Eatontown, NJ: Community Guide
Local Knowledge. Shore Results. Updated October 2026Living in Eatontown right now means watching well over a billion dollars in redevelopment happen in front of you. The former Monmouth Mall is being "de-malled" into Monmouth Square, an open-air, mixed-use town center with a Whole Foods, nearly 1,000 residential units, and a public green for concerts and farmers markets. It sits at the geographic center of town, where Routes 35 and 36 meet, and it's reshaping what Eatontown is. That process is still underway.
Eatontown is also one of three towns, along with Tinton Falls and Oceanport, that share the footprint of the former Fort Monmouth. The U.S. Army ran the installation for nearly a century before it officially closed in 2011. The Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority now oversees its long-term redevelopment. The headline project is Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth: a nearly $1 billion, 292-acre production campus in Eatontown and Oceanport with 12 soundstages and a projected 5,000 jobs once it's running. The first stages are due online in 2027. Between Netflix and Monmouth Square, this town is rebuilding its commercial and residential identity right now.
I'm Matt Quinn. I was born and raised in Ocean County, and I went to Monmouth University, living in Long Branch and Elberon during college. Before real estate I worked construction, served as a police officer, worked as a health inspector, and spent more than ten years as Manchester Township's Chief Code Enforcement Officer. I also hold a zoning officer certification. I've seen what's behind the walls of a lot of shore houses. I'll tell you what a town is really like, and I'll tell you if it's the wrong fit for you.
On This Page
- Eatontown at a Glance
- What Makes Eatontown Different
- Is Eatontown the Right Fit for You?
- What It's Really Like to Live in Eatontown
- Schools & Everyday Life
- What to Know Before Making the Move
- Common Questions About Living in Eatontown
- A Local Perspective on Living Here
- Thinking About Moving to Eatontown?
- Homes, Market Report & Nearby Towns
Eatontown at a Glance
Eatontown is in eastern Monmouth County and had 13,597 residents in the 2020 census. It borders Tinton Falls, Shrewsbury, West Long Branch and Oceanport. The intersection of Routes 35 and 36 is both the geographic center of town and its commercial center. Garden State Parkway Exit 105 is less than a mile away. For a long time the town worked as a regional shopping hub for Monmouth County, anchored by the Monmouth Mall.
The first thing buyers should know: Eatontown is in the middle of a large-scale transformation. Full build-out of Monmouth Square is expected around 2028, with residential leasing starting in late 2026. Plan on construction, changing retail and shifting traffic patterns being part of life here for the next several years.
What Makes Eatontown Different
Landmarks: Monmouth Square, the former Monmouth Mall, is being cut by roughly 40% and rebuilt as an open-air lifestyle district. Announced tenants include Whole Foods, Cava, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream and STRONG Pilates. Existing anchors Macy's, Boscov's and a 15-screen AMC stay open through construction. Fort Monmouth's historic district honors the site's near-century of military and technology history, and the land around it is being redeveloped into a mixed-use area with its own town centers, bike paths and walking trails. The biggest single piece is Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth, a nearly $1 billion, 292-acre production campus with 12 soundstages in Eatontown and Oceanport. It's Netflix's flagship East Coast location. Construction is well underway, and the first stages are due online in 2027. Just over the line in Tinton Falls, Bell Works Fort Monmouth has turned the former Commvault headquarters into an office, dining and retail "metroburb." Most of it is already leased, Jersey Mike's alone took over 72,000 square feet, and it brings daytime foot traffic to the whole Fort Monmouth footprint that touches Eatontown.
Most desirable pockets: Neighborhoods closest to the Fort Monmouth redevelopment zone stand to gain the most from the new walkable amenities as that project matures. Neighborhoods farther from the Route 35/36 commercial corridor are quieter and more conventionally suburban, and they're mostly shielded from the construction.
Defining character: Right now, Eatontown is defined by change. It's a practical, centrally located Monmouth County town with two major redevelopment projects happening at once, and together they'll reshape it over the next several years.
Is Eatontown the Right Fit for You?
Eatontown works if you want practical, central Monmouth County living: easy Parkway access, plenty of shopping now with a lot more coming, and a commercial hub location without the price of Rumson, Fair Haven or Colts Neck. It can also work if you want to buy ahead of the Monmouth Square and Fort Monmouth redevelopment. Big lifestyle-hub projects like these can lift values in the surrounding neighborhoods as they mature, though nothing is guaranteed.
