Location of Fair Haven in
Monmouth County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Monmouth County in
New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).
Fair Haven was incorporated as a borough by an act of the
New Jersey Legislature on March 28, 1912, from portions of
Shrewsbury Township, subject to the results of a referendum held on April 23, 1912. Portions of the borough were exchanged with
Red Bank on June 17, 1957.[23][24]
The borough has been one of the state's highest-income communities.[25] In the 2013–2017
American Community Survey, Fair Haven had a median household income of $158,264 (ranked 23rd in the state) and included 36.6% of households earning more than $200,000 annually.[26]
In 2012,
Forbes.com listed Fair Haven as 355th in its listing of "America's Most Expensive ZIP Codes", with a median home price of $804,446.[27] In 2018, New Jersey Business Magazine listed Fair Haven as 25th in its listing of "The Most Expensive ZIP Codes in New Jersey", with a median sale price 2017 of $745,000[28]
History
Fair Haven's first permanent settlement dates to a structure built in 1816 at the
Navesink River near today's Fair Haven Road. By the mid-19th century, steamboats stopped at "Chandler's Dock" on a route between
Red Bank and
New York City, bringing visitors to the area and local oysters to the city.[24]Fisk Chapel was rebuilt in 1882 to accommodate the borough's African American population.[29]
The steamship "Albertina" is depicted on the Borough seal. It was built in 1882 by
Lawrence & Foulks.
Fair Haven has an annual Fireman's Fair during the last weekend of summer including
Labor Day weekend which attracts a couple of thousand people, including noted musicians
Bruce Springsteen and
Bon Jovi. The Fair Haven Fireman's Fair also has a Fireman's night and invites all firefighters from any other firehouse to come and join in the festivities.[30] The Fireman's Fair used to raffle off a car each year, but most attendees already had their own cars and the decision was made in the 1990s to switch to a 50/50 raffle whose prize can be in the tens of thousands of dollars.[31] The fair is on the Fire Company grounds.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 2.11 square miles (5.47 km2), including 1.59 square miles (4.13 km2) of land and 0.52 square miles (1.34 km2) of water (24.55%).[1][2]
Of the 1,970 households, 51.4% had children under the age of 18; 73.6% were married couples living together; 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present and 15.8% were non-families. Of all households, 13.8% were made up of individuals and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.11 and the average family size was 3.45.[20]
34.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 20.5% from 25 to 44, 30.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.3 years. For every 100 females, the population had 96.7 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 91.7 males.[20]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010
American Community Survey showed that (in 2010
inflation-adjusted dollars)
median household income was $112,308 (with a margin of error of +/− $18,209) and the median family income was $113,546 (+/− $18,045). Males had a median income of $109,643 (+/− $28,479) versus $62,083 (+/− $15,309) for females. The
per capita income for the borough was $54,241 (+/− $6,162). About 0.9% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 1.5% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.[40]
2000 census
As of the
2000 United States census[17] there were 5,937 people, 1,998 households, and 1,658 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,559.3 inhabitants per square mile (1,374.3/km2). There were 2,037 housing units at an average density of 1,221.2 per square mile (471.5/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 93.87%
White, 4.09%
African American, 0.03%
Native American, 0.98%
Asian, 0.22% from
other races, and 0.81% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 1.33% of the population.[38][39]
There were 1,998 households, out of which 47.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.1% were
married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.0% were non-families. 15.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.97 and the average family size was 3.33.[38][39]
In the borough the population was spread out, with 33.0% under the age of 18, 4.0% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males.[38][39]
The median income for a household in the borough was $97,220, and the median income for a family was $109,760. Males had a median income of $83,657 versus $51,389 for females. The
per capita income for the borough was $44,018. About 1.6% of families and 2.3% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 2.1% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.[38][39]
Government
Local government
Fair Haven is governed under the
borough form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 municipalities (of the 564) statewide, making it the most common form of government in New Jersey.[41] 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 is comprised of 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.[7] The borough form of government used by Fair Haven 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.[42][43]
As of 2023[update], the
mayor of the Borough of Fair Haven is
Republican Joshua Halpern, whose term of office ends on December 31, 2026.[3] Members of the Fair Haven Borough Council are Council President Elizabeth M. "Betsy" Koch (R, 2024), Tracey Cole (R, 2024), Kristen Hoey (
R, 2025), Andrew "Drew" Labarbera (R, 2025), Laline Neff (D, 2023) and Christopher Rodriguez (D, 2023).[44][45][46][47][48]
