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Middletown Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a total population of 66,522,〔〔〔 making it the state's 16th largest municipality, having seen an increase of 195 residents (0.3%) from its population of 66,327 in the 2000 Census, when it was the state's 17th most populous municipality,〔(The Counties and Most Populous Cities and Townships in 2010 in New Jersey: 2000 and 2010 ), United States Census Bureau. Accessed March 12, 2012.〕 which had in turn declined by 1,856 (-2.7%) from the 68,183 counted in the 1990 Census.〔(Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010 ), New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed August 7, 2012.〕 Middletown is one of the oldest sites of European settlement in New Jersey.〔("Welcome to the Throckmorton-Lippit-Taylor Burying Ground On Penelope Lane in Middletown, New Jersey" ), ''Atlantic Highlands Herald'', Spring 2003〕 Middletown Township was originally 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 the township were taken to form Atlantic Township (February 8, 1847, now Colts Neck Township), Raritan Township (February 25, 1848, now Hazlet Township), Atlantic Highlands (February 28, 1887), Highlands (March 22, 1900) and Keansburg (March 22, 1917).〔Snyder, John P. (''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968'' ), Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 182. Accessed March 12, 2012.〕 Due to its affluence, low crime, access to cultural activities, public school system, and central commuting location, Middletown was ranked in 2006, 2008, and 2010, and 2014 Top 100 in CNNMoney.com's Best Places to Live.〔(Best places to live 2006: New Jersey ), CNNMoney.com. Accessed October 17, 2006.〕〔(Best places to live 2008: New Jersey ), CNNMoney.com. Accessed January 10, 2011.〕〔(Best places to live 2010: New Jersey ), CNNMoney.com. Accessed January 10, 2011.〕〔Brtown, Caitlin. ("MONEY Magazine Names Middletown One of Best Places to Live in Northeast Region; Middletown was the only town named in Monmouth and Ocean Counties." ), Middletown Patch, October 8, 2014. Accessed May 1, 2015. "A low crime rate, great schools, and access to an abundance of cultural and leisure activities are among the reasons that MONEY magazine has recognized Middletown as one of the best places to live in New Jersey and the Northeast Region in particular, said Mayor Stephanie C. Murray."〕 ''Time'' magazine listed Middletown on its list of "Best Places to Live 2014".〔("Best Places to Live 2014: Middletown, NJ" ), ''Time (magazine)'', September 9, 2014. Accessed May 1, 2015.〕 == History == Small communities of the Lenape Navesink tribe were common throughout the area when the first known European landing in what would become Middletown Township occurred in 1609. Sea captain and explorer Henry Hudson, in search of the mythical Northwest Passage in the service of the Dutch West India Company, anchored along the shores of Sandy Hook Bay in 1609, describing the area "a very good land to fall in with and a pleasant land to see."〔 While a patroonship was granted by the company in 1651 the land wasn't officially settled. Today's Shoal Harbor Museum and Old Spy House includes portions of a house constructed by Thomas Whitlock, one of the area's first European settlers (and a Reformed Baptist at Middletown) who arrived here as early as 1664, before the English conquest of New Netherland began in 1665 as part of the Second Anglo-Dutch War.〔 Long-standing tradition had Penelope Stout, one of the first settlers, hiding in a tree from hostile Native Americans.〔Stockton, Frank R. (Story of Penelope Stout ). Accessed June 5, 2007.〕 Shortly after the Dutch surrender of the New Netherland to the English in 1664 a large tract of land known as the Navesink Patent or Monmouth Tract was granted to Baptist and Quaker settlers from Long Island, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, which soon thereafter became the townships of Middletown and Shrewsbury. During the American Revolutionary War, Middletown and much of the rest of Eastern Monmouth County was held by the British. After the Battle of Monmouth, the British retreat from Freehold Township, New Jersey carried them down King's Highway in Middletown to their embarkation points at Sandy Hook in the bay, heading back to New York City.〔〔Jordan, Bob. ("Middletown's communities These are the 12 major communities that make up Middletown, Monmouth County's third largest and most populated." ), ''Asbury Park Press'', November 15, 2001. Accessed June 29, 2012. "It was originally part of the Minisink Indian Trail and was later the route followed by British troops after their defeat at the Battle of Monmouth."〕 Upon the completion of a railroad junction in 1875, the town grew more rapidly, eventually changing from a group of small and loosely connected fishing and agricultural villages into a fast-growing suburb at the turn of the 20th century. If Middletown ever had a recognizable town center or town square, it was lost in that rapid growth soon after World War II. In May 1958, several Nike Ajax missiles exploded at Battery NY-53 in Chapel Hill, killing ten Army and civilian personnel. The accident was one of the worst missile-related disasters of the Cold War.〔"Fifty years later, residents remember M’town explosion" Alyssa Passeggio. ''The Courier'' May 29, 2008. May 31, 2008.〕〔Becker, Bill. ("EXPERTS SEEKING CLUES TO BLAST; Comb Nike Area in Wake of Explosion That Killed 10 -- Meyner Gets Assurances" ), ''The New York Times'', May 24, 1958. Accessed June 29, 2012. "An Army board of inquiry and ordnance experts combed the Nike launching base near Middletown, N. J., yesterday for clues to the cause of the eight-missile explosion that took ten lives Thursday."〕 The Waterfront site of Naval Weapons Station Earle is located in Leonardo on Sandy Hook Bay, and is used to load ammunition onto ships on a finger pier that stretches for , making it the world's second-longest such pier.〔(Getting Here ), Naval Weapons Station Earle. Accessed June 29, 2012. "NWS Earle’s Waterfront site, which boasts the second longest finger pier in the world, is located on Sandy Hook Bay adjacent to the town of Leonardo. The entrance to the Waterfront is off New Jersey State Highway 36. The 2.9 mile finger pier complex, the only one of its type in the United States, is outfitted with excellent rail and truck accommodations."〕 The "Evil Clown of Middletown" is a towering sign along Route 35 painted to resemble a circus clown, that currently advertises a liquor store. The sign is a remnant of an old supermarket that used to be at that location called "Food Circus". The clown and recent successful attempts from residents to save it from demolition have been featured in the pages of ''Weird NJ'' magazine, on ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'', and in the Kevin Smith-directed film ''Clerks II''.〔Opinion. ("Ungreening of the GOP in Congress" ), ''Asbury Park Press'', July 17, 2011. Accessed June 29, 2012. "According to the current issue of Weird N.J. magazine, the Circus Foodtown Co., which owns the property on which the Evil Clown stands, is marketing a line of T-shirts featuring a depiction of what the magazine refers to as 'his evilness.'"〕 The Indian Trails 15K road race is held each year in April to benefit the Monmouth Conservation Foundation and includes a 5K walk/run event for fun. The race, run on a combination on paved and dirt roads, includes many relatively steep hills and has been described as "the most challenging race in the state".〔Staff. ("Smart runners cashing in on knowledge of tangents" ), ''Daily Record (Morristown)'', March 26, 2006. Accessed June 29, 2012. "One of my favorites is the Indian Trails 15K in Middletown on Sunday, April 2nd. With its extreme hills, it has to be the most challenging race in the state, and also the most fun if you are a good downhill runner."〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Middletown Township, New Jersey」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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