MARLBORO TOWNSHIP, NEW JERSEY

'Marlboro' is a Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township had a population of 36,398. The Census Bureau's 2005 population estimate shows that the Township has grown to 39,665, an increase of almost 9% since the last decennial census.^[1]
Marlboro was formed as a Township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 17, 1848, from portions of Freehold Township."The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 182.
CNN and ''Money'' magazine have selected Marlboro as one of the top 10 safest places to live,^[2] and as one of the top 100 places to live in America. ^[3]

Contents

Geography

Demographics

History

Government

Local government

Local political issues

Federal, state and county representation

Education

Emergency Services

Recreation

Notable residents

References

External links

Geography

Marlboro Township is located at latitude 40°18'55" North, longitude 74°14'48" West.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 79.2 km² (30.6 mi²), all land.
Morganville (2000 Census population of 11,255) is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Marlboro Township.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 36,398 people, 11,478 households, and 10,169 families residing in the township.
The population density was 459.4/km² (1,189.7/mi²). There were 11,896 housing units at an average density of 150.1/km² (388.8/mi²).
The racial makeup of the township was 83.76% White, 2.07% African American, 0.05% Native American, 12.67% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.89% of the population.
There were 11,478 households out of which 50.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 81.3% were married couples living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 11.4% were non-families.
9.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.15 and the average family size was 3.38.
In the township the population was spread out with 30.2% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.3 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $101,322, and the median income for a family was $107,894. Males had a median income of $76,776 versus $41,298 for females. The per capita income for the township was $38,635. About 2.4% of families and 3.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.4% of those under age 18 and 2.7% of those age 65 or over.

History

The Lenni Lenape Native Americans were the first inhabitants of this area.
The history of the township reaches back to 1685, when the land was first settled by farmers from Scotland, England and The Netherlands. Marlboro was formed as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 17, 1848, from portions of Freehold Township."The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 182. The township is named for the prevalence of marl, which was first discovered in the area in 1768. (The township's name was originally Marlborough, and then at some point was shortened.) Marlboro's first industry was the export of the material, used primarily as fertilizer, throughout the state and by boat to New York and other parts of the country.
Marlboro was the scene of a number of skirmishes during the American Revolutionary War, in particular following the Battle of Monmouth in 1778. During the war, the Pleasant Valley section was often raided by the British for food supplies and livestock.
Up through World War II Marlboro was rural and composed mostly of dairy, potato, tomato and other farms laced with small hamlets with modest inns or taverns; these included Morganville, Robertsville, Wickatunk, Bradevelt, Topanemus, and Pleasant Valley, with the center being Marlboro Village. The name Morganville still exists as a section of Marlboro with its own ZIP code, as does Wickatunk to a lesser extent; Robertsville, Topanemus and Pleasant Valley are names of significant roads within the township; Bradevelt is used less frequently, but, like the others, appears from time to time on maps and road signs.

Following the war the state began to build and improve the roads infrastructure, and the township gained population. Even until the 1970s, Marlboro remained largely rural in character, but then it became a growing exurban destination for people working in New York and in nearby large suburban corporations. During the 1980s and early 1990s most of the new housing developments featured four- or five-bedroom houses, but then the trend turned toward larger estate homes, sometimes dubbed "McMansions". Many of the newcomers to Marlboro from the 1980s on were migrating from Brooklyn and Staten Island.
Marlboro lost eight of its residents as the result of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks; a memorial has been built.
Marlboro no longer has any real town center and can be considered an example of suburban sprawl. The main commercial thoroughfares are U.S. Route 9 and Route 79. Route 18 provides a fast conduit to the Jersey Shore.

Government

Local government

Marlboro Township is governed under the Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council) system of municipal government.
The Marlboro Township Council is made up of five elected officials. Township residents elect a new Councilperson every four years on the first Tuesday in November. At its reorganization meeting, the Council elects a President and Vice-President, each of whom serve a term of one year or until the election and qualification of a successor.
The Township Council is Marlboro's legislative body. It sets policies, approves budgets, determines municipal tax rates, and passes resolutions and ordinances to govern the town. The Council also appoints citizen volunteers to certain advisory boards and the Zoning Board of Adjustment. The Council may investigate the conduct of any department, officer or agency of the municipal government. They have full power of subpoena as permitted by Statute.
The Mayor of Marlboro Township is Dr. Robert Kleinberg. The current Marlboro Township Council consists of Council President Patricia Morelli, Council Vice-President Jeff Cantor, Joseph Pernice, Steve Rosenthal and Rosa Tragni.^[4]

Local political issues

Political issues in Marlboro include land development and loss of open space, growth of population leading to the need for additional public schools and higher property taxes, and recurring instances of political corruption.
This corruption reached its peak in 2005 when former three-term mayor Matthew Scannapieco was arrested by the FBI and subsequently pleaded guilty to taking $245,000 in bribes from a land developer in exchange for favorable rulings and sexual favors. ^[5] The same investigation has also resulted in charges against several other township officials as well as a Monmouth County Freeholder.
In 2000, Marlboro became the first municipality in New Jersey, and one of the first areas in the U.S., to ban cell phone use while driving, a ban that took effect in March 2001.^[6]

Federal, state and county representation

Most of Marlboro Township is in the Twelfth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 12th Legislative District. A small sliver of the Township is in the Sixth Congressional District.^[7]

