Belford is a small, waterside community in Middletown Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, set along the Raritan Bayshore at the mouth of the bay. The census-designated place counted 1,648 residents in 2020, part of a township of roughly 68,000 people. Belford sits between Port Monmouth and Leonardo, separated from Port Monmouth by a marina and Compton Creek, and looks out toward Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook Bay. The community's roots are maritime. Originally known as Shoal Harbor, Belford grew as one of the traditional fishing ports along the New Jersey coast, and the water remains central to its identity. Today that waterfront role takes a modern form: the Belford ferry terminal, operated by SeaStreak, runs commuter ferries across Lower New York Bay to Jersey City and to Pier 11 at Wall Street, Battery Park City, and West Midtown in Manhattan — a trip of roughly forty minutes. That direct link has made Belford a distinctive commuter community for professionals working in New York City while living on the Bayshore. Belford is part of the Bayshore, the quieter stretch of the Jersey Shore facing Raritan Bay rather than the open Atlantic. Its recreation leans on the water and the nearby trails: the Henry Hudson Trail passes through the area for cyclists and walkers, and Huber Woods Park offers woodland paths. Sandy Hook, part of the Gateway National Recreation Area, lies a short drive east, providing beaches, fishing, and the historic Sandy Hook Lighthouse. The housing stock is largely single-family — older cottages, capes, and colonials on quiet residential streets — reflecting decades of gradual, small-scale growth. For residents, Belford combines a close-knit, historically maritime community with unusually direct access to Manhattan. Students attend the Middletown Township Public Schools, and the surrounding township provides the retail, services, and parks that a small bayside hamlet does not. The ferry, the fishing heritage, and the Bayshore setting together define a community that is distinctly Monmouth County.