Freehold Borough, New Jersey
| Freehold, New Jersey | |
 |
|
| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Monmouth |
| Area | |
| - Borough | sq mi (km²) |
| - Land | sq mi ( km²) |
| - Water | sq mi ( km²) |
| Elevation | ft ( m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Borough | |
| - Density | /sq mi (/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 07728 |
| Area code(s) | 732 |
| FIPS code | 34-252002 |
| GNIS feature ID | 08765043 |
- Also see: Freehold Township.
Freehold Borough is a Borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census,
the borough population was 10,976. It is the county seat of Monmouth County
What is now Freehold Borough was originally incorporated as a town by an Act of the
New Jersey Legislature on March 25,
1869, from portions within Freehold
Township. The town became independent of the township in 1888. On April 15,
1999, Freehold was incorporated as a borough, including all of Freehold town and additional
portions of Freehold Township, based on the results of a referendum held on July 8,
Geography
Freehold is located at (40.260143, -74.275428)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 5.2 km² (2.0 mi²), all land.
Freehold Borough has an elevation of 100 feet above sea level (according to a sign on West Main Street).
Freehold Circle
Freehold Circle was located near the western boundary of Freehold Borough near the Freehold Raceway. The circle carried traffic between US 9, Business Route 33 and Manalapan Avenue (CR 24); it was eliminated in the 1980s due to the increased traffic load caused by a boom in commercial and residential development. Most notable of the commercial development is the Freehold Raceway Mall, which is just south of the old circle on US 9. The former circle now features several jughandles, and most Manalapan Avenue traffic must use a connector road to Business Route 33 to reach the main intersection, but it is still known by locals as Freehold Circle.
- See also
Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 |
—
|
||
| 1940 | 0.8% | ||
| 1950 | 8.6% | ||
| 1960 | 21.1% | ||
| 1970 | 15.4% | ||
| 1980 | -5.0% | ||
| 1990 | 7.2% | ||
| 2000 | 2.2% | ||
| Est. 2006 | [2] | 3.8% | |
| Population 1930 - 1990.[3] | |||
As of the census
There were 3,695 households out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.39.
In the borough the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 34.4% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 106.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.7 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $48,654, and the median income for a family was $53,374. Males had a median income of $35,855 versus $30,377 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $19,910. About 7.7% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.8% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Local government
Freehold Borough is governed by a six-member borough council and a mayor. Council members are elected for a three year term and the mayor is elected for a four year term. The governing body is empowered to adopt local ordinances and pass resolutions. The governing body conducts all of its business during monthly meetings open to the public.
The Mayor of Freehold Borough is Michael Wilson (elected in 1985, and the longest serving mayor in Freehold Borough history).[4] Members of the Freehold Borough Council are Council President Kevin A. Kane, [5] Sharon Shutzer, Robert J. Crawford, Michael J. DiBenedetto, Marc LeVine and Jaye Sims.[6]
Federal, state and county representation
Freehold Borough is in the 4th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 12th Legislative District.[7]
New Jersey's Fourth Congressional District, covering portions of Burlington County, Mercer County, Monmouth County and Ocean County, is represented by Christopher Smith (R). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
The 12th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Ellen Karcher (D, Marlboro) and in the Assembly by Jennifer Beck (R, Red Bank) and Michael J. Panter (D, Red Bank). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).
Monmouth County is governed by a five-member Board of Chosen Freeholders. Monmouth County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director William C. Barham, Freeholder Deputy Director Robert D. Clifton, Lillian G. Burry, Anna C. Little and Theodore J. Narozanick.
Education
Freehold Borough's nearly 1,400 students in public school for grades pre-K through 8 attend the Freehold Borough Schools. Schools in the district (with 2003-04 school enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are:
- Freehold Learning Center: Pre-K through grade 5 (519 students)
- Park Avenue Elementary School: K - 5 (464 students)
- Freehold Borough Intermediate School: grades 6 - 8 (396 students)
Students in public school for grades 9-12 attend Freehold High School, as part of the Freehold Regional High School District. The Freehold Regional High School District (FRHSD) serves students from Colts Neck Township, Englishtown, Farmingdale, Freehold, Freehold Township, Howell Township, Manalapan Township and Marlboro. FRHSD also has a set of specialized learning programs. Each one focuses on a certain topic (business, engineering, cooking, etc.) and is for students who are talented in that topic and wish to study it in college.
Freehold Borough was awarded a research grant in 2004 by the National Institute of Justice, a research branch of the United States Department of Justice. The grant was entitled "Teacher-Parent Authentication Security System II: The Next Generation of Iris Recognition Technology in Schools" and was awarded to the Freehold Borough Board of Education in the amount of US$369,998.
