West Freehold is an

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

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 ...

(CDP) within Freehold Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States.New Jersey: 2010 – Population and Housing Unit Counts – 2010 Census of Population and Housing (CPH-2-32)

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 ...

, August 2012. Accessed December 14, 2012. As of the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servi ...

, the CDP's population was 13,613.DP-1 – Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for West Freehold CDP, New Jersey
,

. Accessed August 5, 2012. Due to the community's close proximity to the Battle of Monmouth, West Freehold is home to several important historical structures, which have been preserved in the 'West Freehold Village Historic District'."Historic Sites Tours: West Freehold Village Area"
Freehold Township. Accessed September 9, 2020. The historically preserved Monmouth Battlefield, along with the historic villages of Clarksburg, Englishtown, Smithburg and Tennent are a short distance away.

History

The State of New Jersey became a colony of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

on June 24, 1664, after the Duke of York 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 ...

and Lord John Berkely for what is now New Jersey. West Freehold (also historically known as 'Mount's Corner') was settled as early as the late seventeenth century by primarily of English and Scottish Presbyterians, 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 ...

escaping religious persecution 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 ...

and nearby

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 ...

. A major transportation artery that was located in West Freehold was "The Burlington Path", a stagecoach route meant to connect

Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...

, which was at the time the Capital of

West Jersey West Jersey and East Jersey were two distinct parts of the Province of New Jersey. The political division existed for 28 years, between 1674 and 1702. Determination of an exact location for a border between West Jersey and East Jersey was ofte ...

, and

Perth Amboy Perth Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey. Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 55,436. Perth Amboy has a Hispanic majority population. In the 2010 census, th ...

, which was at the time the Capital 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. ...

. Much of modern day Monmouth Road/West Main Street ( County Route 537) coincides in general direction and trajectory with this historic stagecoach route. Many colonial era structures are still standing in the 'West Freehold Village Historic District', near the intersection of West Main Street and Stillwells Corner Road/Wemrock Road. Escondido_Restaraunt

Mount's Tavern

Today known as Moore's Tavern & Restaurant, this tavern is one of the most famous historical structures in the Township. As a stagecoach stop for "the Burlington Path", there is documentation of the tavern's license being renewed from 1787, suggesting that the tavern was in use prior to that. Moses Mount, a Private during the Revolutionary War and aide to

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 ...

, was the inn's first keeper.

The Levi Solomon Farmstead

The township in its early days was a place of refuge for persecuted religious groups, such as Presbyterians, Baptists, and

. The Solomon family were some of New Jersey's earliest Jewish settlers. They settled on a large piece of farmland, roughly where much of the modern day shopping center 'Mount's Corner' is located, as early as 1720."About Us"
Jewish Heritage Museum. Accessed September 9, 2020. During the Battle of Monmouth, their dwelling had suffered significant damage from invading British troops. Luckily, matriarch Hannah Solomon, who was widowed, and her two sons were able to save their house after it was set on fire. The original barn that was built on the farm in the 1800s is now the location of the

Monmouth County Jewish Heritage Museum The Jewish Heritage Museum of Monmouth County was established in 2006 by a group of county residents headed by professionals from the Jewish Federation of Monmouth County.

; "dedicated to the promotion of public awareness of the county’s Jewish heritage for the education and enjoyment of both children and adults."

West Freehold Schoolhouse

Located at what is now Wemrock Road, adjacent to West Main Street, this schoolhouse was built in 1848 and educated the children that lived within the community until 1937. The property was part of the Rulif R. Schanck Farmstead, which is now the Elizabeth Oakley Farm (Museum).

Walker, Combs, Hartshorne, Oakley Farmstead

Operated for centuries, this property is the earliest remaining farmstead in Freehold and is one of the oldest preserved structures in Monmouth County. Settled in 1686, the property was situated on of land, owned by East Jersey proprietors John Barclay, Robert Barclay, John Reid and

John Bowne John Bowne (1627–1695), the progenitor of the Bowne family in America, was a Quaker and an English immigrant residing in the Dutch colony of New Netherland. He is historically significant for his struggle for religious liberty. Background Born i ...

."History Of Walker Combs Hartshorne (Oakley) Farm."
Freehold Township. Accessed September 9, 2020. Since then, the farmstead had been transferred/sold by multiple families including; Barclay, Reid, Bowne, Clark, Walker, Combs, Schanck, Hartshorne, and Oakley. By 1981, the farmstead was the largest operating farm in Monmouth County.Oakley Farm Museum
Crossroads of the American Revolution: National Heritage Area. Accessed September 9, 2020. At that time, Elizabeth Oakley was the last to inhabit inside the structure and was fascinated in the home's rich history. She worked hard to preserve it, having accomplished her life's goal in having the farm be placed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1990.

Toll House

The Toll House located on the property of the Walker, Combs, Hartshorne, Oakley Farmstead is one of only two remaining toll houses in New Jersey."History Of The Toll House Located At Oakley Museum."
Freehold Township. Accessed September 9, 2020. Built in ca. 1850, it was owned and operated by a group of farmers living along "the Burlington Path". The toll separated two sides of the two-lane stagecoach route; the side of the tollroad heading southwest towards Smithburg was known as the 'Freehold-Smithburg Turnpike' and the other side of the tollroad heading northeast towards 'Elk's Point' (what is now Freehold Borough).

Community

There are many residential neighborhoods in West Freehold, consisting of various different types of single-family homes. The two largest neighborhoods, are Stonehurst East and Stonehurst West. The homes in Stonehurst were primarily built in the 1960s and 1970s, on large swaths of former farmland. Raintree is a mixed-use

lifestyle center A lifestyle center (American English), or lifestyle centre (Commonwealth English), is a shopping center or mixed-used commercial development that combines the traditional retail functions of a shopping mall with leisure amenities oriented toward ...

centrally located near County Route 537. The gated community features luxurious condominiums that were built in the 1980s and 1990s, along with a wide array of amenities offered to its residents. The Raintree Town Center is the shopping center in the area.

