Little Silver is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough’s population was 5,950, a drop of 220 (−3.6%) from the 6,170 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 449 (+7.8%) from the 5,721 counted in the 1990 Census.
Little Silver was established with a King’s land grant in 1663 and settled in 1667. Little Silver was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 19, 1923, from portions of Shrewsbury Township, based on the results of a referendum held on April 28, 1923.
There are several tales of how Little Silver received its name. In one, brothers Joseph and Peter Parker, who settled in this area in 1667 and owned land bounded by Parker’s Creek on the south and Little Silver Creek on the north, named their holdings “Little Silver” after their father’s (George Parker) estate in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. The original Parker Homestead, dating to 1725 and one of the state’s oldest, was acquired by the borough and is undergoing renovation.
Other explanations for the derivation of the name are the payment to Native Americans for purchase of the land and the placid appearance of the water.
The borough has had a varied history as a resort, agricultural area and fishing town. Today, the municipality is primarily residential with a range of housing types, from ranches and capes.
Little Silver separated from Shrewsbury Township in 1923. Since then, farms and nurseries have been replaced by housing. Over the years, New York City and North Jersey commuters have made Little Silver their home, traveling by rail or auto to their jobs. The Little Silver Train Station on Sycamore Avenue was designed by the noted American architect Henry Hobson Richardson and built in 1890. It reopened after renovations in 2003.
The borough borders the Monmouth County municipalities of Fair Haven, Monmouth Beach, Oceanport, Red Bank, Rumson and Shrewsbury Borough.
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 5,950 people, 2,146 households, and 1,689 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,197.3 per square mile (848.4/km2). There were 2,278 housing units at an average density of 841.3 per square mile (324.8/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 96.42% (5,737) White, 0.29% (17) Black or African American, 0.10% (6) Native American, 1.75% (104) Asian, 0.13% (8) Pacific Islander, 0.17% (10) from other races, and 1.14% (68) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.01% (179) of the population.
Source: Wikipedia
