Holmdel Township, New Jersey
Holmdel is a township in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Located near Raritan Bay in the Raritan Valley Region, the township is a regional commercial hub of Central Jersey, home to Bell Labs and PNC Bank Arts Center, and a bedroom community of New York City in the New York area.
As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township's population was 17,400, an increase of 627 from the 2010 census count of 16,773, which in turn reflected an increase of 992 from the 15,781 counted in the 2000 census.
Holmdel Township was formed by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 23, 1857, from portions of Raritan Township. The origin of the township's name is unclear, with some sources indicating that it was named for the Holmes family, who were early settlers of the area, while others point to Dutch language words holm and del, meaning 'pleasant valley'.
Holmdel is located west of the Jersey Shore. The township is notable for its historical and present connection to Bell Labs. Important evidence for the Big Bang was discovered using the Holmdel Horn Antenna at a Bell Labs facility by Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson, both of whom won the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work here. In addition, former U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu earned a Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on laser cooling in Holmdel.
Holmdel's picturesque beauty, proximity to New York City, and main highways, award-winning public schools, large homes, rich history, the PNC Bank Arts Center, and the presence of many high paying jobs within commuting distance led the township to be ranked the #1 "Six-Figure Town" by Money magazine and CNN for 2009.
The township has been one of the state's highest-income communities. Based on data from the American Community Survey for 2013–2017, Holmdel Township residents had a median household income of $155,842, ranked 10th in the state among municipalities with more than 10,000 residents, more than double the statewide median of $76,475. Based on data from the 2006–2010 ACS, Holmdel had a per-capita income of $62,120, ranked 46th in the state.
History
The Lenape people were present in the 1600s when Europeans first showed up in the area that is now Holmdel. Holmdel was part of the Monmouth Tract setup by the English in 1675. The area was part of Middletown township when that was set up in 1693, but, split off in 1848 to form part of Raritan township which in turn split off Holmdel Township.The earliest work on radio astronomy was conducted by Bell Labs engineer Karl Guthe Jansky in 1931 in Holmdel. In 1964, Arno Penzias and Robert Woodrow Wilson of Bell Labs discovered evidence for cosmic microwave background radiation while performing research with the Holmdel Horn Antenna, earning them the Nobel Prize in Physics.
The PNC Bank Arts Center is a 10,800-seat outdoor amphitheatre concert venue located in Holmdel. PNC Financial Services agreed to a deal in 1996 under which it would pay $9.2 million for the naming rights, as part an effort by the Parkway Authority to avoid toll increases, a deal that was extended for another five years in 2006. The facility, which originally opened in 1968, was commissioned by the Garden State Parkway Authority and built based on a design by architect Edward Durell Stone at a cost of $6.75 million. Adjacent to it is the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which opened on May 7, 1995.
In 1977, Bruce Springsteen wrote and recorded many of his songs from his album Darkness on the Edge of Town in an old farmhouse in Holmdel.
VoIP provider Vonage Holdings, Inc., relocated its world headquarters from Edison to Holmdel in November 2005, occupying the building that formerly housed Prudential Property Casualty & Insurance.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 18.05 square miles, including 17.85 square miles of land and 0.20 square miles of water. Holmdel Township is located roughly south of Manhattan. It is also about 70 miles northeast of Philadelphia.Crawford Hill, located at , is Monmouth County's highest point, standing above sea level. The top portion of the hill is owned by Alcatel-Lucent and houses a research laboratory of Bell Laboratories.
The township borders the Monmouth County communities of Aberdeen, Colts Neck, Hazlet, Marlboro and Middletown.
Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include: Beers, Centerville, Crawford Corners, Everett, Morrells Corner and Pleasant Valley Crossroads.
Demographics
In 2009, the average annual family income was $159,633, making it one of the highest in the country.2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 16,773 people, 5,584 households, and 4,612 families in the township. The population density was 937.3 per square mile. There were 5,792 housing units at an average density of 323.7 per square mile. The racial makeup was 77.55% White, 0.86% Black or African American, 0.07% Native American, 19.16% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.54% from other races, and 1.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.70% of the population.Of the 5,584 households, 40.8% had children under the age of 18; 73.5% were married couples living together; 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present and 17.4% were non-families. Of all households, 15.7% were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.29.
25.8% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 17.8% from 25 to 44, 33.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.1 years. For every 100 females, the population had 93.3 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 89.9 males.
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that median household income was $140,533 and the median family income was $154,360. Males had a median income of $135,139 versus $77,703 for females. The per capita income for the township was $62,120. About 3.0% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 1.0% of those age 65 or over.
2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census there were 15,781 people, 4,948 households, and 4,328 families residing in the township. The population density was. There were 5,137 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the township was 80.20% White, 17.45% Asian, 0.65% African American, 0.03% Native American, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.45% of the population.As of the 2000 Census, 9.97% of Holmdel Township's residents identified themselves as being of Chinese ancestry. This was the highest percentage of people with Chinese ancestry in any place in New Jersey with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry.
There were 4,947 households, out of which 47.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 79.1% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 12.5% were non-families. 11.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.09 and the average family size was 3.35.
In the township the age distribution of the population shows 28.5% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 29.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males.
According to the 2000 Census, the median income for a household in the township was $112,879, and the median income for a family was $122,785. Males had a median income of $94,825 versus $54,625 for females. The per capita income for the township was $47,898. About 2.7% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.
Arts and culture
Musical groups from Holmdel Township include Granian, a band formed by musician Garen Guyikian.Parks and recreation
, initially established in 1962, covers and includes the Historic Longstreet Farm, which offers a recreation of farm life in the 1890s, along with athletic facilities and other amenities. The park also has the Holmdel Arboretum, covering and established in 1963, which offers examples of the trees, shrubs and plant life of Monmouth County.Government
Local government
Holmdel Township is governed under the Township form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 141 municipalities statewide that use this form, the second-most commonly used form of government in the state. The Township Committee is comprised of five members, who are elected directly by the voters at-large in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle. At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor and another as Deputy Mayor. The Township Committee exercises control over the conduct of municipal business by means of legislation through ordinances or resolutions, approval and adoption of the annual budget and the formulation of policy to be carried out by the staff., members of the Holmdel Township Council are Mayor Rocco Impreveduto, Deputy Mayor Brian Foster, Gary Vanderham Joseph Romano Gregory Buontempo R, 2028.
In November 2021, voters approved the establishment of a Charter Study Commission that would review the township's options for changing its form of government and would make recommendations to be considered by the public. In April 2022, the commission recommended that the township adopt the Council-Manager form of government available under the Faulkner Act, in which the main change from the current government would be that day-to-day operation of the township would be in the hands of a professional administrator. Led by opposition from Monmouth County Republicans, voters rejected the proposed changes in July 2022 by a 55–45% margin.
In the November 2019 general election, a recount put two independent candidates in office, with Prakash Santhana winning the second of the two seats by a margin of two votes over the Republican candidate.
Deputy Mayor Serena DiMaso left office in January 2012 to fill the vacant seat of Robert D. Clifton on the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders. Joseph Ponisi was selected to fill Dimaso's vacant seat and took office in January 2012, then was elected to the remainder of her term in the November 2012 general election.