Monmouth Beach is a borough in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, situated on the Jersey Shore in Central Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 3,174,

The area was first settled in 1668 and grew into a community with the arrival of the Long Branch and Sea Shore Railroad. Many early residents were professional fishermen with Norwegian backgrounds.

Monmouth Beach was incorporated from portions of Ocean Township as a borough on March 9, 1906, by an act of the New Jersey Legislature.

In 2023, the average home price according to Zillow was $974,409, which was up by 1.4% from the previous year.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 2.07 square miles (5.37&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>), including 1.04 square miles (2.70&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) of land and 1.03 square miles (2.67&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) of water (49.81%).

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the borough include Galilee. The Sea Bright–Monmouth Beach Seawall parallel to the ocean.

The borough is bordered by the Monmouth County communities of Little Silver, Long Branch, Oceanport, Rumson and Sea Bright.

Within Monmouth Beach are two beach clubs. These are Monmouth Beach Bathing Pavilion, known to locals as "Little Monmouth", and Monmouth Beach Bath and Tennis Club, also known as "Big Monmouth". These spacious beach clubs equipped with pool and beach access. They have lockers, activities, swim teams, and more. Many locals and area residents attend these beach clubs.

Monmouth Beach offers fishing, as well as surfable waves. The Shrewsbury River, which borders the borough, offers sailing, kayaking, and fishing. The great majority of the borough of Monmouth Beach is residential. Places to go within the area include the many restaurants, lounges, and bars in West End, and Pier Village in Long Branch. Other notable locations include Red Bank, and the numerous beaches all along the shore towns to the north and south such as Asbury Park.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Monmouth Beach had a population of 3,174. The median age was 54.3 years. 15.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 28.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.7 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,452 households in Monmouth Beach, of which 18.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.3% were married-couple households, 17.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census

There were 1,633 households, out of which 23.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.89. The borough is one of 30 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use the commission form of government. The governing body is comprised of a three-member commission, whose members are elected at-large in non-partisan elections to serve four-year terms of office on a concurrent basis in elections held every four years as part of the May municipal election.

, members of the Borough Commission are

Mayor David F. Stickle (Commissioner of Public Affairs and Public Safety),

Lawrence M. Bolsch (Commissioner of Revenue and Finance) and

Timothy Somers (Commissioner of Public Works, Parks and Public Property), whose terms of office end concurrently as of May 13, 2025.

Federal, state and county representation

Monmouth Beach is located in the 6th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 13th state legislative district.

Politics

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As of March 2011, there were a total of 2,550 registered voters in Monmouth Beach, of which 605 (23.7%) were registered as Democrats, 742 (29.1%) were registered as Republicans and 1,200 (47.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 3 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.

In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 62.5% of the vote (1,132 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 36.6% (662 votes), and other candidates with 0.9% (16 votes), among the 1,826 ballots cast by the borough's 2,620 registered voters (16 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 69.7%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 57.3% of the vote (1,196 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 40.1% (837 votes) and other candidates with 1.2% (24 votes), among the 2,086 ballots cast by the borough's 2,725 registered voters, for a turnout of 76.6%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 60.3% of the vote (1,270 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry with 38.8% (817 votes) and other candidates with 0.7% (19 votes), among the 2,107 ballots cast by the borough's 2,813 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 74.9.

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In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 78.7% of the vote (917 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 20.2% (235 votes), and other candidates with 1.1% (13 votes), among the 1,181 ballots cast by the borough's 2,557 registered voters (16 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 46.2%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 65.1% of the vote (1,015 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 28.4% (443 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 5.5% (86 votes) and other candidates with 0.4% (7 votes), among the 1,559 ballots cast by the borough's 2,621 registered voters, yielding a 59.5% turnout.

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Education

Public school students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade are served by the Monmouth Beach School District at Monmouth Beach School. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 236 students and 26.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 8.9:1. Karen Ginty, a kindergarten teacher at Monmouth Beach Elementary School for 33 years, was named the 2006–2007 New Jersey State Teacher of the Year.

Public school students in ninth through twelfth grades attend Shore Regional High School, a regional high school that also serves students from the constituent districts of Oceanport, Sea Bright and West Long Branch. The high school is located in West Long Branch and is part of the Shore Regional High School District. As of the 2018–19 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 649 students and 57.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.3:1. Seats on the high school district's nine-member board of education are allocated based on the population of the constituent municipalities, with one seat assigned to Monmouth Beach.

Public school students from Monmouth Beach, and all of Monmouth County, are eligible to apply to attend the schools of the Monmouth County Vocational School District.

Transportation

Roads and highways

thumb|[[New Jersey Route 36|Route 36 (Ocean Avenue) in Monmouth Beach]]

, the borough had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality and by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Route 36 (Ocean Avenue) is the main highway serving Monmouth Beach. Route 36 connects the borough to Long Branch on the south and Sea Bright to the north.

Public transportation

The SeaStreak ferry route to Wall Street and the East Side of Manhattan in New York City is a 10–15 minute drive to Atlantic Highlands / Highlands.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Monmouth Beach has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa). Cfa climates are characterized by all months having an average temperature above , at least four months with an average temperature at or above , at least one month with an average temperature at or above and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. Although most summer days are slightly humid with a cooling afternoon sea breeze in Monmouth Beach, episodes of heat and high humidity can occur with heat index values above . Since 1981, the highest air temperature was on August 9, 2001, and the highest daily average mean dew point was on July 19, 2019. The average wettest month is July which correlates with the peak in thunderstorm activity. Since 1981, the wettest calendar day was on August 27, 2011. During the winter months, the average annual extreme minimum air temperature is . Since 1981, the coldest air temperature was on January 22, 1984. Episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill values below . The average seasonal (November–April) snowfall total is , and the average snowiest month is February which corresponds with the annual peak in nor'easter activity.

Ecology

According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types, Monmouth Beach would have a dominant vegetation type of Appalachian Oak (104) with a dominant vegetation form of Eastern Hardwood Forest (25). The plant hardiness zone is 7a with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of . The average date of first spring leaf-out is March 24 and fall color typically peaks in early-November.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Monmouth Beach include:

  • William Warren Barbour (1888–1943), represented New Jersey in the United States Senate from 1931 to 1937
  • Warren A. Croll Jr. (1920-2008), retired Hall of Fame Thoroughbred race horse trainer
  • William Fargo (1818–1881), founder of Wells Fargo
  • Jim Garrett (1930–2018), NFL football player and coach
  • Kim Guadagno (born 1959), former Monmouth Beach commissioner, elected sheriff of Monmouth County, New Jersey and first Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey
  • Jay Gould (1836–1892), railroad magnate and financial speculator, often described as a robber baron
  • Garret Hobart (1844–1899), United States vice president
  • Frederick K. Humphreys (1816–1900), physician and the founder of Humphreys Homeopathic Medicine Company
  • Guglielmo Marconi (1874–1937), wireless radio pioneer
  • Priscilla Ransohoff (1912–1992), military education specialist and advocate for women in science and federal employment.
  • Brian Wenning (born 1981), professional skateboarder

References

  • Borough of Monmouth Beach official website
  • Monmouth Beach School
  • School Data for the Monmouth Beach School, National Center for Education Statistics
  • Shore Regional High School