Cream Ridge is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

located within Upper Freehold Township in Monmouth County,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, United States. The rural area is made up of

farmland Agricultural land is typically land ''devoted to'' agriculture, the systematic and controlled use of other forms of lifeparticularly the rearing of livestock and production of cropsto produce food for humans. It is generally synonymous with bo ...

, on which are located many horse farms. Numerous small business line with County Route 539.

Demographics

History

The soil in Cream Ridge is Freehold sandy loam, some of the richest in the state of New Jersey. Many of the early residents became relatively wealthy "gentleman" farmers, with the actual farm work done by tenant farmers. Most of the early families were Presbyterians, Quakers, or Northern Baptists. Some of the surnames associated with the area are Holmes, Meirs, Rue, Cox, Wright, Lawrence, and Ridgway. The "gentleman" farmer lifestyle was dramatically curtailed during the Great Depression and after WWII, although remnants of this bygone lifestyle existed into the 1980s.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Cream Ridge include: * Linda K. Meirs (1884–1972), American Red Cross and Army nurse during World War I who was one of the first six American recipients of the

Florence Nightingale Medal The Florence Nightingale Medal is an international award presented to those distinguished in nursing and named after British nurse Florence Nightingale. The medal was established in 1912 by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), f ...

. * Ross Scheuerman (born 1993),

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

.O'Gorman, George
"Eagles sign former Allentown High star Ross Scheuerman"
''

The Trentonian ''The Trentonian'' is a daily newspaper serving Trenton, New Jersey, USA, and the surrounding Mercer County community. The paper in 2020 has a daily circulation of under 8,000 and a Sunday circulation under 7,000. As of August 2020, it was ranke ...

'', January 21, 2016. Accessed October 1, 2017. "The Eagles signed former Allentown High and Lafayette College running back Ross Scheuerman on Thursday.... A Cream Ridge resident who was twice an All-CVC selection and Mercer County Player of the Year and All-State, Scheuerman was also the Delaware Valley Scholar Athlete in 2012."

References

{{Authority control Upper Freehold Township, New Jersey Unincorporated communities in Monmouth County, New Jersey Unincorporated communities in New Jersey