Perrineville Lake in Millstone, at the headwaters for
Rocky Brook, in early spring
Seal
Location of Millstone Township in
Monmouth County highlighted in yellow (right). Inset map: Location of Monmouth County in
New Jersey highlighted in black (left).
Census Bureau map of Millstone Township, New Jersey
The township has been ranked as one of the state's highest-income communities. Based on data from the
American Community Survey for 2013–2017, Millstone residents had a
median household income of $156,891, more than double the statewide median of $76,475 and ranked ninth in the state among municipalities with more than 10,000 residents.[29][30]
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 37.18 square miles (96.30 km2), including 36.61 square miles (94.81 km2) of land and 0.58 square miles (1.49 km2) of water (1.55%).[1][2]
Due to the township's unique location in the center of New Jersey, it is the home of numerous
headwaters for various important rivers, brooks, and streams that flow throughout the state. The township is located on a
ridge within the geographic
heartland of New Jersey.[39][40][41][42][43] The township falls within the hillier terrain and fertile soil found in the
Inner coastal plain, while a small sliver of the eastern border of the township (which borders
Jackson Township) is located within the flat terrain and sandier soil found in the
Outer coastal plain.
Much of the township is centrally located within the much larger
Raritan Valley region's
watershed (as many of its brooks and streams flow into the river). The township is the headwaters for the
Millstone River, one of the most important
tributaries of the aforementioned river.[44] Part of the township also belongs to the
Delaware Valley region's watershed, with the
Assunpink Creek and the Doctors Creek flowing through the southern and western sections of the township bordering
Upper Freehold Township. Part of the Assunpink Wildlife Preservation Area is located in the township, as well as in portions of Upper Freehold Township,
Roosevelt and
Robbinsville Township. The reservation offers wetlands and lakes for viewing migratory birds, in addition to mountain biking trails, bridle paths and hiking trails, operated under the supervision of the
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife.[45][46][47][48]Turkey Swamp Park is another nature reservation which features wetlands, hiking trails, and even campgrounds, located in neighboring
Freehold Township. The township is also one of only two municipalities in Monmouth County that are part of the
Toms Riverwatershed, most of which is located in
Ocean County, as it rises from the Millstone and Jackson area, flowing southward through the
Pine Barrens to the
Barnegat Bay.[49]
Other notable bodies of water within the township include:
Lakes
Assunpink Lake[50] (located at Assunpink Wildlife Preservation Area)
Bulk's Lake[51] (located at Charleston Springs Golf Course)
Of the 3,301 households, 45.8% had children under the age of 18; 78.5% were married couples living together; 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present and 12.5% were non-families. Of all households, 9.3% were made up of individuals and 3.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.20 and the average family size was 3.42.[21]
28.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 18.8% from 25 to 44, 37.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.6 years. For every 100 females, the population had 99.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 99.3 males.[21]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010
American Community Survey showed that (in 2010
inflation-adjusted dollars)
median household income was $134,909 (with a margin of error of +/− $15,849) and the median family income was $139,535 (+/− $20,761). Males had a median income of $92,222 (+/− $13,047) versus $66,090 (+/− $14,854) for females. The
per capita income for the borough was $50,390 (+/− $5,755). About 0.4% of families and 0.3% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 0.7% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.[69]
2000 census
As of the
2000 United States census[16] there were 8,970 people, 2,708 households, and 2,426 families residing in the township. The population density was 244.0 inhabitants per square mile (94.2/km2). There were 2,797 housing units at an average density of 76.1 per square mile (29.4/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 97.83%
White, 1.05%
African American, 0.10%
Native American, 1.43%
Asian, 0.03%
Pacific Islander, 0.61% from
other races, and 0.94% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 3.51% of the population.[67][68]
There were 2,708 households, out of which 52.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 81.4% were
married couples living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 10.4% were non-families. 7.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.28 and the average family size was 3.46.[21][68]
In the township the population was spread out, with 32.8% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 6.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.0 males.[21][68]
The median income for a household in the township was $104,561, and the median income for a family was $106,116. Males had a median income of $74,333 versus $50,036 for females. The
per capita income for the township was $58,285. About 3.8% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 6.0% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.[21][68]
Government
Local government
Millstone is governed under the
Township form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 141 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form, the second-most commonly used form of government in the state.[70] 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.[7][71] At an annual reorganization meeting, the council selects one of its members to serves as mayor and another as deputy mayor.
