Little Silver, New Jersey

Prior to the settlement of Europeans, the area that is now Little Silver was inhabited by the Navesink Native Americans. There are several tales of how Little Silver received its name. In one, brothers Joseph and Peter Parker, who settled in this area in 1667 and owned land bounded by Parker's Creek on the south and Little Silver Creek on the north, named their holdings "Little Silver" after their father's (George Parker) estate in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. The original Parker Homestead, dating to 1725 and one of the state's oldest, was acquired by the borough and is undergoing renovation. Other explanations for the derivation of the name are the payment to Native Americans for purchase of the land and the placid appearance of the water. The borough's earliest European residents were primarily farmers, fishermen and merchants. Early families included: • Parkers – Joseph and Peter Parker originally settled the area, and their original homestead at 235 Rumson Road has been declared a state historic site. • Sickles – Harold and Elsie Sickles acquired land and opened a wholesale truck farm in 1908. The land was acquired from Harold's mother who was related to the Parkers. Transitioning from seasonal to year-round in 1998, Sickles Market became a specialty garden and food market until it closed in March 2024 after 116 years. • Lovett – John T. Lovett owned a nursery that once covered almost half the borough, supplying large catalog houses such as Sears Roebuck, Macy's and Newberry's. In 1878 he circulated a petition to the community recommending that the name be revised and on July 30, 1879, the Post Office name was changed from "Parkersville" to "Little Silver". The borough has had a varied history as a resort, agricultural area and fishing town. Today, the municipality is primarily residential with a range of housing types, from ranches and capes. Little Silver separated from Shrewsbury Township in 1923. Since then, farms and nurseries have been replaced by housing. Over the years, New York City and North Jersey commuters have made Little Silver their home, traveling by rail or auto to their jobs. The Little Silver train station on Sycamore Avenue was designed by the noted American architect Henry Hobson Richardson and built in 1890. It reopened after renovations in 2003. ==Geography==

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 3.32 square miles (8.60 km2), including 2.71 square miles (7.02 km2) of land and 0.61 square miles (1.57 km2) of water (18.28%). The borough borders the Monmouth County boroughs of Fair Haven, Monmouth Beach, Oceanport, Red Bank, Rumson and Shrewsbury. Little Silver Point is an unincorporated community located within Little Silver. ==Demographics==

2020 census As of the 2020 census, Little Silver had a population of 6,131. The median age was 45.0 years. 25.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.5 males age 18 and over. 100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas. There were 2,196 households in Little Silver, of which 38.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 68.2% were married-couple households, 7.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 17.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. 2000 census As of the 2000 United States census, There were 2,232 households, out of which 37.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.5% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.9% were non-families. 16.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.13. In the borough the population was spread out, with 27.4% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $94,094, and the median income for a family was $104,033. Males had a median income of $90,941 versus $45,938 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $46,798. About 0.4% of families and 0.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 0.8% of those age 65 or over. ==Government==

Local government Little Silver is governed under the borough form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 municipalities (of the 564) statewide, making it the most common form of government in New Jersey. The governing body is comprised of the mayor and the borough council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. A mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The borough council includes six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle. The borough form of government used by Little Silver is a "weak mayor / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can veto ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council. , the mayor of Little Silver is Republican Robert C. Neff Jr., whose term of office ends December 31, 2027. Members of the Borough Council are Kevin J. Brennan (R, 2026), Christopher M. Faherty (R, 2026), Donald S. Galante (R, 2025), Elizabeth Giblin (R, 2025; appointed to serve an unexpired term), Christian M. Smith (R, 2027) and Laurette Villardi (R, 2027). The borough council selected Elizabeth Giblin in September 2024 to fill the seat expiring in December 2025 that had been vacated by Doug Christensen after he announced that he was moving out of the borough. Giblin will serve on an interim basis until the November 2025 general election, when a candidate will be chosen to serve the remainder of the term of office. In March 2016, the borough council selected Corinne Thygeson from three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2016 that had been held by Stuart W. Van Winkle that became vacant upon his resignation; Thygeson will serve on an interim basis until the November 2016 general election, when voters will select a candidate to fill the balance of the term. In January 2015, the borough council selected Glenn Talavera to fill the vacant seat expiring December 2015 of Richard J. "Rick" Scott, who resigned from office as work obligations will have him out of the borough. In September 2011, following the death of mayor Suzanne Castleman in July 2011, Robert Neff was appointed to fill the vacant mayoral seat, while Donald Galante, a former member of the borough council, was appointed to fill Neff's vacant council seat. Little Silver is a participating municipality in an initiative to study regionalizing their municipal police force with one or more municipalities. The borough received a grant from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs in the amount of $40,950 along with the Boroughs of Fair Haven, Oceanport, Shrewsbury and Rumson to hire professional consultants to conduct the study on their behalf. A report delivered in July 2008 recommended that Fair Haven, Little Silver and Rumson should consider a network of shared police services, with consideration of inclusion of Oceanport and Shrewsbury deferred to a second phase. Federal, state and county representation Little Silver is located in the 6th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 13th state legislative district. Politics As of March 2011, there were a total of 4,677 registered voters in Little Silver, of which 1,065 (22.8%) were registered as Democrats, 1,486 (31.8%) were registered as Republicans and 2,124 (45.4%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 2 voters registered as either Libertarians or Greens. In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 61.4% of the vote (2,186 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 37.8% (1,344 votes) and other candidates with 0.8% (29 votes), among the 3,574 ballots cast by the borough's 4,903 registered voters (15 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 72.9%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 55.7% of the vote (2,155 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 42.0% (1,625 votes) and other candidates with 1.1% (41 votes), among the 3,867 ballots cast by the borough's 4,879 registered voters, for a turnout of 79.3%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 60.1% of the vote (2,310 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry with 39.1% (1,501 votes) and other candidates with 0.4% (19 votes), among the 3,842 ballots cast by the borough's 4,752 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 80.9. In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 74.3% of the vote (1,639 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 24.0% (530 votes) and other candidates with 1.6% (36 votes), among the 2,230 ballots cast by the borough's 4,837 registered voters (25 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 46.1%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 67.5% of the vote (1,865 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 25.9% (715 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 5.9% (163 votes) and other candidates with 0.4% (12 votes), among the 2,761 ballots cast by the borough's 4,752 registered voters, yielding a 58.1% turnout. ==Education==

