Little Silver, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Little Silver, New Jersey
Borough
Parker Homestead
Map of Little Silver in Monmouth County. Inset: Location of Monmouth County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Little Silver, New Jersey
Little Silver, New Jersey Location in Monmouth County, New Jersey Show map of Monmouth County, New Jersey Little Silver, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Little Silver, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Monmouth
Incorporated	April 28, 1923
Government
• Type	Borough
• Body	Borough Council
Area
• Total	3.32 sq mi (8.60 km2)
• Land	2.71 sq mi (7.02 km2)
• Water	0.61 sq mi (1.57 km2)  18.28%
Area rank	323rd of 565 in state 22nd of 53 in county
Elevation	16 ft (5 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	6,131
• Estimate  (2023)	6,053
• Rank	343rd of 565 in state 28th of 53 in county
• Density	2,260.7/sq mi (872.9/km2)
• Density rank	276th of 565 in state 33rd of 53 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	07739
Area code(s)	732
FIPS code	3402540770
GNIS feature ID	0885282
Website

Canada Geese cross street in Little Silver, New Jersey

Little Silver is a charming town, or 'borough,' located in Monmouth County, New Jersey. In 2020, about 6,131 people lived here. This was a small increase from 2010.

The area that is now Little Silver was first granted land by a King in 1663. People started settling there in 1667. Little Silver officially became its own town, or 'borough,' on March 19, 1923. This happened after people voted for it. It was formed from parts of Shrewsbury Township.

History of Little Silver

Long before Europeans arrived, the Navesink Native Americans lived in the area we now call Little Silver.

How Little Silver Got Its Name

There are a few stories about how Little Silver got its name. One story says that brothers Joseph and Peter Parker settled here in 1667. They owned land between Parker's Creek and Little Silver Creek. They named their land "Little Silver" after their father's estate in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. The original Parker Homestead house, built in 1725, is one of the oldest in New Jersey. The town bought it and is working to restore it.

Other ideas for the name come from payments made to Native Americans for the land. Another idea is that the calm, shiny look of the water made people think of "little silver."

Early Life in Little Silver

The first European residents of Little Silver were mostly farmers, fishermen, and merchants. They worked the land and traded goods.

Some important early families included:

• Parkers – Joseph and Peter Parker were among the first to settle here. Their old home at 235 Rumson Road is now a state historic site.
• Sickles – Harold and Elsie Sickles started a large farm in 1908. It grew into Sickles Market, a special garden and food store. It closed in 2024 after 116 years.
• Lovett – John T. Lovett owned a plant nursery that covered almost half the town. He sold plants to big stores like Sears. In 1879, he helped change the Post Office name from "Parkersville" to "Little Silver."

Little Silver has changed a lot over time. It was once a resort, a farming area, and a fishing town. Today, it is mainly a residential area with many different types of homes.

Growth and Transportation

Little Silver separated from Shrewsbury Township in 1923. Since then, farms and nurseries have been replaced by houses. Many people who work in New York City or North Jersey now live in Little Silver. They travel to their jobs by train or car.

The Little Silver train station on Sycamore Avenue was built in 1890. It was designed by a famous American architect named Henry Hobson Richardson. The station was renovated and reopened in 2003.

Geography and Nature

Little Silver covers about 3.32 square miles (8.60 square kilometers). Most of this is land, with about 0.61 square miles (1.57 square kilometers) being water.

The town's location on the Shrewsbury River makes it a great spot for boating and water sports. There's a public boat ramp at Dominick F. Santelle Park. Many homes are right on the Shrewsbury River, and others are on smaller streams that connect to it.

Little Silver shares borders with several other towns in Monmouth County. These include Fair Haven, Monmouth Beach, Oceanport, Red Bank, Rumson, and Shrewsbury.

Population and People

Population in 2010

In 2010, the 2010 United States census counted 5,950 people living in Little Silver. There were 2,146 households, which are groups of people living together. Most of the people (96.42%) were White. About 1.75% were Asian, and 3.01% were Hispanic or Latino.

About 27.9% of the population was under 18 years old. The average household had 2.77 people. The median age in Little Silver was 43.8 years. This means half the people were older than 43.8 and half were younger.

Education in Little Silver

The Little Silver School District serves students from pre-kindergarten up to eighth grade. The district has two schools:

• Point Road School: For students in PreK through 4th grade.
• Markham Place School: For students in 5th through 8th grade.

After eighth grade, students attend Red Bank Regional High School. This high school serves students from Little Silver, Red Bank, and Shrewsbury. It also has special programs for students from other towns. Little Silver has two elected representatives on the high school's board of education.

Getting Around Little Silver

County Route 520 through Little Silver

Roads

Little Silver has over 32 miles of roads. Most of these are maintained by the town itself. County Route 520 is a main road that goes through the middle of the borough. The closest major highway is the Garden State Parkway.

Public Transportation

Little Silver station agent's window

NJT train at Little Silver station

Borough of Little Silver vehicle

NJ Transit offers train service at the Little Silver station. This train line connects the town to major cities like Hoboken Terminal, Newark Penn Station, and New York Penn Station. The train station was built in 1875 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

For those traveling to Manhattan, SeaStreak catamarans and NY Waterway ferries are available from nearby areas.

Famous People from Little Silver

Many interesting people have lived in or are connected to Little Silver. Here are a few:

• James Avati (1912–2005), a talented artist who illustrated many paperback book covers.
• John O. Bennett (born 1948), a former politician who served in the New Jersey government.
• Brian Christian (born 1984), a poet and author of nonfiction books.
• Karl Guthe Jansky (1905–1950), known as the founder of radio astronomy, which studies radio waves from space.
• Russell Ohl (1898–1987), an engineer who invented the modern solar cell, which turns sunlight into electricity.
• Declan O'Scanlon (born 1963), a politician who has served on the Little Silver Borough Council and in the New Jersey General Assembly.
• Meghan Tierney (born 1997), a snowboarder who competed for the United States in the Winter Olympics.
• Casey Webb, a television host famous for his show Man v. Food.

See also

In Spanish: Little Silver para niños