Hazlet, New Jersey

Hazlet is a five square mile town with approximately 22,000 residents, once known for its abundant farming. Route 35 and 36 are within Hazlet Township's borders and the nearby Garden State Parkway provides easy access to the Shore or city destinations. Mass transportation is also available in the form of bus and train service to Newark and New York.

The Route 35 and 36 corridors also provide residents with a thriving commercial zone, which includes six shopping plazas within the town, but away from the quiet neighborhoods.

Hazlet boasts of a quality public school system, neighborhood parks, an outdoor roller hockey rink and a swim and tennis club. There are also many activities and programs for children, adults and seniors. Hazlet is a thriving and active community with a variety of community events

Holmdel, NJ

Holmdel Township is a rural suburban community located in Central New Jersey near exit 114 of the Garden State Parkway . The Township covers 17.9 square miles and the estimated population is 14,000.

There are several Township Parks which include Bayonet Farm, Cross Farm, Ackerson Park, Allocco Park, Phillips Park, Labbe Park, and Veterans Memorial Park. Additionally, there are several State and County Facilities including Holmdel County Park , Telegraph Hill Park (which contains the PNC Arts Center and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial ).

Bayshore Hospital is located in Holmdel, and the Township is served by a volunteer First Aid Squad and volunteer Fire Company.

The Township is governed by a five member Township Committee elected at large in the yearly November general election. Township Committee Members are elected for three year staggering terms. The Mayor is selected annually by the Township Committee from among the five Committee Members.

Aberdeen, NJ

Aberdeen Township derived its name from "New Aberdeen," a name for a settlement established in Northwestern Monmouth County in the 1680's by Friends and Presbyterians who fled Scotland to avoid religious persecution.

     Settlement began about 12,000 years ago when people who migrated eastward from Siberia spread throughout the Americas. Those who settled in this area developed into the Lenni-Lenape. About the year 1000, an agricultural society developed, and small villages dotted what was to become New Jersey. The Lenape began a westward retreat in the face of European settlement and disease beginning in the late seventeenth century, beginning in Monmouth County by the mid-eighteenth century. Although the Lenape presently live in Ontario and Oklahoma, their legacy survives in such names as Mohingson, Luppatatong and Matawan Creeks and Raritan Bay.

     The earliest known attempt at European settlement was in 1650 under the Dutch, when the south side of Raritan Bay was purchased from the Lenni Lenape. No known attempt was made to make good on settling this area, and in 1664 the entire area came under English possession. The earliest English land grant in Aberdeen was in 1677 when Sir George Carteret granted 36 acres to Jonathan Holmes. This is in present-day Oakshades on Mohingson Creek.

     In 1684, Surveyor General Thomas Rudyard received a grant of 1038 acres on Raritan Bay and Matawan Creek, the present location of Cliffwood and Cliffwood Beach. Owing to Rudyard's high office, this was quite controversial, and in 1685, the Board of Proprietors issued an order regarding the laying out of land. Section 7 addressed questionable activity such as Rudyard's, and he sold his land to his son-in-law, Samuel Winder.

     The 1680's saw an influx of Scottish immigrants fleeing religious persecution in response ti a 1683 book by George Scott extolling the virtues of Scottish settlement in East New Jersey. In 1701, a village site of 100 acres was granted by the Proprietors to 24 Scottish settlers of the area. These men and six others also purchased a landing site on Matawan Creek.

     The village site eventually came to be called Mount Pleasant, and the landing, as it became an important shipping point for the produce of Middletown Township, became Middletown Point. A third, very scattered settlement developed in the eighteenth century west of Matawan Creek, and was called Matawan or Matavan.

     Since 1693, what was to become Aberdeen Township remained part of Middletown Township which, at the time, consisted of what is now Aberdeen, Holmdel, Hazlet, Middletown (including Sandy Hook), Matawan Borough, Keyport, Union Beach, Keansburg, Atlantic Highlands, Highlands and a sliver of Colts Neck. It originally extended as far northwest as Cheesequake Creek, that portion being ceded to Middlesex County in 1710.