Geography

According to the

, the CDP had a total area of 5.927 square miles (15.350 km²), including 5.913 square miles (15.314 km²) of land and 0.014 square miles (0.036 km²) of water (0.24%).US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990

. Accessed September 4, 2014.

Demographics

2010 census

The

2010 United States census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servi ...

counted 13,613 people, 4,941 households, and 3,612 families in the CDP. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was . There were 5,108 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 87.06% (11,851)

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 ...

, 3.17% (431) Black or African American, 0.22% (30) Native American, 6.19% (842)

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.01% (1)

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 ...

, 1.59% (217) 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 1.77% (241) from two or more races.

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, for example, by the United States ...

of any race were 8.13% (1,107) of the population. Of the 4,941 households, 35.9% had children under the age of 18; 61.0% were married couples living together; 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present and 26.9% were non-families. Of all households, 23.0% were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.26. 25.1% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 29.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.4 years. For every 100 females, the population had 91.8 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 89.5 males.

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 12,498 people, 4,659 households, and 3,429 families living in the CDP. The population density was 822.1/km² (2,130.3/mi²). There were 4,740 housing units at an average density of 311.8/km² (807.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 90.68%

, 2.46%

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 ...

, 0.15% Native American, 4.28%

, 0.02%

, 1.13% from

, and 1.27% 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 5.38% of the population.DP-1 – Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 from the Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for West Freehold CDP, New Jersey
,

. Accessed August 9, 2012. There were 4,659 households, out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.1% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.10. In the CDP the population was spread out, with 23.8% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 28.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $72,577, and the median income for a family was $87,609. Males had a median income of $62,074 versus $36,563 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $33,218. About 3.7% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.0% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

Infrastructure

Transportation

New Jersey 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 ...

provides local bus transportation on the

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 ...

route. It also provides bus transportation 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 Midtown Manhattan on the

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 ...

route, and to the Newark/Jersey City/Hoboken area on the 67 route. Major roads that run through the CDP include Monmouth Road/West Main Street ( County Route 537) within the heart of the community and home to numerous businesses, Elton-Adelphia Road ( County Route 524) on the community's southern edge near Turkey Swamp Park,

U.S. Route 9 U.S. Route 9 (US 9) is a north–south United States highway in the states of Delaware, New Jersey, and New York in the Northeastern United States. It is one of only two U.S. Highways with a ferry connection (the Cape May–Lewes Ferry, between ...

, which also happens to feature numerous businesses, on the eastern edge,

New Jersey Route 79 Route 79 is a state highway located in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It runs from an intersection with U.S. Route 9 (US 9) in Freehold Township north to an intersection with Route 34 and County Route 516 Spur (CR 516 Spu ...

at the northeastern corner, and the

New Jersey Route 33 Route 33 is a state highway in the central part of the US state of New Jersey. The highway extends , from an intersection with U.S. Route 1 (US 1) and Route 129 in Trenton, Mercer County, east to an intersection with Route 71 in Neptune, ...

freeway, known as the "Freehold Bypass", on the community's northern edge with interchanges at Wemrock Road, CR 537, and US 9/Route 79.

Healthcare

CentraState Medical Center CentraState Healthcare System is a non-for-profit community health organization consisting of an acute-care hospital, an ambulatory care campus, three senior living communities, a Family Medicine Residency Program, and a charitable foundation. Es ...

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.Who We Are

. Accessed March 20, 2020. It is located on West Main Street (County Route 537).

Nearby historic communities

* Adelphia in Howell Township * The

Cassville Crossroads Historic District The Cassville Crossroads Historic District is a historic district located in the community of Cassville, at the junction of CR 571 and CR 528, in Jackson Township, Ocean County, New Jersey. The district was added to the National Register of ...

in Jackson Township * Clarksburg in Millstone Township *

Dayton Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...

in South Brunswick * Dutch Neck in West Windsor Township * Jerseyville in Howell Township * Lincroft in Middletown Township * The Livingston Avenue Historic District in

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 ...

Marlboro Marlboro (, ) is an American brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Philip Morris USA (a branch of Altria) within the United States and by Philip Morris International (now separate from Altria) outside the US. The largest Mar ...

in Marlboro Township, along with a detailed list of Historic Sites in Marlboro Township * The Middletown Village Historic District in Middletown Township * The Monmouth Battlefield Historic District in Freehold Township 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 ...

Monmouth Junction Monmouth Junction is an unincorporated community and census designated place (CDP) located within South Brunswick Township, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States.South Brunswick * The Ocean Grove Historic District in Neptune Township * Old Bridge in East Brunswick * Perrineville in Millstone Township * Plainsboro Center in Plainsboro Township * Princeton Junction in West Windsor Township * The

Road Up Raritan Historic District The Road Up Raritan Historic District is a historic district (United States), historic district located along River Road in the township of Piscataway, New Jersey, Piscataway in Middlesex County, New Jersey. With It is north of Raritan Landin ...

Piscataway Piscataway may refer to: *Piscataway people, a Native American ethnic group native to the southern Mid-Atlantic States *Piscataway language *Piscataway, Maryland, an unincorporated community *Piscataway, New Jersey, a township *Piscataway Creek, Ma ...

* Tennent in

* Wayside 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,Ocean Township

References

{{Monmouth County, New Jersey Neighborhoods in Freehold Township, New Jersey Census-designated places in Monmouth County, New Jersey Census-designated places in New Jersey