Middletown, township, Monmouth County, eastern New Jersey, bounded by Sandy Hook Bay and the Navesink River; settled by 1664. It is a residential community with some commercial and recreational fishing. A community college and several old homes (dating from the 1670s and 1680s) are here. Fort Monmouth and Sandy Hook Park, a unit of Gateway National Recreation Area, are nearby. In September 1609 the English navigator Henry Hudson landed here and traded with local Native Americans. The township is named for Middleton, England. Population 62,574 (1980); 68,183 (1990).
