Keyport was originally formed as a
Town on March 17, 1870, from portions of Raritan Township (now
Hazlet). On April 2, 1908, the Borough of Keyport was formed, replacing Keyport Town.[26]
Keyport was part of the
Bayshore Regional Strategic Plan, an effort by nine municipalities in northern Monmouth County to reinvigorate the area's economy by emphasizing the traditional downtowns, dense residential neighborhoods,
maritime history, and the natural
Raritan Bayshore coastline. The plan has since been integrated into the
2016 Monmouth County Master Plan. According to the Monmouth County Master Plan, Keyport has been designated as an Arts, Cultural, and Entertainment (ACE) Hub, which is defined as municipalities that have a high concentration of arts and cultural activities to serve as a destination for both visitors and locals, usually including an active nightlife scene in proximity to said cultural activities. Only eight towns in Monmouth County share this designation, with two additional towns designated as upcoming ACE hubs, including nearby
Matawan.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 1.46 square miles (3.77 km2), including 1.38 square miles (3.58 km2) of land and 0.07 square miles (0.19 km2) of water (5.07%).[2][3]
The borough borders the boroughs of
Keansburg (via a maritime boundary) and
Union Beach, and the townships of
Aberdeen and
Hazlet to the northeast, southwest and southeast respectively.[27][28][29]
Of the 3,067 households, 23.4% had children under the age of 18; 39.7% were married couples living together; 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present and 44.8% were non-families. Of all households, 37.3% were made up of individuals and 19.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.15.[22]
19.8% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.5 years. For every 100 females, the population had 97.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 95.6 males.[22]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010
American Community Survey showed that (in 2010
inflation-adjusted dollars)
median household income was $56,509 (with a margin of error of +/− $7,915) and the median family income was $82,714 (+/− $13,757). Males had a median income of $56,156 (+/− $6,693) versus $41,782 (+/− $4,326) for females. The
per capita income for the borough was $28,545 (+/− $2,210). About 4.9% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 14.6% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.[39]
2000 census
At the
2000 United States census,[18] there were 7,568 people, 3,264 households and 1,798 families residing in the borough. The population density was 5,358.4 inhabitants per square mile (2,068.9/km2). There were 3,400 housing units at an average density of 2,407.3 per square mile (929.5/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 85.2%
White, 7.0%
African American, 0.12%
Native American, 2.22%
Asian, 0.04%
Pacific Islander, 2.96% from
other races, and 2.46% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 11.09% of the population.[37][38]
There were 3,264 households, of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.4% were
married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.9% were non-families. 38.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 3.11.[37][38]
21.8% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 33.2% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males.[37][38]
The
median household income was $43,869 and the median family income was $58,176. Males had a median income of $40,324 compared with $34,036 for females. The
per capita income for the borough was $23,288. About 4.9% of families and 7.8% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 4.7% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.[37][38]
Economy
Keyport is known for its
oyster industry, which had been one of the world's largest suppliers until overfishing and pollution led to a collapse of the industry in the early to mid 20th century.[40] In August 2010, NY/NJ Baykeeper suspended an effort to recreate the oyster reefs in Keyport's Raritan Bay after the
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection cited concerns that the oysters could be harvested and sold to the public despite the persistent heavy pollution in the water after concerns had been raised by the
United States Food and Drug Administration that patrols were insufficient to ensure that the oysters in the reef were not being harvested.[41]
It was the home of the
Aeromarine Plane and Motor Company which operated from 1914 to 1930 and built seaplanes for the
United States Navy during
World War I. Its planes were mostly military seaplanes and flying boats, including aircraft that offered some of the first scheduled air service using seaplanes.[42]
Keyport has been credited as the birthplace of the "
Lazy Susan", designed by William Bedle in 1845.[43] However this is highly disputed since there were earlier dated pieces found in China and England. It was the site of the professional dance debut of film star
Fred Astaire in 1903 at age four, together with his sister
Adele, as part of an act that earned a review that called the duo "the greatest child act in vaudeville.[44]
Business district
Keyport is home to many diverse businesses, and has a bustling shopping district located on West Front Street, located one block in from the waterfront. The business district is now under control of the Keyport Bayfront Business Cooperative (which was established in 2011 to replace the now-defunct Keyport Business Alliance) which helps to organize events that benefit the businesses in Keyport as well as the city as a whole.[45]
Keyport is home to many restaurants, many with live music. Celebrity Chef Bobby Flay filmed a segment for CBS Sunday Morning at the Broad Street Diner, which has won numerous awards and accolades.
