As of Wednesday, March 9, Monmouth Shore Patch will be known as Manasquan-Belmar Patch.

When Patch decided to bring its acclaimed hyperlocal news formula to the Jersey Shore, they needed a short, catchy name that would best encompass the southeastern Monmouth County communities that it would serve and "Monmouth Shore" is what they came up with.

The name was met with some level of confusion. While it served adequately to encapsulate our towns, "Monmouth Shore" was simply not part of the vernacular for area residents. Adding to the confusion, the similarly-named borough of Monmouth Beach is only 10 miles or so to the north. Those who had heard in passing that Patch had come to their town may have encountered difficulty finding their local site.

A number of discussions led to the name change. With Manasquan and Belmar being the two largest communities in the area and the homes of both local high schools, it seemed to make sense. We hope that this name will more accurately reflect our coverage area and eliminate the possibility for any future confusion.

We will continue to provide quality news coverage for the towns of Ocean Grove, Bradley Beach, Avon-by-the-Sea, Belmar, Lake Como, Spring Lake, Spring Lake Heights, Sea Girt, Manasquan and Brielle— we'll just be doing it under a new name.

Welcome to Manasquan-Belmar Patch!