Cheesequake State Park in Matawan, NJ
Matawan is a borough located in Northern Monmouth County in New Jersey near the Raritan Bay within the much larger Raritan Valley region. It is considered to be a part of the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 census, it has a population of 9,565.
Matawan is a tiny borough of just 2.4 square miles, divided into several neighborhoods largely defined by its two lakes, Lefferts and Matawan, and the two main roads that divide it, Routes 79 and 34. The Matawan-Aberdeen train station serves most of western Monmouth County, providing fast access to New York City via rail with travel times ranging from 59 to 70 minutes. Matawan is also accessible via Exit 117 on the Garden State Parkway (traffic permitting), which takes you into the city in 50 to 60 minutes. NJ Transit’s 133 Line operates buses to Port Authority.
The History & Basics of Matawan in Monmouth County, NJ 07747
The Lenape Indians called the region “Mechananienk,” which was shortened to “Matovancons” by Dutch settlers, from which derives the name. The name may be derived from a Lenape language word that means “where two rivers meet,” or it might come from the Southern Unami Matawonge, “bad riverbank” or “bad hill,” which refers to bluffs along Raritan Bay that were eroding and collapsing before the construction of a seawall in the 1970s.
Another contender is Matawan, Northern Unami for “bad fog,” which may have referred to fog generated on Raritan Bay. Other conceivable meanings include “magician,””enchanted skin,” and “it comes in a lake.”
The town’s name is derived from the Dutch word “watanimong,” which roughly translates to “place of sea anemones.” The community was first settled by Dutch people in the 17th century (during Matawan’s tricentennial in the 1980s, it was renamed Matawan). New Aberdeen, a Scotch-Irish settlement from New Hampshire, later gave the town its name. In the 1970s, neighboring Matawan Township changed its name to Aberdeen Township, taking advantage of the old name. It was in 1857 that Matawan Township was established, and with this change of location, Middletown Point became Matawan.
Matawan is a borough with both blue-collar and white-collar occupations. Overall, Matawan is a place for professionals, managers, and sales and office workers.
Matawan is an excellent community for families to consider. With a respectable blend of outstanding schools, low crime, college-educated neighbors who favor education due to their own experiences and a high proportion of single-family homes owned, Matawan really has some of the characteristics that parents look for when selecting a wonderful place to raise kids.
Monmouth County Real Estate | Buying or Selling a Home in Matawan, NJ?
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