Flemington, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Flemington, New Jersey
Borough
Union Hotel in downtown Flemington
Seal
Location of Flemington in Hunterdon County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Hunterdon County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).
Census Bureau map of Flemington, New Jersey
Flemington, New Jersey Location in Hunterdon County, New Jersey Show map of Hunterdon County, New Jersey Flemington, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Flemington, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Hunterdon
Incorporated	April 26, 1910
Named for	Samuel Fleming
Government
• Type	Borough
• Body	Borough Council
Area
• Total	1.08 sq mi (2.79 km2)
• Land	1.08 sq mi (2.79 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)  0.00%
Area rank	494th of 565 in state 22nd of 26 in county
Elevation	180 ft (50 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	4,876
• Estimate  (2023)	4,902
• Rank	381st of 565 in state 8th of 26 in county
• Density	4,515/sq mi (1,748/km2)
• Density rank	130th of 565 in state 1st of 26 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	08822
Area code(s)	908
FIPS code	3401923700
GNIS feature ID	885220

Flemington is a borough in and the county seat of Hunterdon County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Most of the borough is located in the Amwell Valley, a low-lying area of the Newark Basin, and the Raritan Valley, the South Branch of the Raritan River, which flows through the center of Flemington. Northwestern portions of the borough sit on the Hunterdon Plateau. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 4,876, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 295 (+6.4%) from the 2010 census count of 4,581, which in turn reflected an increase of 381 (+9.1%) from the 4,200 counted in the 2000 census.

Flemington is an independent municipality completely surrounded by Raritan Township and is located near the geographic center of the township. Flemington was incorporated as an independent borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 7, 1910, based on the results of a referendum held on April 26, 1910, and was formally separated from Raritan Township.

History

18th century

Before European settlement, the land that comprises Flemington, as was all of Hunterdon County, was the territory of the Lenni Lenape Native Americans. In 1712, as part of a land parcel of 9,170 acres (37.1 km²), the Flemington area was acquired by William Penn and Daniel Coxe.

The surrounding fertile farmland dictated that the beginnings of Flemington were agricultural. Early German and English settlers engaged in industries dependent on farm products. As time passed poultry and dairy farms superseded crops in agricultural importance. An example of early settlement families was Johann David and Anna Maria Ephland, who emigrated in 1709 from Germany through London to New York and settled on his 147.5-acre (0.597 km²) farm in 1717. They raised their seven children, and two from his previous marriage, on the farm that now makes up the core of Flemington.

On December 14, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War, a party of British dragoons led by Cornet Francis Geary raided a store owned by Thomas Lowrey near the Presbyterian Church in Flemington to seize a supply of guns. On their return to Pennington, local militia led by Captain John Schenck ambushed them and killed their commander. This skirmish is now known as the Ambush of Geary.

In 1785, Flemington was chosen as the County Seat of Hunterdon. Fire destroyed the old courthouse in 1826 and the City of Lambertville made an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to have the seat relocated there. Flemington remained the County Seat and the Courthouse which stands today on Main Street was built.

19th century

Present-day Flemington was originally formed as a town by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 14, 1870, within portions of Raritan Township. It became a village as of June 11, 1894, still within Raritan Township. Flemington was finally incorporated as an independent borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 7, 1910, based on the results of a referendum held on April 26, 1910, and was formally separated from Raritan Township. The borough's incorporation was confirmed on April 27, 1931. the borough was named for Samuel Fleming.

In 1856, the Hunterdon County Agricultural society purchased 40 acres (16 ha) of land that would accommodate the people, exhibits and livestock for the County (Flemington) Fair. The purpose of this Fair was to promote competition between farmers, stock raisers and machinery manufacturers. The fair was held every year at the Flemington Fairgrounds which also was the site of Flemington Fair Speedway, later Flemington Raceway.

20th century

On February 13, 1935, a jury in Flemington found Bruno Richard Hauptmann guilty of the kidnapping and murder of Charles Lindbergh's baby boy. The Union Hotel, opposite the courthouse in which this trial took place, housed several journalists reporting on the event.

In the 1980s, Flemington became home to Liberty Village, the first outlet mall in the United States; by 2023, Liberty Village set empty, awaiting demolition and redevelopment.

From 1992 through 1995, the speedway hosted the Race of Champions, a race for modified racers. The speedway hosted a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race from 1995 to 1998. In 2003, the County Fair adopted a new name, the Hunterdon County 4-H and Agricultural Fair, and moved to the South County Park in East Amwell Township.

21st century

In the 2010s, local controversy erupted over proposed re-development of the shuttered Union Hotel. By 2021, a settlement was reach to allow a hotel with 100 rooms and nearly 200 apartments and retail space at the site.

Historic landmarks

By 1980, 65% of Flemington borough had been included on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and is now on the National Register of Historic Places as the Flemington Historic District.

