Freehold Township is a

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...

in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of

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 ...

. The township is both a regional commercial hub for Central New Jersey (home to the

Freehold Raceway Freehold Raceway is a half-mile racetrack in Freehold Borough, New Jersey, and is the oldest racetrack in the United States. Horseraces have been taking place at Freehold Raceway since the 1830s. The Monmouth County Agricultural Society was fo ...

and

Freehold Raceway Mall Freehold Raceway Mall is a super-regional high-end shopping mall, located in Freehold Township, New Jersey. A premier shopping center for Central Jersey, the mall is located off of U.S. Route 9, Route 33, and County Route 537, opposite the Freeh ...

) and a

bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, located within the Raritan Valley region of the much larger

New York Metropolitan Area The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban landmass, at , and one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world. The vast metropolitan area ...

.Fowler, Glen
"In Monmouth, Homes Still Rise, Defying Lag: Freehold, N.J."
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', April 19, 1970. Accessed June 14, 2022. The township is located roughly away from

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

and about away from Staten Island. As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, the township's population was 35,369, reflecting a decrease of 815 (−2.3%) from the 36,184 counted in the 2010 Census. Freehold Township was first formed on October 31, 1693, and was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798. Portions of Freehold Township were taken to form Upper Freehold Township (), so some wills and official records following the split referred to "Lower Freehold Township" although the official name has always been Freehold Township. Additional portions formed Millstone Township (February 28, 1844), Jackson Township (March 6, 1844), Atlantic Township (February 18, 1847; now Colts Neck Township), Marlboro Township (February 17, 1848) and

Manalapan Township Manalapan Township (, ) is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The township is centrally located within the Raritan Valley region and is a part of the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the t ...

(March 9, 1848). Freehold town was formed within the township on March 25, 1869, and formally separated when it was reconstituted as a borough on April 15, 1919, including additional portions of the township.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606–1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 179-180. Accessed March 15, 2012. The Battle of Monmouth was fought in June 1778 in what has been preserved as

Monmouth Battlefield State Park Monmouth Battlefield State Park is a New Jersey state park located on the border of Manalapan and Freehold Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. This park preserves the historical battlefield on which the American Revolutio ...

, which is in Freehold Township and

History

Early history

The

Lenni Lenape The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory inclu ...

Native Americans were the earliest known people to live in the area that became Freehold.History
Township of Freehold. Accessed November 30, 2022. The Lenape were a hunter-gatherer society. They were largely sedentary, changing campsites seasonally. They were prolific hunters of small game and birds. They were also skilled fisherman, and were known to harvest vast amounts of clams from the bays and inlets on the Jersey Shore. They also practiced some agriculture to augment their food supply. During this time, an important crossroad of two major Lenape trails was located in the area of Freehold.Pepe, p. 19. In 1498, John Cabot became the first European to sight this land. By the late 17th century, the English had begun to take over the area. In 1664, the Duke of York (later

James II & VII James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Glorious Re ...

) granted a patent to

Sir George Carteret Vice Admiral Sir George Carteret, 1st Baronet ( – 14 January 1680 N.S.) was a royalist statesman in Jersey and England, who served in the Clarendon Ministry as Treasurer of the Navy. He was also one of the original lords proprietor of the ...

to develop the area. In 1685, Scottish Presbyterians from

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, along with English Baptists and

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...

from

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

fleeing religious persecution at home, became the first to settle within the area. In 1693, along with Middletown and Shrewsbury, Freehold was established by act of legislature as one of the three original townships in Monmouth County. The name of the township comes from the word ''

freehold Freehold may refer to: In real estate *Freehold (law), the tenure of property in fee simple * Customary freehold, a form of feudal tenure of land in England * Parson's freehold, where a Church of England rector or vicar of holds title to benefice ...

'', an English legal term describing fee simple property ownership.

Colonial Freehold

In 1714, when the colonial government was deciding where to locate the county seat and courthouse, Freeholder John Reid, the first Surveyor General of

East Jersey The Province of East Jersey, along with the Province of West Jersey, between 1674 and 1702 in accordance with the Quintipartite Deed, were two distinct political divisions of the Province of New Jersey, which became the U.S. state of New Jersey. ...

, wanted the county seat located in Freehold. Reid's offer to sell the property to the

Board of Chosen Freeholders In New Jersey, a Board of County Commissioners (until 2020 named the Board of Chosen Freeholders) is the elected county-wide government board in each of the state's 21 counties. In the five counties that have an elected county executive, the ...

at a heavily discounted price may have been the deciding factor in choosing Freehold—rather than Middletown or Shrewsbury—as the site of the county seat. As part of the deal, Reid placed a restrictive covenant in the deed that, should the property ever cease being used as a courthouse, ownership would revert to the Reid family. Direct descendants of John Reid still reside in Freehold Township. Moore's_Tavern_in_Wintertime

Freehold was officially designated as the seat of the Monmouth County government, and a court house was commissioned to be built on the land purchased from John Reid. The Monmouth Courthouse opened in 1715. A small village quickly began to develop around the courthouse. At first, the village was called Monmouth Courthouse. Over time, other government buildings opened near the courthouse, including a sheriff's office, a prison, and a post office. A number of homes and commercial businesses also sprang up in the village, including a blacksmith, a general store, a bank, a hotel, and saloon. In the area surrounding Monmouth Courthouse, many successful farms began to appear. The farms in Freehold were particularly well known for the production of potatoes, beans, and rye, which were sold in the markets of nearby cities. Freehold also became known for its excellent horse farms. The differences within Freehold between the growing settlement around the courthouse and the surrounding farmland were the seeds for the eventual division of Freehold into two separate municipalities in the early 20th century. As of 1745, the majority of families in Freehold were still Scottish immigrants.Pepe, p. 29. In modern Freehold, many important streets bear the name of early colonial families, including Barkalow, Applegate, Rhea, Throckmorton, and Schanck.

The Revolutionary War in Freehold

Freehold was deeply impacted by the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

. In 1765 with the passage of the Stamp Act, dissidents in Middletown and Upper Freehold established

Sons of Liberty The Sons of Liberty was a loosely organized, clandestine, sometimes violent, political organization active in the Thirteen American Colonies founded to advance the rights of the colonists and to fight taxation by the British government. It pl ...

groups. In late 1775, Capt. Elias Longstreet recruited the first company of colonists from the county to join the Continental Army for an ill-fated invasion of Canada. Freehold was a known center of patriot activity. The Declaration of Independence was publicly proclaimed, read aloud, from the steps of the Monmouth Courthouse just a few days after being signed in Philadelphia. However, after British success at the

Battle of Long Island The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn and the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, was an action of the American Revolutionary War fought on August 27, 1776, at the western edge of Long Island in present-day Brooklyn, New Yor ...

, Freehold and all of Monmouth County fell under the control of

Loyalists Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...

.Adelberg, p. 17. The British government continued to operate the Monmouth Courthouse, and several people involved in revolutionary activities were arrested and tried for treason at the courthouse. The success of the Continental Army at the Battle of Trenton helped to weaken loyalist control of Freehold. In June 1778, the British Army began a major strategic evacuation of the city of Philadelphia. They attempted to protect a long, slow moving column of loyalist families, equipment, and other supplies seized in Philadelphia, as they moved towards ships in New York Harbor. On June 28, 1778, the Continental Army intercepted the column in Freehold.Adelberg, p.20 The Battle of Monmouth was one of the largest battles of the Revolutionary War, involving over 25,000 soldiers combined in Continental, British, and Hessian forces. The initial engagement was in doubt until Washington arrived because Charles Lee was retreating from the battlefield. Washington rallied the Continentals and strongly engaged the British forces and they held their ground on the battlefield. However, British forces were successful in completing their primary goal, the evacuation of Philadelphia. Both sides claimed victory in the battle. Molly Pitcher currier ives

Several famous figures from the Revolutionary War fought at the Battle of Monmouth. British forces were commanded by Sir Henry Clinton and

Charles Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805), styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as the Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army general and official. In the United S ...