The Township Committee is Millstone's legislative body. It sets policies, approves budgets, determines municipal tax rates, and passes resolutions and ordinances to govern the town. The Committee also appoints citizen volunteers to advisory boards, the Zoning Board of Adjustment, committees, and commissions. The Committee may investigate the conduct of any department, officer or agency of the municipal government. They have full power of subpoena permitted by Statute.[3]
As of 2023[update], the Millstone Township Committee consists of
Mayor Albert Ferro (
R, term on committee ends December 31, 2025;term as mayor ends 2023), Deputy Mayor Chris Morris (R, term on committee and as deputy mayor ends 2023), Eric Davis (R, 2024), Michael A. McLaughlin Jr. (R, 2023) and Tara Zabrosky (R, 2024).[3][72][73][74][75]
In September 2018, Al Ferro was selected from three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2019 that had been vacated by Robert Kinsey in August due to illness.[76]
Federal, state, and county representation
Millstone Township is located in the 3rd Congressional District[77] and is part of New Jersey's 12th state legislative district.[78][79][80]
Monmouth County is governed by a
Board of County Commissioners comprised of five members who are elected
at-large to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats up for election each year as part of the November general election. At an annual reorganization meeting held in the beginning of January, the board selects one of its members to serve as director and another as deputy director.[86] As of 2024[update], Monmouth County's Commissioners are:
As of March 2011, there were a total of 6,954 registered voters in Millstone Township, of which 1,159 (16.7%) were registered as
Democrats, 2,621 (37.7%) were registered as
Republicans and 3,171 (45.6%) were registered as
Unaffiliated. There were 3 voters registered as
Libertarians or
Greens.[101]
In the
2012 presidential election, Republican
Mitt Romney received 65.5% of the vote (3,340 cast), ahead of Democrat
Barack Obama with 33.3% (1,698 votes), and other candidates with 1.2% (60 votes), among the 5,134 ballots cast by the township's 7,344 registered voters (36 ballots were
spoiled), for a turnout of 69.9%.[102][103] In the
2008 presidential election, Republican
John McCain received 62.8% of the vote (3,373 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 34.8% (1,867 votes) and other candidates with 1.2% (64 votes), among the 5,368 ballots cast by the township's 7,032 registered voters, for a turnout of 76.3%.[104] In the
2004 presidential election, Republican
George W. Bush received 65.7% of the vote (3,289 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat
John Kerry with 33.3% (1,668 votes) and other candidates with 0.6% (41 votes), among the 5,005 ballots cast by the township's 6,603 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 75.8.[105]
In the
2013 gubernatorial election, Republican
Chris Christie received 80.0% of the vote (2,384 cast), ahead of Democrat
Barbara Buono with 18.3% (544 votes), and other candidates with 1.7% (51 votes), among the 3,007 ballots cast by the township's 7,363 registered voters (28 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 40.8%.[106][107] In the
2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 75.8% of the vote (2,875 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat
Jon Corzine with 19.2% (729 votes), Independent
Chris Daggett with 4.4% (167 votes) and other candidates with 0.3% (11 votes), among the 3,791 ballots cast by the township's 6,938 registered voters, yielding a 54.6% turnout.[108]
Education
The
Millstone Township Schools serve public school students in
pre-kindergarten through
eighth grade.[109] As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprising three schools, had an enrollment of 1,109 students and 93.0 classroom teachers (on an
FTE basis), for a
student–teacher ratio of 11.9:1.[110] Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the
National Center for Education Statistics[111]) are
Millstone Township Primary School[112] with 386 students in grades Pre-K–2,
Millstone Township Elementary School[113] with 321 students in grades 3–5 and
Millstone Township Middle School[114] with 400 students in grades 6–8.[115][116]
The township does not have a local police department. Millstone Township is patrolled by the
New Jersey State Police.[119]
EMS
The Millstone Township Fire Department provides EMS with a staffed ambulance, 24/7. The Millstone Township First Aid Squad was closed in 2020.[120]
Fire
The local fire department consists of 12 career firefighters that provide fire protection and first responder medical care between the hours of 6 am and 6 pm. Volunteer firefighters cover from 6 pm to 6 am. supported by on duty career firefighters.[121]
Transportation
Roads and highways
As of May 2010[update], the township had a total of 150.87 miles (242.80 km) of roadways, of which 122.47 miles (197.10 km) were maintained by the municipality, 23.68 miles (38.11 km) by Monmouth County and 4.72 miles (7.60 km) by the
New Jersey Department of Transportation.[122]
Interstate 195 is the main highway serving Millstone Township. It crosses the southern part of Millstone, connecting to
Upper Freehold and
Jackson townships. Half of an interchange is located in Millstone (Exit 16 for CR 537) with the other half in Jackson.[123]
^
abcMayor & Committee, Millstone Township. Accessed July 22, 2022. "The Millstone Township Committee is made up of five elected officials. Township residents elect a new committee-person every 3 years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. At the Reorganization meeting each year (first meeting in January), the committee elects a Mayor and Deputy Mayor, each of whom serve a term of one year or until the election and qualification of a successor."