The Little Silver School District serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 776 students and 77.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.0:1. Schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Point Road School with 393 students in grades PreK-4 and Markham Place School with 380 students in grades 5-8. For ninth through twelfth grades, students attend Red Bank Regional High School, which serves students from the boroughs of Little Silver, Red Bank and Shrewsbury, along with students in the district's academy programs from other communities who are eligible to attend on a tuition basis. Students from other Monmouth County municipalities are eligible to attend the high school for its performing arts program, with admission on a competitive basis. The borough has two elected representatives on the nine-member board of education. As of the 2021–22 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 1,247 students and 117.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.6:1. ==Transportation==

through Little Silver Roads and highways , the borough had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality and by Monmouth County. County Route 520 passes through the heart of the borough. The closest limited access road is the Garden State Parkway via CR 520 in Middletown. Public transportation agent's window NJ Transit train service is available at the Little Silver station, which is one of the few on the electrified portion of the line without raised platforms. The station is located between two grade crossings. When trains stop at the station, they block the roadway at one crossing or the other for entire duration of the stop, causing traffic backups. Commuter service connects the borough to Hoboken Terminal, Newark Penn Station, Secaucus Junction and New York Penn Station on the North Jersey Coast Line. The train station, constructed in 1875 by the New York and Long Branch Railroad, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. From the Raritan Bayshore SeaStreak catamarans travel to Pier 11 at Wall Street and East 34th Street Ferry Landing in Manhattan. NY Waterway ferries travel to Paulus Hook Ferry Terminal in Jersey City, Battery Park City Ferry Terminal and West Midtown Ferry Terminal in Manhattan. ==Notable people==

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Little Silver include: • Chester Apy (1932–2021), politician who represented District 5B in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1968 to 1970 and again from 1972 to 1974 • James Avati (1912–2005), artist and illustrator of paperback covers • Virginia Bauer (born 1956), advocate for families of the victims of the September 11 terror attacks who is a Commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey • John O. Bennett (born 1948), former assemblyman, state senator, Senate co-president and acting governor • Dave Bry (1970–2017), writer, music journalist and editor at Vibe, Spin and XXL • Brian Christian (born 1984), poet and nonfiction author • Chris Gotterup (born 1999), PGA tour player • Harold Hartshorne (1891–1961), gold medal winner in figure skating • Karl Guthe Jansky (1905–1950), the founder of radio astronomy • Marilyn Levy (1922–2014), photographic chemist and inventor based at Fort Monmouth • Susan Love (1948–2023), surgeon, advocate of preventive breast cancer research and author • Robert Lewis Morgan (born 1952), served in the New Jersey General Assembly for one term, from 2004 to 2006, where he represented the 12th Legislative District • Russell Ohl (1898–1987), engineer who is generally recognized for patenting the modern solar cell • Daniel J. O'Hern (1930–2009), former Associate Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court • Declan O'Scanlon (born 1963), politician who represents the 13th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly and served on the Little Silver Borough Council from 1994 to 2007 • Theodore D. Parsons (1894–1978), New Jersey Attorney General from 1949 to 1954 • Mike Rice Jr. (born 1969), former Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball coach • Meghan Tierney (born 1997), snowboarder who competed in snowboardcross for the United States at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang and in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China • Greg Trooper (1956–2017), folk singer/songwriter • Casey Webb, television host and professional eater, best known as the host of the television series Man v. Food ==References==