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C+History
History · Hazlet Township

Hazlet Township dates to 1848

More historic than 36% of U.S. towns · #370 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it

Most of Hazlet Township was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1965. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1850.

1848founded
0on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
6famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Hazlet Township began

When was Hazlet Township founded?

1848

Hazlet Township dates its founding to 1848 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1850.

First census: 4,198 in 18502020 census: 20,125178 years

How historic is Hazlet Township?

C+

More historic than 36% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1876.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Hazlet Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hazlet Township is more historic than 36% of U.S. towns, #370 of 468 in New Jersey. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hazlet Township’s overall grade.
Founding era1848, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19405.3% of homes (±2.0) · typical NJ town 14.7% · U.S. 8.4%CNational RegisterNo listings counted · typical NJ town 3.7 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 36%
NewerOlder
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 21%

New Jersey towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical New Jersey town has 3.7 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Hazlet Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (12% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1848.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B−. The pre-1940 share (±2.0 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Hazlet Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost two-thirds of its people between 1850 and 1890, then grew more than tenfold.On the map since 18887 editions of the USGS map, 1888 to 1995. Watch Hazlet Township change.Lost villages5 hamlets and corners are still on the map.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hazlet Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hazlet Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Hazlet Township, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00018501900195020004,198 in 1850Low: 1,368

Lost two-thirds of its people between 1850 and 1890, then grew more than tenfold.

18 censuses, 1850–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Hazlet Township’s Wikipedia page.

On the map

Hazlet Township on the map, 1888 to 1995

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hazlet Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Hazlet Township on the 1888 USGS mapHazlet Township on the 1893 USGS mapHazlet Township on the 1901 USGS mapHazlet Township on the 1947 USGS mapHazlet Township on the 1954 USGS mapHazlet Township on the 1970 USGS mapHazlet Township on the 1995 USGS map1888Sandy Hook sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Hazlet Township.

The story

How Hazlet Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hazlet Township.

Read it all →

What is now Hazlet was originally incorporated as Raritan Township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 25, 1848, from portions of Middletown Township. Portions of the township were taken to form Holmdel Township (February 23, 1857), Matawan Township (also February 23, 1857, now Aberdeen Township), Keyport (March 17, 1870), Keansburg (March 26, 1917) and Union Beach (March 16, 1925). The township was renamed "Hazlet Township" as of November 28, 1967, based on the results of a referendum held on November 7, 1967. Hazlet derives its name from Dr. John Hazlett, who had an estate in Raritan Township near the Keyport-Holmdel Turnpike, now Holmdel Road.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Hazlet Township, 1848 to 1991

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1848
    FoundingHazlet Township is established
  3. 1876Post officeThe Hazlet post office opens
  4. 1888On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 20th century
  6. 1970Born hereDenise Reddy is born here
  7. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 23,013
  8. 1987Born hereSammi Giancola is born here
  9. 1989Born hereJoey Janela is born here
  10. 1991Born hereBennett Jackson is born here
By decade

Hazlet Township, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Census Bureau map ofDate?Census Bureau map ofMap
Today8 recent
Hazlet Township, NJ Municipal Court and Police Department, Feb. 20262026Hazlet Township, NJ Municipal Court and Police Depart…Hazlet Township, NJ Municipal Building, Feb. 20262026Hazlet Township, NJ Municipal Building, Feb. 2026Hazlet Township, NJ Library, Feb. 20262026Hazlet Township, NJ Library, Feb. 2026Freedom Park, West Keansburg, NJ, Aug. 20252025Freedom Park, West Keansburg, NJ, Aug. 2025Untitled photo2021Untitled photoHazlet station - January 20182018Hazlet station - January 2018Hazlet NJT station2016Hazlet NJT stationHazlet twp nj 0252005Hazlet twp nj 025
Famous people

6 famous people were born in Hazlet Township

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Denise ReddyAmerican women's football coach and former play… · b. 1970
Joey JanelaAmerican wrestler · b. 1989
S
Sammi GiancolaAmerican television personality · b. 1987
B
Bennett JacksonAmerican football player · b. 1991
D
Daniel O'BrienAmerican humorist and writer · b. 1986
Ray EvernhamNASCAR team owner · b. 1957
Places that used to be

Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
HazletMechanicsvilleNorth CentervilleVan Marters CornerWest Keansburg
Gone or out of use
Hazlet Grade SchoolschoolNorth Centerville Grade SchoolschoolSaint James ChurchchurchWest Keansburg SchoolschoolWillow Brook Farmlocale
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Hazlet Township
CedarwoodRosemontShoreland Memorial GardensShoreline Memorial Gardens

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

KeyportIts storyB+Union BeachIts storyDHolmdel Township8 historic placesB+KeansburgIts storyC+Aberdeen TownshipIts storyC−

Questions about Hazlet Township’s history

What year was Hazlet Township founded?

In 1848, according to Wikidata. Hazlet Township’s post office opened in 1876, and the census of 1850 counted 4,198 people here.

How does Hazlet Township rank for history?

Hazlet Township is more historic than 36% of U.S. towns, #370 of 468 in New Jersey. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

How old are the homes in Hazlet Township?

5% of Hazlet Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.0 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1965.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (9), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.