Education

The Marlboro Public Schools serve students in pre-Kindergarten through eighth grade. The district is composed of eight school facilities: one pre-school, five elementary schools and two middle schools. The schools, with 2004-05 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics, are as follows:^[8]
There are five elementary schools, which serve grades 1-5: Frank Defino Central School with 794 students (opened 1957),
Robertsville Elementary School with 653 students (opened 1968), Marlboro Elementary School with 671 students (opened 1971), Asher Holmes Elementary School with 602 students (opened 1973), and Frank J. Dugan Elementary School with 659 students (opened 1987).
Before the construction of Frank Defino Central school, students were taught in a one-room schoolhouse, Robertsville School, which the present-day Robertsville Elementary School is named after. The original Robertsville was built in 1832, and still stands, down the road from its modern counterpart.
Further, there is an Early Learning Center with 529 students (opened 2002) for kindergarten and preschool special education.
Marlboro Township has two middle schools, serving grades 6-8: Marlboro Middle School with 1,167 students (opened 1976), home of the Hawks, and Marlboro Memorial Middle School with 937 students (opened 2003), home of the Monarch Lions.
Marlboro Township has a public high school, Marlboro High School (opened 1968), home of the Mustangs, which is part of the Freehold Regional High School District serving grades 9-12. Some students in Marlboro attend Colts Neck High School, also part of the Freehold Regional High School District. Many Marlboro students attend the various Learning Centers and Academies available throughout the District, and students from other District townships and boroughs attend Marlboro High School's Business Learning Center.
The High Point Schools are a group of private special education elementary and adolescent schools located on a 10 acre campus in the Morganville section of the Township. The schools provide educational and therapeutic services for students ages 5 - 21 who have emotional, behavioral and learning difficulties.

Emergency Services

There is a full-time Marlboro Township Police Department composed of over 70 full-time sworn full police officers.
Marlboro Township has four volunteer fire departments and two volunteer first aid squads:

★ Marlboro Fire Co. No. 1 (28-1)

★ Robertsville Volunteer Fire Co. (28-2)

★ Morganville Independent (28-3)

★ Morganville (28-4)

★ Marlboro First Aid & Rescue Squad (28-21)

★ Morganville First Aid & Rescue Squad (28-23)

Recreation

Marlboro has a strong Township-sponsored recreation program, with activities for all ages. This includes very popular soccer and basketball leagues for boys and girls; in addition Little League baseball / softball and Pop Warner football / cheerleading, and a growing amateur wrestling program have a large presence as well.
In the summer the Township holds free outdoor concerts by notable popular music artists. In recent years performers have included Jay and the Americans, Bill Haley's Comets, Lesley Gore, Little Anthony & The Imperials, Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge, The Platters, The Trammps, and The Tokens.
For walkers and bicyclists, two segments of the Henry Hudson Trail have substantial stretches within the township.

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents include:

★ Ellen Karcher, New Jersey senator.

★ Josh Flitter, an actor most noted for staring in the movies The Greatest Game Ever Played and Nancy Drew.

★ Darryl Dawkins, flamboyant former NBA basketball player and current head coach of the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs

★ Frank Dicopoulos, actor on the ''Guiding Light''.^[9]

★ Xiomara Frans, 7th runner up on ''America's Next Top Model, Cycle 3''.

★ Garret Hobart, twenty-fourth Vice President of the United States.^[10]

★ Ronald "Monkey Man" Filocomo, Bonanno crime family associate, convicted murderer of Bonanno capo Dominick "Sonny Black" Napolitano.^[11]

★ Dan Klecko, NFL Defensive tackle for the Indianapolis Colts.^[12]

★ Adam Mesh, television reality show contestant on NBC's ''Average Joe'' and ''Average Joe: Adam Returns''.^[13]

★ Jim Nantz, sportscaster.

★ Tony Reali, Host of ESPN's ''Around the Horn''.

★ Paul Wesley (Paul Wasilewski), actor who has appeared on '', ''Fallen'' and ''8 Simple Rules''

★ Punk/Emo/Rock band Someday Never.

★ Mike Kamerman, guitar/vocals for the band Rookie Of The Year.

★ Gregg and Evan Spiridellis, the founders of JibJab.

★ The Hayes Family sextuplets. First surviving sextuplets in New Jersey.

★ Actor Kal Penn from Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle.

★ Melissa Rauch of VH1's Best Week Ever.

★ The punk/rock/emo band The Heist

References

1. Marlboro township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States Census Bureau, accessed February 20, 2007
2. Safest Places to Live 2005, Money Magazine, accessed May 9, 2006
3. Best Places to Live 2007, Money Magazine, accessed July 17, 2006
4. Marlboro Township Council, accessed March 14, 2007
5. Developer Spalliero's ties to mayor go back for years, ''Asbury Park Press'', April 13, 2005
6. New Jersey cell phone law takes effect today: Use of hand-held phone in motor vehicle will be a secondary offense, ''Allentown Examiner'', July 1, 2004
7. League of Women Voters: 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, p. 60, accessed August 30, 2006
8. National Center for Education Statistics data for the Marlboro Public Schools, accessed December 10, 2006
9. Event helps conservation foundation raise 0,000, ''Atlanticville'', October 27, 2005. "Frank Dicopoulos, a Marlboro resident who for 19 years has played Frank Cooper on the soap opera “The Guiding Light,” also attended the event."
10. Garret Hobart, Vice Pres. of US - Owing Stone Family, accessed November 30, 2006
11. Charges Target Reputed Soldier In Bonanno Crime Family, New Jersey Attorney General's office press release, dated December 19, 2002
12. Dan Klecko player profile, accessed November 30, 2006
13. ‘Average Joe’ returns for new reality show, ''News Transcript'', August 17, 2005

External links

★ Marlboro Township official website

★ Marlboro Public Schools (K-8) official website

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★ National Center for Education Statistics data for the Marlboro Public Schools

★ Marlboro High School official website

★ Colts Neck High School

★ Freehold Regional High School District

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