Middletown Township is a township in northern Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township was the state's 20th-most-populous municipality and the largest in the county,Table1. New Jersey Counties and Most Populous Cities and Townships: 2020 and 2010 Censuses, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Accessed December 1, 2022. with a population of 67,106, an increase of 584 (+0.9%) from the 2010 census count of 66,522, which in turn reflected an increase of 195 residents (0.3%) from its population of 66,327 at the 2000 census, when it was the state's 17th-most-populous municipality.The Counties and Most Populous Cities and Townships in 2010 in New Jersey: 2000 and 2010, United States Census Bureau. Accessed March 12, 2012.Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023.

Middletown is a bedroom community of New York City, located alongside of the Raritan Bay within the Raritan Valley Region in the New York area.Capuzzo, Jill P. "Living In; Middletown, N.J.: Plenty of Space, and a Slower Pace", The New York Times, Published: October 17, 2018. Accessed May 14, 2023. Due to its affluence, low crime, access to cultural activities, public school system, location at the Jersey Shore and Raritan Bayshore, and central commuting location, Middletown was ranked in 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2014 in the Top 100 in CNNMoney.com's Best Places to Live.Best places to live 2006: New Jersey, CNNMoney.com. Accessed October 17, 2006.Best places to live 2008: New Jersey, CNNMoney.com. Accessed January 10, 2011.Best places to live 2010: New Jersey, CNNMoney.com. Accessed January 10, 2011.Brown, Caitlin. "Money Magazine Names Middletown One of Best Places to Live in Northeast Region; Middletown was the only town named in Monmouth and Ocean Counties.", Middletown Patch, October 8, 2014. Accessed May 1, 2015. "A low crime rate, great schools, and access to an abundance of cultural and leisure activities are among the reasons that Money magazine has recognized Middletown as one of the best places to live in New Jersey and the Northeast Region in particular, said Mayor Stephanie C. Murray." Time magazine listed Middletown on its list of "Best Places to Live 2014"., Time, September 9, 2014. Accessed May 1, 2015.

In 2016, SafeWise named Middletown Township as the fifth-safest city in America to raise a child; the township was the highest ranked of the 12 communities in New Jersey included on the list.Maurer, Caroline. "The 30 Safest Cities to Raise a Child – 2016", SafeWise, June 27, 2016. Accessed August 22, 2016.

History Small communities of the Lenape Navesink tribe were common throughout the area when the first known European landing in what would become Middletown Township occurred in 1609. Sea captain and explorer Henry Hudson, in search of the mythical Northwest Passage in the service of the Dutch West India Company, anchored along the shores of Sandy Hook Bay in 1609, describing the area "a very good land to fall in with and a pleasant land to see." While a patroonship was granted by the company in 1651 the land wasn't officially settled. Today's Shoal Harbor Museum and Old Spy House includes portions of a house constructed by Thomas Whitlock, one of the area's first European settlers (and a Reformed Baptist at Middletown) who arrived here as early as 1664, around the time of the English takeover of New Netherland as a prelude of the Second Anglo-Dutch War. Long-standing tradition had Penelope Stout, one of the first settlers, hiding in a tree from hostile Native Americans.Stockton, Frank R. Story of Penelope Stout. Accessed June 5, 2007.

Shortly after the Dutch surrender of the New Netherland to the English in 1664 a large tract of land known as the Navesink Patent or Monmouth Tract was granted to Baptist and Quaker settlers from Long Island, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. In 1693 the triangular tract became three townships – Middletown Township, Shrewsbury Township and Freehold Township.Salter's History of Monmouth and Ocean Counties New Jersey: The First Legislative Assembly in New Jersey.

During the American Revolutionary War, Middletown and much of the rest of Eastern Monmouth County was held by the British. After the Battle of Monmouth, the British retreat from Freehold Township carried them down King's Highway through Middletown to their embarkation points at Sandy Hook in the bay, heading back to New York City.Jordan, Bob. , Asbury Park Press, November 15, 2001. Accessed June 29, 2012. "It was originally part of the Minisink Indian Trail and was later the route followed by British troops after their defeat at the Battle of Monmouth."

Middletown Township was originally formed on October 31, 1693, and was incorporated as a township by the Township Act of 1798 of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798. Portions of the township were taken to form Atlantic Township (February 8, 1847, now Colts Neck Township), Raritan Township (February 25, 1848, now Hazlet), Atlantic Highlands (February 28, 1887), Highlands (March 22, 1900) and Keansburg (March 22, 1917).Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606–1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 182. Accessed May 30, 2024.

Upon the completion of a railroad junction in 1875, the town grew more rapidly, eventually changing from a group of small and loosely connected fishing and agricultural villages into a fast-growing suburb at the turn of the 20th century. If Middletown ever had a recognizable town center or town square, it was lost in that rapid growth soon after World War II.

