Leonardo, New Jersey

Leonardo is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP)<ref>State of New Jersey Census Designated Places - BVP20 - Data as of January 1, 2020, United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 1, 2022.</ref> located on the north shore of Middletown Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The community is situated along the Raritan Bayshore and is part of the Jersey Shore region of the state.<ref name=CPH232>New Jersey: 2010 - Population and Housing Unit Counts - 2010 Census of Population and Housing (CPH-2-32), United States Census Bureau, August 2012. Accessed December 16, 2012.</ref><ref>GCT-PH1 - Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County – County Subdivision and Place from the 2010 Census Summary File 1 for Monmouth County, New Jersey Template:Webarchive, United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 16, 2012.</ref><ref>Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed April 19, 2015.</ref> As of the 2020 United States census, the CDP's population was 2,549,<ref name=Census2020/> a decrease of 208 (-7.5%) from the 2,757 enumerated at the 2010 census,<ref name=Census2010>DP-1 - Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for Leonardo CDP, New Jersey, United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 7, 2012.</ref> which in turn had reflected a decline of 66 (-2.3%) from the 2,823 counted at the 2000 census.<ref name=Census2000/> The ZIP Code for Leonardo is 07737.<ref name=USPS/>

History

Leonardo is named for Henry and James Leonard, the first ironmasters of New Jersey.<ref>Chang, Kathy; and Kesten, Karen L. "Birth of a town" Template:Webarchive, the hub, January 7, 2010. Accessed August 7, 2012. "The Leonardo section of Middletown was a part of Atlantic Highlands and originally called Leonardville. It was named after Henry and James Leonard, the first ironmasters in the state. Croydon Hall was the home of John J. Leonard."</ref>

During World War II, the large dock complex of Naval Weapons Station Earle was built to supply ammunition to the forces.

Leonardo is known as the site of the only casualties of the US Nike Missile program. On May 22, 1958, an Ajax missile exploded at the Nike missile base in Leonardo, killing six soldiers and four civilians.<ref>Spencer, Luke "The Rusted, Rotting Remains of A New Jersey Missile Base", Atlas Obscura, June 11, 2015. Accessed June 11, 2015. "No Nikes were ever launched in anger over US soil, but the program wasn't without casualties. In Leonardo, New Jersey, an Ajax missile exploded on May 22nd, 1958, killing six soldiers and four civilians."</ref><ref>Beitler, Stu "Leonardo, NJ Nike Missile Explosion, May 1958", GenDisasters, 2011. Accessed June 11, 2015. "The dead included six soldiers and four civilians."</ref> Since the Project Nike shutdown in 1974, the Leonardo launch base, designated NY-53, has been redeveloped into single-family home sites.

Geography

Leonardo is located in northern Monmouth County, on the south shore of Raritan Bay. It is in northern Middletown Township and is bordered to the east by the borough of Atlantic Highlands and to the west by unincorporated Belford. New Jersey Route 36 forms the southern border of the Leonardo CDP; the highway runs east Template:Convert to Highlands and west Template:Convert to Keyport.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Leonardo CDP has a total area of Template:Convert, including Template:Convert of water (1.00%).<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2023"/>

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 2,757 people, 1,001 households, and 742 families in the CDP. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 1,055 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup was 95.47% (2,632) White, 1.02% (28) Black or African American, 0.15% (4) Native American, 1.02% (28) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 0.91% (25) from other races, and 1.45% (40) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.49% (179) of the population.<ref name=Census2010/>

Of the 1,001 households, 31.0% had children under the age of 18; 57.6% were married couples living together; 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present and 25.9% were non-families. Of all households, 20.0% were made up of individuals and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.21.<ref name=Census2010/>

22.8% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 33.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.2 years. For every 100 females, the population had 94.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 95.3 males.<ref name=Census2010/>

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States Census<ref name="GR2" /> there were 2,823 people, 987 households, and 753 families living in the CDP. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 1,017 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the CDP was 95.85% White, 0.53% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 0.46% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.85% of the population.<ref name=Census2000>DP-1 - Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 from the Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Leonardo CDP, New Jersey Template:Webarchive, United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 8, 2012.</ref>

There were 987 households, out of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.5% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.7% were non-families. 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.31.<ref name=Census2000/>

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 25.9% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.8 males.<ref name=Census2000/>

The median income for a household in the CDP was $64,432, and the median income for a family was $66,750. Males had a median income of $49,716 versus $30,400 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $23,422. About 3.4% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.7% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.<ref name=Census2000/>

Education

Template:Further The area is served by the Middletown Township Public School District.

