Editing Red Bank, New Jersey (section)

==History==
Red Bank has been occupied by indigenous peoples for thousands of years. The area of modern-day Red Bank was the territory of the [[Algonquian languages|Algonquian]]-speaking [[Lenape]] [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]], also called the Delaware by the English. The Lenape lived in the area between the [[Navesink River]] and the [[Shrewsbury River]] in an area they called ''Navarumsunk.'' The Native Americans traded freely with European settlers from [[England]] and the [[Dutch Republic]] in the mid-17th century, who purchased land in the area.<ref name=NYT1975>Sullivan, Joseph F. [https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1976/10/15/355521382.pdf "Metropolitan Baedeker: Around Red Bank and the Navesink"]. ''[[The New York Times]]''. October 15, 1976. Accessed July 10, 2012.</ref>

Originally part of "[[Shrewsbury Township, New Jersey|Shrewsbury Towne]]", Red Bank was named in 1736, when Thomas Morford sold Joseph French "a lot of over three acres on the west side of the highway that goes to the red bank".<ref>[http://www.redbanknj.org/content/history.html "History"]. Borough of Red Bank. Accessed July 11, 2012.</ref> English colonists settled Red Bank beginning in the 17th century and it became a center for shipbuilding. Its population grew rapidly after 1809, when regularly scheduled passenger ships were established to serve the route to [[Manhattan]].<ref name=NYT1975/>

By 1844, Red Bank had become a commercial and [[manufacturing]] center, focused on [[textile]]s, [[Tanning (leather)|tanning]], [[furs]], and other goods for sale in Manhattan. With the dredging of the Navesink River about 1845, Red Bank became a port from which [[steamboat]]s transported commuters to work in Manhattan. Red Bank grew in size as a result, and because the [[New Jersey Southern Railroad|Raritan and Delaware Bay Railroad]] constructed a railway in the town in 1860.<ref>Staff. [https://www.nytimes.com/1860/06/20/news/anniversary-city-guard-excursion-long-branch-opening-raritan-delaware-bay.html "Anniversary of the City Guard.; Excursion To Long Branch Opening Of The Raritan And Delaware Bay Railroad Dinner, Speeches, Etc."], ''[[The New York Times]]'', June 20, 1860. Accessed May 9, 2012. "It being the occasion of the opening of the Raritan and Delaware Bay Railroad, to Long Branch, the City Guard accepted the invitation of the Railroad Company to pass over their road and join in the opening celebration at the same time that they celebrated their own anniversary.... The Raritan and Delaware Bay Railroad, it may be proper to state here, was projected to run to Cabe{{sic}} May, and to form part of an air-line from New-York to Norfolk, a distance of 300 miles, 250 of which is to be by rail and the remainder by water."</ref>

In the 20th century, Red Bank was a strong cultural, economic, and political center in Monmouth County until it was hindered by the [[early 1990s recession|economic recession that began in 1987]]. During this time, its economy, based largely on [[retail]] commerce, was in decline, due to a real estate scandal. Local pundits and urban planners referred to the town as "Dead Bank".<ref name=DeadBank>James, George. [https://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/17/nyregion/communities-from-dead-bank-to-red-bank.html "Communities; From Dead Bank To Red Bank"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', June 17, 2001. Accessed May 9, 2012. "It was the mid 1980s, and downtown stores were being forced out of business by the invasion of sprawling new malls, the population was slipping and the commercial and residential tax base was eroding. Red Bank was known as Dead Bank."</ref>

Beginning in approximately 1991, under the New Jersey Development and Redevelopment Law, the borough authorized the creation of the Red Bank RiverCenter to manage redevelopment in what was designated as a [[special improvement district]]. RiverCenter retains authority over the management and redevelopment of a defined [[central business district]], which includes Broad Street from the post office to Marine Park and from Maple Avenue to one block east of Broad Street. A number of urban redevelopment projects have taken place, including improved signage, distinctive and pedestrian-friendly sidewalks and lighting, a coherent design plan for Main Street and other major thoroughfares, and improving the condition of parking lots with landscaping.<ref>[http://www.visitnj.org/red-bank Red Bank], New Jersey Travel and Vacation Information. Accessed July 10, 2012.</ref><ref>Higgs, Larry. [https://archive.today/20130131150010/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/app/access/1779877211.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Dec+11,+2005&author=LARRY+HIGGS&pub=Asbury+Park+Press&desc=Downtown+Red+Bank+likened+to+Hoboken&pqatl=google "Downtown Red Bank likened to Hoboken"], ''[[Asbury Park Press]]'', December 11, 2005. Accessed July 10, 2012.</ref>

The district as originally proposed was larger, to include the commercial areas west of Maple Avenue, including the antique buildings, The Galleria, and Shrewsbury Avenue. But some property owners in this area opposed paying the special assessment. Plans for the larger district advanced but opposition became more rigorous. The proposed district was amended to exclude opponents, and the district that was adopted stops at Maple Avenue.<ref>Burton, John. [http://www.trtnj.com/archive/111706/news4.php "Special Improvement District Seeks Expansion To West Side"], ''The Two River Times'', November 17, 2006. Accessed July 15, 2012. "A plan to include the borough's west side in the original special improvement district was abandoned because of a threat of legal action brought by a Shrewsbury Avenue commercial property owner, who opposed the special assessment as inequitable.... As proposed, the lines of the district would include Monmouth Street west of Maple Avenue to Bridge Avenue, including Bridge and extending to Rector Place, to Chestnut Street on the south, and going to the Navesink River to the north."</ref>