Town Historian John Katerba spent his entire life in Monroe Township, growing up in a farm town 18 miles southwest of New Brunswick. "You could never get away with anything," he says. "Everyone knew everyone." As the years passed, Katerba witnessed Monroe shift from a small farming town to a well-to-do place of white picket fences and retirement communities. "The real building boom was 1995-2008," Katerba recalls from the research he used to write several local history books. "We probably moved in 30,000 people during that time." When it was time for him to move out of his childhood home, Katerba subdivided a piece of land from his parents and built a new home for his family.
Monroe is home to many well developed areas.
Monroe is home to quiet, treelined neighborhoods.
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Thompson Park has a small zoo
While Monroe Township has four parks to choose from, many locals find Thompson Park—with hiking trails, a fishable Lake Manalapan and a disc golf course—the most accessible and enticing pick of the bunch. At 675 acres, Thompson Park is the largest county park and sits near the center of the neighborhood. Many golf aficionados with the funds to pay for membership join the Forsgate Country Club. Located on Forsgate Drive in the west part of town, members enjoy a 36-hole golf course, swim laps at the pool, play tennis or pickleball and dine at the Gatenby Grille and Bar. Retirees often utilize the clubs their own retirement communities provide.
Thompson Park
Play Bocce with your friends at Thompson Park.
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Spooky spiders and pony rides at the Fall Festival
The Monroe Township community is exceptionally large, with its own subdivisions. While these places have their own small events like the occasional single’s party at a retirement community or local pickleball tournament, the community at large also has its own festivities. One worth noting is the annual Fall Festival held in October. Last held at Owens Park, the celebration hosted hayrides, pony rides, pumpkin decorating and the annual Halloween Parade with floats and costumes.
Don't drink too much sangria at Ciro's Ristorante Italiano
"All of the retirement communities have their own restaurants in their clubhouses,” Katerba says, but they aren’t the only ones with places to eat. “We have a great array of pizzerias, a Thai restaurant, a Mexican restaurant…" Ciro's Ristorante Italiano is among the community's most popular dining spots, with many customers loving its sangria and seafood appetizers like the fried calamari. Many people browse the aisles of the local Stop & Shop on Perrineville Road when they need day-to-day home goods. Brunswick Square is an 8-mile drive north, making it the closest shopping mall. Pop’s Farm Market and Garden Center sits much closer on Station Street in the neighborhood's south, where customers buy fresh local produce.
Molino's serves fresh Italian delights in Monroe.
Homely, friendly service is what you can expect at Christos Restaurant.
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There are some million dollar homes is this neighborhood
Retirement communities have dominated Monroe Township’s landscape since the 1960s when the community of Rossmoor opened. Rossmoor, along with the other 13 communities in the area, offer homes selling for between $275,000 and $350,000. An 18-hole championship golf course, clubhouse, a fitness center and miles of sidewalks are also included in Rossmoor’s amenities. Families and individuals who don’t meet the 55 minimum age requirement live in neighboring areas with single-family homes occupying a range of styles and sizes. Houses under 3,000 square feet, mostly built in the ranch style, sell for prices between $300,000 and $600,000, while larger homes, mostly made up of new traditional builds, deal for prices between $650,000 and $2 million. A few outliers even reach as high as $3.5 million.
Large Colonial style homes are just outside of downtown Jamesburg in Monroe.
Monroe features two story single family homes.
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This is a Turnpike town
"The Rossmoor retirement community put Monroe on the map," Katerba says. "And with it, Exit 8A of the New Jersey Turnpike was built in 1966." The exit on the communities west side, combined with the neighborhood’s proximity to the New York Metropolitan Area, has proven vital to Monroe Township’s growth. Katerba says modern-day residents choose Monroe because of the location. "Within two hours, you can get to New York City, Philadelphia, Atlantic City, Amish Country and all the Jersey Shore towns," he says. Besides easy turnpike access, locals enjoy the intercommunity travel provided by Highway 33, cutting through the south side and Interstate 95. These factors make the area extremely car-dependent, with minimal bus stops and almost no pedestrian and biking infrastructure.
NJ Turnpike.
Monroe features newly constructed multifamily homes.
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Learn 3D design at Monroe Township High School
According to Niche, the neighborhood offers some excellent schools, such as Barkley Brook Elementary, a National Blue Ribbon School with an A-minus. Monroe Township Middle on Perrineville Road is students’ next step and holds a Niche score of A-minus. Afterward, they can round the corner to Schoolhouse Road, where Monroe Township High School offers an A-rated education and advanced programs like a 3D design club working with 3D printers and modeling software.
Monroe students attend Monroe High School.
Welcome to Monroe Township Middle School.
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The rushing rivers of Monroe Township
Waterways such as Manalapan Brook cover the community like veins in a wrist. This means that when the creeks and brooks overflow, much of the town gets hazardously wet with road closures and flooded homes. Properties farthest from the water banks may be spared inundation, but closer homes may deal with water as deep as 3 feet or more.
Manalapan Brook
Thompson Park Lake
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Written By
Samuel Grom
Video By
Taylor Noll
Interested in learning more about homes in this area?
Reach out to
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On average, homes in Monroe Township, NJ sell after 36 days on the market compared to the national average of 53 days. The median sale price for homes in Monroe Township, NJ over the last 12 months is $515,000, down 3% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
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