West Freehold, New Jersey

Freehold Township is a township in western Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Crisscrossed by several major highways, the township is a commercial hub for Central New Jersey (home to the Freehold Raceway and Freehold Raceway Mall) and is a suburban bedroom community of New York City, located within the Raritan Valley region of the much larger New York Metropolitan Area. The township is located roughly 38 miles (61 km) away from Manhattan and about 20 miles (32 km) away from Staten Island. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 35,369, a decrease of 815 (−2.3%) from the 36,184 recorded at the 2010 census, which in turn had reflected an increase of 4,647 (+14.7%) from the 31,537 counted at the 2000 census.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, 1798. Portions of Freehold Township were taken to form Upper Freehold Township (c. 1731), so some wills and official records following the split referred to "Lower Freehold Township" although the official name has always been Freehold Township. Additional portions formed Millstone Township (February 28, 1844), Jackson Township (March 6, 1844), Atlantic Township (February 18, 1847; now Colts Neck Township), Marlboro Township (February 17, 1848) and Manalapan Township (March 9, 1848). Freehold town was formed within the township on March 25, 1869, and formally separated when it was reconstituted as a borough on April 15, 1919, including additional portions of the township.The Battle of Monmouth was fought in June 1778 in what has been preserved as Monmouth Battlefield State Park, which is in Freehold Township and Manalapan Township.

The Freehold Township Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from Freehold Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States.As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprising eight schools, had an enrollment of 3,737 students and 329.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.3:1.The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "GH", the third-highest of eight groupings. District Factor Groups organize districts statewide to allow comparison by common socioeconomic characteristics of the local districts. From lowest socioeconomic status to highest, the categories are A, B, CD, DE, FG, GH, I and J.Students in ninth through twelfth grades attend either Freehold Township High School or Freehold High School (based on home address), as part of the Freehold Regional High School District. The district also serves students from Colts Neck Township, Englishtown, Farmingdale, Freehold Borough, Howell Township, Manalapan Township and Marlboro Township. Freehold Township High School is home to the Contemporary Global Studies Learning Center and Freehold High School hosts the Medical Sciences Learning Center; each program admits students on a selective basis from all over the Freehold Regional High School District. As of the 2018–19 school year, Freehold Township High School had an enrollment of 2,043 students and 137.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.9:1, while Freehold Borough High School had an enrollment of 1,422 students and 103.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.7:1.

The Co-Cathedral of St. Robert Bellarmine is a Catholic co-cathedral and parish church located in Freehold, New Jersey, United States. Along with the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in Trenton it is the seat of the Diocese of Trenton. The parish was founded in 1971, the church building was dedicated in 2002, and it became a co-cathedral in 2017.

Freehold Township High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Freehold Township, in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, and is part of the Freehold Regional High School District. The school serves students from portions of Freehold Township, and from parts of both Howell Township and Manalapan Township. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1976.As of the 2021–22 school year, the school had an enrollment of 2,007 students and 127.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 15.8:1. There were 202 students (10.1% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 36 (1.8% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.

The Jewish Heritage Museum of Monmouth County was established in 2006 by a group of county residents headed by professionals from the Jewish Federation of Monmouth County. The museum opened to the public in 2008, "dedicated to the promotion of public awareness of the County’s Jewish heritage for the education and enjoyment of both children and adults." The museum is located at Mount's Corner Historic Shopping Center in the historic village of West Freehold. The museum features numerous collections of furniture, artifacts, rare documents, and books that had been preserved at the Levi Solomon Farmstead, one of New Jersey's earliest known Jewish farmsteads.

CentraState Healthcare System is a non-for-profit community health organization located in Freehold, New Jersey. The facility consists of an acute-care hospital, an ambulatory care campus, three senior living communities, a Family Medicine Residency Program, and a charitable foundation. Established in 1971, CentraState Healthcare System consists of the Main Medical Center, three senior living communities, an ambulatory campus, a wellness & fitness center, and a family medicine center. The Main Medical Center building has 287 beds. On October 22, 2020, officials from Atlantic Health System announced that they were acquiring a 51% stake in Freehold based CentraState Healthcare System. As a part of the deal, CentraState will continue to govern themselves while Atlantic Health System has committed to invest $135 million into the hospital.

Freehold Raceway Mall is a super-regional shopping mall, located in Freehold Township, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A premier mall for Central Jersey, it is located off of U.S. Route 9, Route 33, and County Route 537, opposite the Freehold Raceway. The mall is anchored by Macy's, JCPenney, L.L. Bean and Primark, while also featuring retailers Offline by Aerie, Aldo, Apple, Lululemon Athletica, Michael Kors, Untuckit, and Zara. As of 2020, the mall is the third largest shopping mall in the state, behind Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, and American Dream Meadowlands in East Rutherford.