In February 2017, the borough council selected Christopher Rodriguez from a list of three candidates nominated by the Democratic municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2017 that had been held by Aimee Humphreys until she resigned from office as she was moving out of the borough; Rodriguez serve until the November 2017 general election, when he was elected to serve the two-month balance of the term and to fill a new three-year term.[49][50]
Benjamin Lucarelli was chosen as mayor in February 2012 to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of
Mike Halfacre, and who left office to take a position in the
New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control,[51][52] with Eric R. Jaeger in turn chosen in March 2012 to fill Lucarelli's vacancy on the borough council.[53]
Fair Haven was a participating municipality in an initiative to study regionalization of 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
Rumson,
Little Silver,
Oceanport and
Shrewsbury to hire professional consultants to conduct the study on their behalf. A report was prepared that proposed that on or about July 1, 2009, Fair Haven would close and move their Police, Fire and EMS dispatching over to
Little Silver. After deadlines to begin this operation were missed, dispatching of police and emergency services would be handled by the
Monmouth County Sheriff's office by October 1, 2009.[54] The proposal to consolidate services with Little Silver was presented to and rejected by the voters.[citation needed]
Federal, state, and county representation
Fair Haven is located in the 6th Congressional District[55] and is part of New Jersey's 13th state legislative district.[56][57][58]
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.[66] As of 2024[update], Monmouth County's Commissioners are:
As of March 2011, there were a total of 4,201 registered voters in Fair Haven, of which 1,049 (25.0%) were registered as
Democrats, 1,286 (30.6%) were registered as
Republicans and 1,865 (44.4%) were registered as
Unaffiliated. There was one voter registered to another party.[81]
In the
2012 presidential election, Republican
Mitt Romney received 53.7% of the vote (1,679 cast), ahead of Democrat
Barack Obama with 45.1% (1,411 votes), and other candidates with 1.2% (37 votes), among the 3,141 ballots cast by the borough's 4,379 registered voters (14 ballots were
spoiled), for a turnout of 71.7%.[82][83] In the
2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 50.5% of the vote (1,765 cast), ahead of Republican
John McCain with 47.6% (1,664 votes) and other candidates with 0.9% (33 votes), among the 3,498 ballots cast by the borough's 4,343 registered voters, for a turnout of 80.5%.[84] In the
2004 presidential election, Republican
George W. Bush received 51.8% of the vote (1,765 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat
John Kerry with 47.1% (1,604 votes) and other candidates with 0.6% (27 votes), among the 3,407 ballots cast by the borough's 4,184 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 81.4.[85]
In the
2013 gubernatorial election, Republican
Chris Christie received 68.7% of the vote (1,275 cast), ahead of Democrat
Barbara Buono with 29.5% (547 votes), and other candidates with 1.8% (33 votes), among the 1,873 ballots cast by the borough's 4,362 registered voters (18 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 42.9%.[86][87] In the
2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 58.8% of the vote (1,459 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat
Jon Corzine with 32.9% (817 votes), Independent
Chris Daggett with 7.2% (178 votes) and other candidates with 0.6% (14 votes), among the 2,480 ballots cast by the borough's 4,238 registered voters, yielding a 58.5% turnout.[88]
Students in public school for
ninth through
twelfth grades attend
Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School, together with students from
Rumson, where the school is located.[97][98][99] As of the 2018–19 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 983 students and 84.8 classroom teachers (on an
FTE basis), for a
student–teacher ratio of 11.6:1.[100] In 2016, Newsweek ranked RFH the 144th best high school in the United States.[101] Seats on the high school district's nine-member
board of education are allocated based on the population of the constituent municipalities, with four seats assigned to Fair Haven.[102]
Transportation
Roads and highways
As of May 2010[update], the borough had a total of 23.95 miles (38.54 km) of roadways, of which 21.40 miles (34.44 km) were maintained by the municipality and 2.55 miles (4.10 km) by Monmouth County.[103]
No Interstate, U.S. or state highways pass through Fair Haven.
County Route 10 (River Road) is the main road through the town.
Connor Jaeger (born 1991), Men's 1500 meter swimmer who competed at the 2012 London Olympics, and winner of the silver medal in the 1500 meter freestyle at the 2016 Rio Olympics[110]
^
abFinley, Bill.
"Fisk Chapel", The New York Times, March 26, 2006. Accessed May 26, 2015. "Fair Haven's second black church, renamed the Fisk Chapel when it was rebuilt in 1882, was paid for by General Fisk and is still open today."
^Capuzzo, Jill P.
"Living In: Fair Haven, N.J.", The New York Times, August 13, 2010. Accessed March 26, 2012. "Another much-anticipated annual event, the Fair Haven volunteer fire company's Firemen's Fair, is scheduled for the end of the month. It draws tens of thousands of people to this 1.7-square-mile town on the Navesink River just a couple of miles in from the ocean."
^2011 Firemen's Fair Friday, Aug. 26 to Sept. 3rd (closed on Sunday's)Archived 2007-08-11 at the
Wayback Machine, Borough of Fair Haven. Accessed March 26, 2012. "But, like all other changes, automobiles became less attractive to families who increasingly owned multiple vehicles, including top-of-the line SUVs. So, the Fair Company discontinued the automobile raffle in the late 1990s and replaced the event with a 'Super 50-50'" event in which the winner walks away with 10s of thousands of dollars -- free to spend on a car or anything else of interest."
