Town guide · Monmouth County
Living in Eatontown, NJ
Eatontown is a crossroads borough where Routes 35, 36, 18 and 71 meet, just off Garden State Parkway exit 105. It is changing quickly. The former Fort Monmouth is becoming a Netflix studio campus and new housing, and the Monmouth Mall is being rebuilt as Monmouth Square.
- County
- Monmouth
- Population
- About 13,600 (2020 census)
- Size
- About 5.9 square miles
- Setting
- Suburban neighborhoods around a busy highway crossroads
- Main roads
- Routes 35, 36, 18 and 71; Garden State Parkway exit 105 at the Tinton Falls line
Neighborhoods
A town in the middle of a big change
Eatontown takes its name from Thomas Eaton, who built a grist mill around 1670 where Wampum Lake Park is today. It became a township in 1873 and a borough in 1926. Today it borders Shrewsbury, Oceanport, West Long Branch, Ocean Township and Tinton Falls.
- The center of town: Around Route 35 (Main Street) and Route 71 (Broad Street), near Wampum Lake.
- Fort Monmouth: The former Army post, closed in 2011, which spreads across Eatontown, Oceanport and Tinton Falls and is being redeveloped.
- Monmouth Square: The former Monmouth Mall at Routes 35 and 36, being rebuilt with less retail, green space and a planned residential section called Monmouth Village.
- Locust Grove: An unincorporated community name within the borough.
Homes
What you will find
- Single family homes: On residential streets throughout the borough, away from the highway corridors.
- New housing at Fort Monmouth: The borough approved 275 housing units on part of the former fort in 2022.
- Apartments at Monmouth Square: The mall redevelopment plan calls for about 1,000 apartments, with completion estimated around 2028.
Worth knowing: Eatontown is in the middle of two of the biggest redevelopment projects in Monmouth County. Construction, traffic patterns and nearby land uses are changing, so we look at what is planned near any home before pricing it. The Fort Monmouth land is overseen by the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority, and its plans are public.
Property taxes
What taxes look like in Eatontown
- 1.576%2025 effective tax rate, as a share of market value
- $11,4112025 average residential tax bill
A home worth $700,000 on today's market would pay roughly $11,032 a year at Eatontown's 2025 effective rate. Your actual bill depends on your assessment, so we pull the real tax record for any home you are considering.
Source: New Jersey Division of Taxation, 2025 general and effective tax rates. Rates are set each year.
Groceries, dining and shopping
Where Eatontown shops and eats
Eatontown is one of the area's main shopping crossroads, so errands rarely mean a long drive. Most stores and restaurants line Route 35 and Route 36.
Grocery stores
- In townWhole Foods Market180 Route 35, EatontownDirections
- NorthTrader Joe's1031 Broad Street, ShrewsburyDirections
- EastShopRite145 Monmouth Road, West Long BranchDirections
- SouthWegmans1104 Route 35, Ocean TownshipDirections
Checked October 2026. Stores open, close and move, so call ahead before a first trip.
Restaurants
Most of Eatontown's restaurants are along Route 35 and Route 36, largely chain and casual places around Monmouth Square. For a downtown dinner, people head a few miles in either direction:
- Downtown Red Bank: North through Shrewsbury to Broad Street and Monmouth Street, a downtown with restaurants, shops and live entertainment.
- Pier Village, Long Branch: East toward the ocean, an oceanfront complex with restaurants and shops along the boardwalk.
Shopping
The former Monmouth Mall at Routes 35 and 36 is being rebuilt as Monmouth Square, where a new Whole Foods Market opened in July 2026. The rest of Route 35 and Route 36 is lined with shopping centers.
Getting around
Roads and commuting
Routes 35 and 36 run through the center of the borough, Route 18 crosses the southwest part and Route 71 the north. Route 36 begins at Garden State Parkway exit 105 on the Tinton Falls line and runs east past Monmouth Square. County Routes 537 and 547 also pass through. Eatontown has no train station of its own; NJ Transit's North Jersey Coast Line runs through neighboring towns to the east. NJ Transit buses 831 and 832 provide local service. Daily shopping is along Routes 35 and 36.
Places worth knowing
Parks, landmarks and open space
- Wampum Lake Park: A park and lake built largely by the Works Progress Administration and dedicated in 1940, on the site of Thomas Eaton's early mill.
- Wolcott Park: A borough park with softball fields, tennis, pickleball and basketball courts, a playground and a picnic pavilion.
- Fort Monmouth: An Army post from 1917 until 2011, long a center of Army communications and electronics work, now being redeveloped.
Common questions
Questions people ask us about Eatontown
What are property taxes in Eatontown, NJ?
Eatontown Borough's 2025 effective tax rate is 1.576 percent of market value, and the average residential tax bill is $11,411, according to the New Jersey Division of Taxation. Actual bills depend on each home's assessment.
Is Fort Monmouth in Eatontown?
Partly. The former Army post spread across Eatontown, Oceanport and Tinton Falls and officially closed on September 15, 2011. Its redevelopment is overseen by the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority.
Where is the Netflix studio in New Jersey?
Netflix is building a studio campus on about 292 acres of the former Fort Monmouth in Eatontown and Oceanport. Crews set the final structural beams on the first sound stages in June 2026, and Netflix has said the first phase is on track for summer 2027, with the next phase targeted for fall 2028.
What is happening to the Monmouth Mall?
It is being redeveloped as Monmouth Square. The project broke ground in May 2024, the enclosed mall closed to the public that August, and the plan adds green space, medical offices and about 1,000 apartments, with completion estimated around 2028.
Does Eatontown have a train station?
No. NJ Transit's North Jersey Coast Line runs through neighboring towns to the east. In Eatontown itself, NJ Transit provides local bus service on routes 831 and 832.
Where is the closest grocery store to Eatontown?
Eatontown has its own Whole Foods Market, which opened at Monmouth Square on Route 35 in July 2026. Just outside the borough there is a Trader Joe's on Broad Street in Shrewsbury, a ShopRite on Monmouth Road in West Long Branch and a Wegmans on Route 35 in Ocean Township.
Nearby towns
Towns that border Eatontown
Buying or selling in Eatontown?
We follow what is changing in Eatontown
Fort Monmouth and Monmouth Square are reshaping Eatontown. We keep track of what is planned near your street and show you how buyers are weighing it.
Call or text either of us directly.