Tinton Falls, New Jersey


Tinton Falls is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 17,892, an increase of 2,839 from the 15,053 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 2,692 from the 12,361 counted in the 1990 Census.
The borough was formed as New Shrewsbury by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on August 15, 1950, based on the results of a referendum held on July 18, 1950, after breaking away from Shrewsbury Township. It was renamed "Tinton Falls" in 1975, to avoid postal errors. The name came from Lewis Morris's plantation, Tinton Manor, which employed free white workers and slaves. The borough is home to the highest waterfall on New Jersey's coastal plain.

History

The area that is now known as Tinton Falls was originally settled in the late 1600s, probably beginning with the initial land purchases from the Lenni Lenape Native Americans in 1664. Water power and iron ore were likely the incentives that encouraged settlement: shortly after , a man by the name of James Grover had an ironworks built along the river. Grover was likely the founder of the community, which, in the 1600s, was named "New Shrewsbury". At this time, the waterfall was known to be about high; erosion and the destruction of the dam near the ironworks have led to its diminishment.

The ironworks

Grover's ironworks was the central fixture of the community, and it was one of the oldest built in the country, predated only by buildings in Jamestown and Massachusetts. In 1675, a half-interest in the ironworks company was purchased by Colonel Lewis Morris, . Morris also obtained land owned by Bartholomew Applegate, who had built a corn mill on the other side of the river. Morris, who procured the land for iron mining, named his holdings "Tintern Manor," after his family lands in Monmouthshire, England. Tintern Abbey, located in Monmouthshire, Wales, is often accepted as the namesake of Tinton Falls. In 1691, Colonel Morris died, leaving the ironworks and Tinton Manor to his nephew of the same name. By 1714, the ironworks had become less profitable, but mention of a Tinton Falls ironworks can be found as late as 1844. Morris brought in dozens of African slaves to mine the ore resulting in the nickname the "Iron Plantation", with the highest number of slaves being in Tinton Falls at that time in the colony of New Jersey, though in the mid-18th century it had the largest number of emancipated slaves in the 13 colonies, as residents followed the preaching of abolitionist John Woolman.

Separation from Shrewsbury Township

In 1693, Tinton Manor and the surrounding lands were defined as part of Shrewsbury Township. At this time, Shrewsbury included all of the land in eastern Monmouth County, but saw the departure of a large number of new municipalities over the years, including the borough of Shrewsbury in 1926. In July 1950, Tinton Falls and Wayside left Shrewsbury Twp., renaming themselves the Borough of New Shrewsbury. To avoid postal confusion and mix-ups with the surrounding borough and township of Shrewsbury, the residents of New Shrewsbury voted to rename the community as "The Borough of Tinton Falls" in 1975.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, Tinton Falls borough had a total area of 15.623 square miles, including 15.487 square miles of land and 0.136 square miles of water.
Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the borough include Wayside. Green Grove, Hockhockson, Macedonia, Pine Brook, Reevytown, West Shrewsbury and Wileys Corner are other unincorporated communities located partly or completely within the borough.
The borough borders the Monmouth County municipalities of Colts Neck Township, Eatontown, Middletown Township, Neptune Township, Ocean Township, Red Bank, Shrewsbury, Shrewsbury Township and Wall Township.

Demographics

Census 2010

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that median household income was $78,894 and the median family income was $99,231. Males had a median income of $72,478 versus $53,956 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $40,149. About 3.2% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.2% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.

Census 2000

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 15,053 people, 5,883 households, and 3,976 families residing in the borough. The population density was 965.7 people per square mile. There were 6,211 housing units at an average density of 398.4 per square mile. The racial makeup of the borough was 78.80% White, 13.04% African American, 0.24% Native American, 4.96% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.04% from other races, and 1.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.70% of the population.
There were 5,883 households, out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families. 27.2% 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 2.51 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the borough the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 36.4% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $68,697, and the median income for a family was $79,773. Males had a median income of $58,098 versus $37,857 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $31,520. About 2.6% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Jersey Shore Premium Outlets is an outdoor shopping mall that opened in November 2008 with 120 outlet stores and a food court, offering a gross leasable area of.
The Tinton Falls Solar Farm is a 28.5-megawatt solar photovoltaic power plant covering, that contains 85,000 ground-mounted solar panels that has been the state's largest and was New Jersey's largest and one of the largest solar farms in the northeast United States at the time of its construction.
Commvault Systems, founded in 1996, is a publicly traded data management and information management software company. Commvault's global headquarters are in Tinton Falls.

Parks and recreation

Overlook by the Falls, located near the town's waterfalls, is a wildlife area where trails have been added to allow visitors to view the falls and the local fauna.
Borough parks include Hockhockson Park, with three baseball fields and basketball courts, Liberty II Park, with two football fields, a softball field and basketball courts, Riverdale West Park, with two soccer fields and a basketball court and the Sycamore Recreation Complex, which offers six lighted multi-purpose fields, among the borough's other parks and recreation facilities. Hance Park in the Bowl is the center of where real ones stay.
Shark River Park, the first included in the Monmouth County Park System when it was established in 1961, covers along the Shark River in portions of Tinton Falls, Neptune Township and Wall Township.
The Twin Brook Golf Center is a public 9-hole golf course, 18-hole miniature golf course, and driving range.