. The Continental Army was commanded by

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

and Charles Lee. Charles Lee was later court martialed by the Continental Army for his actions at the Battle of Monmouth.

Nathanael Greene Nathanael Greene (June 19, 1786, sometimes misspelled Nathaniel) was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. He emerged from the war with a reputation as General George Washington's most talented and dependab ...

, Alexander Hamilton, "Mad" Anthony Wayne, the

Marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revolutio ...

and

Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand von Steuben (born Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin Louis von Steuben; September 17, 1730 – November 28, 1794), also referred to as Baron von Steuben (), was a Prussian military officer who ...

also fought at the Battle of Monmouth for the Continental Army.Adelberg, p.11 Another famous figure at the Battle of Monmouth was

Molly Pitcher Molly Pitcher is a nickname given to a woman said to have fought in the American Revolutionary War. She is most often identified as Mary Ludwig Hays, who fought in the Battle of Monmouth in June 1778. Another possibility is Margaret Corbin, ...

, who manned a cannon during the battle after her husband was wounded. In the aftermath of the Battle of Monmouth, Loyalist control of Freehold faltered. The township ceased to have a functioning municipal government and the courthouse was closed until the end of the war. Minor clashes between loyalists and continentals flared up in town, with the violence peaking around 1780. Colonel Tye, was an escaped slave formerly named Titus, and the leader of a prominent loyalist guerrilla force, which conducted several raids in and around Freehold. In one famous incident Joshua Huddy was captured and hung by British

under the direction of Richard Lippincott and Colonel Tye. Colonel Tye later died from injuries sustained during that raid. Patriots later cut down Huddy's body hanging from the gallows and buried it in Freehold, at Old Tennent Church. At the end of the war, the community was deeply divided and nearly 120 loyalist families left Freehold, fearing retribution from their neighbors. Most of these families re-settled in Canada.

19th-century Freehold

During the early 1800s, Freehold steadily grew in size. The village around the courthouse was now called Freehold, along with the surrounding farmland.Pepe, p. 23 In 1852, when long distance railroad systems were first being developed, a railroad station, with trains making regular stops, was built running nearly parallel with Throckmorton Street in Freehold. Freehold soon had public sewers in the village and in some of the outlying farmland. By 1883, there was an electrical grid and a telephone switchboard, at a time when these inventions were still brand new. These public advancements caused rapid economic growth in Freehold. The village of Freehold became an important commercial and industrial hub in central New Jersey. The farms in the rest of Freehold benefited greatly by being able to sell their products more easily in New York and Philadelphia. Both the village and the farms prospered together, however the public policies sought by the two different communities continued to grow further apart. The municipal government was increasingly divided between the villagers and farmers. In 1824, the American Hotel opened on Main Street in Freehold. It is still standing today and is one of the oldest buildings in Freehold. In 1853, the Freehold Raceway opened. Though the original grandstand burned down in a fire, the racetrack is still open today, and is one of the oldest harness racetracks in America. The Great Fire of Freehold happened on October 30, 1873. The fire reportedly began in a commercial building on Main Street. It soon spread to engulf a large section of the village, and many wooden buildings, including Monmouth Courthouse, were burned down. Freehold also has a relatively forgotten but important place in the history of the bicycle. Cycling champion

Arthur Augustus Zimmerman Arthur Augustus Zimmerman (June 11, 1869 – October 22, 1936) was one of the world's greatest cycling sprint riders and winner of the first world championship in 1893. His prizes as an amateur were a consideration in the establishment of the Int ...

resided in the town during his racing career in the 1880s and 1890s, and from 1896 to 1899 operated the Zimmerman Bicycle Co.; the company's bicycles were known as the "Zimmy." Today, Freehold Borough is home to
the Metz Bicycle Museum
where the only extant "Zimmy" can be seen. Freehold town hall

Freehold divided

At the beginning of the 20th century, Freehold was an increasingly divided community. The issue of local tax dollars, used as funding for public works and infrastructure projects, was the primary point of contention. The Freeholders living in the downtown area, around the courthouse had very different ideas about how to spend public money compared to the Freeholders living in the surrounding farmland. Tension within the community increased greatly in 1916 when a severe

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

epidemic swept through Freehold. After contentious public debate, a referendum was held to on the future of Freehold, and voters overwhelmingly decided to split the town into two separate municipalities. On April 15, 1919, Freehold Borough formally separated from Freehold Township. Freeholders generally refer to the different municipalities simply as the Borough and the Township. The Borough, the downtown area around the courthouse, retained all the existing government buildings around Court Street and Main Street. The Borough also kept the designation as county seat.Pepe, p. 135 Freehold Township, the farming communities that surrounded the courthouse, set up a new town hall complex on Schanck Road. The Township completely encircles the Borough. On September 7, 1926, Freehold Borough annexed additional territory from the Township.

The Township in the 20th century

In the early 20th century, the farms in Freehold Township continued to be prosperous and successful, and the area steadily grew in population. However, after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the Township experienced rapid growth. By this time, transportation systems had increased to a point to allow workers to commute daily to jobs in larger cities, such as Newark, Philadelphia, and New York City. Highways, including U.S. Route 9 and Route 33 helped to make it possible for commuters to live in Freehold and work in nearby cities. The township quickly developed large neighborhoods of suburban single family homes. Soon, the Township began to grow commercial and industrial businesses that rivalled the Borough. Brockway Glass built their initial facility off Center Street in 1955 with additional facilities added in 1956, 1967, 1969 & 1976 and ceased operations in 1991.''Brockway Glass Co. v. Freehold Tp.'' Tax Court of New Jersey (Feb. 28, 1999)
Casemine. Accessed March 14, 2022.Lockhart, Bill, et al
''Brockway Machine Bottle Co. and Brockway Glass Co.''

Society for Historical Archaeology The Society for Historical Archaeology (SHA) is a professional organization of scholars concerned with the archaeology of the modern world (15th century-present). Founded in 1967, the SHA promotes scholarly research and the dissemination of knowledg ...

. Accessed March 14, 2022. The site is now operated by Iron Mountain.''Master Plan Circulation Plan Element Amendment'' (adopted June 16, 2011)
Freehold Township. Accessed March 14, 2022. "Iron Mountain to Kozloski Road – This roadway would provide for an alternate access from Iron Mountain (formerly Brockway Glass Company) and future development areas southwest of Kozloski Road and north of N.J. Route 33 to intersect Kozloski Road." 3M opened a magnetic tape production facility in 1957. In 1971, a major medical complex, originally called Freehold Area Hospital, and today called CentraState Medical Center, opened in the Township, a regional hospital for communities in western Monmouth County and southern Middlesex County.Pepe, p. 140 Not all industrial developments in the Township were positive. In 1983, the

United States Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it ...

designated the Lone Pine Chemical Site in the Township as a Superfund site. The site has been called "one of the worst environmental disasters in the country". Based on the latest EPA five-year review in 2019, remediation work has contained the spill. In 1990, with the opening of

