Aberdeen * Atlantic Highlands * Hazlet * Highlands * Holmdel * Keansburg * Keyport * Matawan * Middletown Township * Union Beach

Union Beach, NJ

Borough of Union Beach
Address: 650 Poole Avenue, Union Beach, NJ 07735
Telephone: 732-264-2277
http://www.njunionbeach.com/

Even before it was incorporated, Union Beach was popular in the 19th century with summer visitors who took the train to Matawan and transferred to the Bayshore branch of the Central Railroad of New Jersey, or rode the electric trolley to the Union Avenue Station. Taxis took vacationers out to campgrounds on the dunes by Conashank Point. The tent cities gradually became deeded summer bungalows, which later were insulated for year-round use. Dirt roads were paved.

Union Beach was incorporated in 1925 and served as a trade center for agricultural products. The Lorillard Brick Works produced firebrick used in furnaces all over the country. When the natural clay deposits were exhausted, the pits filled with water.

Today Natco Lake provides a wildlife refuge along the Henry Hudson Trail. The site is now home to International Flavors and Fragrances, a key employer.

Union Beach population surged from 6,150 individuals in 1990 to over 6,700 in 2001; from 1,978 to 2,150 households. Median income rose to $60,000, from about $39,000 in 1990. Eighty-one percent of the 2,250 homes are owner-occupied. Enrollment at the town's only elementary school dropped by 25 students since 1995. Most grade 9-12 students attend Keyport High School.