Howell Township is a township in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is the largest municipality in the county by total area, comprising about . As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 53,537,

History

Founding and early history (19th century)

Howell Township was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 23, 1801, from portions of Shrewsbury Township. Portions of the township were later taken to form Brick Township in the newly created Ocean County (February 15, 1850), Wall Township (March 7, 1851) and Farmingdale (April 8, 1903). The township was named for Richard Howell, who served from 1794 to 1801 as the third Governor of New Jersey.

Initially founded by Benjamin Howell as the Monmouth Furnace, engineer and philanthropist James P. Allaire purchased and expanded the facility in 1822, renaming it to the Howell Works; this facility harvested and processed bog iron to provide pig iron for Allaire Iron Works, which was a leading supplier of iron in the 19th century. Allaire Village was a bustling mill town at the height of the mining operations, and which has since been preserved alongside the remains of the Howell Works facility as Allaire State Park, located within Howell and neighboring Wall Township.

21st century

Some scenes for the War of the Worlds 2005 remake were filmed here, and a neighborhood called Ardena Acres was recreated as a set and left standing in Universal Studios Hollywood.

At around 8:05 p.m. EST on March 28th, 2007, a Piper PA-28 registered as N33521 crashed in a wooded area inside the Ramtown section of the township while on approach to Monmouth Executive Airport, killing the 70-year old pilot, Eugene R. Pilot of Neptune Township, New Jersey; Pilot was the only occupant onboard. The NTSB determined that Pilot most likely suffered a stroke or mini-stroke while flying, causing him to become spatially disoriented.

In June 2017, two separate tornadoes, both rated EF0 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, struck minutes and miles apart. The first one struck the Fort Plains area, damaging a Home Depot, Chase Bank, a strip mall, and a local ice cream parlor. The second one struck a park in the Oak Glen area.

Roughly six years later in April 2023, a tornado rated EF-2 struck Howell and neighboring Jackson Township near the Aldrich Road area. The National Weather Service confirmed that the tornado was 50 yards wide and 1.4 miles in length. It was one of the strongest tornadoes to have hit the state, as it was part of four separate powerful tornadoes that had also impacted the state that same day.

Alleged ethnic profiling by local officials

On July 25th 2025, former Township Manager Joseph Clark filed a lawsuit, alleging that Mayor John Leggio, Councilman Ian Nadel, and other local officials had suggested new local ordinances that would have required tenants in the township to provide proof of residency in order to approve Certificates of Occupancy (CO), as well as measures to cross-reference local arrest records with a CO registry, a move alleged to racially profile undocumented Hispanic renters. Clark resigned from his role 2 weeks prior, on July 11th.

On September 5th 2025, then-Deputy Township Manager Matthew Howard filed a similar suit in the New Jersey Superior Court, alleging that the township "weaponize housing regulations to punish individuals based on their ethnicity, immigration status, and/or perceived national origin". Howard resigned from his role later that month.

Both suits alleged that Mayor John Leggio and Councilman Ian Nadel suggested searching through residents' garbage in an effort to find bottles of Modelo, a Mexican beer brand, to target Hispanic residents.

Ramtown (with a 2020 Census population of 6,329) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Howell Township.

Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Adelphia, Ardena, Ardmore Estates, Bergerville, Candlewood, Collingwood Park, Fairfield, Fort Plains, Freewood Acres, Jerseyville, Lake Club, Land of Pines, Larrabees, Lippencotts Corner, Lower Squankum, Matthews, Maxim, Oak Glen, Parkway Pines, Salem Hill, Shacks Corner, Southard, Squankum, West Farms, Winston Park, Wyckoff Mills and Yellow Brook.

The township completely surrounds Farmingdale, making it part of 21 pairs of "doughnut towns" in the state, where one municipality entirely surrounds another. The township borders Colts Neck, Freehold Township and Wall Township in Monmouth County; and Brick, Jackson and Lakewood in Ocean County.

Ecology

According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types, Howell Township would predominantly feature an Appalachian Oak (type 104) vegetation type, with an Eastern Hardwood Forest (vegetation form 25).

Howell is located within the Outer Coastal Plain ecoregion of New Jersey, characterized by sandy soils and a mix of pine-oak forests and wetlands. Its natural ecosystems include upland oak-hickory woodlands, pine barrens transition zones, and freshwater marshes. These habitats support white-tailed deer, red foxes, wild turkeys, box turtles, and amphibians like spring peepers and wood frogs.

The Manasquan Reservoir, a 1,204-acre site operated by the Monmouth County Park System, is one of Howell’s most ecologically significant areas. It provides habitat for nesting bald eagles, ospreys, great blue herons, and migratory waterfowl. The park also features native wetland plant species, reforested buffer zones, and interpretive trails for conservation education.

Bear Swamp Natural Area, located along Maxim-Southard Road, is a forested wetland that supports a mix of red maple, tupelo, and sweetgum trees, and functions as a critical recharge area for the township’s aquifer. Local conservation groups have identified it as a biodiversity hotspot and a priority for habitat protection.

The Howell Environmental Commission works with local and regional partners to preserve open space, implement native planting projects, and maintain an index of environmentally sensitive lands. In 2022, the township adopted a resolution endorsing New Jersey's Wildlife Action Plan to guide long-term stewardship of native habitats and species.

The Bog Creek Farm Superfund site is an EPA-designated Superfund site located on County Road 547 in the township.

Major bodies of water

The township is uniquely located in the center of the state New Jersey, located on a ridge within Central Jersey. As such, northern sections of the township fall within the hillier terrain and fertile soil found in the Inner coastal plain, while southern sections of the township fall within the more flat terrain and sandier soil found in the Outer coastal plain. The township is located within the sphere of influence of the Jersey Shore, while also being located relatively near the Raritan Bayshore, the Raritan Valley, and the Pine Barrens. Notable bodies of water inside the township include:

Lakes

  • Manasquan Reservoir
  • Aldrich Lake
  • Echo Lake
  • Lake Louise

Rivers

  • Manasquan River (Raritan River watershed)
  • Metedeconk River (Barnegat Bay watershed)
  • North Branch Metedeconk River
  • South Branch Metedeconk River
  • Swimming River (Navesink River watershed)
  • Mine Brook

Demographics