, the second-largest mall in the state, the Township had solidified in being a premier commercial center for Central New Jersey.Pepe; p. 148 As the Township grew, Route 33, which ran through the heart of Freehold, became increasingly congested, in which studies suggested the construction of a new freeway. This was due to the fact that there was no room to widen the highway to 4 lanes between Route 9 and a railroad bridge at the eastern end would need to have been widened to accommodate 4 lanes. After several years, the new freeway was downsized to merely a bypass of Freehold. Construction from near Sweetmans Lane ( CR 527) to U.S. Route 9 was finished in 1972. Eventually construction began again and the bypass was extended to Halls Mill Road in 1989. For decades traffic was detoured, and congestion continued to worsen. The delay was lengthened when an endangered species was found in the path of the proposed roadway. Finally, after 32 years of waiting, the bypass was fully completed in January 2003, reducing congestion on Route 33 and Route 33 Business, albeit not a completely 4 lane highway between Halls Mills Road and the Howell Road intersection. The Township has thousands of jobs located within the municipality, along with a growing numbers of commuters who work in neighboring cities such as

, Newark, Trenton, and

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. Five residents of the Township died in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the

World Trade Center World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association. World Trade Center may refer to: Buildings * List of World Trade Centers * World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...

and are listed on the county's 9/11 memorial. The COVID-19 pandemic, like many communities, affected Freehold Township. Early in the pandemic, the township (and county at large) made news for the numbers of cases that were being reported. In particular, one Freehold family named the Fuscos had made news for having lost five of their relatives during the first few months of the pandemic, with 19 other family members coming into contact with the virus. As of March 1, 2021, the township had reported 2,793 positive COVID-19 cases, with Monmouth County as a whole ranked fourth in the state for new COVID-19 cases. The township implemented protocols in an attempt to slowing down the spread of the virus, by providing support to local citizens, businesses, and services. The township's health department has implemented an intricate

contact tracing In public health, contact tracing is the process of identifying persons who may have been exposed to an infected person ("contacts") and subsequent collection of further data to assess transmission. By tracing the contacts of infected individua ...

system for Freehold Township residents. On May 26, 2020, the township adopted an ordinance to help in simplifying the process for restaurant owners to obtain permits for seasonal outdoor dining. As of June 25, 2021, the township and county has been ahead of the

Biden Administration Joe Biden's tenure as the 46th president of the United States began with his inauguration on January 20, 2021. Biden, a Democrat from Delaware who previously served as vice president under Barack Obama, took office following his victory ...

's Coronavirus vaccine goal, with at least 73.5% of adults receiving at least one dose, compared to the national average of 65.6% of adults receiving at least one dose.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the township had a total area of 38.88 square miles (100.71 km²), including 38.65 square miles (100.11 km²) of land and 0.23 square miles (0.59 km²) of water (0.59%). Hayride_at_Battleview_Orchards

The township completely surrounds the borough of

Freehold Freehold may refer to: In real estate *Freehold (law), the tenure of property in fee simple * Customary freehold, a form of feudal tenure of land in England * Parson's freehold, where a Church of England rector or vicar of holds title to benefice ...

, making it part of 21 pairs of "doughnut towns" in the state, where one municipality entirely surrounds another. The township borders Colts Neck Township, Howell Township,

, Marlboro Township and Millstone Township in Monmouth County; and Jackson Township in

Ocean County Ocean County is a county located along the Jersey Shore in the south-central portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It borders the Atlantic Ocean on the east. Its county seat is Toms River.Upper Freehold Township is not connected, geographically or politically, to Freehold Township. East Freehold (2010 Census population of 4,894) and West Freehold (13,613 as of 2010) are

unincorporated communities 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 ...

and

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 count ...

s located within Freehold Township. Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Blue Ball (now Adelphia), Burlington Heights,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, Monmouth Heights, Orchard Estates,

Siloam Silwan or Siloam ( ar, سلوان, translit=Silwan; gr, Σιλωὰμ, translit=Siloam; he, כְּפַר הַשִּׁילוֹחַ, translit=''Kfar ha-Shiloaḥ'') is a predominantly Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem, on the outski ...

, Smithburg, Southburg, Stonehurst East and Stonehurst West. The township is one of two municipalities in Monmouth County that are part of the Toms River watershed, most of which is located in

Ocean County Ocean County is a county located along the Jersey Shore in the south-central portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It borders the Atlantic Ocean on the east. Its county seat is Toms River.A. W. Kuchler August William Kuchler (born ''August Wilhelm Küchler''; 1907–1999) was a German-born American geographer and naturalist who is noted for developing a plant association system in widespread use in the United States. Some of this database has bec ...

U.S.

potential natural vegetation In ecology, potential natural vegetation (PNV), also known as Kuchler potential vegetation, is the vegetation that would be expected given environmental constraints (climate, geomorphology, geology) without human intervention or a hazard event ...

types, Freehold Township would have an Appalachian

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

(''104'') vegetation type with an Eastern hardwood forest (''25'') vegetation form.U.S. Potential Natural Vegetation, Original Kuchler Types, v2.0 (Spatially Adjusted to Correct Geometric Distortions)
Data Basin. Accessed October 13, 2020.

Major bodies of water

Due to the township's location in New Jersey, it is the home of numerous

headwaters The headwaters of a river or stream is the farthest place in that river or stream from its estuary or downstream confluence with another river, as measured along the course of the river. It is also known as a river's source. Definition The ...

for various important rivers, brooks, and streams that flow throughout the state. The township is located on a ridge within the geographic heartland of New Jersey, as most sections of the township fall within the hillier terrain and fertile soil found in the Inner coastal plain, while the southeastern sections of the township fall within the more flat terrain and sandier soil found in the Outer coastal plain. The township is located within the much larger Raritan Valley region (as many of its brooks and streams flow into the aforementioned river), while also being located relatively close to the

Raritan Bay Raritan Bay is a bay located at the southern portion of Lower New York Bay between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey and is part of the New York Bight. The bay is bounded on the northwest by New York's Staten Island, on the west by Per ...

. The township is also closely tied to the Jersey Shore region, being located about west of

Asbury Park Asbury Park () is a beachfront city located on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 15,188

. The township also encompasses some of the northernmost stretches of the

Pine Barrens Pine barrens, pine plains, sand plains, or pineland areas occur throughout the U.S. from Florida to Maine (see Atlantic coastal pine barrens) as well as the Midwest, West, and Canada and parts of Eurasia. Perhaps the most well known pine-barre ...

. Notable bodies of water within the township include:

Lakes

Lake Topanemus Lake Topanemus is a suburban park located in Freehold Township, New Jersey, but owned and operated by Freehold Borough, New Jersey. The park's pond was originally the site of Forman's Mill in the 1800s. The pond's attractions, include freshwater f ...

* Turkey Swamp

Rivers

* Barnegat Bay Watershed **

Metedeconk River The Metedeconk River is a tributary of Barnegat Bay in Ocean County, New Jersey in the United States. The Metedeconk River flows from its U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, acces ...

***North Branch Metedeconk River ***South Branch Metedeconk River ** Toms River * Raritan Basin Watershed **

Manasquan River The Manasquan River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 waterway in central New Jersey. It flows from western Monmouth County, beginning in Freehold T ...

***Applegate Creek ***Burkes Creek ***Debois Creek ** South River ***

Manalapan Brook Manalapan Brook is a tributary of the South River in Monmouth and Middlesex counties, New Jersey in the United States.Gertler, Edward. ''Garden State Canoeing'', Seneca Press, 2002. Course The Manalapan Brook's source is at in western Mon ...

***

Matchaponix Brook Matchaponix Brook is a tributary of the South River in Monmouth and Middlesex counties, New Jersey in the United States. Matchaponix Brook (Lenape for "country of poor bread") is born in Englishtown at the convergence of Weamaconk Creek and McGel ...

