearbrook), Red Tavern, Rhode Hall, Shore Road Estates, SouthField Estates, South Helmetta, Spotswood Manor, Spring Garden (later referred to as Applegarth), State Home for Boys (located in Matchaponix), Stone Museum (located in Machaponix), Texas, Texas Road, The Legends, The Pines (located near Outcalt in the Fertile Land Section), Tracy, Tracy Station, Union Valley (radiates from the intersection of Union Valley Road and Union Valley-Gravel Hill Road), Woodland and Wyckoffs Mills.

Demographics

Monroe Township has experienced a rapid growth rate in its Indian American population, with an estimated 4,204 (10.0%) Indian American residents as of 2015, which was 16 times the 256 (0.9%) counted as of the 2000 Census.

Census 2010

The 2010 United States Census counted 39,132 people, 16,497 households, and 10,872 families residing in the township. The population density was 932.3 per square mile (360.0/km²). The township contained 18,002 housing units at an average density of 428.9 per square mile (165.6/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 81.55% (31,913) White, 3.92% (1,533) Black or African American, 0.08% (33) Native American, 12.60% (4,930) Asian, 0.01% (4) Pacific Islander, 0.62% (244) from other races, and 1.21% (475) from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 4.28% (1,673) of the population.

Out of a total of 16,497 households, 22.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.2% were married couples living together, 4.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 25.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the township, 18.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 17.0% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 34.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 53.2 years. For every 100 females the census counted 85.2 males, but for 100 females at least 18 years old, it was 80.9 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $74,202 (with a margin of error of +/- $3,156) and the median family income was $99,727 (+/- $5,718). Males had a median income of $84,790 (+/- $4,546) versus $57,058 (+/- $4,789) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $41,959 (+/- $1,676). About 2.6% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.

Census 2000

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 27,999 people, 12,536 households, and 8,236 families residing in the township. The population density was 667.6 people per square mile (257.8/km²). There were 13,259 housing units at an average density of 316.1 per square mile (122.1/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 93.31% White, 2.93% African American, 0.06% Native American, 2.34% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.68% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.38% of the population.

There were 12,536 households out of which 15.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples living together, 3.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 28.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.70.

In the township the population was spread out with 16.0% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 16.3% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 43.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 59 years. For every 100 females there were 84.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.3 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $53,306, and the median income for a family was $68,479. Males had a median income of $56,431 versus $35,857 for females. The per capita income for the township was $31,772. About 1.3% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.

Local government

Monroe Township is governed within the Faulkner Act, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under the Mayor-Council system of New Jersey municipal government. The governing body consists of a directly-elected mayor and a five-member township council, all elected on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. There are three township council seats elected from wards, which come up for vote together, followed two years later by the two at-large seats and the mayoral seat.

As of 2016, the Mayor of Monroe Township is Democrat Gerald W. Tamburro, whose term of office ends December 31, 2019. Members of the Township Council are Council President Leslie Koppel (D, 2019; at-large), Vice President Stephen Dalina (D, 2019; at-large), Blaise Dipierro (D, 2017; Ward 2 - appointed to serve an unexpired term), Michael Leibowitz (R, 2017; Ward 3) and Elizabeth "Betty" Schneider (D, 2017; Ward 1).

In January 2016, the Township Council appointed Blaise Dipierro to fill the Second Ward seat expiring in December 2017 that had been held by Gerald W. Tamburro until he stepped down to take office as mayor; Dipierro will serve on an interim basis until the November 2016 general election, when voters will choose a candidate to serve the balance of the term of office.

State government

The New Jersey Juvenile Justice Commission operates the New Jersey Training School, a juvenile detention center for boys, in the township.

Federal, state and county representation

Monroe Township is located in the 12th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 14th state legislative district.

New Jersey's Twelfth Congressional District is represented by Bonnie Watson Coleman (D, Ewing Township). New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Cory Booker (D, Newark, term ends 2021) and Bob Menendez (D, Paramus, 2019).

For the 2016–2017 session (Senate, General Assembly), the 14th Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Linda R. Greenstein (D, Plainsboro Township) and in the General Assembly by Daniel R. Benson (D, Hamilton Township, Mercer County) and Wayne DeAngelo (D, Hamilton Township). The Governor of New Jersey is Chris Christie (R, Mendham Township). The Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey is Kim Guadagno (R, Monmouth Beach).

Middlesex County is governed by a Board of Chosen Freeholders, whose seven members are elected at-large on a partisan basis to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either two or three seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election. At an annual reorganization meeting held in January, the board selects from among its members a Freeholder Director and Deputy Director. As of 2015, Middlesex County's Freeholders (with party affiliation, term-end year, residence and committee chairmanship listed in parentheses) are Freeholder Director Ronald G. Rios (D, term ends December 31, 2015, Carteret; Ex-officio on all committees), Freeholder Deputy Director Carol Barrett Bellante (D, 2017; Monmouth Junction, South Brunswick Township; County Administration), Kenneth Armwood (D, 2016, Piscataway; Business Development and Education), Charles Kenny ( D, 2016, Woodbridge Township; Finance), H. James Polos (D, 2015, Highland Park; Public Safety and Health), Charles E. Tomaro (D, 2017, Edison; Infrastructure Management) and Blanquita B. Valenti (D, 2016, New Brunswick; Community Services). Constitutional officers are County Clerk Elaine M. Flynn (D, Old Bridge Township), Sheriff Mildred S. Scott (D, 2016, Piscataway) and Surrogate Kevin J. Hoagland (D, 2017; New Brunswick).

