Historical marker commemorating the site of the
Hindenburg disaster in Manchester Township
Seal
Nickname:
The Great Pine City
Location of Manchester Township in
Ocean County highlighted in yellow (right). Inset map: Location of Ocean County in
New Jersey highlighted in black (left).
Census Bureau map of Manchester Township, New Jersey
Manchester Township was incorporated as a township by an act of the
New Jersey Legislature on April 6, 1865, from portions of Dover Township (now
Toms River Township). Portions of the township were taken to form
Lakehurst on April 7, 1921.[20] The township was named by William Torrey for
Manchester, England.[21][22]
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 82.51 square miles (213.70 km2), including 81.42 square miles (210.87 km2) of land and 1.09 square miles (2.83 km2) of water (1.32%).[1][2]
Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Beckerville, Boyds Hotel, Brainards, Brick Yards, Buckingham, Giberson, Goose Pond, Horican, Keswick Grove, Old Halfway, Pasadena, Pine Lake Park Estates, Ridgeway, Roosevelt City and
Whiting.[33] Cedar Glen Lakes, Cedar Glen West, Crestwood Village, Pine Ridge, Fox Hollow, Lakewood Heights, Keswick Grove, Winwood, Timbergreen, and Roosevelt City are all within Whiting which makes up the largest territory in Manchester in geography and demographics with 33,180 out of 45,115 people.
Of the 22,840 households, 9.7% had children under the age of 18; 42.5% were married couples living together; 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present and 48.8% were non-families. Of all households, 45.4% were made up of individuals and 36.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.85 and the average family size was 2.55.[17]
10.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 12.6% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 50.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 65.1 years. For every 100 females, the population had 74.5 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 71.9 males.[17]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010
American Community Survey showed that (in 2010
inflation-adjusted dollars)
median household income was $37,942 (with a margin of error of +/− $1,492) and the median family income was $54,114 (+/− $1,831). Males had a median income of $51,366 (+/− $2,772) versus $39,427 (+/− $3,352) for females. The
per capita income for the borough was $27,264 (+/− $754). About 4.2% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 9.9% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.[51]
2000 census
As of the
2000 United States census[14] there were 38,928 people, 20,688 households, and 10,819 families residing in the township. The population density was 471.3 inhabitants per square mile (182.0/km2). There were 22,681 housing units at an average density of 274.6 per square mile (106.0/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 94.34%
White, 3.06%
African American, 0.12%
Native American, 0.87%
Asian, 0.03%
Pacific Islander, 0.69% from
other races, and 0.91% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 2.63% of the population.[48][49]
There were 20,688 households, out of which 9.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.8% were
married couples living together, 5.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.7% were non-families. 45.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 39.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.85 and the average family size was 2.53.[48][49]
In the township the population was spread out, with 10.7% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 13.4% from 25 to 44, 17.8% from 45 to 64, and 54.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 68 years. For every 100 females, there were 73.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 70.1 males.[48][49]
The median income for a household in the township was $29,525, and the median income for a family was $43,363. Males had a median income of $41,181 versus $30,523 for females. The
per capita income for the township was $22,409. About 3.0% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 6.5% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.[48][49]
Government
Local government
Manchester Township is governed within the
Faulkner Act, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under the
Mayor-Council (Plan 6) system of municipal government, as enacted by direct petition as of July 1, 1990.[52] The township is one of 71 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form of government.[53] The Township's governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the five-member Township Council. The mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term. Councilmembers are elected
at-large on a