****McGellairds Brook ****Tepehemus Brook ****Weamaconk Creek ****Wemrock Brook * Navesink River Watershed **

Swimming River The Swimming River is an estuary and the name of the Navesink River upstream of Red Bank in Colts Neck Township and Middletown Township, located in Monmouth County, New Jersey in the United States.Gertler, Edward. ''Garden State Canoeing'', Sen ...

***Yellow Brook

Climate

According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Freehold Township sits on the northern border between the humid subtropical climate (''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 freezing ...

(Dfa) zone, with the township being one of the most northern localities in North America that has a humid subtropical climate. ''Cfa'' climates are characterized by all months having an average temperature > , at least four months with an average temperature ≥ , at least one month with an average temperature ≥ and no significant precipitation difference between seasons.

Demographics

2010 Census

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars)

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal 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 o ...

was $94,735 (with a margin of error of +/− $5,749) and the median family income was $112,094 (+/− $4,124). Males had a median income of $85,099 (+/− $6,540) versus $48,926 (+/− $4,407) for females. The per capita income for the township was $40,504 (+/− $2,006). About 2.8% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.

2000 Census

As of the

2000 United States Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 cen ...

there were 31,537 people, 10,814 households, and 8,283 families residing in the township. The population density was 820.2 people per square mile (316.7/km²). There were 11,032 housing units at an average density of 286.9 per square mile (110.8/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 87.09%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 5.12%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.14% Native American, 5.15% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 1.19% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.30% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 5.19% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Freehold township
,

. Accessed December 17, 2011.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 – Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Freehold township, Monmouth County, New Jersey
,

. Accessed December 4, 2012. There were 10,814 households, out of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.9% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.4% were non-families. 20.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.21. In the township the population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.3 males. The median income for a household in the township was $77,185, and the median income for a family was $89,845. Males had a median income of $62,545 versus $36,668 for females. The per capita income for the township was $31,505. About 2.8% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Due to suburbanization within the township, its location near the Jersey Shore, along with its proximity to major cities such as New York, Newark, Trenton, and

, the township has been a longtime economic center in the

Central Jersey Central Jersey is the central region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The designation of Central New Jersey is a distinct administrative toponym. Geographic area and descriptions While the State of New Jersey is often divided into North and ...

region.Garbarine, Rachelle
"In The Region: New Jersey; Freehold Is Getting Its First Major Mall"
''

'', March 25, 1990. Accessed May 9, 2021. "Strip centers have sprung up along the highways and work is nearing completion on the township's first major shopping complex, the Freehold Raceway Mall. It will have 1.3 million square feet of space in 200 shops and food outlets, as many as five department stores and parking for 6,500 cars. The mall is being built by the Wilmorite Corporation of Rochester on a 176-acre site in the south central corner of the township along Route 9 at its intersection with Routes 33 and 537. The $125 million project is scheduled to open Aug. 1."

Agriculture

Despite suburbanization in recent decades, the township's agricultural roots have still been preserved. There are numerous crop farms, thoroughbred farms, sod farms, nurseries, and

orchard An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees which are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of ...

s in the township. Notable farms in the township include Brock Farms, Battleview Orchards, Clayton Family Farm, Crawford Farms, the historic Oakley Farm, Reid Sod Farm, and Wemrock Orchards.

Tomasello Winery Tomasello Winery is a winery located in Hammonton in Atlantic County, New Jersey.Hammonton) has a wine tasting room located in Wemrock Orchards. The winery offers over 50 homegrown wines for tasting sessions (reservations strongly encouraged), but the winery is also open to retail transactions of their stocked wine. There are other

wineries A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, b ...

that are nearby to the township, including

Four JG's Orchards & Vineyards Four JG's Orchards & Vineyards is a winery in Colts Neck in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The vineyard was first planted in 1999, and opened to the public in 2004. Four JG's has 40 acres of grapes under cultivation, and produces 2,500 cases of win ...

in Colts Neck,

Cream Ridge Winery Cream Ridge Winery is a winery in the Cream Ridge section of Upper Freehold Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey.

in Cream Ridge,

Working Dog Winery Working Dog Winery is a winery located on the border of Robbinsville Township and East Windsor in Mercer County, New Jersey.Clerkin, Bridget"Grapes of math: New Jersey's wine industry sees growth, increase of vineyards statewide"in '' The Times ...

in Robbinsville, and

Hopewell Valley Vineyards Hopewell Valley Vineyards is a winery in Hopewell Township (mailing address is Pennington) in Mercer County, New Jersey. The vineyard was first planted in 2001, and opened to the public in 2003. Hopewell Valley has 25 acres of grapes under cult ...

in Hopewell.

Commerce

Established in 1853, making it the nation's oldest half-mile harness racing track,

offers horse lovers and bettors an opportunity to see harness racing. Completed in August 1990, the

was constructed at a cost of $125 million on a site covering more than across from the Freehold Raceway over U.S. 9. A super-regional high-end shopping mall, it has a

gross leasable area In architecture, construction, and real estate, floor area, floor space, or floorspace is the area (measured as square feet or square metres) taken up by a building or part of it. The ways of defining "floor area" depend on what factors of the buil ...

of , making it the second-largest mall in the state, behind

Westfield Garden State Plaza Garden State Plaza (officially Westfield Garden State Plaza) is a shopping mall located in Paramus, New Jersey. It is owned and managed by Paris-based real estate management company Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, and located at the intersection of R ...

. Outside of the Freehold Raceway Mall, the township itself has many other shopping malls and plazas. Diane & Co. is a dress shop that has been featured on the Oxygen Network's show ''

Jersey Couture ''Jersey Couture'' is an American reality documentary series that premiered June 1, 2010 on Oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, ...

''. iPlay America is an indoor family entertainment and event center that opened in November 2011, offering rides, arcade and carnival games, along with

Topgolf Topgolf is a golf driving range game with electronically tracked golfballs and automatically scored drives that started in 2000 and grew to become a multinational sports entertainment company. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, it has locations i ...

, music venues, laser tag, shops, bars, and restaurants.

Main Street

Freehold Borough (which the township surrounds) is home to Downtown Freehold, located on East and West Main Street (County Route 537). This downtown section has various eateries, bars, boutiques, historical sites, and other excursions. Within this section of town, there have been plans to revitalize the downtown area, as outlined in the Freehold Center Core Revitalization Plan (2008), in which

NJ Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit, and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey, along with portions of New York State and Pennsylvania. It operates bu ...

has sponsored a project in transforming the Freehold Center Bus Station into a Transit Village. This new designation would foster in the creation of a

transit-oriented development In urban planning, transit-oriented development (TOD) is a type of urban development that maximizes the amount of residential, business and leisure space within walking distance of public transport. It promotes a symbiotic relationship between ...

zoning district around by the Freehold Center Bus Station between West Main Street (County Route 537) and Throckmorton Street (County Route 522). This would have a huge positive impact to the Freehold area economy. There are many other shopping destinations right outside of ''the Freeholds'' region, including the

Manalapan EpiCentre The Manalapan EpiCentre opened in 2002 on the corner of U.S. Route 9 southbound and Symmes Drive in Manalapan, New Jersey. The mall serves the Marlboro and Freehold area. It replaced the earlier Manalapan Mall that was demolished in 1998. History ...

(formerly, the Manalapan Mall) in

, the

Jackson Premium Outlets Jackson Township is a township in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the township population was 58,544. A portion of the township is located within the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Roughly equidistant b ...

in Jackson Township, and The Shoppes in Old Bridge Township.

Manufacturing

Freehold Township and Borough began to grow in commercial and industrial manufacturing of goods during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Among most prominent of companies that began doing operations in the township was the

Brockway Glass Company Brockway Glass Company was founded in 1907 in Brockway, Pennsylvania by the Brockway Machine Bottle Company (which later became Brockway Glass). Brockway manufactured and sold glass containers and tubing along with plastic products manufactured th ...