Covenhoven House is located in Freehold Borough, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The house was built in 1752–53 by William and Elizabeth Covenhoven. The builder of the historic Old Tennent Church was retained for the job, and began work right after the completion of the church. In 1778, General Henry Clinton occupied this house as his headquarters from June 26 to the morning of June 28th, prior to the Battle of Monmouth that day. Clinton chose the house because it was clearly the finest home in the area. When he arrived there, he realized that Mrs. Covenhoven had already prepared for their visit. The house was devoid of the fine furnishings one would expect in such a home. The valuables had been hidden away in the woods, and the silver and china had been buried in the yard under some rose bushes. Clinton convinced Mrs. Covenhoven that her fine things would not be safe in the woods. If she returned them to the home, he said, they would be under the protection of the British army. She finally acquiesced, and the hidden wagon load was brought back to the house. According to a complaint she filed with the courthouse, she stated that once the wagon arrived, she was not allowed to bring anything inside the home. By the morning, the entire wagon had been picked over, and everything was stolen except for a few small trifles. One small mercy that was done for her by Clinton was that he did not destroy the home, as the army had burned down several homes in the immediate area. Covenhoven House added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 1, 1974. The house is one of several houses owned and operated as a historic house museum by the Monmouth County Historical Association. It is open Friday-Sun from 1-4 pm. Admission is $5 for adults, $2.50 for children and seniors.

Maplewood Cemetery is a cemetery in Freehold Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey. It was established in the late 1800s.

UMH Properties, Inc. (formerly United Mobile Homes Inc.) is a public equity real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns and operates a portfolio of 135 manufactured home communities with approximately 25,700 developed homesites. These communities are located in 11 states: New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Indiana, Michigan, Maryland, Alabama, South Carolina, and Georgia. UMH also owns and operates two communities in Florida through its joint venture with Nuveen Real Estate.

Freehold Raceway is a half-mile (0.80 km) racetrack in Freehold Borough, New Jersey, and is the oldest racetrack in the United States. Horseraces have been taking place at Freehold Raceway since the 1830s. The Monmouth County Agricultural Society was formed on December 17, 1853, and in 1854 they began holding an annual fair with harness racing at Freehold RacewayFrom 1998 to 2010, Freehold Raceway was the home of the Cane Pace, a harness horse race run annually since 1955. In 1956 the race joined with the Little Brown Jug and the Messenger Stakes to become the first leg in the Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Pacers. In 1984, an electrical fire destroyed the main building. Racing was then held under tents until the new building was completed in 1986. In 1990, the Freehold Raceway Mall opened up across the street, and was, until 2007, decorated with harness racing motif. In 1998, Freehold was acquired by a joint venture of Penn National Gaming (now Penn Entertainment) and Greenwood Racing (owner of Parx Casino and Racing).In 2005, Freehold was also the temporary home of the Yonkers Trot, part of the Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Trotters, while renovations took place at Yonkers Raceway. Freehold Raceway has two meets per year. They race from New Years Day until the end of May, then reopen in September and race until the middle of December. There are two harness tracks in New Jersey, Freehold Raceway and The Meadowlands. There are several farms and training centers located near Freehold Raceway which stable hundreds of standardbred racehorses.

The Freehold Borough Schools are a community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from Freehold Borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprising three schools, had an enrollment of 1,698 students and 140.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.1:1.The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "B", the second lowest of eight groupings. District Factor Groups organize districts statewide to allow comparison by common socioeconomic characteristics of the local districts. From lowest socioeconomic status to highest, the categories are A, B, CD, DE, FG, GH, I and J.Students in public school for ninth through twelfth grades attend Freehold High School, as part of the Freehold Regional High School District or may apply to attend the district's specialized programs housed in other high schools in the FRHSD. As of the 2018–19 school year, Freehold Borough High School had an enrollment of 1,422 students and 103.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.7:1. The Freehold Regional High School District also serves students from Colts Neck Township, Englishtown, Farmingdale, Freehold Township (which also has some students at Freehold Borough High School), Howell Township, Manalapan Township and Marlboro Township.Freehold Borough was awarded a research grant in 2004 by the National Institute of Justice, a research branch of the United States Department of Justice. The $360,000 grant was entitled "Teacher-Parent Authentication Security System II: The Next Generation of Iris Recognition Technology in Schools" and was awarded to the Freehold Borough Board of Education.