In May 1958, several Nike Ajax missiles exploded at Battery NY-53 in Chapel Hill, killing ten Army and civilian personnel. The accident was one of the worst missile-related disasters of the Cold War.Passeggio, Alyssa. "Fifty years later, residents remember M'town explosion", The Courier May 29, 2008. May 31, 2008.Becker, Bill. "Experts Seeking Clues To Blast; Comb Nike Area in Wake of Explosion That Killed 10 – Meyner Gets Assurances", The New York Times, May 24, 1958. Accessed June 29, 2012. "An Army board of inquiry and ordnance experts combed the Nike launching base near Middletown, N. J., yesterday for clues to the cause of the eight-missile explosion that took ten lives Thursday."

During the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, Middletown lost 37 of its residents at the World Trade Center,World Trade Center Memorial Gardens, Middletown Township. Accessed June 27, 2022. "Construction began with a groundbreaking ceremony on September 10, 2002. The Memorial Gardens were opened to the public on September 11, 2003." which was the second-most 9/11 deaths of any municipality, behind New York City itself.Rogin, Ali. "Middletown lost the most residents on 9/11 after NYC. Here’s how the community is healing", PBS News Hour, September 7, 2021. Accessed June 27, 2022. "One hundred and forty-seven county residents died that day, their names inscribed on the monument's base; 37 were from Middletown, the most of any municipality outside of New York City."Baldwin, Carly. "Middletown WTC Memorial Garden Receives 9/11 Survivor Tree", Middletown, NJ Patch, May 17, 2022. Accessed June 27, 2022. ""Erminio, Vinessa. "Faces of the New Jersey victims of Sept. 11: A tribute in photos to 734 victims with ties to the Garden State", nj.com, September 11, 2021. Accessed July 2, 2023. The World Trade Center Memorial Gardens were opened to the public on September 11, 2003, the second anniversary of the attacks.

The Waterfront site of Naval Weapons Station Earle is located in Leonardo on Sandy Hook Bay, and is used to load ammunition onto ships on a finger pier that stretches for , making it the world's second-longest such pier.Getting Here, Naval Weapons Station Earle. Accessed June 29, 2012. "NWS Earle's Waterfront site, which boasts the second longest finger pier in the world, is located on Sandy Hook Bay adjacent to the town of Leonardo. The entrance to the Waterfront is off New Jersey State Highway 36. The 2.9-mile finger pier complex, the only one of its type in the United States, is outfitted with excellent rail and truck accommodations."

The "Evil Clown of Middletown" is a towering sign along Route 35 painted to resemble a circus clown, that currently advertises a liquor store. The sign is a remnant of an old supermarket that used to be at that location called "Food Circus". The clown and recent successful attempts from residents to save it from demolition have been featured in the pages of Weird NJ magazine, on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and in the Kevin Smith-directed film Clerks II.Opinion. , Asbury Park Press, July 17, 2011. Accessed June 29, 2012. "According to the current issue of Weird N.J. magazine, the Circus Foodtown Co., which owns the property on which the Evil Clown stands, is marketing a line of T-shirts featuring a depiction of what the magazine refers to as 'his evilness.'"

The Indian Trails 15K road race was held each year in April to benefit the Monmouth Conservation Foundation and included a 5K walk/run event for fun. The race, run on a combination on paved and dirt roads, included many relatively steep hills and had been described as "the most challenging race in the state".Staff. , Daily Record, March 26, 2006. Accessed June 29, 2012. "One of my favorites is the Indian Trails 15K in Middletown on Sunday, April 2nd. With its extreme hills, it has to be the most challenging race in the state, and also the most fun if you are a good downhill runner."

The Middletown Township Historical Society is a non-profit formed in 1968 to preserve and promote the history of Middletown.About the Middletown Township Historical Society

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Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 58.72 square miles (152.09 km2), including 40.95 square miles (106.06 km2) of land and 17.78 square miles (46.04 km2) of water (30.27%).

Belford (2020 Census population of 1,648), Fairview (3,731), Leonardo (2,549), Lincroft (7,060), Navesink (2,004), North Middletown (3,146) and Port Monmouth (3,745) are all census-designated places and unincorporated communities located within Middletown Township.GCT-PH1 – Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 – County – County Subdivision and Place from the 2010 Census Summary File 1 for Monmouth County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 7, 2012.2006–2010 American Community Survey Geography for New Jersey, United States Census Bureau. Accessed June 29, 2012.New Jersey: 2010 – Population and Housing Unit Counts – 2010 Census of Population and Housing (CPH-2-32), United States Census Bureau, August 2012. Accessed November 22, 2012.

Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Browns Dock, Chapel Hill, East Keansburg, Everett, Fort Hancock, Harmony, Headdons Corner, Hendrickson Corners, Highland Park, Highlands Beach, Highlands of Navesink, Holland, Leonardville, Locust, Locust Point, Monmouth Hills, New Monmouth, Normandie, Oak Hill, Philips Mills, Red Hill, River Plaza, Stone Church, Tiltons Corner, Town Brook, Waterwitch Park and Wilmont Park.Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed May 1, 2015.

The Sandy Hook peninsula is also within Middletown Township, though it is not connected to the rest of the township by land. However, one could sail along Raritan Bay from the mainland to Sandy Hook and remain within Middletown Township.Per "Thinking", 1995: "During the Revolutionary War, the British held Sandy Hook, a seven-mile finger of land in Raritan Bay that is part of Middletown even though it is not connected to the municipality."