, which had built a facility on Center Street in 1955. Brockway Glass then proceeded to build additional facilities in the region in 1956, 1967, 1969 & 1976. The company ceased operations in the township in 1991, in which the site is now operated by the Freehold campus location for Iron Mountain, an

enterprise information management Enterprise information management (EIM) is a business discipline specializing in providing solutions for optimal use of information within organizations, for instance to support decision-making processes or day-to-day operations that require the ava ...

services company. Nestle opened a production plant in 1948, which is still in operation and has expanded its operations in logistics and engineering. 3M opened a magnetic tape production facility in 1957.

Sports

In 2004, the Freehold Township Senior League baseball team won the Senior League World Series. Led by manager Mike Brach of Freehold Township, the team became the first from Freehold Township to make it to the World Series, let alone win it. In 2016, Freehold Township Little League 12u baseball team won the New Jersey state championship and made it to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament, the first team from the township to take the state title since 2003.

Parks and recreation

, Turkey Swamp Park,

, and Michael J. Tighe Park (formerly known as Liberty Oak Park) are all located within the township and provide assorted recreational opportunities. Smaller parks in the township include Durand Park, Whittier Oaks Park, Opatut Park, Wynnefield Park, Stonehurst Park, Sandy Brook Park, Duchess Court Park, Greentree Park, Medford Park, Woodgate Park, Woodcrest Park, Orchard Hills Park and Sargent Park. The southernmost segment of 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 trail is no ...

starts in Freehold Borough and runs northeast through the township, to the

Raritan Bayshore The Raritan Bayshore region of New Jersey is a subregion of the larger Jersey Shore. It is the area around Raritan Bay from The Amboys to Sandy Hook, in Monmouth and Middlesex counties, including the towns of Woodbridge, Perth Amboy, South Amboy, ...

region. The parking area is located at 119 Dutch Lane Road in the township and is used by walkers, runners and bicyclists. Michael J. Tighe Park was formerly known as Liberty Oak Park, the park having been renamed in 2001.

Government

Local government

Freehold Township is governed under the

Township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...

form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 141 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form, the second-most commonly used form of government in the state. The Township Committee is comprised of five members, who are elected directly by the voters at-large in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle.''2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book'',

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

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. 110. At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor and another as Deputy Mayor. The Township Committee enacts local ordinances, levies municipal taxes and conducts the affairs of the township. In almost all cases, it can review and approve the actions of other Freehold Township boards, committees and agencies. The Township Committee conducts all of its business during monthly meetings open to the public. , the members of the Township Committee are Mayor Maureen Fasano ( R, term on committee and as mayor ends December 31, 2022), Deputy Mayor Alan C. Walker (R, term on committee ends 2023; term as deputy mayor ends 2022), Anthony J. Ammiano (R, 2024), Thomas L. Cook (R, 2024) and Lester A. Preston Jr. (R, 2023).Committee Members
Township of Freehold. Accessed April 20, 2022. "Freehold Township is governed by five Committee persons, each of whom is elected for a three-year staggered term. At the beginning of each year, the Committee members elect one of their members to serve as Mayor and one as Deputy Mayor."November 2, 2021 General Election Official Results

Monmouth County, New Jersey Monmouth County () is a county located on the coast of central New Jersey. The county is part of the New York metropolitan area and is situated along the northern half of the Jersey Shore. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population wa ...

, December 13, 2021. Accessed January 1, 2022.November 3, 2020 General Election Official Results

, updated November 3, 2020. Accessed January 1, 2021.General Election November 5, 2019 Official Results

Clerk, updated December 16, 2019. Accessed January 1, 2020. In January 2020, the Township Committee appointed Alan C. Walker to fill the seat expiring in December 2020 that had become vacant following the resignation of David M. Salkin.

Federal, state, and county representation

Freehold Township is located in the 3rd and 4th Congressional Districts2022 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; t ...

, December 8, 2022. and is part of New Jersey's 11th state legislative district.Municipalities Sorted by 2011–2020 Legislative District
New Jersey Department of State. Accessed February 1, 2020.''2019 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''
New Jersey League of Women Voters. Accessed October 30, 2019. Prior to the 2011 reapportionment following the 2010 Census, Freehold Township had been in the 12th state legislative district.''2011 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''
, p. 57, New Jersey League of Women Voters. Accessed May 22, 2015. Prior to the 2010 Census, Freehold Township had been split between the 4th Congressional District and the , a change made by the

that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections. Monmouth County is governed by a Board of County Commissioners comprised of five members who are elected at-large to serve three year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats up for election each year as part of the November general election. At an annual reorganization meeting held in the beginning of January, the board selects one of its members to serve as Director and another as Deputy Director. , Monmouth County's Commissioners are Commissioner Director Thomas A. Arnone ( R, Neptune City, term as commissioner and as director ends December 31, 2022), Commissioner Deputy Director Susan M. Kiley (R, Hazlet Township, term as commissioner ends December 31, 2024; term as deputy commissioner director ends 2022), Lillian G. Burry (R, Colts Neck Township, 2023), Nick DiRocco (R, Wall Township, 2022), and Ross F. Licitra (R, Marlboro Township, 2023). Constitutional officers elected on a countywide basis are County clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon (R, 2025; Ocean Township), Sheriff Shaun Golden (R, 2022; Howell Township) and Surrogate Rosemarie D. Peters (R, 2026; Middletown Township).

Politics

As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 23,033 registered voters in Freehold Township, of which 5,014 (21.8%) were registered as Democrats, 5,058 (22.0%) were registered as Republicans and 12,949 (56.2%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 12 voters registered as

Libertarians Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's enc ...

or Greens. In the

2016 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2016 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2016 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *7 January: Kiri ...

, Republican

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

received 55.6% of the vote (9,972 cast), ahead of Democrat

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

with 41.3% (7,410 votes), and other candidates with 3.1% (560 votes), among the 17,942 ballots cast by the township's voters. 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 received 55.3% of the vote (9,204 cast), ahead of Democrat

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

with 43.5% (7,242 votes), and other candidates with 1.2% (192 votes), among the 16,715 ballots cast by the township's 23,974 registered voters (77 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 69.7%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 53.5% of the vote (9,480 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 44.2% (7,845 votes) and other candidates with 1.0% (185 votes), among the 17,733 ballots cast by the township's 23,935 registered voters, for a turnout of 74.1%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

received 56.6% of the vote (9,260 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party, he ...

with 42.2% (6,915 votes) and other candidates with 0.6% (131 votes), among the 16,373 ballots cast by the township's 22,061 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 74.2. In the 2017 gubernatorial election, Republican

Kim Guadagno Kimberly Ann Guadagno (; ''née'' McFadden; born April 13, 1959) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the first lieutenant governor and 33rd secretary of state of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. Guadagno was the Republican nominee ...

received 57.7% of the vote (6,060 cast), ahead of Democrat

Phil Murphy Philip Dunton Murphy (born August 16, 1957) is an American financier, diplomat, and politician serving as the 56th governor of New Jersey since January 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the United States ambassador to Germa ...

with 40.4% (4,246 votes). In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican

Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, lobbyist, and former federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. Christie, who was born in N ...

received 72.2% of the vote (7,009 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 26.0% (2,525 votes), and other candidates with 1.8% (175 votes), among the 9,826 ballots cast by the township's 24,098 registered voters (117 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 40.8%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 65.5% of the vote (7,900 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 fo ...

with 27.5% (3,317 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 5.7% (688 votes) and other candidates with 0.8% (96 votes), among the 12,058 ballots cast by the township's 23,343 registered voters, yielding a 51.7% turnout.