non-partisan basis to serve four-year staggered terms with either two or three council seats up for election in even-numbered years, with the mayoral seat up for vote at the same time that two council seats are up for vote.[5][54] The township's municipal elections were shifted from May to November, with estimates of savings of $50,000 each election cycle and greater voter participation cited as justifications.[55][56] A referendum on the ballot in November 2011 to shift the election date passed by a margin of 5,875 to 3,429.[57]
As of 2023[update], the Mayor of Manchester Township is Robert Arace, who was elected in the run-off election of December 13, 2022.[3] Members of the Township Council are Council President Roxy Conniff (2027), Council Vice President James A. Vaccaro Sr. (2024), Samuel F. Fusaro Jr. (2024), Joseph Hankins (2026) and Michele Zolezi (2026).[58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65]
The Township Council appointed Robert Hudak in June 2021 to fill the seat as mayor expiring in December 2022 that became vacant after Kenneth Palmer stepped down to take a seat as a judge on the
New Jersey Superior Court.[66] In turn, Michele Zolezi was appointed to fill the council seat expiring in December 2024 that was vacated by Robert Hudak.[67] In the November 2021 general election, Hudak was elected as mayor and Zolezi as councilmember to serve the remainder of the terms of office.[62]
In May 2019, the Township Council appointed Robert Hudak to fill the seat expiring in December 2020 that had been held by Charles Frattini Sr. until he resigned from office the previous month.[68] In November 2019, Hudak was elected to serve the balance of the term of office.[64]
In March 2017, Joan Brush was selected by the township council to fill the seat expiring in 2018 that had been held by Brendan Weiner, who was moving out of the township; Brush will serve on an interim basis until the November 2017 general election, when voters will select a candidate to serve the balance of the term.[69]
In 2018, the township had an average property tax bill of $4,093, the lowest in the county, compared to an average bill of $6,313 in Ocean County and $8,767 statewide.[70][71]
Federal, state and county representation
Manchester Township is located in the 4th Congressional District[72] and is part of New Jersey's 9th state legislative district.[73][74][75]
Ocean County is governed by a
Board of County Commissioners composed of five members who are elected on an
at-large basis in partisan elections and serving staggered three-year terms of office, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election. At an annual reorganization held in the beginning of January, the board chooses a director and a deputy director from among its members.[82] As of 2024[update], Ocean County's Commissioners (with party affiliation, term-end year and residence) are:
Constitutional officers elected on a countywide basis are:
Clerk Scott M. Colabella (R, 2025, Barnegat Light),[90][91]
Sheriff Michael G. Mastronardy (R, 2025; Toms River)[92][93] and
Surrogate
Jeffrey Moran (R, 2028,
Beachwood).[94][95][96]
Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 31,380 registered voters in Manchester Township, of which 8,336 (26.6%) were registered as
Democrats, 9,606 (30.6%) were registered as
Republicans and 13,424 (42.8%) were registered as
Unaffiliated. There were 14 voters registered as
Libertarians or
Greens.[97] Among the township's 2010 Census population, 72.9% (vs. 63.2% in Ocean County) were registered to vote, including 81.2% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 82.6% countywide).[97][98]
In the
2012 presidential election, Republican
Mitt Romney received 55.9% of the vote (12,970 cast), ahead of Democrat
Barack Obama with 43.3% (10,041 votes), and other candidates with 0.8% (186 votes), among the 23,439 ballots cast by the township's 32,513 registered voters (242 ballots were
spoiled), for a turnout of 72.1%.[99][100] In the
2008 presidential election, Republican
John McCain received 56.2% of the vote (14,368 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 41.2% (10,533 votes) and other candidates with 1.5% (372 votes), among the 25,569 ballots cast by the township's 33,796 registered voters, for a turnout of 75.7%.[101] In the
2004 presidential election, Republican
George W. Bush received 55.6% of the vote (13,652 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat
John Kerry with 42.9% (10,537 votes) and other candidates with 0.7% (235 votes), among the 24,572 ballots cast by the township's 32,133 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 76.5.[102]
In the
2013 gubernatorial election, Republican
Chris Christie received 77.5% of the vote (12,678 cast), ahead of Democrat
Barbara Buono with 21.4% (3,500 votes), and other candidates with 1.1% (182 votes), among the 16,709 ballots cast by the township's 32,442 registered voters (349 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 51.5%.[103][104] In the
2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 62.9% of the vote (11,988 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat
Jon Corzine with 30.4% (5,796 votes), Independent
