BRIELLE, NEW JERSEY

'Brielle' is a Borough located in southern Monmouth County, New Jersey along the Manasquan River. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 4,893.
Brielle was formed as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 10, 1919, from portions of Wall Township, based on the results of a referendum passed on June 3, 1919."The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 178.

Contents

Geography

Demographics

Government

Local government

Federal, state and county representation

Education

History

References

External links

Geography

Brielle is bordered to the north and east by the borough of Manasquan, to the west by Wall Township and to the south by the borough of Point Pleasant Beach across the Manasquan River. Route 35 runs through the middle of the town and Route 70 runs along its western edge. Its geographic coordinates are (40.108433, 74.062269).
The town is primarily a residential community of single homes, with a few condominiums; there are almost no undeveloped lots of land left. There are several businesses located along Union Avenue and Higgins Avenue and some marinas along the Manasquan River. Ripley's Believe It or Not! once stated that Brielle has "16 bars and no churches". It currently has one church, ''The Church in Brielle'' (formerly the Dutch Reformed Church) and several restaurants that have a liquor license, but no true bars. There is also a 140-acre 18 hole ''Manasquan River Golf Club''.
The town has approximately 6.4 kilometers (4.0 miles) of waterfrontage along the Manasquan River, Glimmerglass, and Debbie's Creek, all of which are salt water and tidal. Brielle's borders extend to an 8-acre island in the Manasquan River. Robert Louis Stevenson, who vacationed here, may have been inspired by the island; hence, the island takes its name for the novel "Treasure Island." Of the borough's 6.1 square kilometers, (2.4 mi²), 1.5 km² (0.6 mi²), or 24.9%, is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,893 people, 1,938 households, and 1,414 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,061.3/km² (2,754.4/mi²). There were 2,123 housing units at an average density of 460.5/km² (1,195.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 93.05% White, 3.52% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 1.61% from other races, and 1.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.31% of the population.
There were 1,938 households out of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.0% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.0% were non-families. 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the borough the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $68,368, and the median income for a family was $82,867. Males had a median income of $61,828 versus $40,156 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $35,785. About 2.6% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.9% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

Brielle is governed under the borough form on New Jersey municipal government by a mayor and a six-member Borough Council. The mayor is elected to a four-year term of office and only votes to break a tie. The members of the Borough Council are elected to three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year.
The Mayor of the Borough of Brielle is Thomas B. Nicol. Members of the Brielle Borough Council are Council President Paul K. Nolan, Richard J. Bolger, Frank A. Garruzzo, Cort Gorham, Ann D. Scott and Timothy A. Shaak.^[1]

Federal, state and county representation

Brielle is in the Fourth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 11th Legislative District.^[2]

Education

Brielle Elementary School serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
For grades 9-12, students attend Manasquan High School in Manasquan, as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Manasquan Public Schools.

History

Archaeological excavations along what is now Birch Drive reveal temporary Lenape Native American settlements. The Lenape practiced farming in other parts of Monmouth County much of the year, and they visited this wooded area for hunting and fishing.
The area was originally part of Shrewsbury Township and the first settlers were primarily farmers, and the area became know as 'Union Landing'. In colonial times, salt was an important preservative, and before the American Revolutionary War, most of it was imported from Great Britain. The Union Salt Works opened around the outbreak of the war, and on April 5, 1778, several British Loyalists attacked and burned the salt works and other buildings. A year later, the salt works reopened and continued to operate through the duration of the war.
Early in the 19th century, Shrewsbury Township was divided, and the area became part of Howell Township which was further divided in 1851, when the area became part of Wall Township. On July 7, 1881, a group of businessmen purchased several acres of land and formed the Brielle Land Association with the intention of building vacation homes. The quaint riverside charm of the area reminded one of the developers of another pastoral town on a river which he had visited, Brielle, in the Netherlands, near Rotterdam.

References

1. Brielle Mayor and Council, accessed May 10, 2007.
2. League of Women Voters: 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, p. 55, accessed August 30, 2006.

External links

★ Borough of Brielle website

★ Brielle Elementary School

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★ National Center for Education Statistics data for the Brielle Elementary School

★ Brielle Police Department

★ Brielle Chamber of Commerce

★ Union Landing Historical Society - Brielle's History