Education

Public school students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade are educated by the Freehold Township Schools. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of eight schools, had an enrollment of 3,737 students and 329.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.3:1.District information for Freehold Township School District
National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 1, 2020. Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Early Childhood Learning Center (97 students; in grades Pre-K), C. Richard Applegate School (424; K–5), Joseph J. Catena School (488; K–5), Laura Donovan School (436; K–5), Marshall W. Errickson School (435; K–5), West Freehold School (501; K–5), Clifton T. Barkalow School (661; 6–8) and Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School (686; 6–8). Students in ninth through

twelfth grade Twelfth grade, 12th grade, senior year, or grade 12 is the final year of secondary school in most of North America. In other regions, it may also be referred to as class 12 or Year 13. In most countries, students are usually between the ages of 17 ...

s attend either

Freehold Township High School Freehold Township High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Freehold Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, and is part of the Freehold Regional High School District. The school serves students ...

Freehold High School Freehold High School (sometimes called Freehold Boro, Freehold Borough High School or Boro to distinguish it from Freehold Township High School) is a four-year public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades, located within ...

(based on home address), as 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, New Jersey, United States. The district ...

(FRHSD) The district also serves students from Colts Neck Township, Englishtown, Farmingdale, Freehold Borough, Howell Township,

and Marlboro Township. Freehold Township High School is home to the Contemporary Global Studies Learning Center and Freehold High School hosts the Medical Sciences Learning Center; each program admits students on a selective basis from all over the Freehold Regional High School District. of the 2018–19 school year, Freehold Township High School had an enrollment of 2,043 students and 137.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.9:1, while Freehold Borough High School had an enrollment of 1,422 students and 103.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.7:1. 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 Freehold Township allocated one member, who has 1.4 votes. High school students in Freehold Township have the opportunity of attending vocational schools such as Biotechnology High School,

High Technology High School High Technology High School (HTHS), founded in 1991, is a four-year magnet public high school for students in ninth through twelfth grades, located in the Lincroft section of Middletown Township, in Monmouth County, United States, operated a ...

, the

Marine Academy of Science and Technology The Marine Academy of Science and Technology (MAST) is a coeducational four-year magnet public high school located in the Sandy Hook section of Middletown Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth throu ...

Communications High School Communications High School (CHS) is a four-year magnet public high school and career academy serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as part of the Monmouth County Vocational School District in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United Stat ...

, and the Academy of Allied Health & Science, which are part of the

Monmouth County Vocational School District The Monmouth County Vocational School District (MCVSD) is a vocational and technical public school district in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, providing vocational education to students across the county. Monmouth County Vocational ...

, which are available to all students in Monmouth County on a selective basis.

, in partnership with

Brookdale Community College Brookdale Community College is a public community college in the Lincroft section of Middletown Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1967, the college also has regional locations in Neptune Township, ...

offers several bachelor's degree completion programs at Brookdale's Freehold Campus.

Infrastructure

Public safety

Emergency services

Freehold Township offers different departments of varying emergency services. The following are the emergency service departments in Freehold Township:

=Police

= The Freehold Township police department is composed of a large force that handles three major divisions; patrol, investigation, and services. The current Chief of Police is George Baumann, who started in this position in January 2020, following the retirement of former Police Chief Ernest Schriefer. Ernest Schriefer had served as Police Chief for nearly 20 years at the time of his retirement.

=Fire Prevention

= The township offers various fire prevention programs for Freehold Township residents.

Fire prevention courses

Freehold Township offers programs designed to prepare children on the importance of fire safety. These courses are engaging with students and are offered at Township schools and other municipal buildings.Fire Prevention and Safety
Township of Freehold. Accessed July 19, 2022.

Fire squads

Freehold Township has two volunteer fire companies: ;West Freehold * Freehold Township Independent Fire Company #1 is located on Stillwells Corner Road in West Freehold. It was established in 1964 to provide fire protection services across Freehold Township. *Freehold Township Fire Company No. 1 Station No. 2 in Smithburg *Freehold Township Independent Fire Company No. 1 Station No. 3 in

;East Freehold * East Freehold Fire Company (founded 1972) is located on Kozloski Road in East Freehold

=First aid squads

= Freehold EMS (founded 1941) is located in Freehold Borough and offers pre-hospital care to residents of both the borough and the township.

Transportation

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 transporta ...

. Several major roads pass through the township. Major state routes include US Route 9, Route 18, Route 33 (also known as the Freehold Bypass), and Route 79. Major county routes that pass through are County Route 522, 524, 527, and 537. Access to Interstate 195 is available in neighboring

Howell Howell may refer to: Places In the United Kingdom *Howell, Lincolnshire, England In the United States *Howell, Georgia * Howell, Evansville, a neighborhood of Evansville, Indiana *Howell, Michigan * Howell, Missouri *Howell, Utah * Howell C ...

via Route 9 or

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

via CR 537. The

Garden State Parkway The Garden State Parkway (GSP) is a controlled-access toll road that stretches the north–south length of eastern New Jersey from the state's southernmost tip near Cape May to the New York state line at Montvale. Its name refers to New Jerse ...

entrance at exit 100 is about ten miles east on Route 33 in

Tinton Falls Tinton Falls is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 17,892,New Jersey Turnpike entrance at exit 8 is about ten miles west on Route 33 in East Windsor.

Public transportation

=Rail

= In the 19th & 20th centuries, Freehold Borough and Freehold Township had two major railways. One major railway in the area was the Freehold and Jamesburg Agricultural Railroad, which was owned and operated by the Camden & Amboy Railroad Company (C&A). Surveying for the line began on September 8, 1851, grading began on October 19, 1852, and the first track was laid on April 4, 1853. The first section of line was opened on July 18, 1853. The establishment of the Freehold & Jamesburg Agricultural Railroad helped make the Freeholds a

transportation hub A transport hub is a place where passengers and cargo are exchanged between vehicles and/or between transport modes. Public transport hubs include railway stations, rapid transit stations, bus stops, tram stops, airports and ferry slips. F ...

. The other major railway in the area was the

Central Railroad of New Jersey The Central Railroad of New Jersey, also known as the Jersey Central or Jersey Central Lines , was a Class I railroad with origins in the 1830s. It was absorbed into Conrail in April 1976 along with several other prominent bankrupt railroads of ...

, which had a branch that connected the still-active former

Penn Central The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals (the Pennsylvania, New York Central and the ...

line from Jamesburg to CNJ's Seashore Branch and the New York and Long Branch line (now owned by NJ Transit) at Matawan. The Freehold and Jamesburg Railroad was abandoned by the early 1930s. A portion of the former railroad's right-of-way was later approved to be sold by the New Jersey Board of Public Utility Commissioners (PUC) to Jersey Central Power & Light Company in 1966, with occasional freight service still being used through the Freehold Industrial Track. Meanwhile, The Central Railroad of New Jersey went into bankruptcy in the early 1970s and entered into Conrail on April 1, 1976, with its freight service on the rails from Freehold to Matawan being terminated in 1979 (the rails were removed in 1980). Today, it is mostly a rail-trail, converting into the

. The Monmouth Ocean Middlesex Line is a proposal by New Jersey Transit to restore passenger railway service to the region, by using the same tracks as the Freehold Industrial Track. The township and its neighboring borough would be potential stops for the 'MOM' Line. As of now, the nearest train stations to the township are located in Aberdeen-Matawan,

, and Long Branch on the

North Jersey Coast Line The North Jersey Coast Line is a commuter rail line running from Rahway to Bay Head, New Jersey, traversing through the Jersey Shore region. Operated by New Jersey Transit, the line is electrified as far south as Long Branch. On rail system m ...

