Little Silver, New Jersey
Little Silver is a borough in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 6,131, an increase of 181 from the 2010 census count of 5,950, which in turn reflected a drop of 220 from the 6,170 counted in the 2000 census.
Little Silver was established with a King's land grant in 1663 and settled in 1667. Little Silver was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 19, 1923, from portions of Shrewsbury Township, based on the results of a referendum held on April 28, 1923.
History
Prior to the settlement of Europeans, the area that is now Little Silver was inhabited by the Navesink Native Americans.There are several tales of how Little Silver received its name. In one, brothers Joseph and Peter Parker, who settled in this area in 1667 and owned land bounded by Parker's Creek on the south and Little Silver Creek on the north, named their holdings "Little Silver" after their father's estate in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. The original Parker Homestead, dating to 1725 and one of the state's oldest, was acquired by the borough and is undergoing renovation.
Other explanations for the derivation of the name are the payment to Native Americans for purchase of the land and the placid appearance of the water.
The borough's earliest European residents were primarily farmers, fishermen and merchants.
Early families included:
- Parkers – Joseph and Peter Parker originally settled the area, and their original homestead at 235 Rumson Road has been declared a state historic site.
- Sickles – Harold and Elsie Sickles acquired land and opened a wholesale truck farm in 1908. The land was acquired from Harold's mother who was related to the Parkers. Transitioning from seasonal to year-round in 1998, Sickles Market became a specialty garden and food market until it closed in March 2024 after 116 years.
- Lovett – John T. Lovett owned a nursery that once covered almost half the borough, supplying large catalog houses such as Sears Roebuck, Macy's and Newberry's. In 1878 he circulated a petition to the community recommending that the name be revised and on July 30, 1879, the Post Office name was changed from "Parkersville" to "Little Silver".
Little Silver separated from Shrewsbury Township in 1923. Since then, farms and nurseries have been replaced by housing. Over the years, New York City and North Jersey commuters have made Little Silver their home, traveling by rail or auto to their jobs. The Little Silver train station on Sycamore Avenue was designed by the noted American architect Henry Hobson Richardson and built in 1890. It reopened after renovations in 2003.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 3.32 square miles, including 2.71 square miles of land and 0.61 square miles of water.The original farms and nurseries have almost all been replaced by housing today. Little Silver's location on the Shrewsbury River makes it a popular destination for boaters and water sports enthusiasts, with a public boat ramp at the Dominick F. Santelle Park off Riverview Avenue. Approximately 8% of the homes are directly on the Shrewsbury River and another third of homes are on streams that connect to it.
The borough borders the Monmouth County boroughs of Fair Haven, Monmouth Beach, Oceanport, Red Bank, Rumson and Shrewsbury.
Little Silver Point is an unincorporated community located within Little Silver.
Demographics
2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 5,950 people, 2,146 households, and 1,689 families in the borough. The population density was 2,197.3 per square mile. There were 2,278 housing units at an average density of 841.3 per square mile. The racial makeup was 96.42% White, 0.29% Black or African American, 0.10% Native American, 1.75% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 1.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.01% of the population.Of the 2,146 households, 37.3% had children under the age of 18; 68.4% were married couples living together; 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present and 21.3% were non-families. Of all households, 18.5% were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.18.
27.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 19.0% from 25 to 44, 32.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.8 years. For every 100 females, the population had 92.1 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 85.4 males.
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that median household income was $144,299 and the median family income was $167,659. Males had a median income of $126,556 versus $71,667 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $66,069. About 1.7% of families and 2.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.7% of those under age 18 and 1.7% of those age 65 or over.
2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census, there were 6,170 people, 2,232 households, and 1,810 families residing in the borough. The population density was. There were 2,288 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the borough was 97.15% White, 0.31% African American, 0.16% Native American, 1.51% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.31% of the population.There were 2,232 households, out of which 37.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.5% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.9% were non-families. 16.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the borough the population was spread out, with 27.4% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $94,094, and the median income for a family was $104,033. Males had a median income of $90,941 versus $45,938 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $46,798. About 0.4% of families and 0.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 0.8% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Local government
Little Silver is governed under the borough form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 municipalities statewide, making it the most common form of government in New Jersey. 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. A 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. The borough form of government used by Little Silver 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., the mayor of Little Silver is Republican Robert C. Neff Jr., whose term of office ends December 31, 2027. Members of the Borough Council are Kevin J. Brennan, Christopher M. Faherty, Donald S. Galante, Elizabeth Giblin, Christian M. Smith and Laurette Villardi.
The borough council selected Elizabeth Giblin in September 2024 to fill the seat expiring in December 2025 that had been vacated by Doug Christensen after he announced that he was moving out of the borough. Giblin will serve on an interim basis until the November 2025 general election, when a candidate will be chosen to serve the remainder of the term of office.
In March 2016, the borough council selected Corinne Thygeson from three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2016 that had been held by Stuart W. Van Winkle that became vacant upon his resignation; Thygeson will serve on an interim basis until the November 2016 general election, when voters will select a candidate to fill the balance of the term.
In January 2015, the borough council selected Glenn Talavera to fill the vacant seat expiring December 2015 of Richard J. "Rick" Scott, who resigned from office as work obligations will have him out of the borough.
In September 2011, following the death of mayor Suzanne Castleman in July 2011, Robert Neff was appointed to fill the vacant mayoral seat, while Donald Galante, a former member of the borough council, was appointed to fill Neff's vacant council seat.
Little Silver is a participating municipality in an initiative to study regionalizing their municipal police force with one or more municipalities. The borough received a grant from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs in the amount of $40,950 along with the Boroughs of Fair Haven, Oceanport, Shrewsbury and Rumson to hire professional consultants to conduct the study on their behalf. A report delivered in July 2008 recommended that Fair Haven, Little Silver and Rumson should consider a network of shared police services, with consideration of inclusion of Oceanport and Shrewsbury deferred to a second phase.