Government
Local government
Keyport 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.[46] 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.[8] The Borough form of government used by Keyport 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.[47][48]
As of 2023[update], the
mayor of Keyport is
Republican Rose P. Araneo, whose term of office ends December 31, 2026.[4] Borough Council members are Council President Lori Ann Davidson (R, 2023), J. Christopher Demarest (R, 2024; appointed to serve an unexpired term), Kathleen McNamara (D, 2023), Ron G. Peperoni Jr. (R, 2024), Cathleen Reilly (R, 2025) and Melissa Vecchio (R, 2025).[49][50][51][52][53]
J. Christopher Demarest was selected by the borough council in January 2023 from a list of three residents nominated by the Republican municipal committee to temporarily fill the seat expiring in December 2024 that became vacant when Rose P. Araneo took office as mayor; Demarest will serve on an interim basis until the November 2023 general election, when voters will choose a candidate to serve the balance of the term of office.[citation needed]
On Election Day, November 7, 2007, Council President Robert Bergen was elected Mayor, taking the seat of two-term incumbent John J. Merla who pled guilty to federal corruption charges on January 18, 2007, for accepting bribes to obtain municipal contracts.[54] Bergen assumed the post of Mayor on January 1, 2007.
Federal, state and county representation
Keyport 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 composed 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.[65] As of 2024[update], Monmouth County's Commissioners are:
On March 2011, there were a total of 4,442 registered voters in Keyport, of which 1,251 (28.2%) were registered as
Democrats, 950 (21.4%) were registered as
Republicans and 2,240 (50.4%) were registered as
Unaffiliated. There was one voter registered to another party.[80]
In the
2012 presidential election, Democrat
Barack Obama received 56.6% of the vote (1,664 cast), ahead of Republican
Mitt Romney with 42.0% (1,234 votes), and other candidates with 1.4% (42 votes), among the 2,970 ballots cast by the borough's 4,600 registered voters (30 ballots were
spoiled), for a turnout of 64.6%.[81][82] In the
2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 52.1% of the vote (1,759 cast), ahead of Republican
John McCain with 44.6% (1,506 votes) and other candidates with 1.7% (56 votes), among the 3,374 ballots cast by the borough's 4,704 registered voters, for a turnout of 71.7%.[83] In the
2004 presidential election, Republican
George W. Bush received 50.0% of the vote (1,649 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat
John Kerry with 48.4% (1,596 votes) and other candidates with 0.8% (35 votes), among the 3,297 ballots cast by the borough's 4,620 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 71.4.[84]
In the
2013 gubernatorial election, Republican
Chris Christie received 67.1% of the vote (1,316 cast), ahead of Democrat
Barbara Buono with 30.6% (600 votes), and other candidates with 2.3% (45 votes), among the 2,005 ballots cast by the borough's 4,547 registered voters (44 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 44.1%.[85][86] In the
2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 55.2% of the vote (1,284 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat
Jon Corzine with 34.3% (796 votes), Independent
Chris Daggett with 8.0% (185 votes) and other candidates with 1.2% (29 votes), among the 2,324 ballots cast by the borough's 4,544 registered voters, yielding a 51.1% turnout.[87]
As of May 2010[update], the borough had a total of 25.51 miles (41.05 km) of roadways, of which 18.70 miles (30.09 km) were maintained by the municipality, 4.96 miles (7.98 km) by Monmouth County and 1.85 miles (2.98 km) by the
New Jersey Department of Transportation.[97]
Route 35 and
Route 36 both pass through in the southern section. The
Garden State Parkway is just outside in both neighboring Aberdeen and Hazlet Townships at Exit 117.
Amy Lamé (born 1971 as Amy Caddle), performer, writer, TV and radio presenter, known for her one-woman shows, her performance group Duckie, and LGBT-themed media works[114]
Sayra Fischer Lebenthal (1898–1994), Wall Street banker credited with introducing the idea of selling small lots of municipal bonds to individual investors[115]
Raymond L. Wyckoff (1887–1939), politician, who served as Mayor of Keyport, member of the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders and as Monmouth County Clerk[119]
^Raum, John O.
The History of New Jersey: From Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time, Volume 1, p. 252, J. E. Potter and company, 1877. Accessed October 16, 2013. "Keyport is situated on Raritan bay about two miles from Middletown, and twenty two from New York, and is a place of resort for sea bathing in the summer season. From the town can be had a magnificent view of the bay, Staten Island, the Narrows, Sandy Hook, and the Ocean, which, on a pleasant day, exhibits a scene of great beauty studded with its myriad sails. There are numerous oyster beds of the finest quality in Chingarora creek, at this place. Population in 1870, 2,366."