, and Metropark in Iselin,

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

, and Princeton Junction on the

Northeast Corridor Line The Northeast Corridor Line is a commuter rail service operated by NJ Transit between the Trenton Transit Center and New York Penn Station on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor in the United States. The service is the successor to Pennsylvania Railroad ...

=Buses

provides bus service to communities along US Route 9 from Lakewood Township to Old Bridge Township, and to the

Port Authority Bus Terminal The Port Authority Bus Terminal (colloquially known as the Port Authority and by its acronym PABT) is a bus terminal located in Manhattan in New York City. It is the busiest bus terminal in the world by volume of traffic, serving about 8,000 buse ...

in New York City via bus routes 131, 135 and

139 139 may refer to: * 139 (number), an integer * AD 139, a year of the Julian calendar * 139 BC, a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar * 139 (New Jersey bus) 139 may refer to: * 139 (number), an integer * AD 139, a year of the Julian calendar * 13 ...

, to Newark Liberty International Airport and the City of Newark at large on the 67 route, to Jersey City on the 64 and 67, as well as to Six Flags Great Adventure and shopping via local service on the

833 __NOTOC__ Year 833 ( DCCCXXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Byzantine-Arab War: Emperor Theophilos signs an armistice for p ...

836 __NOTOC__ Year 836 ( DCCCXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Abbasid Caliphate * Driven by tensions between his favoured Turkish guard and the popula ...

and

307 __NOTOC__ Year 307 ( CCCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Severus and Maximinus (or, less frequently, year 1060 ...

routes. Bus service is available from Route 9 to Wall Street in New York's

Financial District A financial district is usually a central area in a city where financial services firms such as banks, insurance companies and other related finance corporations have their head offices. In major cities, financial districts are often home to s ...

via the Academy Bus Line. CentraState Front view 2

Bus service is available to

from Freehold Township via transfer in Lakewood. There are several bus stops to the points listed above located along Route 9 in the township. Freehold Township has two commuter parking lots available only to township residents, which are located at the Freehold Mall Shopping Center and on Schibanoff Lane.

=Aviation

= Following the closure of the Marlboro Airport,

Old Bridge Airport Old Bridge Airport is a public-use airport located five nautical miles (9.26 km) south of the central business district of the township of Old Bridge Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States The United States of Am ...

in Old Bridge and Monmouth Executive Airport in Farmingdale supply short-distance flights to surrounding areas and are the closest air transportation services. The nearest major commercial airports are Trenton-Mercer Airport, which serves several domestic destinations via Frontier Airlines and located west (about 36 minutes drive); and Newark Liberty International Airport, which serves as a major hub for

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.

and located north (about 50 minutes drive) from the center of Freehold Township.

=Ferry

= Ferry service is available through the SeaStreak service in

Highlands Highland is a broad term for areas of higher elevation, such as a mountain range or mountainous plateau. Highland, Highlands, or The Highlands, may also refer to: Places Albania * Dukagjin Highlands Armenia * Armenian Highlands Australia *Sou ...

, a trip that involves about a 25–30-minute drive from the eastern section of Freehold Township to reach the departing terminal. SeaStreak offers ferry service to New York City with trips to Pier 11 (on the East River at Wall Street) and 35th Street in Manhattan.

Healthcare

CentraState Medical Center is a regional hospital located in the township. Serving parts of Monmouth,

Ocean The ocean (also the sea or the world ocean) is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of the surface of Earth and contains 97% of Earth's water. An ocean can also refer to any of the large bodies of water into which the wo ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

, and

Mercer Mercer may refer to: Business * Mercer (car), a defunct American automobile manufacturer (1909–1925) * Mercer (consulting firm), a large human resources consulting firm headquartered in New York City * Mercer (occupation), a merchant or trader, ...

counties in central New Jersey, the hospital is a partner of Atlantic Health System and is affiliated with Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. The facility has 287 beds and is part of CentraState Healthcare System, the county's fourth-largest employer. Other regional hospitals near the township include the Lakewood division of

Monmouth Medical Center Monmouth Medical Center, in Long Branch, Monmouth County, New Jersey, is one of New Jersey's largest community academic medical centers and is an academic affiliate of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School of Rutgers University, and is a part of ...

and the Old Bridge division of Raritan Bay Medical Center. The closest major university hospitals to the township are

Jersey Shore University Medical Center Jersey Shore University Medical Center (JSUMC) is a 691-bed non-profit, tertiary research and academic medical center located in Neptune Township, New Jersey, servicing coastal New Jersey and the Central Jersey area. JSUMC is the region’s only ...

in Neptune Township,

Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center (PMC), formerly known as the University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro, is a 355-bed non-profit, tertiary, and academic medical center located in Plainsboro Township, New Jersey, servicing the wes ...

in Plainsboro Township, and

Saint Peter's University Hospital Saint Peter's University Hospital (SPUH) is a Roman Catholic hospital on Easton Avenue in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The hospital is a member of the Saint Peter's Healthcare System, Inc., a New Jersey nonprofit corporation sponsored by the Roman ...

and

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital The Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) is an American 965-bed hospital with campuses in New Brunswick (Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital New Brunswick), and Somerville, New Jersey ( Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somer ...

Points of interest

* CentraState Medical Center – A regional hospital for western Monmouth County. *

– One of the oldest harness racing tracks in the country. *

– The second-largest mall in the state. * Maplewood Cemetery – New Jersey Governors Joel Parker and Joseph D. Bedle, as well as several officers who served in the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

are interred here. * Monmouth Battlefield – This historic park preserves where the Battle of Monmouth was fought. * Turkey Swamp Park – A 1,180-acre (4.78 km²) nature preserve in the northernmost swaths of the

. * Village of West Freehold – Historic village in the western portion of the township, at the intersection of County Route 537 (Monmouth Road) and Stillwells Corner Road/Wemrock Road. * Jewish Heritage Museum of Monmouth County – Highlights history of Jewish residents and culture in Monmouth County File:Oakley_Farmstead_in_Autumn_2021.jpg, Oakley Farmhouse, 2021 File:Rhea_Applegate_House.jpg, Rhea-Applegate Farmhouse on Monmouth Battlefield, 2021 File:Jewish_Heritage_Museum.jpg, Jewish Heritage Museum at Mounts Corner, 2021

Notable people

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

Amanda Anisimova Amanda Anisimova ( ; , ; born August 31, 2001) is a Russian-American professional tennis player. She has a career-high WTA ranking of No. 21 in the world, and has been ranked in the top 100 since shortly after turning 17 years old. Anisimova has ...

(born 2001), professional tennis player * Jake Areman (born 1996), soccer player who plays for the

Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Championship in the second tie ...

in the

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...

. *

Danny Bohn Daniel T. Bohn (born June 29, 1988) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 20 Chevrolet Silverado for Young's Motorsports. Racing career NASCAR Mo ...

(born 1988),

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck based stock cars. The series is one of t ...

driver *

Brad Brach Brad Brach ( ; born April 12, 1986) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, and Cinci ...

(born 1986), professional baseball player * Brian Brikowski (born 1989), defensive end who played in 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 ...

with the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the East Division of the Canad ...

Dave Cantin David Scott Cantin (born October 26, 1979) is an American entrepreneur, philanthropist and cancer survivor. Early life He was born David Scott Cantin on October 26, 1979, in Freehold Township, New Jersey. He is the youngest of three children. Ca ...

