Union Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Union Township, New Jersey
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Township
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Presbyterian Church in Grandin
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Location of Union Township in Hunterdon County highlighted in yellow (right). Inset map: Location of Hunterdon County in New Jersey highlighted in black (left).
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Census Bureau map of Union Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey
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 Union Township, New Jersey
Location in Hunterdon County, New Jersey
Union Township, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
Union Township, New Jersey
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  New Jersey |
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| County |  Hunterdon |
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| Incorporated | February 17, 1853 | |
| Named for | Union Furnace | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | Township | |
| • Body | Township Committee | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 20.63 sq mi (53.43 km2) | |
| • Land | 18.77 sq mi (48.60 km2) | |
| • Water | 1.86 sq mi (4.83 km2) 9.03% | |
| Area rank | 138th of 565 in state 14th of 26 in county |
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| Elevation | 407 ft (124 m) | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 6,507 | |
| • Estimate
(2023)
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6,391 | |
| • Rank | 327th of 565 in state 4th of 26 in county |
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| • Density | 346.8/sq mi (133.9/km2) | |
| • Density rank | 465th of 565 in state 15th of 26 in county |
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| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST)) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT)) | |
| ZIP Code |
08827 – Hampton
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| Area code(s) | 908 | |
| FIPS code | 3401974420 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 0882188 | |
| Website | ||
Union Township is a township in Hunterdon County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The southwest half of the township lies on what is known as the Hunterdon Plateau, the northwest corner consists of the Musconetcong Ridge and the northeast section is part of the lower-lying Newark Basin around Spruce Run Reservoir. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 6,507, its highest ever decennial count and an increase of 599 (+10.1%) from the 2010 census count of 5,908, which in turn reflected a decline of 252 (−4.1%) from the 6,160 counted in the 2000 census.
Union was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 17, 1853, from portions of Bethlehem Township. Clinton Town was formed on April 5, 1865, within portions of the township, and became an independent municipality in 1895. The township was named for Union Furnace, which was producing iron from 1742 until the 1780s. The name "Union" was chosen over the alternative "Rockhill", which was a community at the southern end of the township.
Union Furnace and its forge produced cannonballs for the Revolutionary War and shoes for horses and oxen, as well as farm implements. Farms and fields were established in areas where trees were felled to provide fuel for the furnace. A farm community developed, together with basket making and tanning industries.
New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Union Township 21st in its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey.
Contents
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, township had a total area of 20.63 square miles (53.43 km2), including 18.77 square miles (48.60 km2) of land and 1.86 square miles (4.83 km2) of water (9.03%).
Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Coles Mills, Grandin, Hensfoot, Jutland, Kingtown, Mechlings Corner, Mount Salem, Norton, Pattenburg, Perryville, Polktown and Van Syckel.
Pittstown is an unincorporated community that is also spread across Alexandria Township and Franklin Township.
The township borders the Hunterdon County municipalities of Alexandria Township, Bethlehem Township, Clinton, Clinton Township, Franklin Township and Lebanon Township.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 1,217 | — | |
| 1870 | 1,051 | −13.6% | |
| 1880 | 1,167 | 11.0% | |
| 1890 | 1,134 | −2.8% | |
| 1900 | 918 | −19.0% | |
| 1910 | 930 | 1.3% | |
| 1920 | 834 | −10.3% | |
| 1930 | 1,152 | 38.1% | |
| 1940 | 1,303 | 13.1% | |
| 1950 | 1,557 | 19.5% | |
| 1960 | 1,717 | 10.3% | |
| 1970 | 2,351 | 36.9% | |
| 1980 | 3,971 | 68.9% | |
| 1990 | 5,078 | 27.9% | |
| 2000 | 6,160 | 21.3% | |
| 2010 | 5,908 | −4.1% | |
| 2020 | 6,507 | 10.1% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 6,391 | 8.2% | |
| Population sources: 1860–1920 1870 1880–1890 1890–1910 1910–1930 1940–2000 2000 2010 2020 |
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Two large state facilities in the township, the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women (with 650 inmates in 2018) and Hunterdon Developmental Center (which had 480 residents as of 2017), account for almost 20% of the residents counted by the Census Bureau. Their inclusion skews the township's demographic characteristics. The unusual ratio of 100 females there vs. 77.5 males and the presence of 12.5% of residents but no families being below the poverty linen is largely due to the nature of the residents of these two facilities.