^Bria, Amy.
"Oysters returned to bay in Keyport", Asbury Park Press, July 9, 2001. Accessed July 10, 2012. "Eighty years ago, Keyport produced more oysters for market than almost anywhere else in the world. But pollution and overfishing led to the depletion of the oyster in Raritan Bay off the shore of Keyport."
^Perez-Pena, Richard.
"New Jersey Halts Oyster Restoration Project", The New York Times, August 9, 2010. Accessed July 10, 2012. "A decade of efforts to restore marine life to the polluted Raritan Bay suffered a serious setback on Monday when, under orders from the state, an environmental group pulled up the oysters it had cultivated there.But after years of wrangling with the State Department of Environmental Protection, the group, NY/NJ Baykeeper, said it was not surrendering, just beating a tactical retreat."
^Staff.
"Keyport: A brief history", Asbury Park Press, March 16, 2000. Accessed July 10, 2012. "Aeromarine Plane and Motor Co. opens a factory in Keyport. It manufactures training planes for the Navy, so-called 'flying boats' used in the first sea-plane passenger service, and the first torpedo bomber."
^Heumiller, Keith.
"Keyport proposes changes to business cooperative"Archived 2013-10-17 at
archive.today, Independent, August 15, 2013. Accessed October 16, 2013. "A number of changes could be coming to the Keyport Bayfront Business Cooperative (KBBC), which manages the borough's business district.... The KBBC was established in late 2011 after the decertification of the borough's previous district management corporation — the Keyport Business Alliance (KBA), which borough officials said routinely clashed with the governing body."
^Governing Body, Borough of Keyport. Accessed January 16, 2023. "New Jersey laws regulating the borough form of municipal government are codified as Chapter 60 in Title 40A of the New Jersey Statutes (N.J.S.A. 40A:60-1 et seq,) which provides for a governing body that includes a Mayor and a six (6) member Borough Council. The Mayor is elected at large (by all voters in the Borough) for a term of four (4) years. Members of the Borough Council are elected at large to three (3) year terms which are arranged so the terms of two (2) members expire at the end of each calendar year."
^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."
^Keyport Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Keyport Public Schools. Accessed June 2, 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 twelve in the Keyport School District. Composition: The Keyport School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Keyport."
^Cheslow, Jerry.
"If You're Thinking of Living In/Union Beach, N.J.; Waterfront Borough Making a Comeback", The New York Times, May 5, 2002. Accessed January 13, 2015. "MOST Union Beach students go on to the 523-student Keyport High School in the neighboring borough of Keyport. A handful of students are accepted into Red Bank Regional High School, after passing admissions tests to its three specialized programs: visual and performing arts; information technology; and finance."
^Staff.
"Henry Ackerson of Jersey Court", The New York Times, December 11, 1970. Accessed June 28, 2016. "Justice Ackerson, who lived here at 116 Maple Place and had a summer place at Tupper Lake in the Adirondacks, was born in Holmdel."
^Hogue, Andy.
"Last but not least", Gainesville Daily Register, May 19, 2008. Accessed January 13, 2015. "Earle, who grew up and attended high school in Keyport, N.J., was not the youth group type."
^"Hand Confirmed For Judgeship; Union County State Senator, KHS Grad, To Superior Court", The Keyport Weekly, February 16, 1956. Accessed June 2, 2020. "Kenneth C. Hand, state senator from Union County, was confirmed by the upper legislative body in New Jersey on Thursday as a justice of the State Superior Court. Mr. Hand is a graduate of Keyport High School and was a borough resident when his father, the late Aaron W. Hand, was pastor of the First Baptist Church, Keyport."
^Peschek, David.
"Girlfriend In A Comedy: Amy Lame's Morrissey Show Unhappy Birthday", The Quietus, August 21, 2012. Accessed January 13, 2015. "AL It just so happened I'd finished university and there wasn't any reason for me to stay in New Jersey. [Q] Where in NJ? AL: A small town called Keyport. Not far from Asbury Park."
^Heinrich, Will.
"Pope.L, Provocative Performance Artist, Dies at 68", The New York Times, December 27, 2023. Accessed December 31, 2023. "Pope.L was born William Pope on June 28, 1955, in Newark to Lucille Lancaster and William Pope. He spent part of what he remembered as an unstable childhood in Keyport, N.J., and part of it in the East Village with his grandmother Desma Lancaster, an artist who showed quilt pieces at the Studio Museum in Harlem in the 1960s."