Brielle, New Jersey
Encyclopedia
Brielle is a Borough
Borough (New Jersey)
A borough in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government....

 located in southern Monmouth County
Monmouth County, New Jersey
Monmouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 630,380, up from 615,301 at the 2000 census. Its county seat is Freehold Borough. The most populous municipality is Middletown Township with...

, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

 along the Manasquan River
Manasquan River
The Manasquan River is a waterway in central New Jersey. It flows from central Monmouth County, beginning in Freehold Township, to the Atlantic Ocean, where it empties between the communities of Manasquan and Point Pleasant via the Manasquan Inlet. It widens greatly as it nears the ocean, making...

. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 4,774.

Brielle was formed as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature
New Jersey Legislature
The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the Senate...

 on April 10, 1919, from portions of Wall Township
Wall Township, New Jersey
Wall Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 26,164.Wall Township was formally incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 7, 1851...

, based on the results of a referendum passed on June 3, 1919.

Geography

Brielle is bordered to the north and east by the borough of Manasquan
Manasquan, New Jersey
-Government:Manasquan is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office and only...

, to the west by Wall Township
Wall Township, New Jersey
Wall Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 26,164.Wall Township was formally incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 7, 1851...

 and to the south by the borough of Point Pleasant Beach
Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey
Point Pleasant Beach is a Borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 4,665....

 across the Manasquan River. Route 35 runs through the middle of the town and Route 70 runs along its western edge. Its geographic coordinates are 40.108433°N 74.062222°W (40.108433, -74.062222).

The town is primarily a residential community of single homes, with a few condominiums; there are almost no undeveloped lots of land left. There are several businesses located along Union Avenue and Higgins Avenue and some marinas along the Manasquan River. Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Ripley's Believe It or Not! is a franchise, founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims...

 once stated that Brielle has "16 bars and no churches". It currently has one church, The Church in Brielle (formerly the Dutch Reformed Church
Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...

) and several restaurants that have a liquor license, but no true bars
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...

. There is also a 140 acre (0.5665604 km²) 18 hole Manasquan River Golf Club.

The town has approximately 6.4 kilometres (4 mi) of waterfront along the Manasquan River
Manasquan River
The Manasquan River is a waterway in central New Jersey. It flows from central Monmouth County, beginning in Freehold Township, to the Atlantic Ocean, where it empties between the communities of Manasquan and Point Pleasant via the Manasquan Inlet. It widens greatly as it nears the ocean, making...

, Glimmerglass, and Debbie's Creek, all of which are salt water and tidal
Tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the moon and the sun and the rotation of the Earth....

. Brielle's borders extend to an 8 acres (32,374.9 m²) island in the Manasquan River. According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the township has a total area of 2.37 square miles (6.1 km²), of which, 1.78 square miles (4.6 km²) of it is land and 0.59 square miles (1.5 km²) of it (24.9%) is water.

History

Archaeological excavations along what is now Birch Drive reveal temporary Lenape
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...

 Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

 settlements. The Lenape practiced farming in other parts of Monmouth County much of the year, and they visited this wooded area for hunting and fishing.

The area was originally part of Shrewsbury Township
Shrewsbury Township, New Jersey
Shrewsbury Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 1,141.-History:...

 and the first settlers were primarily farmers, and the area became known as Union Landing. In colonial times, salt was an important preservative, and before the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...

, most of it was imported from Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

. The Union Salt Works opened around the outbreak of the war, and on April 5, 1778, several British Loyalists
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...

 attacked and burned the salt works and other buildings. A year later, the salt works reopened and continued to operate through the duration of the war.

Early in the 19th century, Shrewsbury Township was divided, and the area became part of Howell Township
Howell Township, New Jersey
Howell is a Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 51,075.Howell Township was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 23, 1801, from portions of Shrewsbury Township...

 which was further divided in 1851, when the area became part of Wall Township
Wall Township, New Jersey
Wall Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 26,164.Wall Township was formally incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 7, 1851...

. On July 7, 1881, a group of businessmen purchased several acres of land and formed the Brielle Land Association with the intention of building vacation homes. The quaint riverside charm of the area reminded one of the developers of another pastoral town on a river which he had visited, Brielle
Brielle
Brielle , also called Den Briel is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland, on the north side of the island of Voorne-Putten, at the mouth of the New Maas. The municipality covers an area of 31.12 km² of which 3.63 km² is water...