Chris Daggett with 4.7% (896 votes) and other candidates with 0.9% (177 votes), among the 19,070 ballots cast by the township's 32,422 registered voters, yielding a 58.8% turnout.[105]
Education
The
Manchester Township School District serves students in
pre-kindergarten through
twelfth grade. As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of six schools, had an enrollment of 2,922 students and 277.7 classroom teachers (on an
FTE basis), for a
student–teacher ratio of 10.5:1.[106] Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the
National Center for Education Statistics[107]) are
Manchester Township Elementary School[108] with 565 students in grades K–5,
Ridgeway Elementary School[109] with 415 students in grades Pre-K–5,
Whiting Elementary School[110] with 248 students in grades Pre-K–5,
Manchester Township Middle School[111] with 643 students in grades 6–8,
Manchester Township High School[112] with 1,000 students in grades 9–12 and
Regional Day School[113] with 54 students in grades Pre-K–12, which serves low incidence handicapped children.[114][115][116] Students from neighboring
Lakehurst attend the district's high school as part of a
sending/receiving relationship with the
Lakehurst School District.[117] As of 2012, Lakehurst has been considering the possibility of sending its students to
Jackson Liberty High School, as part of a prospective agreement with the
Jackson School District under which students would gain access to a broader range of academic programs and which could result in annual savings of $400,000 per year off of the $2 million that the Lakehurst district spends annually for the 150 students it sends to the Manchester district.[118][119]
St. Mary Academy in
Manahawkin, a
K–8 school of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton, is in the area. From 1997,[120] until 2019 it operated as All Saints Regional Catholic School and was collectively managed by five churches,[121] with one being St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Whiting.[120] In 2019 St. Mary Church in
Barnegat took entire control of the school, which remained on the same Manahawkin campus, and changed its name. The other churches no longer operate the school but still may send students there.[121]
Media
The Asbury Park Press provides daily news coverage of the township, as does
WOBM-FM radio. The township provides materials and commentary to The Manchester Times, which also covers
Lakehurst as one of seven weekly papers from
Micromedia Publications.[122]
Transportation
Roads and highways
As of May 2010[update], the township had a total of 168.51 miles (271.19 km) of roadways, of which 109.71 miles (176.56 km) were maintained by the municipality, 43.56 miles (70.10 km) by Ocean County and 15.24 miles (24.53 km) by the
New Jersey Department of Transportation.[123]
Route 70 passes through the heart of the township[124] while
Route 37 goes through in the east.[125]CR 530 travels along Route 70 and then veers off to the east,[126] while
CR 539 goes from north to south.[127] In addition, both
CR 547[128] and
CR 571[129] run through the northeastern part.
No limited access roads run through the municipality, but the closest ones are accessible in neighboring communities such as the
Garden State Parkway in Toms River, Berkeley and Lacey townships and
Interstate 195 in Jackson Township.
Public transportation
Ocean Ride local service is provided on the OC1 Whiting, OC1A Whiting Express and OC2 Manchester routes.[130][131][132]
^Manchester Township History, Manchester Township. Accessed September 4, 2015. "Founded by William Torrey for its namesake, a British manufacturing city, Manchester Township was formed through an Act of Congress [sic] on April 5, 1865."
^DeMarco, Megan.
"Voters to decide whether to merge two Princetons into one", The Star-Ledger, November 3, 2011. Accessed January 8, 2017. "There are 22 sets of 'doughnut towns' in New Jersey, those where one town wraps around the other town". Note that following voter approval of the Princeton merger, 21 pairs of "doughnut towns" remain.
^Meeting Minutes June 27, 2011, Manchester Township. Accessed January 24, 2015. "#11-016 - An Ordinance Of The Township Of Manchester, County Of Ocean, State Of New Jersey, Authorizing A Referendum On The Question To Amend The Municipal Charter To Move The Township's Municipal Election To The November General Election Date Pursuant To N.J.S.A. 40:69A-25.1 Et Seq And N.J.S.A. 40:69A-192 While Retaining Such Election As Non-Partisan Pursuant To The Provisions of N.J.S.A. 40:45-7.1... The above ordinance was offered upon a motion by Mr. Vanderziel seconded by Mr. Reiter and adopted by the following roll call vote: Councilmen Trutkoff, Weiner, Reiter, Vanderziel and Wallis; yea."
^Staff.
"2011 Ocean County election results", Asbury Park Press, November 8, 2011. Accessed January 24, 2015. "Manchester: Local Question -'Shall the municipal, nonpartisan elections be held in November instead of May?' Yes 5,875, No 3,429."
^Town Council, Manchester Township. Accessed January 9, 2023.