(born 1979), entrepreneur * Danielle Colaprico (born 1992), midfielder for the

Chicago Red Stars The Chicago Red Stars are a professional women's soccer club based in Bridgeview, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. A founding member of the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league, they have played in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) sin ...

of the National Women's Soccer League * Joe Dailey,

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

coach who is the wide receivers coach for the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

Katie Dippold Katie Dippold (born January 10, 1980) is an American screenwriter. She was a writer on the NBC series ''Parks and Recreation'' and wrote '' The Heat'' starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy and the 2016 ''Ghostbusters'' reboot. Life and c ...

, comedy writer, actress, and improvisational comedian who has co-produced and written for '' Parks and Recreation'' * Joann Downey (born 1966), politician representing the 11th Legislative District in the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

Clare Farragher Clare M. Farragher (born December 11, 1941) is an American Republican Party (United States), Republican Party politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1987 until 2004 where she represented the New Jersey's 12th legislative dis ...

(born 1941), member of the

from 1988 to 2002 who also served as mayor of Freehold Township *

Michele Fitzgerald Michele Fitzgerald (born May 5, 1990) is an American travel consultant best known for competing on the reality competition show '' Survivor''. She was voted the winner of the show's 32nd season, '' Survivor: Kaôh Rōng'', on May 18, 2016. Miche ...

(born 1990), winner of '' Survivor: Kaôh Rōng'' in 2016, the 32nd season of the reality series ''Survivor'' * Lindsey Gallo (born 1981), former track and field athlete who competed in middle-distance events *

Milton Goode Milton Goode (born February 16, 1960, in Tinton Falls, New Jersey) is a retired high jumper from the United States, who participated at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. Goode was raised in Tinton Falls, New Jersey, and attend ...

(born 1960),

high jumper The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

who participated at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the sec ...

* Vin Gopal (born 1985), politician who will take office in January 2018 to represent the 11th Legislative District in the New Jersey Senate, which covers portions of Monmouth County *

Robert Griswold Robert Griswold (born November 27, 1996) is an American swimmer. He was a member of the 2016 and 2020 U.S. Paralympic Swimming Teams. He holds multiple American and world paralympic swimming records in freestyle, backstroke, butterfly, and ind ...

(born 1996),swimmer * Thomas Henderson (1743–1824), acting

Governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official r ...

William Barberie Howell William Barberie Howell (July 5, 1865 – April 4, 1927) was an Associate Justice and Chief Justice of the United States Customs Court and previously was a member and President of the Board of General Appraisers. Education and career Born on July ...

(1865–1927), Chief Justice of the

United States Customs Court The United States Court of International Trade (case citations: Int'l Trade or Intl. Trade) is a U.S. federal court that adjudicates civil actions arising out of U.S. customs and international trade laws. Seated in New York City, it exercises ...

* Dan Lewis (1936–2015),

halfback / fullback who played in the NFL for the Detroit Lions,

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

and New York Giants * Caren Lissner (born 1972), novelist * Paulie Litt (born 1995), actor and producer, best known for his role as Justin Shanowski on the sitcom ''

Hope & Faith ''Hope & Faith'' is an American television sitcom, starring Faith Ford and Kelly Ripa as Hope Shanowski and Faith Fairfield. Hope is a homemaker and mother of three and Faith is her sister, a soap opera star whose character is killed off, leadi ...

'' * Val Majewski (born 1981), center fielder who played for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

Catello Manzi Catello R. Manzi (born June 27, 1950) is an American harness racing driver and trainer. Manzi's nickname is 'Catman'. Born in Monticello, New York, Manzi grew up in Sullivan County, New York, in a harness-racing family. His father Alfonso was a h ...

(born 1950), harness racing driver *

Rebecca Metz Rebecca Metz is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Tressa on the FX television comedy-drama series ''Better Things'', Melinda on the Showtime television comedy-drama series ''Shameless'' and Jenna Wrather on the Disney Cha ...

, actress known for her role as Tressa on the FX television comedy-drama series '' Better Things'' * Joel Parker (1816–1888), politician, who served as the 20th Governor of New Jersey from 1863 to 1866, and again from 1872 to 1875 *

Kal Penn Kalpen Suresh Modi (born April 23, 1977), known professionally as Kal Penn, is an American actor, author, academic lecturer, and former White House staff member in the Barack Obama administration. As an actor, he is known for his role portrayin ...

(born 1977), actor of ''

Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle ''Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle'' (released in some international markets as ''Harold & Kumar Get the Munchies'') is a 2004 American buddy stoner comedy film directed by Danny Leiner, written by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, and star ...

'' * Charles Richman, former commissioner of the

New Jersey Department of Community Affairs The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The department is headed by Commissioner Sheila Oliver, who is also serving as lieutenant governor of New Jersey. Function The NJDCA prov ...

William Cortenus Schenck William Cortenus Schenck (1773–1821) was a pioneer surveyor, militia general and legislator. Two of his sons were prominent military men. Youth William C. Schenck was born at Freehold, New Jersey, on January 11, 1773. His father was a Presbyte ...

(1773–1821), founder of

Newark, Ohio Newark ( ) is a city serving as the county seat of Licking County, Ohio, United States, east of Columbus, at the junction of the forks of the Licking River. The population was 49,934 at the 2020 census, which makes it the 15th largest city in O ...

, member of the Ohio Senate from 1803 to 1804. *

Peter Schrager Peter Schrager (born April 20, 1982) is a sportscaster on Fox Sports and NFL Network. Schrager serves as an analyst on ''Fox NFL Kickoff'' as well as a Sideline Reporter on Fox Sports. In addition to his gameday coverage, he is a regular con ...

(born 1982), sportscaster on

Fox Sports Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The ''Fox Sports'' name has since been used for other sports media assets. These assets are held mainly by the F ...

and

NFL Network NFL Network (occasionally abbreviated on-air as NFLN) is an American sports-oriented pay television network owned by the National Football League (NFL) and is part of NFL Media, which also includes NFL.com, NFL Films, NFL Mobile, NFL Now and NF ...

* John A. Scudder (1759–1836), U.S. Representative from New Jersey *

Jaime Primak Sullivan ''Jersey Belle'' is an American reality television series, which premiered on August 4, 2014, on Bravo. Announced in April 2014, the docu-series chronicles the life of entertainment publicist Jaime Primak Sullivan as she moves to Birmingham, Ala ...

(born ), reality television star of ''

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'' * John C. Ten Eyck (1814–1879), United States Senator from New Jersey from 1859 to 1865 * William H. Vredenburgh (1840–1920), attorney and public figure who served for nearly 20 years as a judge of the

New Jersey Court of Errors and Appeals Prior to 1947, the structure of the judiciary in New Jersey was extremely complex, including Court of Errors and Appeals in the last resort in all causes. The Court of Errors and Appeals was the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey from ...

* Emily Wold (born 1994), former

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ...

player, who played as a midfielderEmily Wold

Team USA The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

. Accessed August 9, 2019. "Birthplace: Englewood, N.J. Hometown: Freehold, N.J. High School: Freehold Borough High School '12"

References

Sources

* Adelberg, Michael S
''The American Revolution in Monmouth County:The Theatre of Spoil and Destruction''

The History Press The History Press is a British publishing company specialising in the publication of titles devoted to local and specialist history. It claims to be the United Kingdom's largest independent publisher in this field, publishing approximately 300 ...

, 2010. * Pepe, Barbara
''Freehold: A Home Town History''

Arcadia Publishing Arcadia Publishing is an American publisher of neighborhood, local, and regional history of the United States in pictorial form.(analysis of the successful ''Images of America'' series). Arcadia Publishing also runs the History Press, which publ ...

; Charleston, SC; 2003. .

External links

* * * * * {{authority control 1693 establishments in New Jersey Populated places established in 1693 Township form of New Jersey government Townships in Monmouth County, New Jersey