Hope Township, New Jersey facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Hope Township, New Jersey
Township
Signage indicating exit for Hope Township from Interstate 80 eastbound
Location of Hope Township in Warren County highlighted in yellow (right). Inset map: Location of Warren County in New Jersey highlighted in black (left).
Census Bureau map of Hope Township, New Jersey
Hope Township, New Jersey Location in Warren County, New Jersey Show map of Warren County, New Jersey Hope Township, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Hope Township, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
state	New Jersey
County	Warren
Incorporated	April 8, 1839
Government
• Type	Township
• Body	Township Committee
Area
• Total	18.29 sq mi (47.38 km²)
• Land	18.08 sq mi (46.83 km²)
• Water	0.21 sq mi (0.55 km²) 1.15%
Area rank	155th of 565 in state 11th of 22 in county
Elevation	436 ft (133 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	1,835
• Estimate (2023)	1,851
• Rank	492nd of 565 in state 21st of 22 in county
• Density	101.5/sq mi (39.2/km²)
• Density rank	541st of 565 in state 20th of 22 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	07844
Area code(s)	908
FIPS code	3404133060
GNIS feature ID	0882242

Hope Township is a township in Warren County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 1,835, a decrease of 117 (−6.0%) from the 2010 census count of 1,952, which in turn reflected an increase of 61 (+3.2%) from the 1,891 counted in the 2000 census. The 2010 population of 1,952 reflected an all-time high since the 1,903 recorded in the 1840 census, the first recorded population after the township was formed.

Hope Township was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 8, 1839, from portions of Knowlton Township and Oxford Township, based on the results of a referendum held that day. Liberty Township was created on March 25, 1926, from portions of the township.

History
Geography
Demographics
- 2010 census
Education
Transportation
Notable people
Popular culture
Points of interest
Surrounding communities
See also

History

Moravian Church in Hope, now headquarters of the First Hope Bank.

Moravian Grist Mill in Hope, now the Inn at Millrace Pond

Hope Township is one of the earliest planned communities in the United States, having been established by German Moravians in 1769. Early planning maps detail planned locations of streets, homes, wells, businesses, farms, a school, tavern, and church.

Prior to the arrival of the Moravians, there was no distinct town, but several families farmed on Jenny Jump Mountain, to the south of Hope, in surrounding area and on John Samuel Green Jr.'s farm in the center of what is now the Village. Throughout the 1760s, Moravians from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania traveled through this area on their way to New England to establish new communities. They lodged overnight with the Green Family who were impressed with their religion and way of life.

The Moravians were a religious group whose formal name was the "Unitas Fratrum" or Unity of the Brethren. They were followers of Jan Hus, the reformer from Prague who protested against the Roman Catholic Church in 1415 and was finally burned at the stake for his rebellion. These followers continued to practice his views in Moravia and Bohemia in what is now the Czech Republic, hence the common name "The Moravians". In the late 17th century this group began to be persecuted and sought shelter away from Bohemia. Count Nicolas Ludwig von Zinzendorf offered them refuge on his lands east of Dresden, Germany, and provided a base for them to regroup and pursue their religion. That settlement which remains as the center of the worldwide Moravian religion is called Herrnhut or "The Lord's Watch" inhabitants were not only "under the Lord's watchful care" but were also to be "on watch for the Lord". With the support of Count von Zinzendorf, the Church established over 200 missionary settlements.

After a formal survey of the village completed on November 26, 1774, the community was officially accepted by The Moravian Church and the name was changed by drawing lots on February 8, 1775, from Greenland to Hope. The name derives from the "hope of immortality" of the early Moravian settlers.

After almost 40 years of the Moravian "experiment" in Hope, the community was sold and almost all of the Moravians returned to Bethlehem or Nazareth, Pennsylvania. The basic reason for closing the community was that it was never self-supporting and had declined from its height of population of 147 to under 100 people by the early 19th century. The Church in Germany could no longer subsidize such a small village. Moravians worldwide were selling possessions and even some other entire communities to pay off debts incurred years earlier by Count von Zinzendorf, who heavily mortgaged his lands to give them opportunity back in Germany. Disease and a competitive gristmill also contributed to Moravian Hope's decline.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 18.29 square miles (47.38 km²), including 18.08 square miles (46.83 km²) of land and 0.21 square miles (0.55 km²) of water (1.15%). The township is located in the Kittatinny Valley, which is a section of the Great Appalachian Valley that stretches 700 miles (1,100 km) from Canada to Alabama.

Hope CDP (with a 2010 population of 195), Mount Hermon (141) and Silver Lake (368) are unincorporated communities and census-designated places (CDPs) located within the township.

Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include:

Feebletown
Locust Lake
Mount Herman
Swayzes Mill

The township borders the Warren County municipalities of Blairstown Township, Frelinghuysen Township, Knowlton Township, Liberty Township and White Township.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1840	1,903		—
1850	1,755		−7.8%
1860	1,789		1.9%
1870	1,542		−13.8%
1880	1,569		1.8%
1890	1,332		−15.1%
1900	1,144		−14.1%
1910	1,119		−2.2%
1920	948		−15.3%
1930	553	*	−41.7%
1940	646		16.8%
1950	681		5.4%
1960	833		22.3%
1970	1,140		36.9%
1980	1,468		28.8%
1990	1,719		17.1%
2000	1,891		10.0%
2010	1,952		3.2%
2020	1,835		−6.0%
2023 (est.)	1,851		−5.2%
Population sources: 1840–1920 1840 1850–1870 1850 1870 1880–1890 1890–1910 1910–1930 1940–2000 2000 2010 2020 * = Lost territory in previous decade.

The township's economic data (as is all of Warren County) is included by the US Census Bureau as part of the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ Metropolitan Statistical Area.

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 1,952 people, 741 households, and 558 families in the township. The population density was 104.8 per square mile (40.5/km²). There were 809 housing units at an average density of 43.4 per square mile (16.8/km²). The racial makeup was 96.21% (1,878) White, 1.18% (23) Black or African American, 0.00% (0) Native American, 1.59% (31) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 0.41% (8) from other races, and 0.61% (12) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.10% (80) of the population.

Of the 741 households, 29.8% had children under the age of 18; 62.2% were married couples living together; 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present and 24.7% were non-families. Of all households, 19.6% were made up of individuals and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.03.

22.6% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 20.1% from 25 to 44, 35.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.2 years. For every 100 females, the population had 97.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 97.8 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $75,107 (with a margin of error of +/− $5,302) and the median family income was $81,204 (+/− $7,973). Males had a median income of $59,141 (+/− $10,502) versus $52,574 (+/− $25,011) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $29,283 (+/− $2,988). About 4.8% of families and 5.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.3% of those under age 18 and 0.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Hope Township School District serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade at Hope Township Elementary School. As of the 2020–2021 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 115 students and 16.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 7.1:1. In the 2016–2017 school year, the district was tied for the 30th-smallest enrollment of any school district in the state.

Students in public school for ninth through twelfth grades from Harmony Township, Hope Township and White Township attend Belvidere High School in Belvidere as part of sending/receiving relationships with the Belvidere School District. As of the 2020–2021 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 367 students and 32.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.4:1.

Students from the township and from all of Warren County are eligible to attend Ridge and Valley Charter School in Frelinghuysen Township (for grades K–8) or Warren County Technical School in Washington borough (for 9–12), with special education services provided by local districts supplemented throughout the county by the Warren County Special Services School District in Oxford Township (for Pre-K–12).

Transportation

Interstate 80 eastbound in Hope Township

As of May 2010^[update], the township had a total of 44.14 miles (71.04 km) of roadways, of which 19.30 miles (31.06 km) were maintained by the municipality, 21.42 miles (34.47 km) by Warren County and 3.42 miles (5.50 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Interstate 80 (the Bergen-Passaic Expressway) passes through the township for 3.42 miles (5.50 km), with access via exit 12 to Hope-Blairstown Road (County Route 521). CR 521 has its southern terminus in Hope Township at an intersection with County Route 609 (High Street) and runs through the township for 2.83 miles (4.55 km). CR 519 passes through Hope for 6.33 miles (10.19 km) and can be accessed by CR 521.

Notable people

See also (related category): People from Hope Township, New Jersey

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

Abraham H. Albertson (1872–1964), one of Seattle's most prominent architects of the first half of the 20th century
John Insley Blair (1802–1899), entrepreneur, railroad magnate, philanthropist and one of the 19th century's wealthiest men
Charles Ferren Hopkins (1842–1934), the last surviving Union Civil War soldier in New Jersey that was a recipient of the Medal of Honor
Joseph Krumgold (1908–1980), author of books and screenplays who was the first writer to win two annual Newbery Medals for the most distinguished new American children's book

Popular culture

The gate to the Moravian Cemetery in Hope appeared in the horror movie, Friday the 13th.

Duluth, Minnesota slow-core band Low recorded their 1994 debut LP, I Could Live in Hope in Hope Township, and named the album as a reference to the municipality.
Hope Township was the filming location for two scenes in the horror movie Friday the 13th, with the Moravian Cemetery (see photo) and Hartung's General Store appearing in the film.