Monroe Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey
Monroe Township, New Jersey | |
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White oak tree known as "The Monroe Oak" Thompson Park greenbelt | |
| Nickname(s): "Tree City", "The Education City" | |
Monroe Township highlighted in Middlesex County | |
Census Bureau map of Monroe Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey.
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Location in Middlesex County Location in New Jersey | |
| Coordinates: 40°19′10″N 74°25′44″W / 40.319474°N 74.428802°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Middlesex |
| Incorporated | April 9, 1838 |
| Named after | James Monroe |
| Government | |
| • Type | Faulkner Act (mayor–council) |
| • Body | Township Council |
| • Mayor | Stephen Dalina (D, term ends December 31, 2027) |
| • Administrator | Alan Weinberg |
| • Municipal clerk | Christine Robbins |
| Area | |
• Total | 42.19 sq mi (109.26 km2) |
| • Land | 41.94 sq mi (108.63 km2) |
| • Water | 0.24 sq mi (0.63 km2) 0.58% |
| • Rank | 47th of 565 in state 1st of 25 in county |
| Elevation | 92 ft (28 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 48,594 |
• Estimate (2023) | 48,568 |
| • Rank | 41st of 565 in state 8th of 25 in county |
| • Density | 1,158.6/sq mi (447.3/km2) |
| • Rank | 365th of 565 in state 23rd of 25 in county |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT)) |
| ZIP Code | 08831 |
| Area code(s) | 609, 640, 732, and 848 |
| FIPS code | 3402347280 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0882159 |
| Website | www |
Monroe Township is a township located in southern Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is centrally located within the Raritan Valley region and is an outer-ring suburb of New York City within the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 48,594, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 9,462 (+24.2%) from the 39,132 recorded at the 2010 census, which in turn reflected an increase of 11,133 (+39.8%) from the 27,999 counted in the 2000 census. Monroe Township also comprises the largest land area of any municipality in Middlesex County, at approximately 42 square miles (110 km2).
Monroe Township was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 9, 1838, from portions of South Amboy Township, based on the results of a referendum held that same day. Portions of the township were taken to form East Brunswick (February 28, 1860), Cranbury (March 7, 1872), and Jamesburg (March 19, 1887).
There are several age-restricted communities in Monroe Township. Despite significant senior citizen population growth, the median age in Monroe has changed from 52.5 in 1990, increasing to 58.9 in 2000, before decreasing to 53.2 in 2010, as more growth recently has resulted from single-family detached homes than from senior citizen developments. Based upon analysis of data from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports for 2022 and 2023, Monroe Township was ranked as the safest small city in the United States.