You’ve probably seen the name on a map or heard it mentioned by a lifelong Ocean County resident and wondered if they were pulling your leg. Chickentown Brick Town New Jersey sounds like something out of a children’s fable or a weird roadside attraction from the 1950s. It isn’t.
It’s real. Mostly.
To understand what Chickentown actually is—and what it isn't—you have to look past the modern suburban sprawl of big-box retailers and strip malls that define much of Route 70 and Route 88 today. Honestly, if you drove through the area right now, you wouldn't see a single sign welcoming you to "Chickentown." There’s no official mayor of Chickentown. There aren't even that many chickens left. But for the people who grew up in this pocket of Brick Township, the name carries a specific weight, a sense of history that predates the manicured lawns of the post-war housing boom.
The Feathers Behind the Name
The origin of the name is exactly as literal as you think it is. Back in the early to mid-20th century, before Brick became a massive commuter hub for people working in North Jersey or Philadelphia, it was largely rural. We’re talking dirt roads, dense pines, and a whole lot of agriculture.
The area specifically referred to as Chickentown was centered around the intersection of Sally Ike Road and Lanes Mill Road.
Back then, the local economy relied heavily on poultry farming. Huge tracts of land were dedicated to raising chickens and producing eggs. It wasn’t just one guy with a coop; it was an industry. According to local historical records and long-time residents like those who contribute to the Brick Township Historical Society, the density of these farms was so high that the nickname "Chickentown" just stuck. It was a descriptor of the landscape. If you smelled the air on a humid July afternoon in 1940, you knew exactly why it was called that.
It's kinda funny how these things work. A neighborhood gets a nickname because of a smell or a specific job everyone does, and eighty years later, people are still using it even though the last coop was probably torn down decades ago to make room for a Dunkin'.
Where Exactly is Chickentown Anyway?
If you're looking for coordinates, you’re going to be disappointed because "Chickentown" isn't a legal entity. You won't find it on a birth certificate. However, in the vernacular of Brick residents, it generally covers the northern section of the township, bordering Lakewood.
Think about the area near the Garden State Parkway Exit 91.
The Chickentown area roughly encompasses the neighborhoods surrounding:
- Lanes Mill Road (the heart of the old farm belt)
- Sally Ike Road
- The northern stretches of Chambers Bridge Road
- Burnt Tavern Road
Back in the day, this was the "outskirts." Now, it's the epicenter of traffic. The transition from rural poultry hub to suburban center happened fast. After World War II, the demand for housing skyrocketed. Developers realized that the flat, sandy soil of the Jersey Shore was a goldmine for quick-build Cape Cods and ranch-style homes.
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The farmers sold out. The chickens moved out. The commuters moved in.
The Confusion with the Chickentown Post Office
There’s a common misconception that persists today—partly because of how Google Maps and older GPS units handle local data—that Chickentown was a formal town with its own zip code.
That’s not quite right.
Brick has always been a bit of a "patchwork" town. You have Herbertsville, Laurelton, Burrsville, and Cedar Bridge. Chickentown was simply another one of these informal hamlets. Interestingly, the name survives most visibly today through the Chickentown Fire Company (officially known as Laurelton Fire Company No. 1, though many old-timers still associate the specific district with the old name).
Actually, if you want to find the "soul" of Chickentown today, you’re looking at the Chickentown Road area. It’s a short stretch, but it’s the linguistic anchor for the whole neighborhood.
What it’s Like Living There Now
Life in the Chickentown section of Brick is basically the quintessential suburban New Jersey experience. It’s a mix of older, modest homes from the 60s and 70s and much larger, newer constructions that have popped up as land values in Ocean County surged.
You’ve got the convenience of being five minutes from the Parkway, which is a blessing and a curse. You can get to Belmar or Point Pleasant Beach in 15 minutes, but you’re also dealing with the legendary "Brick traffic."
There's a specific vibe here. It’s less "beachy" than the neighborhoods east of the Metedeconk River. It feels more like a wooded suburb. You still see some of those massive, ancient oak trees and pitch pines that managed to survive the bulldozers. It gives the area a bit of a shadow, a bit of texture that you don’t get in the newer "cookie-cutter" developments further south.
People here are fiercely loyal to their local spots. You aren't a real "Chickentowner" unless you have a strong opinion on which deli has the best pork roll, egg, and cheese (and yes, it's pork roll, not Taylor Ham—this is Ocean County, let's be serious).
Real Talk: The Traffic and the Sprawl
We have to be honest about the downsides. The very thing that made Chickentown accessible—the proximity to major arteries—has turned it into a bit of a bottleneck. The intersection of Chambers Bridge and Route 70 is consistently ranked as one of the most frustrating places to be in your car on a Friday at 5:00 PM.
