88 Bruce Road is located in the River Plaza district of the Township of Middletown. Middletown is a community of about 70,000 people, with its own government, schools, and police. Adjoining, but legally separate, are Atlantic Highlands, Colts Neck, Hazlet, Highlands, Holmdel, and Red Bank.
Middletown's major areas have retained the separate identities they had when a separation of six or seven miles was a trip of several hours. More than one post office (and ZIP code) serve Middletown. Lincroft, Navesink, and North Middletown are part and parcel of Middletown but have their own post office. Oak Hill, Harmony, Fairview, River Plaza, and several other areas are also part of Middletown but do not have their own post office; they are served by one of the Middletown post offices or by that of an adjoining town.
88 Bruce Road is in the River Plaza area of Middletown and is served by the Red Bank post office. Red Bank is a separate community of about 10,000 people with its own government and schools.
Try these web sites for more information:
Middletown
or
Community
or
the
Monmouth County Historical
Association
.
Whether you want a public school, a non-denominational private school, or a religious school, quality choices are nearby.
The Middletown school district has elementary, middle, and high schools that consistently rank among the best in New Jersey based on test results and college admissions. Middletown's school system consists of 17 schools serving 10,000 students, has nearly 1000 staff, and an annual budget of approximately $99 million.
The district has two high schools, three middle schools, and 12 elementary schools. The closest public elementary school is River Plaza School , originally built in 1925 and recently refurbished. Busing is provided to Thompson Middle School , which is three miles away and serves sixth, seventh and eighth grades. Busing is also provided to Middletown High School South , a school with an outstanding scholastic record, winning teams, and 1600 enthusiastic students.
Three other public high schools are available: Monmouth County runs the High Technology High School on the campus of Brookdale College , 2.5 miles away. It also runs the Marine Academy of Science and Technology , collocated with the Sandy Hook Marine research center at Sandy Hook, about 15 miles away. It also runs The Academy of Allied Health & Science . Admission is by application.
Very fine Catholic schools are nearby and popular: St. Leo The Great in Lincroft (which is part of Middletown) is a mixed school for first through eighth grade. Red Bank Catholic is a girls school and 2.5 miles to the east. Christian Brothers Academy is a boys high school 2.5 miles to the west, opposite Brookdale College.
The closest non-denominational schools are the Ranney School and the Oak Hill Academy . Both serve all grades and are noted for their small classes and innovative programs. The Rumson School also has a fine reputation. Just for fun, look at this list of New Jersey schools .and a Brookdale maintained list .
Middletown and adjacent areas are centers of telecommunications and software research and development. Farther afield are many insurance, banking, and brokerage companies.
Some of the large nearby employers are Lucent Technologies with its Bell Laboratories (7 miles), the Red Bank offices of SAIC Bellcore (0.6 miles), and the expanding world software headquarters of AT&T (7 miles).
The headquarters of the US Army Communications Command are at nearby Fort Monmouth (5 miles). Brookdale College (2.5 miles) and Monmouth University (10 miles) are also major employers.
Within New Jersey major employment areas within an hour are centered
in Newark-Elizabeth, on the I-287 Corridor, and along the Princeton-Trenton-
Route 1 corridor.
New York City is 50 miles by land (but under 25 as the crow flies). It is easily reached by car, bus, train, or ferry in about one hour. Options are
- Train from Middletown (5 miles, shorter ride) or Red Bank (2 miles);
- Bus via the Garden State Parkway Exit 109 (walk a half mile);
- Car via Garden State Parkway Exit 109 (half a mile), NJ Turnpike and Lincoln or Holland Tunnels.
- Ferry from Highlands and Atlantic Highlands (20 minutes in car plus 30 in boat).
Mercer County (Trenton, Princeton, Route 1, I295) is 40-60 miles away. By car it will take one hour or more depending on the destination. Options are
- Trenton by car via Garden State Parkway south and Interstate 195 west.
- Princeton by car via Freehold and Hightstown (Rt 33 and Rt 571).
- Princeton-Trenton-Philadelphia by train north to Rahway and then south (70 minutes to Princeton Junction.)
Philadelphia and vicinity is 75 miles; by car it can be done in under two hours.
The I-287 corridor has many employment sites. It can be reached in thirty minutes or more depending on the location. The Delaware Water Gap is reached by continuing west on I80; it is 90 miles.
The closest major airports are Newark International and JFK. Newark is 35 miles away and by car can be reached in under 45 minutes. JFK is 63 miles away and can be reached by car at good times in 75 minutes and at bad times much longer. Limousine service is available at $50 and up. Both can be reached by train.