Leonardo is home to Bayshore Middle School and Leonardo Elementary School. Bayshore Middle School has a population of 623 students<ref name="schooldigger.com">Template:Cite web</ref> and is ranked the 267th middle school out of 745 in the State of New Jersey. Leonardo Elementary school has a population of 285 students. The school is ranked 790th out of 1,360 elementary schools in New Jersey.<ref name="schooldigger.com"/>

Transportation

New Jersey Transit offers local bus service on the 834 route.<ref>Monmouth County Bus / Rail Connections, New Jersey Transit, backed up by the Internet Archive as of July 26, 2010. Accessed August 7, 2012.</ref>

Notable people

Template:Category see also People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Leonardo include:

• Donald De Lue (1897–1988), sculptor<ref>Stattel, Erin O. " From monumental to medallions, exhibit showcases De Lue's work; Leonardo sculptor known for powerful human figures" Template:Webarchive, The Hub, August 6, 2009. Accessed August 29, 2013. "De Lue, best known for his sculpture 'Rocket Thrower,' showcased at the 1964 New York World's Fair, was originally from Boston but took up residence in the Leonardo section of Middletown after seeking more space for his sculpting passion."</ref>
• Billy Devaney (born 1955), former general manager of the St. Louis Rams<ref>Garafolo, Mike. "Monmouth County's Billy Devaney now making waves as GM of the St. Louis Rams", The Star-Ledger, April 21, 2009. Accessed July 20, 2011. "'He's very happy right now. And I can tell he is, too,' said Mike Corley, Devaney's best friend from before their days together at Mater Dei High School in New Monmouth.... It was a fitting career path for a self-proclaimed "draftnik" (before there were draftniks) who used to take the bus from Leonardo – a section of Middletown – to Port Authority in Manhattan to pick up a copy of Street & Smith's draft guide."</ref>
• Bill Kunkel (1936–1985), Major League Baseball pitcher and umpire<ref>Staff. "Kunkel undergoes tests", Times-News (Hendersonville, North Carolina), February 18, 1983. Accessed August 14, 2012. "Leonardo, N.J. — Bill Kunkel, an American League umpire who has had one cancerous tumor removed, said Thursday that he will enter New York University Hospital for tests on a malignant tumor that was detected last week."</ref>
• Jeff Kunkel (born 1962) former major-league shortstop<ref>Alfano, Peter. "Players; Enduring Triple A and a Painful Loss", The New York Times, June 11, 1985. Accessed August 8, 2012. "He joked about the bonus that Jeff would sign, comparing it to his own miserly wages as a ballplayer. He enjoyed answering the telephone at the family's home in Leonardo, N.J., where scouts would call regularly."</ref>

Fictional characters associated with Leonardo:

• Jay and Silent Bob, characters portrayed by Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith, respectively, in Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse (a fictional universe created and used in most films, comics and television by Kevin Smith)
• Randal Graves, a character portrayed by Jeff Anderson, and Dante Hicks, Randal's friend and counterpart, played by Brian O'Halloran. Randal Graves and Dante Hicks, along with Jay and Silent Bob, are the main characters in the ViewAskewniverse, and have starred in all but three Kevin Smith films.

In media

The community is best known as the site of the Quick Stop convenience store and RST Video store (located at 58 Leonard Avenue, just north of Route 36) that was the main location for the 1994 film Clerks, directed by Kevin Smith, who worked at the store at the time. The same store was also used by Smith in his films Chasing Amy (1997), Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), Clerks II (2006) and Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019), and was part of a deleted scene from his film Mallrats (1995).Template:Citation needed The location was also used in Kevin Smith's short-lived television show Clerks: The Animated Series (2000), which ran for six episodes on ABC before its abrupt cancellation in mid-2000. The program's character Leonardo Leonardo (voiced by actor Alec Baldwin) was named after the town, and several of the characters resided and/or worked in Leonardo. The video store is now closed and only used for storage.<ref>Donohue, Brian. "The pre-snowstorm rush at the Quick Stop of 'Clerks' movie fame", NJ.com, January 3, 2014. Accessed July 21, 2016.</ref><ref>Talty, Stephan. "The Clerk, the Girl and the Corduroy Hand Job", Playboy, Vol. 45, Iss. 12, pg. 150-152+216-220, December 1998.</ref>