     By 1848, Middletown was considered too large and unwieldy, and legislation was passed dividing it into two halves, the western half to be a new municipality, Raritan Township. In 1857, Raritan was further divided. Legislation sponsored by Assemblyman Beers passed the State Assembly and Senate, was signed by Governor William A. Newell, and on February 23, 1857, Matavan Township was incorporated. This included the village of Middletown Point, Mt. Pleasant, and Matavan. The Township was named for the creek as well as the village of Matavan. The spelling of "Matawan" or "Matavan" had been interchangeable, however, when the act was published "Matavan", a Lenape word meaning "where two rivers come together" had been used.

     In 1865, due to postal confusion with Middletown, the Middletown Point post office was renamed "Matawan", to reflect the name of the Township. This section is the present downtown area of Matawan Borough. In 1882, the spelling of the Township was officially changed to "Matawan".

     When the railroads were built in the 1870's several stations were established. As the station at Main Street was to be "Matawan", the one at Cliffwood Avenue had to be something else, although the old name "Matavan" was still applied to that area. To avoid near duplication, "Hutschler's Crossing" was briefly used; the railroad then changed the station name to "Cliffwood", after the coastal area of the Township.

     In 1885, the Cliffwood post office was established and the name of the old Matavan settlement passed into obsolescence. That same year, the former Middletown Point section, which had adopted the name "Matawan", was incorporated by referendum as the Borough of Matawan. Originally a self-governing district within the Township, the Borough gained full municipality status in 1896.

     In response to demand, a post office was established at Mt. Pleasant in 1889. As that name was in use elsewhere, a new name was needed. "Freneau" was chosen, in honor of Philip M. Freneau, the "Poet of Revolution", and a former Mt. Pleasant resident who is buried in the area. This post office has since been closed.

     The twentieth century saw several major developments in the Township. The 1920's gave us Cliffwood Beach, which was originally a resort community until after World War II when year round homes were the norm. River Gardens developed in the late 1940's, and the 1960's brought Strathmore, which more than doubles the Township's population and transformed a farming community into a bustling suburb.

     On November 3, 1964, the citizens voted to change the Township Committee form of government, in force since 1857, to the Council-Manager form, under the Optional Municipal Charter Law, also known as the Faulkner Act. A seven member Township Council, including Mayor, are elected at large for staggered, four year terms of office in partisan elections held in November.

     On November 8, 1977, the residents of Matawan Township voted to change the name of the Township to create a community identity separate from that of Matawan Borough. The residents voted to call their community Aberdeen Township. Officials believed the new name would draw attention to the Township, as it is listed first alphabetically among New Jersey's 566 municipalities.

     Today, Aberdeen is a suburban Township of 5.4 square miles containing a mix of residence, light industry and shopping centers. Sections of the Township include Cliffwood, Cliffwood Beach, Freneau, Oakshades, River Gardens, Strathmore and Woodfield. The population is approximately 17,000 and there are three postal zip codes which service the Township: 07721, 07735 and 07747.

     The Township is served by two volunteer fire companies, the Aberdeen Township Hose and Chemical Co. No. 1, organized in 1918, and the Cliffwood Volunteer Fire Co., organized in 1927. Two volunteer First Aid Squads response to the community's emergency medical needs; the Aberdeen Township First Aid and Rescue Squad, organized in 1954, and the South Aberdeen Emergency Medical Service, organized in 1970. A Full time Police Department was established in 1935.

Colts Neck, NJ

The earliest residents of Colts Neck included the Unami Indians or Turtle Clan. Their Chief, who lived in this area, was the leader of all the Lenni Lenape "original of our people". The Lenni Lenape originated in Labrador and were a subdivision of the Delawares (Algonquin nomenclature). They often gathered together near the present Obre Road to socialize and create their monetary exchange out of seashells (wampum). At this time, New Jersey was called "Scheyichbi" or "Long Land Water."

There were four great Indian trails crossing our Township: The Hackensack Trail, originating at the headwaters of the Hudson River; The Minisink Trail, originating at the Great Lakes; the Raritan-Lopotcong originating in the West; and the Crossweeksung Trail, originating in the Southwest. They all reached the Navesink River, and one of them, Crossweeksung Trail, branched into a north-south trail continuing north to Red Bank and south to Manasquan, thus ending at the seashore. The last of the Lenni Lenape Indians left Colts Neck in 1801 as the tribe became decimated by disease, the gun, and general dissatisfaction with their life amidst the "civilized" white men.

