Editing Hazlet, New Jersey (section)

== History ==
What is now Hazlet Township was originally incorporated as '''Raritan Township''' by an act of the [[New Jersey Legislature]] on February 25, 1848, from portions of [[Middletown Township, New Jersey|Middletown Township]]. Portions of the township were taken to form [[Holmdel Township, New Jersey|Holmdel Township]] (February 23, 1857), Matawan Township (also February 23, 1857, now [[Aberdeen Township, New Jersey|Aberdeen Township]]), [[Keyport, New Jersey|Keyport]] (March 17, 1870), [[Keansburg, New Jersey|Keansburg]] (March 26, 1917) and [[Union Beach, New Jersey|Union Beach]] (March 16, 1925). The township was renamed "Hazlet Township" as of November 28, 1967, based on the results of a referendum held on November 7, 1967.<ref name=Story>Snyder, John P. [https://nj.gov/dep/njgs/enviroed/oldpubs/bulletin67.pdf ''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''], Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 179 re Hazlet Township, p. 184 re Raritan Township. Accessed May 28, 2024.</ref> Hazlet derives its name from Dr. John Hazlett, who had an estate in Raritan Township near the Keyport-Holmdel Turnpike, now Holmdel Road.<ref>[https://www.hazlettwp.org/413/History-of-Hazlet History of Hazlet], Hazlet Township. Accessed January 27, 2025.</ref><ref>Staff. [https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/144377005/ "Hazlet: A brief history"], ''[[Asbury Park Press]]'', August 30, 2007. Accessed August 22, 2020. "The name Hazlet is taken from an early resident, Dr. John Hazlett, who came from New York City to purchase land and settle here more than 100 years ago....1967 Raritan Township's name is changed to Hazlet to give it a clearer identity. Before the change, it was one of three towns known as Raritan in the state."</ref>

Hazlet was the site of the last [[drive-in movie theater]] in New Jersey, the Route 35 Drive-In, which closed in 1991,<ref>[http://www.state.nj.us/hangout_nj/200403_driveins_p5.html New Jersey Drive-In Theaters], State of [[New Jersey]]. Accessed July 5, 2007. "New Jersey's last drive-in theater, Hazlet's Route 35 Drive-In, closed in 1991."</ref> until the Delsea Drive-In in [[Vineland, New Jersey|Vineland]] reopened in 2004.<ref>Strauss, Robert. [https://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/23/nyregion/drive-theater-tries-comeback-looking-for-few-hundred-adventurous-moviegoers.html "The Drive-In Theater Tries a Comeback; Looking for a Few Hundred Adventurous Moviegoers"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', July 23, 2004. Accessed August 26, 2018. "He will be back in his old place, the Delsea Drive-In projection booth, rolling a double feature, as the theater reopens with ''The Bourne Supremacy'' and ''Anchorman.'' It will be the first drive-in movie showing in New Jersey -- the state that spawned the craze in the 1930s -- since the Route 35 Drive-In in Hazlet closed in 1991."</ref>

Hazlet was part of the [[Bayshore Regional Strategic Plan]], an effort by nine municipalities in northern Monmouth County to reinvigorate the area's economy by emphasizing the traditional downtowns, dense residential neighborhoods, maritime history, and the natural environment of the [[Raritan Bayshore]] coastline. The plan has since been integrated into the 2016 Monmouth County Master Plan.<ref>{{Cite report |title=2016 Monmouth County Master Plan |url=https://www.visitmonmouth.com/Documents/24/FINAL%20Master%20Plan%20Volume%20I.pdf}}</ref>