Neptune City, New Jersey
Encyclopedia
Neptune City 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....

 in 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...

, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 4,869.

The Borough of Neptune City was incorporated on October 4, 1881, based on a referendum held on March 19, 1881. The boundaries included all of what is now Avon-by-the-Sea
Avon-by-the-Sea, New Jersey
Avon-by-the-Sea is a Borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 1,901...

, the southern portion of Bradley Beach
Bradley Beach, New Jersey
Bradley Beach is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 4,298. The summer population can reach 30,000.-History:...

 and the present land area known as "Neptune City." On March 23, 1900, a bill approved in 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...

 created the Borough of Avon-by-the-Sea. Seven years later, on March 13, 1907, the eastern portion of Neptune City was annexed to the Borough of Bradley Beach.

The earliest borough hall was erected in the year 1902 at the northwest corner of Evergreen Avenue and Railroad Avenue (now Memorial Drive).

Geography

Neptune City is located at 40.200463°N 74.031282°W (40.200463, -74.031282).

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 borough has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²), all of it land.

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 5,218 people, 2,221 households, and 1,330 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 5,742.8 people per square mile (2,213.9/km2). There were 2,342 housing units at an average density of 2,577.5 per square mile (993.7/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 83.38% White, 9.52% African American, 0.23% Native American, 2.72% Asian, 2.11% 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 2.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.31% of the population.

There were 2,221 households out of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% 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, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.1% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the borough the population was spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.2 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $43,451, and the median income for a family was $46,393. Males had a median income of $39,578 versus $34,044 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 $22,191. About 5.0% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.8% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.

Local government

Neptune City 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 of the Borough of Neptune City is Robert Brown. Members of the Neptune City Borough Council are Larry Cross Charlie Hartl, Sue Mitchell, Rick Pryor, Barbara Shafer and Joseph Zajack.

Federal, state and county representation

Neptune City is in the 6th Congressional district and is part of New Jersey's 11th state legislative district.




Education

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

 serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Woodrow Wilson School served 402 students as of the 2005-06 school year.

Before Woodrow Wilson School was constructed, students attended Roosevelt School, which was where Joe Freda Park on Third Ave is now. The school was demolished due to repairs that were beyond fixing.

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

 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 Neptune Township Schools
Neptune Township Schools
The Neptune Township Schools are a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in Pre-Kindergarten through twelfth grade from Neptune Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States...

. The district also provides students with the opportunities to attend other high schools, including the Monmouth County Vocational School District
Monmouth County Vocational School District
The Monmouth County Vocational School District is a vocational public school district in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, serving the need to provide area students with relevant skills to implement technology and to develop as lifelong learners.As of the 2007-08 school year, the...

 Academies which include: the Marine Academy of Science and Technology
Marine Academy of Science and Technology
The Marine Academy of Science and Technology is a coeducational four-year magnet public high school located in Sandy Hook, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grade. The school offers learning in all subjects, specializing in marine technology...

 (MAST) located on Sandy Hook
Sandy Hook, New Jersey
Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay...

, High Technology High School
High Technology High School
High Technology High School, or HTHS, founded in 1991, is a four-year Magnet public high school located in Lincroft, New Jersey, operated as a cooperative effort between the Monmouth County Vocational School District and Brookdale Community College...

 located on the campus of Brookdale Community College
Brookdale Community College
Brookdale Community College is an accredited coeducational public community college in Lincroft, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Brookdale Community College was founded in 1967 and has Higher Education Centers in Neptune, Freehold, Hazlet, Long Branch, Sandy Hook, and Wall.Brookdale is an...

 in Lincroft
Lincroft, New Jersey
Lincroft is a part of Middletown Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the Lincroft census-designated place had a population was 6,135.-Geography:Lincroft is located at ....

, the Academy of Allied Health & Science
Academy of Allied Health & Science
The Academy of Allied Health and Science , established in 1996, is a small magnet public high school located in Neptune Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The school is currently one of five career academies offered by the Monmouth County Vocational School District...

 in Neptune Township
Neptune Township, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 27,690 people, 10,907 households, and 6,805 families residing in the township. The population density was 3,366.8 people per square mile . There were 12,217 housing units at an average density of 1,485.4 per square mile...

 and affiliated with the Jersey Shore University Medical Center, the Communications High School
Communications High School
Communications High School is a four-year magnet public high school and career academy as part of the Monmouth County Vocational School District in New Jersey. CHS is located in Wall Township next to Wall High School. The school opened in 2000 with its first freshman class, and graduated its first...

 located on the property of Wall High School
Wall High School (New Jersey)
Wall High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Wall Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Wall Township Public Schools....

, and the new Biotechnology High School
Biotechnology High School
Biotechnology High School is a comprehensive magnet public high school in Freehold Township, New Jersey, operating as part of the Monmouth County Vocational School District ....

 located in Freehold Township
Freehold Township, New Jersey
Freehold Township is a Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 36,184. Freehold Township was first formed on October 31, 1693, and was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21,...

. Neptune City also provides the students with the opportunity to attend the Performing Arts Program at Red Bank Regional High School
Red Bank Regional High School
Red Bank Regional High School is a comprehensive regional four-year public high school that serves students in grades nine through twelve in Monmouth County, New Jersey, from the boroughs of Little Silver, Red Bank and Shrewsbury...

 for Performing Arts in Little Silver
Little Silver, New Jersey
Little Silver is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 5,950.Little Silver was established with a Kings Land Grant in 1663 and settled in 1667...

. Along with the Performing Arts Program students may also apply to the Academy of Information Technology and the Academy of Finance both located at the Red Bank Regional High School for Performing Arts.