Government

Local government

The Borough of Tinton Falls operates under the Faulkner Act, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, using the Mayor-Council form of municipal government, implemented by direct petition as of July 1, 1985. The borough is one of 71 of 565 municipalities statewide governed under this form. The governing body is comprised of a mayor and a borough council. The Mayor is the chief executive officer of the Borough and is elected for a four-year term. The Borough Council is the legislative body, made up of five members elected at-large for four-year terms on a staggered basis, with either two or three seats up for election every other year as part of the November general election, with the mayoral seat up for vote at the same time that two council seats are being chosen by voters. A business administrator reports to, and may act on behalf of the Mayor, in the Mayor's absence. The Borough Council voted in May 2010 to shift its non-partisan elections from May to the November general election, as part of an effort to increase participation of voters and to cut costs associated with the May elections, with savings estimated at nearly $100,000 during the first decade after the change was implemented in the November 2011 vote.
, the mayor of Tinton Falls is Vito Perillo, whose term of office ends December 31, 2021. Perillo, a 93-year-old World War II veteran and former engineer who won the non-partisan race by a 2,600–2,300 margin in his first run for elected office, ran on a platform of lowering taxes and improving transparency. Members of the Borough Council are Council President Tracy A. Buckley, Deputy Council President Risa Clay, John A. Manginelli, Michael J. Nesci and Brock Siebert.

Emergency services

The borough is protected by the Tinton Falls Police Department, led by Chief John A. Scrivanic.
Tinton Falls is covered by four fire companies, split into two fire districts. Wayside Fire Company, founded in 1919, and Pinebrook Fire Company are in Fire District 1. Tinton Falls Fire Company No. 1, established in 1932, and Northside Engine Company, founded in 1955, which make up Fire District 2.

Federal, state and county representation

Tinton Falls is located in the 4th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 11th state legislative district. Prior to the 2011 reapportionment following the 2010 Census, Tinton Falls had been in the 12th state legislative district. Prior to the 2010 Census, Tinton Falls had been part of the, a change made by the New Jersey Redistricting Commission that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections.

Politics

As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 12,196 registered voters in Tinton Falls, of which 3,425 were registered as Democrats, 2,731 were registered as Republicans and 6,033 were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 7 voters registered to other parties.
In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 51.9% of the vote, ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 46.9%, and other candidates with 1.2%, among the 9,286 ballots cast by the borough's 12,714 registered voters, for a turnout of 73.0%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 51.9% of the vote, ahead of Republican John McCain with 45.9% and other candidates with 1.1%, among the 9,763 ballots cast by the borough's 12,498 registered voters, for a turnout of 78.1%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 50.7% of the vote, outpolling Democrat John Kerry with 48.0% and other candidates with 0.6%, among the 8,825 ballots cast by the borough's 11,432 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 77.2.
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 67.7% of the vote, ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 31.3%, and other candidates with 1.0%, among the 5,696 ballots cast by the borough's 12,784 registered voters, for a turnout of 44.6%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 56.9% of the vote, ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 35.1%, Independent Chris Daggett with 6.6% and other candidates with 0.8%, among the 6,576 ballots cast by the borough's 12,354 registered voters, yielding a 53.2% turnout.

Education

Public school students in kindergarten through eighth grade attend the three schools in the Tinton Falls School District, together with students from the neighboring community of Shrewsbury Township and the dependent children of military families based at Naval Weapons Station Earle. All three of the district's schools are located in Tinton Falls. Shrewsbury Township is represented with one seat out of nine on the district's board of education. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of three schools, had an enrollment of 1,447 students and 150.1 classroom teachers, for a student–teacher ratio of 9.6:1. Schools in the district are
Mahala F. Atchison Elementary School with 494 students in grades K-3,
Swimming River Elementary School with 458 students in grades 4-5 and
Tinton Falls Middle School with 492 students in grades 6-8.
Students in public school for ninth through twelfth grades attend Monmouth Regional High School, located in Tinton Falls. The school also serves students from Eatontown, Tinton Falls and Naval Weapons Station Earle. As of the 2018–19 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 972 students and 91.0 classroom teachers, for a student–teacher ratio of 10.7:1. Seats on the high school district's nine-member board of education are allocated based on the populations of the constituent municipalities, with five seats assigned to Tinton Falls.
Students may also apply to attend one of the magnet schools in the Monmouth County Vocational School District – Marine Academy of Science and Technology, Academy of Allied Health & Science, High Technology High School, Biotechnology High School, and Communications High School.
Ranney School is a coeducational, nonsectarian K-12 private school founded in 1960; its campus occupies off of Hope Road. Trinity Hall is an all-girls independent high school in the Catholic tradition, founded in 2013.

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the borough had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Monmouth County, by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.
Major highways passing through Tinton Falls include the Garden State Parkway, Route 18, Route 33, and Route 66. Tinton Falls houses exits 100, 102, 105, and 109 on the parkway, including a high-speed toll gate, and the southern start/end of the express and local carriageways, although the borough is listed only on signs for exit 105.
Major county roads that pass through Tinton Falls are County Route 537 which crosses the northern portion of the borough from Colts Neck Township in the west to Eatontown in the east, and County Route 547, which enters from Wall Township at the borough's southwest corner and proceeds northeast towards Eatontown.
Other limited access road that are accessible outside the borough include Interstate 195 in neighboring Wall Township.

Public transportation

offers train service on the North Jersey Coast Line at the nearby Red Bank station. NJ Transit local bus service is available on the 836 and 838 routes.

Points of interest

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Tinton Falls include: