Keyport is a borough in northern Monmouth County, New Jersey, situated on the shore of Raritan Bay in the Raritan Valley region. The borough recorded a population of 7,204 at the 2020 census and functions as a commuter town within the New York metropolitan area. Keyport is known as the "Pearl of the Bayshore," a nickname that reflects its waterfront setting and bayshore identity. The borough's history is tied to the bay and the maritime economy that once centered on fishing, oystering, and boat building along the Raritan Bayshore. Today Keyport retains a working waterfront character, with a marina, seafood restaurants, and a compact downtown near the water. Its location on Raritan Bay offers views across to Staten Island and the approaches to New York Harbor. Keyport sits along State Route 36 and near the Garden State Parkway, placing it within commuting distance of New York City and providing easy access to the Jersey Shore and the rest of Monmouth County. The borough's residential streets include older homes near the bay and some newer construction farther inland, and its small size keeps daily life oriented toward the waterfront. The borough's bayshore identity is reinforced by its working waterfront, where pleasure boats and commercial activity share the shoreline, and by the seafood restaurants and shops that cluster near the bay. Keyport's compact, walkable street grid and older housing stock give it a character distinct from the larger, more spread-out suburbs of Monmouth County, and its location within the Raritan Bayshore region places it near other historic waterfront communities. Public education is provided by the Keyport Public Schools, which serves students from the elementary grades through high school. Today Keyport functions as a small, bayshore community that combines a maritime heritage and waterfront amenities with the convenience of the New York metropolitan area and the Jersey Shore.