Colts Neck Township, New Jersey

Colts Neck is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the population was 12,331.

What is now Colts Neck Township was established by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature as Atlantic Township on February 18, 1847, from portions of Freehold Township, Middletown Township and Shrewsbury Township. The name was changed to Colts Neck Township as of November 6, 1962, based on the results of a referendum held that day.

Community

Colts Neck is an affluent suburb of Central New Jersey. Many people choose to move to Colts Neck due to its open space, proximity to the Jersey Shore, New York City, and Philadelphia. It is also a desirable location because of town ordinances which have long kept out urban sprawl and chain retailers, allowing for locally owned businesses, while still being close to malls, movie theaters, and other amenities in neighboring communities.

In addition, the township has a very strong Farmland Preservation Committee, which to date has preserved nearly 1,000 acres (4 km²) of land. This also is one way in which the town has been able to prevent large scale development. The township has very strict zoning regulations, and because there is no public water or sewage service, all homes must be built on not less than an acre.

Many of its residents are professional business people who commute into New York City, as could be seen in the unusual proportion of the small community who were lost in the September 11, 2001 attacks upon the World Trade Center. A memorial garden dedicated to the five members of the community who were lost was created at the municipal center by sculptor Jim Gary, a member of the community, who was raised in Colts Neck and died in January, 2006. The central feature of the memorial garden is his sculpture of metal and stained glass.

Colts Neck Fire Department

The Colts Neck Fire Department is split between two fire companies. Company #1, organized in 1926, is located on Route 537. Company #2, located on Conover Road, was established in 1970. Also in case of a HazMat emergency, the HazMat unit from the Middletown Township Special Services unit will respond.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 32.1 square miles (83.1 km²), of which, 31.4 square miles (81.4 km²) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²) of it (2.12%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 12,331 people, 3,513 households, and 3,193 families residing in the township. The population density was 392.4 people per square mile (151.5/km²). There were 3,614 housing units at an average density of 115.0/sq mi (44.4/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 85.51% White, 7.89% African American, 0.23% Native American, 3.63% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.45% from other races, and 1.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.22% of the population.

There were 3,513 households out of which 50.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 83.1% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 9.1% were non-families. 7.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.17 and the average family size was 3.33.

In the township the population was spread out with 29.2% under the age of 18, 12.1% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 109.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 113.4 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $109,190, and the median income for a family was $117,980. Males had a median income of $55,609 versus $38,457 for females. The per capita income for the township was $46,795. 2.8% of the population and 2.2% of families were living below the poverty line, including 2.2% of under eighteens and 2.8% of those over 64.

Government

Local government

Colts Neck is governed under the township form of government with a five-member township committee. The township committee is elected directly by the voters in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with one or two seats coming up for election each year. At an annual reorganization meeting, the township committee selects one of its members to serve as mayor and another as deputy mayor.

The Colts Neck Township Committee consists of Mayor Thomas E. Hennessy, Jr., Deputy Mayor Benjamin T. Forester, Kenneth F. Florek, James C. Schatzle and James Stuart.

Federal, state and county representation

Colts Neck is in the Fourth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 12th Legislative District.

Education

Students in public school attend the Colts Neck School District for Kindergarten through eighth grade. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Conover Road Primary School (grades K-2, 444 students), Conover Road Elementary School (grades 3-5, 552 students) and Cedar Drive Middle School (grades 6-8, 626 students).

Public school students in grades 9-12 attend Colts Neck High School, one of the five MCVSD magnet schools, or one of the area's many Specialized Learning Centers, as part of the Freehold Regional High School District. The Freehold Regional High School District serves students from Colts Neck, Englishtown, Farmingdale, Freehold, Freehold Township, Howell Township, Manalapan Township and Marlboro.

While Colts Neck is known for having an excellent school system, in any given year about 20% of the town's K-8 population attend private schools. These include Ranney School, Rumson Country Day School and St. Leo the Great School At the high school level, with about half of all students attending private schools, including Christian Brothers Academy, Lawrenceville School, Peddie School, Ranney School, Red Bank Catholic High School and St. John Vianney High School.

Notable residents

Some famous current and former residents include:

• Robert E. Brennan (1944-), entrepreneur who built the penny stock brokerage firm, First Jersey Securities. Brennan was later convicted of fraud and was arrested at his home in Colts Neck in 2001, he remains in prison.
• David Bryan (1962-), of the band Bon Jovi.
• Patty Casazza, one of the four Jersey Girls. Her husband, John F. Casazza, died on September 11 at age 38.
• Wayne Chrebet (1973-), now-retired wide receiver who spent his career with the New York Jets.
• Caroline Casagrande (1976- ), Assemblywoman for the 12th District of the New Jersey General Assembly.
• Steven E. Fass, President & CEO of White Mountains Insurance Group.
• Jim Gary (1939-2006), sculptor, popularly known for his large, colorful creations of dinosaurs made from discarded automobile parts. His gallery, Iron Butterfly, was founded in Colts Neck and remained there for many years.
• Charles Haight (1838-1891), United States Congressman who represented New Jersey's 2nd congressional district from 1867-1871.
• Joe Klecko (1953-), former player of the New York Jets.
• Queen Latifah (1970-), rapper and actress.
• Heather Locklear (1961-), actress and former resident.
• Jim Nantz (1959-), lead NFL and NCAA men's basketball commentator for CBS.
• Paul Parmar (1970-), financier and business strategist, and founder and Chairman of Pegasus Blue Star Fund (PBSF).
• Bruce Springsteen (1949-), rock and roll legend.

References

External links

• Colts Neck Township website
• Colts Neck School District
• Data for the Colts Neck School District, National Center for Education Statistics
• Colts Neck High School
• Freehold Regional High School District
• Colts Neck September 11 Memorial by sculptor Jim Gary