Lakewood NJ’s rich history can be found at various points throughout its township, such as at Pine Park’s Lakewood Historical Museum or Ocean County Library’s Sheldon Wolpin Lakewood Historical Museum and Strand Theater. Furthermore, Victorian teas, appropriate period performances and community and regional events such as those celebrating Boys & Girls Scouts of Lakewood recognition and “Walks Down Memory Lane” commemorating past eras that are so intimately tied with Lakewood life are just some of the ways Lakewood makes its mark on its local history.
The Garden State Parkway is one of the primary roadways that traverse Lakewood City. Running between Toms River in the south to Brick in the north, its exit 89 serves Lakewood with one major interchange serving this municipality. Routes 70 and 88 also run through this municipality as do a number of county routes.
Lakewood, which once focused on wood and iron manufacturing, has blossomed into a township with an eclectic cultural offering including music, theatre, fine arts and dance. Discover its extensive heritage at an event entitled “Exploring Lakewood’s Historical Past to Present” scheduled for Thursday November 9th.
Rabbi Kotler’s yeshiva was one of many that relocated from White Plains to the Jersey Pinelands during World War II, drawn there by reports that land was cheap in this part of New Jersey that reminded them of Brooklyn. Beginning with 13 students at an old mansion on Madison Avenue, they quickly established themselves there.
By the 1930’s, Lakewood was experiencing incredible prosperity, thanks to a flourishing hotel industry and luxurious estates built by wealthy figures like George Gould (whose house would eventually become Georgian Court University) and John D. Rockefeller. Additionally, Monmouth Avenue’s Blue Comet train station was bustling with activity; thus making Lakewood an attractive tourist destination.
Lakewood has always shown great flexibility when responding to changing economic circumstances, with forward-thinking public servants taking the initiative in condemning vast tracts of blighted property under the Blight Act and turning them into industrial parks which now house over 350 local, national, and international companies that contribute ratables of over $105 Million and provide over 11,000 jobs in Lakewood.
FirstEnergy Park was another significant development for Lakewood in 2001 with its establishment. Home of Class A affiliate of Philadelphia Phillies’ Lakewood BlueClaws baseball club, FirstEnergy Park stands out as an incredible success throughout New Jersey as its number of minor league operations thrives at Cedarbridge Avenues in Lakewood.