, in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

,

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 4,893 people, 1,938 households, and 1,414 families residing in the borough. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 2,754.4 people per square mile (1,061.3/km2). There were 2,123 housing units at an average density of 1,195.1 per square mile (460.5/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 93.05% White, 3.52% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 1.61% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 1.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.31% of the population.

There were 1,938 households out of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.0% were non-families. 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the borough the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $178,368, and the median income for a family was $172,867. Males had a median income of $98,828 versus $72,156 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the borough was $105,785. About 2.6% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.9% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

Local government

Brielle is governed under the Borough
Borough (New Jersey)
A borough in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government....

 form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The Borough Council consists of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year.

, the Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 of the Borough of Brielle is Thomas B. Nicol. Members of the Brielle Borough Council are Council President # John V. Visceglia, Cort Gorham, Frank A. Garruzzo, Paul K. Nolan, Ann D. Scott and Timothy A. Shaak.

Federal, state, and county representation

Brielle is in the 4th Congressional district and is part of New Jersey's 11th state legislative district. The borough was relocated to the 30th state legislative district by the New Jersey Apportionment Commission
New Jersey Apportionment Commission
The New Jersey Apportionment Commission is a constitutionally-created ten-member commission responsible for apportioning the forty districts of the New Jersey Legislature. The commission is convened after each decennial U.S. Census, and the districts are to be in use for the legislative elections...

 based on the results of the 2010 Census. The new district is in effect for the June 2011 primary and the November 2011 general election, with the state senator and assembly members elected taking office in the new district as of January 2012.




Education

The Brielle School District
Brielle School District
The Brielle School District is a community public school district that serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade from Brielle, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States....

 serves public school students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. Brielle Elementary School had an enrollment of 729 students in the 2009–10 school year.

For grades 9–12, public school students attend Manasquan High School
Manasquan High School
Manasquan High School is a four-year comprehensive community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Manasquan, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Manasquan Public Schools...

 in Manasquan
Manasquan, New Jersey
-Government:Manasquan is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office and only...

, as part of a sending/receiving relationship
Sending/receiving relationship
A sending/receiving relationship is one in which a public school district sends some or all of its students to attend the schools of another district. This is often done to achieve costs savings in smaller districts or continues after districts have grown as part of a historical relationship...

 with the Manasquan Public Schools
Manasquan Public Schools
The Manasquan Public Schools are a comprehensive community public school district that serves students from Kindergarten through twelfth grade from Manasquan, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States....

.

The Brielle Public Library, which is located at 610 South Street, claims to have been the first library in New Jersey to have offered public access to the Internet.

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Brielle include:
  • Ben Kenney
    Ben Kenney
    Benjamin Lee Kenney, Sr. , is a musician from Brielle, NJ, and the bassist for the band Incubus.Ben Kenney played guitar for the hip-hop group The Roots before he joined Incubus in 2003 after the departure of bassist and founding member Alex Katunich aka Dirk Lance...

     (b. 1977), bass guitarist for the band Incubus
    Incubus (band)
    Incubus is an American rock band from Calabasas, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Mike Einziger, and drummer Jose Pasillas while enrolled in high school and later expanded to include bassist Alex "Dirk Lance" Katunich, and Gavin "DJ Lyfe" Koppell;...

    .
  • Frank Mundus
    Frank Mundus
    Frank Mundus was a sport fisherman at Montauk, New York who is said to be the inspiration for the character Quint in the movie and book Jaws...

     (1925–2008), shark hunter said to have inspired the character Quint in the movie Jaws
    Jaws (film)
    Jaws is a 1975 American horror-thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. In the story, the police chief of Amity Island, a fictional summer resort town, tries to protect beachgoers from a giant man-eating great white shark by closing the beach,...

    .
  • Nelson Rae
    Nelson Rae
    Nelson S. Rae was an American radio and stage actor who was killed in combat in World War II.-Life:Nelson Rae was born in New Jersey in 1915 to Mr and Mrs. William F. Rae and lived in Brielle, New Jersey. He began his acting career as a member of the St. Louis Municipal Opera Company...

     (1915–45), radio and stage actor killed during World War II.

External links

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