Location of Eatontown in Monmouth County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Monmouth County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).
The community that is now Eatontown was originally incorporated as Eatontown Township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 4, 1873, from portions of Ocean Township and Shrewsbury Township. Portions of the township were taken to form West Long Branch (April 7, 1908) and Oceanport (April 6, 1920). Eatontown was reincorporated as a borough on March 8, 1926, replacing Eatontown Township, based on the results of a referendum held on April 13, 1926.[22] The borough was named for Thomas Eaton, an early settler who built a mill c. 1670.[23][24][25]
In the center of Eatontown is the Monmouth Mall, located at the intersection of Route 35 and Route 36, featuring a variety of stores, restaurants, and a 15-screen cineplex, with a gross leasable area of 1,500,000 square feet (140,000 m2).[28] Celebrity chef Bobby Flay previously owned a restaurant in Eatontown.
History
Eatontown's history is documented in the book Eatontown and Fort Monmouth.[29]
In 1670, Thomas Eaton (for which the town is named) surveyed the area and constructed a grist mill in present-day Wampum Lake Park.[30]
By 1796, a village had developed across from Eaton's mill, with a tannery and general store on the east side of the Red Bank Turnpike [now State Route 35]. A tavern for the New York - Philadelphia stage coach trade was built on what would become the intersection of Main and Broad Streets. A second stage coach stop was established in Mechanicsville on the ocean-bound road. This village would later be called West Long Branch.
By 1850, Eaton's village had grown to include four stores on Main Street and nearly forty homes. The Eatontown Steamboat Company built docks on Oceanport Creek to ship milled flour and other farm produce up the South Shrewsbury River to markets in New York City. Entrepreneur James P. Allaire built a four-story stone warehouse at the docks, from which he shipped his bog iron forged at the Howell Works 15 miles away.
In 1886, a mob broke into the jail and removed a black man, Samuel "Mingo Jack" Johnson, who was being held for the alleged rape of a white woman. The mob brutally beat and then hanged Johnson, the father of five. Later events show that it was extremely unlikely that Johnson was guilty of the crime. In 2012, mayor Gerald Tarantolo issued a public apology for the failure of security at the jail.[31][32]
In 2020, Eatontown was to celebrate its 350th anniversary, but most of the activities were delayed due to COVID-19 concerns.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 5.89 square miles (15.26 km2), including 5.84 square miles (15.13 km2) of land and 0.05 square miles (0.13 km2) of water (0.87%).[1][2]
Colonial-era home, headquarters of Eatontown Historical Society
The 2010 United States census counted 12,709 people, 5,319 households, and 3,138 families in the borough. The population density was 2,181.5 per square mile (842.3/km2). There were 5,723 housing units at an average density of 982.3 per square mile (379.3/km2). The racial makeup was 71.29% (9,060) White, 12.41% (1,577) Black or African American, 0.28% (36) Native American, 8.67% (1,102) Asian, 0.09% (11) Pacific Islander, 3.64% (463) from other races, and 3.62% (460) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.36% (1,571) of the population.[19]
Of the 5,319 households, 26.3% had children under the age of 18; 41.2% were married couples living together; 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present and 41.0% were non-families. Of all households, 34.2% were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 3.02.[19]
20.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 28.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.6 years. For every 100 females, the population had 97.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 93.4 males.[19]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $60,188 (with a margin of error of +/− $8,468) and the median family income was $77,846 (+/− $8,290). Males had a median income of $56,086 (+/− $7,155) versus $43,750 (+/− $5,817) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $35,200 (+/− $2,933). About 6.4% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.7% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.[44]
2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census[16] there were 14,008 people, 5,780 households, and 3,444 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,366.8 inhabitants per square mile (913.8/km2). There were 6,341 housing units at an average density of 1,071.4 per square mile (413.7/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 73.29% White, 11.61% African American, 0.34% Native American, 9.32% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.31% from other races, and 3.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.62% of the population.[42][43]
There were 5,780 households, out of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.4% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.08.[42][43]
In the borough the population was spread out, with 22.9% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 35.0% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.[42][43]
The median income for a household in the borough was $53,833, and the median income for a family was $69,397. Males had a median income of $49,508 versus $35,109 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $26,965. About 3.5% of families and 5.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.[42]
Government
80 acres Park, Eatontown
Local government
Eatontown is governed under the borough form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 218 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form, the most commonly used form of government in the state.[45] The governing body is comprised of the mayor and the borough council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. The mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The borough council includes six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle.[6] The borough form of government used by Eatontown is a "weak mayor / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can veto ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council.[46][47]
As of 2024[update], the mayor of Eatontown is Democrat Anthony Talerico Jr., whose term of office ends on December 31, 2026.[3] Members of the Borough Council are Council President Virginia M. East (D, 2025), Meir Araman (D, 2025), Candace Faust (D, 2026), David Gindi (R, 2024), Danielle M. Jones (D, 2026) and Carl Lawson (D, 2024; elected to serve an unexpired term).[48][49][50][51][52]
Jackie Severinsen was appointed to fill the seat expiring in December 2024 that became vacant following the death of Everett D. Lucas in July 2023.[53] Severinsen served on an interim basis until the November 2023 general election, when Carl Lawson was elected to serve the remainder of the term of office.[50]
In January 2019, Democrat Tonya Rivera was selected from a list of three candidates nominated by the Eatontown Democratic committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2020 that had been held by Bridget Harris until she resigned from office the previous month; Rivera served until the November 2019 general election, when voters chose a candidate to fill the balance of the term of office.[54] In April 2019, the Democratic municipal committee selected Gregory Loxton to fill the seat expiring in December 2021 that had been held by Lisa Murphy until she resigned from office in March 2019; Loxton also served until the November 2019 general election, when voters chose a candidate to fill the balance of the term of office.[55] In the November 2019 general election, Republicans were elected to fill the two full three-year terms, a single two-year unexpired term (Joseph Olsavsky) and two one-year unexpired terms (Edwin Palenzuela and Mark Regan).[56] The three members elected to unexpired terms took office in November after the results were certified; Palenzuela stepped down from office in December and was repelaced in January 2020 by Hope Corcoran.[57][58]
Monmouth County is governed by a Board of County Commissioners composed 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.[68]
As of March 2011, there was a total of 7,669 registered voters in Eatontown, of whom 2,037 (26.6%) were registered as Democrats, 1,490 (19.4%) were registered as Republicans and 4,140 (54.0%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 2 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.[83]
In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 54.4% of the vote (2,887 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 44.2% (2,344 votes), and other candidates with 1.4% (74 votes), among the 5,349 ballots cast by the borough's 8,184 registered voters (44 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 65.4%.[84][85] In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 66.8% of the vote (2,038 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 31.7% (966 votes), and other candidates with 1.5% (46 votes), among the 3,089 ballots cast by the borough's 8,281 registered voters (39 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 37.3%.[86][87]
In 2022 New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy successfully wooed Netflix to buy the empty 292 acre Monmouth Army base. Netflix planned to open a "state-of-the-art" East Coast production facility, transforming a property that had been largely vacant for more than a decade into an economic engine of film production in New Jersey.
Education
Students in public school for pre-kindergarten through eighth grade attend the Eatontown Public Schools.[88] The district includes three elementary schools and a middle school.[89] As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of four schools, had an enrollment of 980 students and 98.9 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.9:1.[90] Schools in the district (with 2022–23 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[91]) are
Meadowbrook Elementary School[92] with 235 students in grades PreK–1,
Woodmere Elementary School[93] with 323 students in grades PreK / 2–4,
Margaret L. Vetter Elementary School[94] with 222 students in grades PreK / 5–6 and
Memorial Middle School[95] with 178 students in grades 7–8.[96][97][98]
Public school students in ninth through twelfth grades attend Monmouth Regional High School, located in Tinton Falls. The high school is part of the Monmouth Regional High School District, which also serves students from Shrewsbury Township and Tinton Falls.[99] As of the 2022–23 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 938 students and 93.1 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.1:1.[100] Seats on the nine-member board of education for the high school district are allocated based on the population of the constituent municipalities, with three seats allocated to Eatontown.[101][102]
Eatontown is also home to Hawkswood School, a school founded in 1976 that serves the educational needs of disabled students in the area "with complex, multiple disabilities, including autism".[103]
As of May 2010[update], the borough had a total of 50.45 miles (81.19 km) of roadways, of which 36.84 miles (59.29 km) were maintained by the municipality, 5.82 miles (9.37 km) by Monmouth County and 7.79 miles (12.54 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.[104]
Several state highways pass through Eatontown. These include the freeway portion of Route 18 in the southwestern part of the borough,[105]Route 35[106] and Route 36[107] in the center of the borough, and Route 71 in the north.[108] Major county roads that pass through Eatontown include CR 537[109] and CR 547.[110]
The Garden State Parkway, the largest highway in Monmouth County, is accessible just outside the borough in neighboring Tinton Falls at exit 105.
