A Guide to Monmouth County NJ’s 53 Towns

Monmouth County is made up of 53 municipalities, from the Bayshore towns facing Sandy Hook Bay down the oceanfront to Brielle and west into horse and farm country. Here is a quick guide to the towns of Monmouth County, NJ, grouped by area, so you can find your way around the whole county.

The Bayshore

Towns: Aberdeen, Matawan, Keyport, Hazlet, Union Beach, Keansburg, Middletown, Atlantic Highlands and Highlands.

The northern edge of the county faces Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook Bay. Middletown takes in Lincroft, home of Thompson Park, and Locust, home of Huber Woods. Atlantic Highlands has the harbor and Carton Brewing, and Highlands sits under the bluff topped by the Twin Lights. Keyport, Keansburg and Union Beach are classic bayfront boroughs, and the paved Henry Hudson Trail links much of the Bayshore.

Red Bank and the Two River Area

Towns: Red Bank, Fair Haven, Little Silver, Rumson, Sea Bright, Monmouth Beach, Oceanport, Shrewsbury Borough, Shrewsbury Township, Tinton Falls, Eatontown and West Long Branch.

The Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers shape this part of the county. Red Bank is the downtown hub, with Broad Street shops and the Count Basie Center. Rumson, Fair Haven and Little Silver are riverfront residential towns, and Sea Bright and Monmouth Beach sit on the barrier strip between the river and the ocean. Tinton Falls is home to the Fort Monmouth Recreation Center, and West Long Branch is home to Monmouth University.

The Shore from Long Branch to Brielle

Towns: Long Branch, Deal, Allenhurst, Loch Arbour, Interlaken, Ocean Township, Asbury Park, Neptune Township, Neptune City, Bradley Beach, Avon-by-the-Sea, Belmar, Lake Como, Spring Lake, Spring Lake Heights, Sea Girt, Manasquan and Brielle.

This is the Monmouth County coastline most visitors know. Long Branch has Pier Village and Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park, and Asbury Park has Convention Hall, the Stone Pony and a downtown along Cookman Avenue. Ocean Grove, the Victorian seaside community, is part of Neptune Township. Farther south, Belmar, Spring Lake and Sea Girt run along the ocean, and Manasquan and Brielle sit on the Manasquan River where the county meets Ocean County.

Freehold and Central Monmouth

Towns: Freehold Borough, Freehold Township, Manalapan, Englishtown, Marlboro, Colts Neck, Holmdel, Howell, Farmingdale and Wall.

Freehold Borough is the county seat, with the Hall of Records on East Main Street and Federici’s down the block. Manalapan holds Monmouth Battlefield State Park, Holmdel has Holmdel Park and Bell Works, and Colts Neck is horse and farm country. Howell is home to the Manasquan Reservoir, and Wall covers Allaire Village and Shark River Park.

Western Monmouth

Towns: Millstone, Upper Freehold, Allentown and Roosevelt.

The western end of the county is its most rural. Upper Freehold includes Cream Ridge and Historic Walnford, Allentown is a small historic borough, and Millstone and Roosevelt round out the farm country on the way to Mercer County.

Getting Around the County

The Garden State Parkway runs north to south through the middle of the county, and Route 9 is the main road through Freehold, Manalapan and Howell. Route 35 links the shore towns, and Route 36 runs along the Bayshore toward Highlands and Sea Bright.

For town by town demographics and data, the Monmouth County Division of Planning publishes Municipal Market Reports for all 53 municipalities.

Monmouth County Municipal Market Reports