Monroe, New Jersey, United States

🇺🇸 Monroe Township is a township in southern Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the outer-ring suburbs of the New York Metropolitan area. The township is also centrally located within the Raritan Valley region.

Monroe Township was incorporated in 1838, from portions of South Amboy. Portions of the township were later taken to form East Brunswick, Cranbury, and Jamesburg.

There are several age-restricted communities in the township.

There are several age-restricted communities in Monroe Township. Despite significant senior citizen population growth, the median age in Monroe has changed from 52.5 in 1990, increasing to 58.9 in 2000, before decreasing to 53.2 in 2010, as more growth recently has resulted from single-family detached homes than from senior citizen developments.

The municipality experienced the third-largest increase in population in the state between 2010 and 2014, growing by 3,678 to 42,810, following two more urban locations, Jersey City and Elizabeth. Monroe Township has been ranked as one of the safest cities in the United States.

History The earliest settlers in what would become Monroe Township were the Lenape Native Americans.

Monroe Township was founded in April 1838 and named in honor of the fifth President of the United States, James Monroe.

For many decades, the township area was largely a farming community. After parts of the township grew into the more densely packed neighborhoods of Helmetta, Jamesburg, and Spotswood in the late 19th century, they seceded. Railroads came into Monroe from just about the very beginning, starting with the Camden and Amboy Rail Road in the 1830s and 1840s.

In 1905, Bernarr Macfadden, the proponent of physical culture, came to the part of Monroe near Helmetta and Spotswood, and attempted to set up a camp called "Physical Culture City", where he could teach his beliefs in relative peace. However, in 1907, Macfadden was arrested for distribution of pornography and the camp dissolved. The area of this camp became the Outcalt neighborhood.

The New Jersey State Home for Boys, later known as the Training School for Boys, and now the New Jersey Training School for Boys was established near Jamesburg. It was opened in 1867 as a home for troubled youth; however, by the mid-20th century, its purpose was to incarcerate juvenile delinquents. One of the better known residents of the State Home was Rubin "Hurricane" Carter. Clarence Clemons of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band was a counselor there for many years during the 1960s before he found fame as a sax player with Springsteen.

The township became more suburban between 1960 and 1968, when the New Jersey Turnpike opened up Exit 8A in the western part of Monroe, in conjunction with the effort to develop the Leisure World age-restricted community of Rossmoor. Since then, at least five more communities for senior citizens have joined Rossmoor: Concordia, Clearbrook, Greenbriar at Whittingham, The Ponds, Encore and the Regency at Monroe, with more under development. At the same time, and over the next few decades, suburban communities for people of all ages spread into the northern parts of Monroe Township, prompting the expansion of several schools and the construction of new ones. Since 1980, in addition to the age restricted communities, Monroe has added shopping centres, a synagogue, a recreation centre, and a new library.

Circa 1980, it was found that a landfill which was located at the corner of what is now Spotswood Gravel Hill Road and Carnegie Street, contaminated the ground water which forced Outcalt residents to get municipal-supplied water. The 86-acre (35 ha) site had been run as a landfill for municipal waste since 1955, first by the township and later by an independent operator.

On March 22, 2006, ten residents of Monroe Township, from The Ponds retirement community, were killed in a tour bus accident in the Andes mountains in northern Chile. The tour had been arranged by Jewish organization B'nai B'rith.

Since the early 2000s, Monroe has experienced a surge in residential development. New communities are being erected, usually around Route 33 and the New Jersey Turnpike. Portions of Monroe's farmland are receiving commercial zoning. Roads have been widened to allow for the extra vehicular volume. Warehouses are being/have been constructed in the last few years along CR 535, located near the 8A toll gate. The northern section of the township is already developed, with developers heading further south in Monroe to start new communities. New adult communities have set ground in central Monroe, along Route 33 and on CR 615. While these new senior citizen housing units are being built, luxury homes are also being constructed.