It's a harder fit if you want a settled small town that stays the same year to year. Expect construction, changing retail and new traffic patterns for at least the next few years, until both projects are finished.
What It's Really Like to Live in Eatontown
Daily life here has always been practical. The Route 35/36 corridor covers shopping, dining and entertainment right in town, and the Parkway puts the shore beaches and points north within easy reach. Monmouth Square is adding more dining and retail to that mix.
The Fort Monmouth redevelopment adds something different. The plan is walkable town centers with bike paths and trails on land the military used to keep closed off. It's a long-term project, and over time it will change how people in that part of town get around their neighborhood.
Schools & Everyday Life
Eatontown Public Schools covers pre-K through 8th grade with three elementary schools and a middle school, serving around 1,000 students. Eatontown doesn't have its own high school. Students go to Monmouth Regional High School in Tinton Falls, which is shared with Shrewsbury Township and Tinton Falls. Families should also keep the redevelopment in mind. The town approved specific deals along the way, including a 30-year tax exemption negotiated with the mall's developer, and those can affect municipal finances and services over the long run. With this much changing, get current information directly before you decide.
What to Know Before Making the Move
This town is in the middle of a multi-year transformation. Both Monmouth Square and the Fort Monmouth redevelopment are still in progress. Expect construction and changing retail and housing options through at least 2028. I'm a certified zoning officer, and I'd confirm current zoning and any pending changes with the borough before assuming a neighborhood's character is settled.
A 30-year tax exemption (PILOT) was approved for the mall's developer in 2023. Some residents pushed back on it. It's part of the town's bigger fiscal picture, and it's worth understanding how redevelopment financing works here.
Traffic around Routes 35 and 36 may shift as redevelopment moves along. Check your actual commute today instead of relying on how it worked before construction started.
Values near big redevelopment projects can move as the projects mature. Homes right around the Monmouth Square construction may be priced with a bit of a disruption discount right now. Values near projects like this often rise during and shortly after opening. That can help you if you buy early, but there's uncertainty until the projects are further along.
Common Questions About Living in Eatontown
What's happening with the Monmouth Mall?
It's being redeveloped into Monmouth Square, a roughly $500 million open-air, mixed-use town center with retail, dining and nearly 1,000 residential units. It's expected to be substantially complete around 2028.
What is Fort Monmouth?
A former U.S. Army installation in Eatontown, Tinton Falls and Oceanport that closed in 2011. It's now being redeveloped over the long term into mixed-use town centers connected by bike paths and trails.
Is Netflix really building a studio in Eatontown?
Yes. Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth is a nearly $1 billion, 292-acre production campus with 12 soundstages on former Fort Monmouth land in Eatontown and Oceanport. It's Netflix's flagship East Coast location, it's projected to bring around 5,000 jobs, and the first stages are due online in 2027.
Is Eatontown a good commuter town?
For drivers, yes. It's less than a mile from Garden State Parkway Exit 105, and Routes 35 and 36 give you strong regional highway access.
Should I expect construction disruption if I move to Eatontown now?
Probably, especially near the Route 35/36 corridor. Both redevelopment projects are still under construction, with completion dates running to 2028 and beyond.
What school district serves Eatontown?
Eatontown Public Schools, pre-K through 8th grade. High schoolers attend Monmouth Regional High School in Tinton Falls, shared with Shrewsbury Township and Tinton Falls.
A Local Perspective on Living Here
Longtime residents have mixed feelings about the mall's makeover. There's nostalgia for a place that was part of the community for 60 years. There's also an understanding that an open-air lifestyle center fits how people shop and get together today. That pull between the past and what's being built sums up where Eatontown is right now: a practical, central town remaking two of its biggest properties at the same time.
Thinking About Moving to Eatontown?
If you like Eatontown's central location but would rather wait until the redevelopment settles down, look at neighboring Tinton Falls or Shrewsbury. You get similar practical suburban living without being in the middle of years of construction.
I spent time around Eatontown during college at Monmouth University, and I've watched this stretch of Route 35/36 change over the years. In a town going through this much redevelopment, it pays to know the actual construction timeline. Ask me what's finished and what's still a rendering.
Homes, Market Report & Nearby Towns
Want to see how Eatontown compares to another town? Run the comparison yourself