Лоренс-Харбор, Нью-Джерси: Обзор и история

Populated place in Middlesex County, New Jersey, US

Laurence Harbor is an unincorporated community and census designated place (CDP) located on the Raritan Bay within Old Bridge Township, in Middlesex County, in the U. S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the CDP's population was 6,635, which in turn reflected an increase of 309 (+5.0%) from the 6,227 counted in the 2000 census. The CDP is located off Exit 120 of the Garden State Parkway. The main routes are Laurence Parkway and Route 35. The railroad, which no longer has a station in Laurence Harbor (It had a Morgan station during most of the 1st half of the 20th century, located right across Cheesequake Creek from Laurence Harbor), divides the community into eastern and western sections, the former being locally referred to as 'The Front'. Cliffwood Beach also borders Laurence Harbor when traveling south. The shoreline looks directly upon Staten Island's southern shore; the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge, Lower Manhattan (including the Empire State Building, on a clear night) and Brooklyn can also be seen.

Morgan is named after the 1703 family that had here and were cousins of the infamous pirate captain Henry Morgan. Morgan is located one mile to the northwest, across the Cheesequake Creek and the Morgan Bridge on New Jersey Route 35. The Morgan Draw carries the North Jersey Coast Line.

The lands known today as Laurence Harbor were part of the southernmost region inhabited by the Lenni Lenape tribe (also known as the Delaware) in the 17th century. In 1664, they became part of greater East Jersey, and in 1684 became part of a South Amboy, which was much larger than it is today. In 1869, Madison Township split off from South Amboy; it was renamed Old Bridge Township in 1975. European settlement of the area was linked to commerce passing through the Amboys along the Raritan River. From a military perspective, the area was useful for its high bayside cliffs, which allowed strategic observation of ships traveling between New York Harbor and the Atlantic Ocean. Laurence Harbor is named after land developer Laurence Lamb, who bought property in (what was then known as) Madison Township at the turn of the 20th century and subdivided it into bungalow sized lots.2000

The 2010 United States census counted 6,536 people, 2,536 households, and 1,768 families in the CDP. The population density was There were 2,650 housing units at an average density of The racial makeup was 80.17% (5,240) White, 5.94% (388) Black or African American, 0.26% (17) Native American, 8.12% (531) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 3.32% (217) from other races, and 2.19% (143) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.03% (721) of the population. There were 2,286 households, out of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.6% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.5% were non families. 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.25. Additionally, the same slag was used to build an entire jetty on the northern end of Morgan Bridge in Morgan. The slag comes in the form of about 20" diameter discs similar in shape to tire hubs and some are disc halves. The slag was a byproduct from the lead refining process that contains mostly steel with small percentages of lead and other heavy metals. The slag does not significantly affect the water quality due to dilution from ocean water that continuously comes in and out of the bay. Testing showed that the sand under the slag has lead particulates that have separated over time and there are traces of lead particulates in the sand below the tidal line. Once the slag is removed or contained the beach will be reopened.