2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 5,908 people, 1,752 households, and 1,221 families in the township. The population density was 315.3 per square mile (121.7/km2). There were 1,830 housing units at an average density of 97.7 per square mile (37.7/km2). The racial makeup was 83.21% (4,916) White, 9.06% (535) Black or African American, 0.15% (9) Native American, 4.13% (244) Asian, 0.05% (3) Pacific Islander, 1.61% (95) from other races, and 1.79% (106) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.08% (359) of the population.
Of the 1,752 households, 33.8% had children under the age of 18; 61.6% were married couples living together; 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present and 30.3% were non-families. Of all households, 24.8% were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.12.
18.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 37.6% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.7 years. For every 100 females, the population had 77.5 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 73.2 males.
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $103,304 (with a margin of error of +/− $11,761) and the median family income was $126,157 (+/− $23,039). Males had a median income of $97,548 (+/− $31,580) versus $62,130 (+/− $7,607) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $33,753 (+/− $7,431). About none of families and 12.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The Union Township School District serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 436 students and 44.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.7:1. Schools in the district (with 2018–2019 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Union Township Elementary School with 207 students in grades K–4 and Union Township Middle School with 225 students in grades 5–8.
Public school students in ninth through twelfth grades attend North Hunterdon High School in Annandale, which also serves students from Bethlehem Township, Clinton Town, Clinton Township, Franklin Township and Lebanon Borough. As of the 2018–19 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 1,584 students and 123.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.9:1. The school is part of the North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional High School District, which also includes students from Califon, Glen Gardner, Hampton, High Bridge, Lebanon Township and Tewksbury Township, who attend Voorhees High School in Lebanon Township.
Eighth grade students from all of Hunterdon County are eligible to apply to attend the high school programs offered by the Hunterdon County Vocational School District, a county-wide vocational school district that offers career and technical education at its campuses in Raritan Township and at programs sited at local high schools, with no tuition charged to students for attendance.
Transportation
Roads and highways
_from_the_overpass_for_Rupell_Road_in_Union_Township,_Hunterdon_County,_New_Jersey.jpg)
As of May 2010[update], the township had a total of 64.00 miles (103.00 km) of roadways, of which 43.08 miles (69.33 km) were maintained by the municipality, 11.51 miles (18.52 km) by Hunterdon County and 9.41 miles (15.14 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
Union is accessible by a variety of roads. The most prominent roadway is Interstate 78 / U.S. 22, which run concurrently through Union Township. Route 173 passes through the center and eventually merges briefly with both. County Route 513 runs along the southeastern border while County Route 579 goes along the southwestern border.
Rail service
The Norfolk Southern Railway's Lehigh Line (formerly the mainline of the Lehigh Valley Railroad), runs through Union Township.
Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Union Township include:
- Scott Bradlee (born 1981), musician, pianist, composer, and arranger best known for his viral videos on YouTube, including his work under the moniker Postmodern Jukebox
- Daniel Karcher (born 1964), is an NPR host and filmmaker, best known as host for WBGO, where he serves as the station's "full-time substitute host"
- John Penn (1729–1795), last colonial governor of Pennsylvania
- Charles Rinehart (1875–1933), football player, engineer and businessman who was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1964
- Lloyd Wescott (1907–1990), agriculturalist, civil servant, and philanthropist
- Glenway Wescott (1911–1987), novelist during the 1920s and 1930s and a figure in the American expatriate literary community in Paris during the 1920s