^Manchester Councilman Robert Hudak Appointed Mayor, Manchester Township, June 2021. Accessed July 28, 2022. "Councilman Robert Hudak was appointed Manchester Township’s new mayor following the recent resignation of former Mayor Kenneth Palmer, who was appointed to a superior court judgeship."
^Council Fills Vacant Seat: Michele Zolezi Appointed, Manchester Township. Accessed July 28, 2022. "Michele Zolezi was appointed and sworn in on July 26, 2021, to assume the Manchester Township Council vacancy created when Robert Hudak resigned his seat to accept his appointment as Mayor on June 28, 2021."
^Peacock, Jennifer.
"Council Welcomes New Member", The Manchester Times, June 7, 2019. Accessed April 14, 2020. "The Manchester Township Council appointed a replacement for Charles Frattini Sr., who resigned at the end of April. Robert Hudak, 42, a resident of Pine Lake Park and member of the township’s planning board, was sworn in May 28."
^Peacock, Jennifer.
"New Councilwoman Appointed In Manchester", The Manchester Times, March 31, 2017. Accessed May 7, 2017. "With her husband, three of her four sons who still reside in town, and two grandchildren with her, Joan Brush was sworn in March 27 as councilwoman. She replaces Brendan Weiner, who resigned in February due to his family's relocation to Lacey."
^Marcus, Samantha.
"These are the towns with the lowest property taxes in each of N.J.’s 21 counties", NJ Advance Media for
NJ.com, April 30, 2019. Accessed November 7, 2019. "New Jersey’s average property tax bill may have hit $8,767 last year — a new record — but taxpayers in some parts of the state pay just a fraction of that.... The average property tax bill in Manchester Township was $4,093 in 2018, the lowest in Ocean County."
^Biography of Bob Menendez,
United States Senate, January 26, 2015. "Menendez, who started his political career in Union City, moved in September from Paramus to one of Harrison's new apartment buildings near the town's PATH station.."
^Regional Day School, Manchester Township School District. Accessed March 7, 2022.
^About Our District - Our Schools, Manchester Township School District. Accessed March 7, 2022. "We have three elementary schools: Ridgeway Elementary School (Gr. Pre-K-5), Whiting Elementary School (Gr. Pre-K-5), and Manchester Township Elementary School (Gr. K-5). These three schools feed into Manchester Township Middle School (Gr. 6-8), and then to Manchester Township High School (Gr. 9-12). We are also the receiving district for approximately 150 high school students from neighboring Lakehurst Borough. In addition, the district has administrative responsibility for the state Regional Day School (Special Education) located in Jackson, New Jersey."
^Amsel, Michael.
"Diplomacy From Whiting", Asbury Park Press, August 23, 2003. Accessed December 30, 2012. "Manchester - As the new U.S. ambassador to Belarus, George A. Krol is determined to try to help the country develop 'a more secure, democratic and prosperous world' for the American people and the international community."
^Kevin MalastArchived August 17, 2016, at the
Wayback Machine,
Tennessee Titans. Accessed July 27, 2016. "The Manchester, N.J., native was originally signed by the Chicago Bears as a rookie free agent on April 27, 2009."
^Hyman, Vicki.
"N.J. transgender comedian competes Tuesday on America's Got Talent", NJ Advance Media for
NJ.com, August 23, 2016. Accessed November 15, 2023."Scotti, who now lives in Whiting, hasn't mined her gender identity for laughs on AGT, sticking mostly to shtick about her age, such as this one: 'My primary care doctor is a paleontologist.'"
^"George Tuska Obituary", Asbury Park Press, October 18, 2009. Accessed October 1, 2015. "A resident of Lakehurst / Manchester for many years, George drew comics, both book and strips for more than 70 years."
^Clayton, Scott.
"Monmouth's Charles Cox sets pace in boys track", Asbury Park Press, June 17, 2006. Accessed December 30, 2012. "In Cox's sights for his senior year will be the conference records of 46.81 for 400 meters, set by Olympian Andrew Valmon of Manchester, and 21.30 for 200 meters, held jointly by 1993 Monmouth grad Ty Adams and 1996 Jackson grad Lamar Grant, brother of Ocean star Tiffany."