Politics

As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 29,992 registered voters in Monroe Township, of which 11,616 (38.7%) were registered as Democrats, 5,448 (18.2%) were registered as Republicans and 12,912 (43.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 16 voters registered to other parties.

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 53.5% of the vote (12,113 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 45.8% (10,361 votes), and other candidates with 0.7% (166 votes), among the 22,840 ballots cast by the township's 31,297 registered voters (200 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 73.0%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 53.9% of the vote (12,319 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain with 44.4% (10,150 votes) and other candidates with 0.7% (169 votes), among the 22,875 ballots cast by the township's 29,295 registered voters, for a turnout of 78.1%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 55.7% of the vote (11,363 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush with 43.2% (8,806 votes) and other candidates with 0.4% (103 votes), among the 20,405 ballots cast by the township's 25,675 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 79.5.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 64.0% of the vote (10,209 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 35.2% (5,605 votes), and other candidates with 0.8% (131 votes), among the 16,180 ballots cast by the township's 31,967 registered voters (235 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 50.6%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 48.0% of the vote (8,292 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 45.1% (7,785 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 5.5% (948 votes) and other candidates with 0.6% (102 votes), among the 17,277 ballots cast by the township's 29,164 registered voters, yielding a 59.2% turnout.

Education

The Monroe Township School District serves public school students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2013-14 school year, the district's seven schools had an enrollment of 5,831 students and 444.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.12:1. Schools in the district (with 2011-12 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Applegarth Elementary School (4-5; 341 students), Barclay Brook Elementary School (PreK-2; 394), Brookside Elementary School (3-5; 483), Mill Lake Elementary School (PreK-2; 383), Oak Tree Elementary School (PreK-3; 597), Woodland Elementary School (3-5; 496), Monroe Township Middle School (6-8; 1,447) and Monroe Township High School for grades 9-12 (1,966).

With the completion of the new high school in 2013, the former high school was reconfigured as a middle school for grades 6-8, and Applegarth (the former middle school) was added to the district's elementary schools.

During the 1991–1992 academic school year, Mill Lake Elementary School received the National Blue Ribbon Award of Excellence from the United States Department of Education, the highest honor that an American school can achieve. This honor was followed during the 1998–99 academic school year, to Barclay Brook Elementary School across town. Both of Monroe Township's pre-K through third grade schools received such an esteemed honor.

About 300 students from Jamesburg attend Monroe Township High School as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Jamesburg Public Schools that has been in effect since 1980.

Roads and highways

As of May 2010, the township had a total of 175.97 miles (283.20 km) of roadways, of which 138.33 miles (222.62 km) were maintained by the municipality, 33.78 miles (54.36 km) by Middlesex County and 2.52 miles (4.06 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and 1.34 miles (2.16 km) by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

Route 33 runs through the southern part of Monroe for approximately 2.5 miles (4.0 km) and then travels through Millstone Township and East Windsor Township (Monroe is the only municipality in the county that hosts Route 33). A number of county routes pass through, including, County Route 535, County Route 527, County Route 522, County Route 625, County Route 619, County Route 615, County Route 614, County Route 613 and County Route 612. While County Route 520 doesn't pass through Monroe, it turns into CR 612. (However, some maps (such as Tele Atlas) indicate that 520 traverses through Monroe Township, and ends at County Route 613.) Further to the east, CR 520 makes connections with the Garden State Parkway (in Middletown Township) and eventually ends at Route 36 along the Jersey Shore in Sea Bright.

County Route 612 connects to Route 32 and the New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95). Exit 8A of the Turnpike is located on the western edge of Monroe Township, with a nine-lane toll gate featuring a "modified" double trumpet interchange (with a few ramps continuing into South Brunswick Township). The ramp (from the Turnpike) that had merged onto Route 32 west was demolished in 2006; a new two-lane ramp opened connecting with County Route 535 (at a traffic signal) in South Brunswick. Other limited access roads that are accessible outside the municipality include the Garden State Parkway in neighboring Old Bridge Township and Interstate 195 in neighboring Millstone Township.

From 1991 to 2014, Monroe was where the Turnpike "dual-dual" setup (inner and outer roadways) merged into a single carriageway. This merge point was relocated when the dual-dual setup was extended south to Exit 6 (the Pennsylvania Extension) in Mansfield Township with the construction of new outer roadways (or trucks lanes). As part of this project, an additional lane was also added to the existing outer roadways between Exit 8A and Exit 9 in East Brunswick Township. This project was completed in early November 2014.

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority had proposed to build two roads that were to pass through Monroe. The first was the Driscoll Expressway which was to start from the Garden State Parkway at exit 80 in South Toms River and end 3 miles north of exit 8A along the turnpike in South Brunswick. This project was terminated in the 1980s. The other was a west-east spur, Route 92. It would have started at U.S. Route 1 just north of the intersection with Ridge Road in the township of South Brunswick and would have ended at the Exit 8A toll gate in Monroe Township. However, this was cancelled on December 1, 2006 and the Authority instead focused on the Turnpike widening between Exit 6 and Exit 8A.

Public transportation

NJ Transit provides bus service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan on the 138 and 139 routes.

Middlesex County runs shuttles to Jamesburg from East and New Brunswick, as well as other routes inside the county. Since Monroe entirely surrounds Jamesburg, Monroe Township also benefits from the shuttles.

Some of the age-restricted communities, such as Rossmoor and Concordia, have their own transportation services within the communities.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Monroe Township include: