Monmouth

Formed March 7, 1683 (5^th county)

Monmouth County (643,608), Freehold (12,537), Long Branch (31,657)

The masonry facility was built in 1955.  It sits on Court Street near Haley Street.  United States Highway 9 is seven blocks to the west of the site.  James W. Mancuso is the designer.  The building has been enlarged in 1968 and 1980 and renovated in 1981.  The facility features columns and Lady Justice sits in front.  There were 1730 and 1874 versions of the courthouse earlier in Freehold.  Perth Amboy was the county seat until 1708.  An 1874 Hall of Records augments the courthouse.  The county is an original county (5^th county) formed on March 7, 1683.  The county was named for Monmouthshire, Wales.  Freehold is from the English term for “free simple property ownership.”  Monmouth County was the birthplace for 5 New Jersey Governors, Elisha Lawrence, Thomas Henderson, Joel Parker, Joseph D. Bedle, Sr., and Leon R. Taylor. 

Monmouth County government consists of an executive, a sheriff, an administrator and a clerk (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Twenty-three Superior Court Judges and a prosecutor serve Monmouth County (judicial.)  Monmouth County is on the eastern coast of the state.  Newark, New Jersey is northwest and New York, New York is directly north of the county.  The county center is 9.6 miles East of Freehold nearer Colt Neck.  The county is surrounded clockwise by New York and the Atlantic Ocean and Ocean, Burlington, Mercer, and Middlesex counties. 

The area of the county is 472 square miles.  It is 6 out of 21 in the state.  It ranks 5 out of 21 in population in the state.  It has a density of 1363.6 persons per square mile making it 9 out of 21 in the state.  Monmouth County has 36.9% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 9 crosses north to south through the county from Middlesex County to Ocean County.  Monmouth County looks like an elephant head facing west.  Freehold is slightly south and west of center.  Long Branch is on the eastern coast of the county.  Freehold is the county seat and Long Branch is the largest city.  Freehold is 2.0% of the county population while Long Branch is 4.9% of the county population.  This county is in the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island Metropolitan Statistical Area.