Created in May 2018, the goal of the Eatontown Complete Streets Advisory Committee is to establish a walkable and bikeable community that is safe and accessible for people of all ages and abilities.[112]
^About EatontownArchived September 23, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Eatontown Public Schools. Accessed August 30, 2015. "The Borough was incorporated on March 8, 1926 and is named for Thomas Eaton, who built a Grain Mill here c. 1670. The Mill's site is now a landmark."
^ abSpahr, Rob. "Lynching of former slave memorialized as 'low point' in Eatontown history", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, September 24, 2012. Accessed February 1, 2018. "In 1886, an angry mob broke into the borough’s lockup and lynched a black man accused of raping a white woman. This was New Jersey’s only documented lynching in the 19th century and a subsequent trial discovered that the man, Samuel 'Mingo Jack' Johnson, could have been innocent. Current Eatontown Mayor Gerald Tarantolo called the incident 'a low point in the history of Eatontown.'"
^Eatontown Council Appoints Jackie Severinsen to Fill Vacant Seat, Eatontown GOP. Accessed December 4, 2024. "The Eatontown Borough Council has elected to appoint Jackie Harris Severinsen to fill the vacant seat left by the untimely passing of Colonel Everett Lucas, sitting councilman from the Borough of Eatontown."
^Burnett, Coleen. "Tonya Rivera is named to Eatontown Council", The Link News, February 1, 2019. Accessed August 27, 2019. "At their January 23 meeting, the Eatontown Borough Council welcomed a brand new member to their chambers — along with just a tiny bit of controversy. The controversy did not come with the swearing in of Democrat Tonya Rivera to fill out the unexpired term of Bridget Harris, who resigned her position on council last December 31."
^Giuliano, Kelly. "Loxton appointed to open seat on Eatontown Borough Council", CentralJersey.com, April 30, 2019. Accessed August 27, 2019. "Members of the Eatontown Democratic County Committee have appointed Gregory Loxton to fill a vacancy on the Eatontown Borough Council.... The vacancy on the council existed because Democratic Councilwoman Lisa Murphy, who was elected in November 2018 and joined the governing body in January, resigned from her position on March 13.... Martin said Loxton’s appointment will run through Election Day, Nov. 5, and she said the final two years (2020 and 2021) of the term Murphy won in November 2018 will be on the ballot at that time."
^Giuliano, Kelly. "Gonzalez, Escalante, Corcoran sworn in as council members in Eatontown", CentralJersey.com, January 3, 2020. Accessed March 29, 2020. "Republicans Kevin Gonzalez, Maria Grazia Escalante and Margaret Hope Corcoran have assumed their new roles and started their duties in Eatontown’s municipal government. Gonzalez, Escalante and Corcoran join Democrat Jasmine Story and Republicans Mark Regan Jr. and Joseph Olsavsky on the Borough Council.... Regan is serving a one-year unexpired term. Olsavsky is serving a two-year unexpired term.... After taking their seats on the dais, Gonzalez and Escalante participated in their first roll call vote and helped to appoint Corcoran to fill an existing vacancy on the governing body. Corcoran will serve a one-year unexpired term."