Anthropological discoveries have revealed that the Great Hairy Mastodon once roamed the Township in prehistoric times. The Indians hunted wolves, bear and panthers for food and clothing. The early white settlers encouraged the destruction of these predators by offering 20 Shillings in 1730 for a full-grown wolf, 5 Shillings for a "whelp not able to prey" and 15 Shillings for a panther. Wolves were often trapped in pits covered by brush and using meat on top as a decoy. ["Remember Old Monmouth" - Dept. of Promotion & Public Information, Hall of Records, Freehold, N.J., 1989]

Fish and game were a major source of food in the first half of the 18th Century. Animal pelts were used for rugs and clothing. Deerskins were usually used as rugs. Beaver, mink, raccoon and marten were once common game. Hunters also shot rabbits, squirrels, swan, geese, ducks, pigeons, bobwhite quail, grouse, plover, snipe, rail, woodcock, wild turkey and heath hens. Marten and heath hens are now extinct, but the wild turkey can be found in the State of Texas and has now been reestablished in some New England States and in northern New Jersey. Colonial housewives used songbirds in their menus and often set traps for blackbirds and robins.

Huge trees once existed in the Township. This is evident in many homes that were built before 1750. They were constructed with white pine panelling and flooring measuring from 18 to 24 inches wide and yellow pine floor joists and rafters that measured from 5 to 9 inches, with planking from 12 to 18 inches wide. This lumber was cut to order by water-powered vertical sawmills located along county streams. Crude timbers were fashioned from many other trees with broad axes.

Between 1497 and 1609 New Jersey was claimed by various nations including the English, French, Spanish and Dutch. The Dutch influenced Monmouth County from 1614 to 1664. In 1664 King Charles II of England granted James, Duke of York, this territory and he, in turn, gave a lease and release for New Jersey to Lord John Berkeley and Sir George Carteret. On the death of Sir Carteret, his lease rights were sold and eventually the new owners established a Board of Proprietors to administer their lands and rights.

On June 15, 1676, the minutes of the Board of Proprietors of the Eastern Division of New Jersey revealed a Bill of Sale by two Indians (Almeseke and Lamasand) for a certain neck of land lying in Monmouth County called Colts Neck. The shape of this land is formed by Yellow Brook and Mine Brook, which meet at one point. The origin of the name, "Colts Neck" has not been established by any other written record

Freehold, NJ

The Township of Freehold will continue to be recognized as a leader in municipal government by providing efficient, value added, and high quality services to the public, while preserving and enhancing the quality of life and historic character of the community. Our employees will be empowered to apply innovative, collaborative, cost effective solutions to provide effective services to our customers (the public).

We will remain committed to family values, and organizational stability. Our services will be delivered in a compassionate, respectful manner that will exceed the expectations of our customers.

Ocean, NJ

Known as "The Community of Gracious Living", the Township of Ocean is an 11 square mile suburban community located in east central Monmouth County. Ocean Township presently operates under (Faulkner Act) Council-Manager form of government, as set forth in the New Jersey Constitution. Our five-member Council sets policy and adopts local ordinances while our Council-appointed Township Manager oversees the day-to-day administration of the Township.

The Township of Ocean was created by an act of the New Jersey State Assembly on February 21, 1849. The original boundaries of the Township stretched from the Shrewsbury River to the southern tip of Avon. We are presently bordered by Eatontown and West Long Branch on the north; Long Branch, Deal, Allenhurst and Interlaken on the east, Neptune and Asbury Park on the south; and Tinton Falls on the west. Our many neighborhoods include Oakhurst, Wayside, Wanamassa, West Allenhurst, Deal Park, Colonial Terrace, Shadow Lawn Manor, and West Deal.

Ocean Township is a community that prides itself on social diversity in its many neighborhoods while remaining a close-knit overall community. Much of our strength is built upon an involved citizenry. Dozens of volunteers serve on a variety of boards, commissions and committees utilizing their skills, experience and resources and time to enhance the positive qualities of our Township.

Residents derive benefit from an outstanding school system. Ocean is home to three elementary schools, one intermediate school and one high school. Our public school system is well known for its outstanding reputation in both academics and sports. In addition a number of private and parochial schools at various educational levels can be found within our borders. The Township is also in close proximity to Monmouth University which is located in the Borough of West Long Branch at Ocean Township's northern border.