History
Freehold Borough also has a relatively unknown connection with the bicycle. Due to the large quantity of bicycles once produced in Freehold in the 1880s and 1890s, the town was known as the "Bicycle Capital of the World." The borough is home to the "Bicycle Museum" located on Main Street just across the street from Rita's Ice and the fire department.[8]
Transportation
U.S. Route 9 passes through Freehold Borough, as do Route 33 Business, Route 79, County Route 522 and County Route 537. The Henry Hudson Trail runs north to Matawan.
New Jersey Transit buses serve the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan on the 131, 135 and 139 routes, Newark on the 67, Jersey City on the 64 and 67 lines, and local service on the 833 and 836 routes.[9]
Notable natives
- Scott Conover, former Detroit Lions offensive tackle and author of the children's book Can I Play Too? was raised in Freehold.[10]
- Mark S. Hyman, author of Confessions of a Baseball Purist and Business Week contributing editor.
- Craig Mazin, screenwriter, producer and director, graduated from Freehold High School.
- Tim Perry, former NBA player, most notably with the Phoenix Suns.[11]
- Darrell Reid, a professional football player for the Indianapolis Colts, graduated from Freehold High School.[12]
- J.R. Smith, professional basketball player currently playing for the Denver Nuggets, was born in Freehold.[13]
- Bruce Springsteen, rock musician, was raised in Freehold Borough.[14] The borough is the subject of his song "My Hometown", from the Born in the U.S.A. album, which described racial and economic tensions in the 1960s (the "textile mill being closed" was the A & M Karagheushian rug mill at Center and Jackson Streets). Springsteen has also performed the humorous song "In Freehold" about the town. The song can be found on some bootleg live recordings.
See also
References
- ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 179.
- ^ Census data for Freehold borough, United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 16, 2007.
- ^ Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.
- ^ Freehold H.S. honors first hall of fame inductees: Wilson, Springsteen, White, Hendry among school's celebrated grads, Freehold News Transcript, April 19, 2006.
- ^ Shutzer, Le Vine begin new terms on council, Freehold News Transcript, January 10, 2007.
- ^ Freehold Borough Mayor & Council, Freehold Borough. Accessed July 27, 2006.
- ^ 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 57. Accessed August 30, 2006.
- ^ Metzger, Dick. "Bicycle buffs have a haven at Freehold museum: Local collector’s prize possession is ‘Zimmy’ manufactured in town", East Brunswick Sentinel, July 11, 2002. Accessed May 15, 2007. "More than 100 years ago, in the late 1880s and 1890s, the village of Freehold was arguably the bicycle capital of the world."
- ^ Monmouth County Bus/Rail Connections, New Jersey Transit. Accessed July 10, 2007.
- ^ Russell, Suzanne C. "Lion's heart beat disability Scott Conover: I went from a nerd to the NFL", Home News Tribune, February 28, 2004. Accessed July 30, 2007. "Conover, a native of Freehold who now works as the in-school suspension teacher, head football coach and assistant track coach at Perth Amboy High School, told the students that school is where it starts."
- ^ Morris, Tim. "Pats' win over CBA is historic", News Transcript, January 28, 2004. Accessed May 8, 2007. "If the great area teams that had featured all-state forward Zucker, who went on to a fine career at Rutgers, or that had future NBA player Tim Perry of Freehold Borough couldn’t beat CBA, who could?"
- ^ Celano, Clare Marie. "Colts' Reid returns home with plan to help youths", News Transcript, June 21, 2006. Accessed May 15, 2007. "Reid, a former Freehold High School football player, is currently a member of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts but a piece of his heart remains in the town in which he grew up - Freehold Borough."
- ^ In The Lane With Licht, October 22, 2004.
- ^ Sapia, Joseph. "A day in the life of Freehold Borough", Asbury Park Press, December 16, 1999. Accessed May 8, 2007. "Maybe it's a case of Springsteen's lyrics having been influenced by his environment. Just as the borough is Coyne's hometown, it is Springsteen's as well."
External links
- Freehold Borough web site
- Freehold Center website
- Freehold Borough Schools
- Freehold Borough Schools's 2005-06 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- National Center for Education Statistics data for the Freehold Borough Schools
- Freehold High School
- Freehold Regional High School District
- Freehold High School's 2005-06 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- Freehold Borough Police Department
- Metz Bicycle Museum
- PEOPLE: Pressing Elected Officials to Protect our Living Environment
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