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The "rural" feel is almost entirely gone. You might find a stray feather if someone's backyard coop is active, but the industry is dead. What’s left is a memory and a name that sounds slightly ridiculous to outsiders.
The Chickentown "Haunting" and Local Lore
New Jersey loves its urban legends. While Chickentown doesn't have a "Jersey Devil" level of fame, there are plenty of stories about the old farmsteads.
Some local kids used to tell stories about "The Hermit of Chickentown," a supposed farmer who refused to sell his land to developers and lived in a shack hidden in the pines until the late 80s. Is it true? Probably not. It's more likely a tall tale meant to keep kids from trespassing in the remaining woods.
But that’s the beauty of a place with a name like this. It invites storytelling. It feels like a place where things could have happened.
Why the Name Matters in 2026
You might ask why we even bother calling it Chickentown in an era of digital maps and standardized addresses.
Identity.
In a world where every suburb is starting to look exactly like every other suburb—the same Target, the same Starbucks, the same grayish-blue siding—local names give people a sense of place. When someone says, "I live over in the Chickentown section," they aren't just giving a location. They’re claiming a piece of history. They’re saying they belong to the part of Brick that remembers the dirt roads.
It’s a linguistic fossil.
Mapping the Change
| Feature | Then (1940s) | Now (2020s) |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Industry | Poultry & Egg Farming | Retail, Healthcare, Commuting |
| Roads | Mostly unpaved/narrow | Congested arteries (Rt 70/88/GS Pkwy) |
| Housing | Farmhouses & Laborer shacks | Suburban single-family & Townhomes |
| Landscape | Open fields & Pine barrens | Commercial strips & Manicured lawns |
Honestly, looking at the table above (or just thinking about the shift), it’s a miracle the name survived at all. Most "nicknames" for areas die out within two generations once the original industry disappears.
How to Explore the "Real" Chickentown
If you're a history nerd or just someone who likes exploring the weird corners of Jersey, don't expect a museum. There is no "Chickentown Visitor Center."
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Instead, do this:
- Drive down Lanes Mill Road. Start near the Lakewood border and head south. Look at the older houses. Some of them still have the long, narrow lot shapes that were typical of the old poultry farms.
- Visit the Havens Homestead Museum. It’s not in Chickentown proper (it’s on Herbertsville Road), but the Brick Township Historical Society keeps the records of the poultry era. You can see photos of what the area looked like when the chickens outnumbered the people 100 to 1.
- Check out the local cemeteries. Sounds morbid, but if you look at the headstones in the older church yards nearby, you’ll see the names of the families who owned those farms.
- Eat local. Go to a spot like Taylor Sam’s or one of the independent diners nearby. Ask the oldest person behind the counter about Chickentown. They’ll usually have a story about a grandfather who used to haul eggs to the city.
The Future of the Neighborhood
As property values in New Jersey continue to climb, Chickentown is seeing another wave of change. The smaller homes built in the 50s are being bought up, knocked down, and replaced with much larger "McMansions."
There’s a tension there. The newer residents often have no idea why the area is called Chickentown. They just know it’s a convenient place to live with good schools and decent proximity to the beach.
But the name persists in the fire department records, in the old maps, and in the stories told by the people who remember the smell of the feed bags. It's a reminder that beneath the asphalt and the strip malls, there was once a very different kind of life.
Chickentown Brick Town New Jersey isn't a destination. It’s a layer of history. It’s the "Old Jersey" that refuses to be completely paved over.
Next time you’re sitting in traffic on Route 70, look at the trees and try to imagine the rows of chicken coops that used to line the horizon. It makes the wait at the red light a little more interesting.
Actionable Steps for Locals and Visitors:
- Support the Brick Township Historical Society: They are the guardians of these local names. A small donation or a visit helps keep the history of places like Chickentown alive.
- Check Your Deed: If you live in North Brick, look at your property's historical survey. You might find the original farm name or "Chickentown" mentioned in old plot descriptions.
- Explore the Pine Trails: Nearby parks like Windward Beach or the Manasquan Reservoir (just north) give you a sense of the original terrain before the farms took over.
Chickentown might not be on the official town seal, but it's baked into the soil of Brick. It's a weird, quirky, very "Jersey" piece of the puzzle that makes Ocean County what it is today.
If you're looking for more info on local history, definitely check out the archives at the Ocean County Library in Toms River. They have microfilm records of local newspapers going back over a century that mention the poultry auctions in the Chickentown area. Seeing the price of eggs from 1932 really puts your modern grocery bill into perspective.