^The History of Township of Millstone, New Jersey, Township of Millstone. Accessed September 7, 2015. "Our town is named after the Millstone River that originates in the Township. The river was first named by the Lenape Indians as the Mattawong and later renamed by early settlers as Millstone River."
^"Watershed Management Area 10 Millstone". State of New Jersey: Department of Environmental Protection, Watershed Restoration. Last Updated: May 3, 2012. Accessed December 4, 2020.
^"Raritan River Initiatives". Rutgers University. The Millstone and Stony Brook – WMA10. Accessed December 4, 2020.
^Raychaudhuri, Disha.
"The wealthiest towns in N.J., ranked", NJ Advance Media for
NJ.com, June 7, 2019. Accessed November 4, 2019. "The median household income in N.J. is $76,475, recent Census data shows.... A note about the data: The data comes from 2013-2017 American Community Survey conducted by U.S. Census Bureau. Smaller towns with less than 10,000 residents were excluded from the list.... 9. Millstone, Monmouth County; Median income: $156,891"
^Raychaudhuri, Disha.
"The wealthiest towns in N.J., ranked", NJ Advance Media for
NJ.com, June 7, 2019. Accessed November 4, 2019. "The median household income in N.J. is $76,475, recent Census data shows.... A note about the data: The data comes from 2013-2017 American Community Survey conducted by U.S. Census Bureau. Smaller towns with less than 10,000 residents were excluded from the list.... 9. Millstone, Monmouth County Median income: $156,891"
^HistoryArchived 2013-04-01 at the
Wayback Machine, Township of Millstone. Accessed October 18, 2013. "The Township, in its infancy, was comprised of several historic villages. They were known as Cars Tavern, Holmeson, Smithburg, Sweetman, Bergen Mills, Bairdsville, Stone Tavern, Clarksburg, and Perrineville. The last two remain today as a witness to our past heritage."
^Collins, Helen Lippman; Reardon, Patricia.
"For Equestrians, Every Day is a Day for Riding or Practicing", The New York Times, November 1, 1987. Accessed October 28, 2013. "Horse Park, in Upper Freehold Township, is a project of the state's Equine Advisory Board. When completed, it will be a first-class facility for competitive horsemanship, complete with outdoor show rings, seats for a large group of spectators, a polo field and jumping and steeplechase courses."
^Sockol, Matthew.
"Ferro joins Township Committee in Millstone Township", CentralJersey.com, September 25, 2018. Accessed November 8, 2018. "Al Ferro is the newest member of the Township Committee in Millstone Township. Ferro was one of three residents recommended for the appointment by the local Republican Party following the resignation of Bob Kinsey, who had served on the committee since 2005. Kinsey resigned from the committee in August and died on Sept. 19 following a lengthy illness."
^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.."
^Monmouth County Government, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Accessed July 19, 2022. "Monmouth County is governed by five commissioners elected at-large for three-year terms. Each January, the freeholders select one of their members to serve as the director of the board for the year to preside over the meetings and activities of the Board."
^Millstone Township Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Millstone Township Schools. Accessed April 28, 2020. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Kindergarten through eight in the Millstone Township School District. Composition: The Millstone Township School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Millstone Township."
^HistoryArchived 2012-06-17 at the
Wayback Machine, Millstone Township Fire Company. Accessed July 31, 2012. "Therefore, in 1979, the fire company, with the support of many township residents, petitioned the municipal government to establish Millstone Fire District # 1, to raise and oversee the expenditure of monies to insure adequate funding for fire protection. In 1999, the Fire District, in response to the growing number of fire calls, and declining number of volunteer firefighters available during week days, decided in conjunction with the fire company, to appoint its first paid firefighters to supplement the fire company's volunteers, the majority of whom worked out of town."
^Jordan, Chris.
"Hip-hop benefit to go on minus state backing", Home News Tribune, May 15, 2002. Accessed September 19, 2014. "I'm here to show that whether it's being supported or funded I'm still here with my own time and my own dime for these young brothers and young sisters to get a chance to know that they got to read and they got to study said RZA also known as Robert Diggs of Millstone Township".
^Staff.
"Darrin A. Winston, 42, Of Clarksburg In Millstone Township", Asbury Park Press, August 17, 2008. Accessed September 4, 2008. "Darrin A. Winston, 42, of Clarksburg in Millstone Township, passed away Friday, Aug. 15, at CentraState Medical Center, Freehold Township. Born in Passaic, he lived in Edison before moving to Millstone Township 10 years ago."