^Burton, John.
"New Member Joins Fair Haven Council", The Two River Times, April 6, 2017. Accessed April 7, 2017. "With the departure of Democratic Councilwoman Aimee Humphreys from the six-member governing body, the council has selected Christopher Rodriguez to fill her seat."
^Higgs, Larry.
"Fair Haven Council Selects New Mayor"Archived 2012-05-20 at the
Wayback Machine, Borough of Fair Haven, February 21, 2012. Accessed March 26, 2012. "The Borough Council elected Benjamin Lucarelli Monday night from three nominees submitted by the local Republican committee to replace Michael Halfacre as mayor.... The Republican municipal committee had submitted the names of three mayoral candidates to the council — Peters, Lucarelli and Andrew Troccha, a former GOP committee chairman — to replace Halfacre, who resigned on Jan. 26 after he was nominated to head the state Division of Alcohol Beverages by Gov. Chris Christie."
^Bitterly, Alison.
"Eric Jaeger Fills FH Councilman Slot"Archived 2012-05-19 at the
Wayback Machine, Two River Times, March 26, 2012. Accessed March 26, 2012. "During a regular meeting of the governing body March 12, Eric Jaeger was sworn in as the borough's newest council member.... He will be filling the seat recently vacated by now-Mayor Rasoleen Amelia."
^Biography, Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. Accessed January 3, 2019. "Frank Pallone, Jr., was born in Long Branch, New Jersey, where he grew up and still resides."
^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."
^Fair Haven Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Fair Haven Public Schools. Accessed April 30, 2020. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Pre-Kindergarten through eight in the Fair Haven School District. Composition: The Fair Haven School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of the Borough of Fair Haven."
^Rumson-Fair Haven Regional Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School. Accessed April 30, 2020. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades nine through twelve in the Rumson-Fair Haven Regional School District. Composition: The Rumson-Fair Haven Regional School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of the Borough of Rumson and the Borough of Fair Haven."
^DistrictArchived 2017-01-05 at the
Wayback Machine, Fair Haven Public Schools. Accessed July 14, 2014. "Upon eighth grade graduation, Fair Haven students attend Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School for grades 9-12."
^Rumson-Fair Haven Regional Board of Education District Policy 0141 - Board Member Number and Term, Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School. Accessed April 30, 2020. "The Board of Education shall be comprised of nine members, four of whom are elected from and by the Fair Haven registered voters and five of whom are elected from and by the Rumson registered voters. The term of office of each member shall be three years. Three members shall be elected annually, two from Rumson and one from Fair Haven in two of every three years, and two from Fair Haven and one form Rumson in the third year."
^Katie Coyle,
HarperCollins Publishers. Accessed November 20, 2022. "Katie Coyle grew up in Fair Haven, New Jersey, and has an MFA from the University of Pittsburgh."
^La Gorce, Tammy.
"New Faces NJ: Jacquelyn Jablonski - Fair Haven teen living her dream as a high-fashion model.", New Jersey Monthly, December 16, 2009. Accessed May 22, 2011. "It's likely that few members of the class of 2009 have enjoyed the instant success of Jacqueline Jablonski. The 18-year-old from Fair Haven was just four months out of Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School and there she was, strutting the stuff of Herve Leger, Marc Jacobs, and other top fashion designers as a model during New York Fashion Week."
^Kamin, Arthur Z.
"State Becomes a Part of Celebrating Marconi's Achievements", The New York Times, October 23, 1994. Accessed March 26, 2012. "In 1987, the award was presented in Washington to Dr. Robert W. Lucky of Fair Haven, now the vice president for applied research with Bellcore, the Bell Communications research arm in Lincroft."
^Livio, Susan K.
"NJ child welfare chief, Kevin Ryan, resigning", NJ Advance Media for
NJ.com, January 24, 2008. Accessed February 13, 2017. "Ryan and his wife, Clare, of Fair Haven, have six children ranging in ages from 2-1/2 to 16, and they are worried about college expenses."
^"Bausch & Lomb Award Goes To Regional High Student", Long Branch Daily Record, January 23, 1958. Accessed January 11, 2022, via
Newspapers.com. "Bonnard J. Teegarden, son of Dr. and Mrs. Robert W. Teegarden, 78 Princeton Rd., Fair Haven, will be awarded the Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Award at the Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School."
^Carino, Jerry.
"Winter Olympics: Fair Haven's Charlie Volker eyes medal with U.S. bobsled team", Asbury Park Press, January 20, 2022. Accessed May 16, 2022. "After flying from Europe to California Monday, Charlie Volker turned on his phone and found it deluged with messages. During his trip, the public was informed of something the 24-year-old from Fair Haven already anticipated: He made the U.S. Olympic team in the men’s bobsled."