• Union Hotel – Early 19th century hotel in downtown Flemington that served as a restaurant until its 2008 closure. The current structure dates to 1877, built on the site of what had been a stagecoach stop that dates to 1814.
• Hunterdon County Courthouse – Historic court house where the Lindbergh Trial took place. Now used for County offices.
• Fleming Castle / Samuel Fleming House – First house in Flemington, 5 Bonnell Street. Purchased by the Borough of Flemington in 2005 and operated as a historical museum by the Friends of Fleming Castle.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 1.08 square miles (2.79 km²), all of which was land. Flemington is completely surrounded by Raritan Township, making it part one of 21 pairs of "doughnut towns" in the state, where one municipality entirely surrounds another.

Climate

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 4,581 people, 1,815 households, and 996 families in the borough. The population density was 4,252.2 per square mile (1,641.8/km²). There were 1,926 housing units at an average density of 1,787.8 per square mile (690.3/km²). The racial makeup was 78.48% (3,595) White, 3.93% (180) Black or African American, 0.31% (14) Native American, 5.81% (266) Asian, 0.02% (1) Pacific Islander, 8.71% (399) from other races, and 2.75% (126) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 26.15% (1,198) of the population.

Of the 1,815 households, 28.5% had children under the age of 18; 37.6% were married couples living together; 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present and 45.1% were non-families. Of all households, 37.1% were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.20.

22.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 33.9% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.3 years. For every 100 females, the population had 105.5 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 106.9 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $54,261 (with a margin of error of +/− $15,065) and the median family income was $66,042 (+/− $12,761). Males had a median income of $45,934 (+/− $5,574) versus $47,917 (+/− $11,616) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $31,407 (+/− $3,648). About 14.0% of families and 16.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.0% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Students in public school for pre-kindergarten through eighth grade attend the Flemington-Raritan Regional School District, which also serves children from the neighboring community of Raritan Township. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of six schools, had an enrollment of 3,079 students and 327.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.4:1. The district consists of four K–4 elementary schools, one intermediate school for grades 5 and 6 and a middle school for grades 7 and 8. Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Barley Sheaf School (350 students; in grades K–4, located in Flemington), Copper Hill School (413; Pre-K–4, Ringoes), Francis A. Desmares School (447; K–4, Flemington), Robert Hunter School (388; K–4, Flemington), Reading-Fleming Intermediate School, (682; 5–6, Flemington) and J. P. Case Middle School (781; 7–8, Flemington). Flemington is allocated two of the nine seats on the regional district's board of education.

Public school students in ninth through twelfth grades attend Hunterdon Central Regional High School, part of the Hunterdon Central Regional High School District, which serves students in central Hunterdon County from Flemington and from Delaware Township, East Amwell Township, Raritan Township and Readington Township. As of the 2018–2019 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 2,844 students and 238.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.9:1. Seats on the high school district's nine-member board of education are allocated based in the population of the five constituent municipalities who participate in the school district, with one seat allocated to Flemington.

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

Southbound U.S. Route 202 approaching the Flemington Circle

Aerial photo of Flemington Circle, as seen in 1995. A strip mall featuring a HomeGoods and a Jos A. Bank, and other stores has since been built on the field in the bottom right corner.

Roads and highways

As of March 2019^[update], the borough had a total of 13.90 miles (22.37 km) of roadways, of which 11.53 miles (18.56 km) were maintained by the municipality, 0.78 miles (1.26 km) by Hunterdon County and 1.59 miles (2.56 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Several major roads that pass through the borough. These include U.S. Route 202, Route 31 and Route 12.

Flemington Circle is the largest of three traffic circles in the Flemington area and sits just to the southeast of Flemington's historic downtown. U.S. Route 202 and Route 31 approach the circle separately from the north and continue south concurrently, and the circle is the eastern terminus of Route 12. It is one of only a rapidly diminishing number of New Jersey's once-widespread traffic circles still extant according to its original design. The circle sees significant congestion on weekends because of the new developments and big-box retailers. The circle also sees a higher rate of traffic accidents and violations than any other region of Flemington and Raritan Township. Unlike most circles, traffic on US 202 does not yield on entry; US 202, being a main four-lane divided highway, gets the right of way.

One other traffic circle exists on Route 12 at Mine Street west of the Flemington Circle, where Route 12 traffic has the right of way. The intersection of Route 12 and Main Street west of the Flemington Circle was converted to a roundabout in 2009.

Public transportation

Trans-Bridge Lines provides frequent daily bus service, west to Doylestown / Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and east to Newark Liberty International Airport, the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan and John F. Kennedy International Airport. Round-trip tickets to the PABT cost $15.

The Hunterdon County LINK provide local bus service on Routes 16 / 19 / 21 which operate to / from Raritan Township, Route 23 to / from Bridgewater Commons Mall and Somerville; Route 15 to Hampton; Route 14 to / from Lambertville; and Route 17 / 18 between Milford and Clinton.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Flemington include:

See also

In Spanish: Flemington (Nueva Jersey) para niños