Landmarks

Steiner and Son's Pajama Factory

This factory was the first factory to ever be built in Neptune City, constructed in 1891 on land donated by James A. Bradley. Immanuel Steiner was a silk dealer in Austria when he emigrated to New York City in the late 1860s. He began manufacturing pajamas and nightgowns in New York City shortly thereafter. With his sons Edwin and Clarence, they sought to expand operations, opting to construct the flagship factory at the corner of Fourth and Railroad Avenue (now Memorial Drive.) The construction costs were $17,590 and the brickwork was carried out by A.A Taylor of Asbury Park. Their flagship product, "The Universal Nightshirt" became enormously popular throughout the country. Within two years time, they constructed another nearly identical factory three blocks north (since the 1930s this has been the home of The SS Adams Novelty Company). Their first national slogan was "We Put the World To Sleep".

By 1918, Steiner and Sons had nearly 2000 employees in factories in Neptune City, Neptune, Asbury Park, Long Branch, Keyport, Freehold, Manasquan and Toms River. They built a baseball park on the land between the two factories on Fourth and Seventh Avenues. In the spring of 1922, Babe Ruth and other members of the New York Yankees played an exhibition game there. Edwin Steiner assumed control at his father's passing, and he expanded the original building considerably. The Steiner corporation had a reputation for spotlessly clean working conditions, and the quality of their products is attested to in countless period advertisements stretching all the way to California.

The first ever murder in Neptune City occurred there, which was a robbery of the payroll, in 1927. George Danielson, a 65 year old courier from the First National Bank in Bradley Beach was shot point-blank at the employee entrance on 4th avenue. The bandits got away with the payroll of nearly $8000 and were later caught and tried.

In the late 1920s, the Steiner corporation purchased and merged with the Liberty Nightshirt Company, headquartered in Baltimore. The decline in demand for nightshirts was one of the reasons for the acquisition. The same circumstances forced the company to shutter most of their other area operations. Tax squabbles with the Borough of Neptune City led them to close their long-time headquarters in Neptune City in 1939 and move to Shrewsbury, Pennsylvania. They eventually went out of business.

Mario Mirabelli and his brother Michael were running a military clothing manufacturing outfit in Elizabeth at the time when they purchased the building in 1940. They expanded their operations and won considerable government contracts during the Second World War. They produced close to $11 billion worth of military clothing during the war. The Mirabelli Company continued to win military contracts after the war. Mario Mirabelli was called to testify before Congress in the late 1950s when government suppliers were accused of forcing the company to manufacture items using second-rate materials that were deemed unusable by other government manufacturing outfits. The scandal hurt Mirabelli's business and reputation. They continued to win small government contracts until the early 1960s, but eventually sold the building and went out of business.

Flea markets were held on the first floor in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Outerama, a company founded by Zenek Lapinsky in the late 1960s, continued to manufacture suits and jackets in the building until 1975 on the 2nd and 3rd floors. The bankruptcy of many of Outerama's clients led to the company's demise. The building was shuttered in 1976 and remained so for the next 25 years.

For nearly 20 years, the Borough of Neptune City sought to have the property revamped. In the early 1990s plans were underway to convert the building to retail shops and apartments, but funding was short, and the Borough foreclosed on the owners before they could realize their goal. In 2000, the building was razed and condominiums were constructed. A demolition crane was destroyed when it fell into the side of the building during the wrecking-ball operations.
The Charline Motel

Religion

Neptune City has only one church, the Memorial United Methodist Church.

Recreation

The Neptune City Community Center offers a recreation center with a gym, game room, exercise room, computer room, TV room, and a special occasion room. Neptune City also owns four parks, Memorial Park which is located along the Shark River, Laird Avenue Park, the first playground built in Neptune City, Joe Freida Park, which is located on Third Avenue, and Adams Field, which is located on West Sylvania Avenue.

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Neptune City include:
  • Nicole Atkins
    Nicole Atkins
    Nicole Atkins is an American singer-songwriter. She has been compared to Roy Orbison and singers from the Brill Building era.-Early life:...

     (born 1978), musician.
  • Marie Castello
    Marie Castello
    Marie Castello , who was known as Madam Marie, was an American fortune teller and psychic reader who worked on the Asbury Park, New Jersey, boardwalk from 1932 until 2008...

     (1915–2008), made famous in Bruce Springsteen's hit "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)".
  • Danny DeVito
    Danny DeVito
    Daniel Michael DeVito, Jr. , better known as Danny DeVito, is an American actor, comedian, director and producer. He first gained prominence for his portrayal of Louie De Palma on the ABC and NBC television series Taxi , for which he won a Golden Globe and an Emmy.DeVito and his wife, Rhea Perlman,...

     (born 1944), actor.
  • Dave McDonald
    Dave McDonald (radio personality)
    David Dodd McDonald , also known as East Side Dave, is an American radio personality. Dave is the co-host of Mornings On The Night on WBJB-FM in Lincroft, New Jersey. He is also the co-host of Special Delivery on The Virus, and the host of the Davey Mac Sports Program. Dave is also the former...

     (born 1977), radio personality.
  • Jack Nicholson
    Jack Nicholson
    John Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is renowned for his often dark portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award twelve times, and has won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice: for One Flew Over the...

     (born 1937), actor.
  • Jennifer Tisdale
    Jennifer Tisdale
    Jennifer Kelly Tisdale is an American actress, and singer. She is the older sister of Suite Life of Zack and Cody and High School Musical star Ashley Tisdale.-Career:...

     (born 1981), actress.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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