
One of the better known residents of the State Home was Rubin "Hurricane" Carter. It was opened in 1867 as a home for troubled youth however, by the mid-20th century, its purpose was to incarcerate juvenile delinquents. The New Jersey State Home for Boys, later known as the Training School for Boys, and now the New Jersey Training School for Boys was established near Jamesburg. The area of this camp became the Outcalt neighborhood. In 1905, Bernarr Macfadden, the proponent of physical culture, came to the part of Monroe near Helmetta and Spotswood, and attempted to set up a camp called "Physical Culture City", where he could teach his beliefs in relative peace. Railroads came into Monroe from just about the very beginning, starting with the Camden and Amboy Rail Road in the 1830s and 1840s. After parts of the township grew into the more densely packed neighborhoods of Helmetta, Jamesburg, and Spotswood in the late 19th century, they seceded. Monroe Township was founded in 1838 and named in honor of the President of the United States James Monroe.įor many decades, it was largely a farming community. Monroe Township has been ranked as one of the safest cities in the United States. The municipality experienced the third-largest increase in population in the state between 20, growing by 3,678 to 42,810, following two more urban locations, Jersey City and Elizabeth. Despite significant senior citizen population growth, the median age in Monroe has changed from 52.5 in 1990, increasing to 58.9 in 2000, before decreasing to 53.2 in 2010, as more growth recently has resulted from single-family detached homes than from senior citizen developments. There are several age-restricted communities in Monroe Township. Portions of the township were taken to form East Brunswick (February 28, 1860), Cranbury (March 7, 1872), and Jamesburg (March 19, 1887).

Monroe Township was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 9, 1838, from portions of South Amboy Township, based on the results of a referendum held that same day. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population was 48,594, reflecting an increase of 9,462 (+24.2%) from the 39,132 counted in the 2010 Census. The township is also centrally located within the Raritan Valley region. It is part of the outer-ring suburbs of the New York metropolitan area. Monroe Township is a township in southern Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States.