^Giuliano, Kelly. "Palenzuela resigns from seat on Eatontown Borough Council", CentralJersey.com, December 26, 2019. Accessed March 29, 2020. "Edwin Palenzuela has resigned from his position on the Eatontown Borough Council after serving less than one month in the elected position. He resigned as of Dec. 8."
^Monmouth County Government, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Accessed July 19, 2022. "Monmouth County is governed by five commissioners elected at-large for three-year terms. Each January, the freeholders select one of their members to serve as the director of the board for the year to preside over the meetings and activities of the Board."
^Eatontown Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Eatontown Public Schools, updated October 2009. Accessed December 9, 2024. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades PreK through 8 in the Eatontown School District. Composition: The Eatontown School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Eatontown."
^About, Eatontown Public Schools. Accessed December 9, 2024. "The Eatontown Public School District is located in central New Jersey not far from the Jersey Shore. This diverse, suburban district has one middle school and three elementary schools serving approximately 960 students in Preschool through 8th grade."
^Board of Education, Monmouth Regional High School District. Accessed December 9, 2024. "The Monmouth Regional High School Board of Education is comprised of nine members. Five are from Tinton Falls, three are from Eatontown, and one resides in Shrewsbury Township."
^Board Members, Monmouth Regional High School District. Accessed December 9, 2024.
^About, Hawkswood School. Accessed February 16, 2015. "For thirty-five years, Hawkswood School in Eatontown, New Jersey—formerly School for Children—has been a respected provider of high quality special education services to children with complex, multiple disabilities, including autism. Since 1976, when we opened our doors, school districts and parents have trusted us with the special education of more than 3,000 students, ages 3 through 21."
^Lattman, Peter. "The Fabulous Bharara Boys", The New York Times, June 9, 2011. Accessed August 9, 2012. "He told the audience that he and his brother, who grew up in Eatontown, N.J., carved similar paths. Preet, 42, graduated from Harvard College; Vinnie, 39, the University of Pennsylvania."
^Charles Billings, Sports Reference. Accessed February 1, 2018. "Born: November 26, 1866 in Eatontown, New Jersey, United States.... Charles Billings of Glen Ridge, New Jersey was on the first trapshooting squad the U.S. ever entered in the Olympics.... From 1920 until his death in 1928, Billings was the first mayor of Oceanport, New Jersey."
^Staff. "June Elvidge", The New York Times, May 3, 1965. Accessed January 12, 2015. "Eatontown, N. J., May 3 – June Elvidge, an actress early in the century and the widow of Britton Busch, a stockbroker, died yesterday at the Mary Lee Nursing Home."
^Whitehead, John. The Judicial and Civil History of New Jersey, Volume 2, p. 289. Courts, 1897. Accessed January 12, 2015. "Houston Fields, Freehold, son of Theodore and Rachel (Morris) Fields, was born near Eatontown, Monmouth county, N. J., October 23, 1861, and completed his education at the Freehold Institute."
^"Cast: Melissa Reeves – Jennifer Horton", Days of Our Lives. Accessed January 12, 2015. "Reeves was training with Phil Black in New York to be a dancer, commuting from her hometown in Eatontown, New Jersey to Manhattan every day in pursuit of her dream."
^Cindy Lee Van Dover, American Museum of Natural History. Accessed February 1, 2018. "Hometown: Eatontown, New Jersey (Exit 105 on the Garden State Parkway), which is about five miles from where Bruce Springsteen grew up and about five miles from the Atlantic Ocean."
^"Obituary of Anthony M. Villane, Jr.", Asbury Park Press, June 29, 2022. Accessed July 6, 2022. "Anthony M. Villane, Jr., 92 of Eatontown, NJ passed away peacefully on Wednesday, June 29 at Monmouth Medical Center with his wife and children by his side."
^Peter Vredenburgh (1837–1864) A Register of His Papers, copied from the Monmouth NJ County Historical Association. Accessed January 12, 2015. "Settling in Eatontown, N.J., he practiced law for three years until commissioned into the U.S. Army, 14th Regiment N.J. Volunteers as a Major on August 25, 1862."
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