There is an ongoing expansion of the Monroe Township High School that is relocating it onto portions of Thompson Park. This project slowly received approval after an archaeological study concluded that the land was not historically significant, except about 3 to 4 acres (12,000 to 16,000 m²) of land. The controversy that led to the study involved a Lenape settlement, Bethel Indian Town, which protesters contended existed on the site, whereas supporters of the move of the high school claimed that Bethel Indian Town was a half-mile away. In late April 2008, construction started on the new high school, which then opened in September 2011. The old high school building is now being reused as the middle school.

By early 2008, the State Preservation Office and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection gave full sanction to the de-accession of the land as a protected park. Ground breaking began immediately, only to be halted in June 2008 when additional remains were found. The consultant identified these stone foundation remains as a 19th-century farmstead, with no earlier association.

The township's Route 33 Land Development Task Force is considering options for developing the area of land along Route 33 from the township's border with East Windsor to Millstone Township.

This proposal would include the construction of new luxury houses, a new grocery store, a baseball park, a performing arts centre, a bus stop, new restaurants, and new businesses.

In May 2021, Monroe Township coordinated a financial relief effort toward the COVID-19 pandemic in India.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 42.19 square miles (109.26 km²), including 41.94 square miles (108.63 km²) of land and 0.24 square miles (0.63 km²) of water (0.58%). It is the largest municipality in Middlesex County in terms of total area.

Clearbrook (with a 2010 population of 2,667), Concordia (3,092 in 2010), Encore at Monroe, Forsgate, Monroe Manor, Regency at Monroe, Renaissance at Monroe, Rossmoor (2,666 as of 2010), Stonebridge, The Ponds, and Whittingham (2,476 in 2010) are unincorporated communities and places (CDPs) located within Monroe Township.

The Applegarth neighborhood of Monroe

Monroe completely surrounds Jamesburg, making it part of 21 pairs of "doughnut towns" in the state, where one municipality entirely surrounds another. The township borders Cranbury Township, East Brunswick Township, Helmetta, Old Bridge Township, South Brunswick Township, and Spotswood in Middlesex County; East Windsor Township in Mercer County; and Manalapan Township and Millstone Township in Monmouth County.

Neighborhoods Monroe Township is not officially broken down into traditional neighborhoods (the Census-designated places oriented around active adult communities notwithstanding), but over the years, residents have given names to various unincorporated neighborhoods within the township. Three common names heard in the township are Mill Lake Manor (an area centered on Monmouth Road and 10th Avenue) and Outcalt (in the northern part of the township, near Spotswood and Helmetta). For those who have lived in Mill Lake Manor, the area is broken down further into the "Old" and "New" Manor (split by Monmouth Road on the east and west sides, the Old being east and the New being the west side). The Manor also encompasses the developments of Inwood. The neighborhood east of Spotswood-Englishtown Road, centered on Monmouth Road, extending down to 1st Avenue, is called North Manor or Manor Heights.

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Applegarth, Gravel Hill (also spelled as Gravelhill), Half Acre (home to the retirement communities of Concordia and Whittingham), Hoffman, Jamesburg Gardens, Lower Jamesburg, Matchaponix, Middlesex Downs, Mounts Mills, Old Church, Outcalt, Pineview Estates, Prospect Plains (home to the retirement communities of Rossmoor and Clearbrook), Spotswood Manor, Texas, and Wyckoffs Mills.

Historical railroads (no longer active): • Camden and Amboy Railroad • Freehold and Jamesburg Railroad • Pennsylvania Railroad Amboy Division (formerly the Camden and Amboy Railroad) • Jamesurg Railroad Amboy Division (formerly the Freehold and Jamesburg Railroad).

Sport The township has three cricket fields, which host amateur leagues and tournaments. The township is the home of the United Cricket Club, which participates in the US Cricket League. In 2023, Monroe Township High School launched New Jersey's first ever high school cricket team.

