Tinton Falls, New Jersey

Tinton Falls is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 17,892, an increase of 2,839 (+18.9%) from the 15,053 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 2,692 (+21.8%) from the 12,361 counted in the 1990 Census.

The borough was formed as New Shrewsbury by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on August 15, 1950, based on the results of a referendum held on July 18, 1950, after breaking away from Shrewsbury Township. It was renamed "Tinton Falls" in 1975, to avoid postal errors. The name came from Lewis Morris's plantation, Tinton Manor, which employed free white workers and slaves. The borough is home to the highest waterfall on New Jersey's coastal plain.

History

The area that is now known as Tinton Falls was originally settled in the late 1600s, probably beginning with the initial land purchases from the Lenni Lenape Native Americans in 1664.Water power and iron ore were likely the incentives that encouraged settlement: shortly after [the land was purchased], a man by the name of James Grover had an ironworks built along the river. Grover was likely the founder of the community, which, in the 1600s, was named "New Shrewsbury". At this time, the waterfall was known to be about 30 feet (9.1 m) high; erosion and the destruction of the dam near the ironworks have led to its diminishment.