West Freehold is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) within Freehold Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 census, the CDP's population was 13,596.
History
New Jersey became a colony of England on June 24, 1664, after the Duke of York granted a patent to Sir George Carteret and Lord John Berkely for what is now New Jersey.
West Freehold (also historically known as "Mount's Corner") was settled as early as the late seventeenth century primarily by English and Scottish Presbyterians, Baptists, and Quakers escaping religious persecution from Scotland and nearby New England. A major transportation artery that was located in West Freehold was the Burlington Path, a stagecoach route that connected Burlington, which was at the time the capital of West Jersey, and Perth Amboy, which was at the time the capital of East Jersey. Much of modern-day Monmouth Road/West Main Street (County Route 537) coincides in general direction and trajectory with this historic stagecoach route. Many colonial-era structures are still standing in the West Freehold Village Historic District, near the intersection of West Main Street and Stillwells Corner Road/Wemrock Road.
thumb|left|Moore's Tavern in the historic district of West Freehold since 1787
thumb|left|West Freehold schoolhouse
Levi Solomon Farmstead
thumb|right|Mount's Corner Historic Plaza with the Jewish Heritage Museum in the background
Freehold Township in its early days was a place of refuge for persecuted religious groups, such as Presbyterians, Baptists, and Quakers. The Solomon family were some of New Jersey's earliest Jewish settlers. They settled on a large piece of farmland, roughly where much of the present Mount's Corner Shopping Center is located, as early as 1720. During the Battle of Monmouth, their dwelling suffered significant damage from invading British troops. Luckily, matriarch Hannah Solomon, who was widowed, and her two sons were able to save their house after it was set on fire. Since then, the farmstead had been transferred/sold by multiple families, including Barclay, Reid, Bowne, Clark, Walker, Combs, Schanck, Hartshorne, and Oakley. At that time, Elizabeth Oakley was the last to inhabit the structure and was fascinated in the home's rich history. She worked hard to preserve it, having accomplished her life's goal in having the farm added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. Built in ca. 1850, it was owned and operated by a group of farmers living along the Burlington Path. The toll separated two sides of the two-lane stagecoach route: the side heading southwest towards Smithburg, known as the Freehold-Smithburg Turnpike, and the side heading northeast towards "Elk's Point" (what is now Freehold Borough).
thumb|right|The neighborhood of [[Stonehurst West, New Jersey|Stonehurst West at the intersection of Double Creek Parkway and Fern Avenue]]
Raintree is a mixed-use lifestyle center centrally located near County Route 537. The gated community features condominiums that were built in the 1980s and 1990s, along with a wide array of amenities offered to its residents. The Raintree Town Center is the shopping center in the area.
Demographics
West Freehold first appeared as a census designated place in the 1980 U.S. census. The median age was 43.6 years. 21.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 89.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 86.9 males age 18 and over.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
Of the 4,941 households, 35.9% had children under the age of 18; 61.0% were married couples living together; 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present and 26.9% were non-families. Of all households, 23.0% were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.26.
There were 4,659 households, out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.1% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.10. Major roads that run through the CDP include Monmouth Road/West Main Street (County Route 537) within the heart of the community and home to numerous businesses, Elton-Adelphia Road (County Route 524) on the community's southern edge near Turkey Swamp Park, U.S. Route 9, which also happens to feature numerous businesses, on the eastern edge, New Jersey Route 79 at the northeastern corner, and the New Jersey Route 33 freeway, known as the "Freehold Bypass", on the community's northern edge with interchanges at Wemrock Road, CR 537, and US 9/Route 79.
Healthcare
CentraState Medical Center is affiliated with Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. The facility has 287 beds and is part of CentraState Healthcare System, the county's fourth-largest employer. It is located on West Main Street (County Route 537).