Parks and recreation Thompson Park is a 675-acre (273 ha) park, connected to sports fields operated by Monroe Township High School, and straddles both Monroe Township and Jamesburg. It is the largest park in the Middlesex County Park System, and features Lake Manalapan where fisherman and fisherwoman could fish (motorboats are not allowed on the lake, but rowing is permitted). The park also has its own dog park, various hiking trails, and a small fenced in zoo that has various native and exotic animals on display.

Other parks in the township include Veteran's Park Playground and Spray Park, James Monroe Memorial Park, Thomas L. Allen Softball Complex, Daniel P. Ryan Field, and Monroe Township Soccer Complex.

Transport: Road As of May 2010, the township had a total of 175.97 miles (283.20 km) of roadways, of which 138.33 miles (222.62 km) were maintained by the municipality, 33.78 miles (54.36 km) by Middlesex County and 2.52 miles (4.06 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and 1.34 miles (2.16 km) by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

Major highways serving Monroe Township include the New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95), Route 32 and Route 33. Exit 8A of the Turnpike is located on the western edge of Monroe Township, with a nine-lane toll gate featuring a "modified" double trumpet interchange (with a few ramps continuing into South Brunswick Township). A number of county routes pass through Monroe Township, including County Route 535, County Route 527, County Route 522, County Route 625, County Route 619, County Route 615, County Route 614, County Route 613 and County Route 612.

Other limited-access roads that are accessible outside the municipality include Interstate 195 in neighboring Millstone Township and the Garden State Parkway in bordering Old Bridge Township.

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority had proposed to build two roads that were to pass through Monroe. The first was the Driscoll Expressway which was to start from the Garden State Parkway at exit 80 in South Toms River and end three miles (4.8 km) north of exit 8A along the turnpike in South Brunswick. This project was terminated in the 1980s. The other was a west–east spur, Route 92. It would have started at U.S. Route 1 just north of the intersection with Ridge Road in the township of South Brunswick and ended at the Exit 8A toll gate in Monroe Township. However, this was cancelled on December 1, 2006, and the Authority instead focused on the Turnpike widening between Exit 6 and Exit 8A.

Transport: Rail In the 19th & 20th centuries, Jamesburg Borough and Monroe Township had a major railway in the area, which was the Freehold and Jamesburg Agricultural Railroad. This railway was owned and operated by the Camden & Amboy Railroad Company (C&A), in which 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 caused this region to become a transportation hub. The Freehold and Jamesburg Railroad was abandoned by the early 1930s. A 2.8-mile long (4.5 km) 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 utilized through the Freehold Industrial Track.

The Monmouth Ocean Middlesex Line is a proposal by New Jersey Transit to restore passenger railway service to the region, by utilizing the same tracks as the Freehold Industrial Track. Jamesburg would be a potential railway stop on the proposed 'MOM' Line.

As of now, the nearest train stations to the Monroe area are located at Metuchen, New Brunswick, and Princeton Junction, all along on the Northeast Corridor Line.

Transport: Bus NJ Transit currently provides bus service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan on the 138 and 139 routes. Coach USA Suburban Transit and Academy Bus Lines provide weekday commuter service to PABT and to Wall Street.

Middlesex County Area Transit (MCAT) shuttles provide weekday service to and from Monroe on routes operating across the county. The M1 route operates between Jamesburg and the New Brunswick train station, and the M2 route (suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic) connects Jamesburg, Helmetta and Spotswood with East Brunswick, including the Brunswick Square Mall.

Healthcare Monroe Township is served by CentraState Healthcare System, which is affiliated with Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, located in nearby Freehold Township. The regional hospital is a 287-bed medical facility. CentraState Healthcare system also provides healthcare through its various family practices in communities across western Monmouth and southern Middlesex counties in central New Jersey. One of those six family practices has an office located in Monroe on Applegarth Road. The next closest hospitals to the township are Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center in nearby Plainsboro Township, the Old Bridge Division of Raritan Bay Medical Center in nearby Old Bridge Township, and Saint Peter's University Hospital and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in nearby New Brunswick.