The outstanding public school system coupled with a wide array of municipal amenities including an expansive park system, a public library, a community pool and tennis facility and a comprehensive offering of recreational programming have buoyed property values. Other community benefits include close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean beaches and the presence of two country clubs and one nine hole public golf course. In addition, we presently offer two well-established senior housing communities, Poplar Village and Whalepond Village, with additional age restricted housing under construction. Quality shopping and dining opportunities are plentiful both in Ocean Township and within a close radius.

Asbury Park, NJ

Featured on the cover of singer Bruce Sprigsteen's first album, Asbury Park is roughly 25 miles south of New York City and 45 miles east of Philadelphia. Comprehensive transit facilities connect Asbury Park with these cities, as well as the rest of the region. There is an assortment of activities and attractions in the area for visitors to enjoy, including the Black Box, a multi-use venue for arts and culture in Asbury Park. For dining, Asbury Park offers a vast selection of cuisine to choose from, such as Rizzo's Pizza, a local favorite. The city also has a vibrant arts scene with several galleries, such as Sulli Studios and El Lobo Negro, that showcase the work of local artists. The Stone Pony nightclub is perhaps one of the most well known watering holes in the city and features live music most nights of the week. If shopping is one th itinerary, check out the clothing at Allan & Suzi, respected designers that operate a local boutique

Rumson, New Jersey

Westfield, New Jersey

Clark, New Jersey

New Providence, New Jersey

Garwood, New Jersey

Colonia, New Jersey

Woodbridge, New Jersey

Edison, New Jersey

Deal, New Jersey

Union, New Jersey

Berkeley Heights, New Jersey

Cranford, New Jersey

Plainfield, New Jersey

Rahway, New Jersey

Scotch Plains, New Jersey

Summit, New Jersey

Springfield, New Jersey

Winfield, New Jersey

East Brunswick, New Jersey

Cranbury, New Jersey

North Brunswick, New Jersey

South Brunswick, New Jersey

Metuchen, New Jersey

Monroe, New Jersey

Perth Amboy, New Jersey

Piscataway, New Jersey

Plainsboro, New Jersey

South Amboy, New Jersey

Sayreville, New Jersey

South Plainfield, New Jersey

Spotswood, New Jersey

Avenel, New Jersey

Fords, New Jersey

Old Bridge, New Jersey

North Plainfield, New Jersey

Somerville, New Jersey

Rocky Hill, New Jersey

Warren, New Jersey

Watchung, New Jersey

Green Brook, New Jersey

Hillsborough, New Jersey

Fair Haven, New Jersey

Allenhurst, New Jersey

Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey

Avon-by-the-sea, New Jersey

Bradley Beach, New Jersey

Belmar, New Jersey

Brielle, New Jersey

Eatontown, New Jersey

Englishtown, New Jersey

Farmingdale, New Jersey

Highlands, New Jersey

Howell, New Jersey

Interlaken, New Jersey

Little Silver, New Jersey

Loch Arbor, New Jersey

Long Branch, New Jersey

Manalapan, New Jersey

Marlboro, New Jersey

Manasquan, New Jersey

Middletown, New Jersey

Matawan, New Jersey

Millstone, New Jersey

Monmouth Beach, New Jersey

Ocean Grove, New Jersey

Oceanport, New Jersey

Red Bank, New Jersey

Roosevelt, New Jersey

Sea Bright, New Jersey

Sea Girt, New Jersey

Shrewsbury, New Jersey

Spring Lake, New Jersey

Spring Lake Heights, New Jersey

Tinton Falls, New Jersey

Upper Freehold, New Jersey

Wall, New Jersey

West Long Branch, New Jersey

Franklin Lakes, New Jersey

Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Mahwah, New Jersey

Short Hills, New Jersey

Wyckoff, New Jersey

Linden, New Jersey

Franklin Twp. New Jersey

Jersey City, New Jersey

Kenilworth, New Jersey

Carteret, New Jersey

New Brunswick, New Jersey

Iselin, New Jersey

New Brunswick, N.J.

Neptune Twp. New Jersey