Sandyston Township, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sandyston Township, New Jersey
Township
Sandyston Township in May 2007
Map of Sandyston Township in Sussex County. Inset: Location of Sussex County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Sandyston Township, New Jersey
Sandyston Township, New Jersey Location in Sussex County, New Jersey Show map of Sussex County, New Jersey Sandyston Township, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Sandyston Township, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Sussex
Royal charter	February 26, 1762
Incorporated	February 21, 1798
Government
• Type	Township
• Body	Township Committee
Area
• Total	42.06 sq mi (108.94 km2)
• Land	41.33 sq mi (107.05 km2)
• Water	0.73 sq mi (1.89 km2)  1.74%
Area rank	48th of 565 in state 4th of 24 in county
Elevation	692 ft (211 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,977
• Estimate  (2023)	2,006
• Rank	486th of 565 in state 21st of 24 in county
• Density	47.9/sq mi (18.5/km2)
• Density rank	553rd of 565 in state 23rd of 24 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	07826 – Branchville
Area code(s)	973
FIPS code	3403765700
GNIS feature ID	0882255
Website

Sandyston Township is a small rural township in Sussex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located in the northwestern part of the state near the Pennsylvania border. The township is surrounded by and part of many national and state parks. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 1,977, a decrease of 21 (−1.1%) from the 2010 census count of 1,998, which in turn reflected an increase of 173 (+9.5%) from the 1,825 counted in the 2000 census. Sandyston's growth in recent years has been attributed to the influx of people from more urban parts of the state and even New York City, located less than 75 miles (121 km) away.

New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Sandyston Township 26th on its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey.

Sandyston was first formed by royal charter on February 26, 1762, from portions of Walpack Township. Sandyston was incorporated as a township on February 21, 1798, by an act of the New Jersey Legislature as part of the initial group of 104 townships incorporated in the state.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 42.06 square miles (108.94 km²), including 41.33 square miles (107.05 km²) of land and 0.73 square miles (1.89 km²) of water (1.74%).

The township ranges from 300 to 1,600 feet (91 to 488 m) above sea level. A ridge runs along the eastern half of the township called the Kittatinny Mountains. The highest point in the township is Sunrise Mountain in Stokes State Forest. The lowest point is around the Delaware River in the western half of the township.

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Abertown, Bevans, Centerville, Dingmans Ferry, Hainesville, Kittatinny Lake, Lake Ashroe, Layton, Namanack Island, Normanock, Peters Valley, Shaytown, Stoney Lake and Tuttles Corner.

Sandyston Township borders the Sussex County municipalities of Frankford Township, Montague Township and Walpack Township.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 1,998 people, 788 households, and 561 families in the township. The population density was 47.0 inhabitants per square mile (18.1/km²). There were 988 housing units at an average density of 23.2 per square mile (9.0/km²). The racial makeup was 97.45% (1,947) White, 0.40% (8) Black or African American, 0.10% (2) Native American, 0.55% (11) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 0.30% (6) from other races, and 1.20% (24) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.40% (68) of the population.

Of the 788 households, 29.9% had children under the age of 18; 58.8% were married couples living together; 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present and 28.8% were non-families. Of all households, 22.6% were made up of individuals and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.01.

22.5% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 21.6% from 25 to 44, 36.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.7 years. For every 100 females, the population had 98.8 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 98.6 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $73,750 (with a margin of error of +/− $8,449) and the median family income was $96,071 (+/− $15,669). Males had a median income of $62,071 (+/− $9,210) versus $41,875 (+/− $7,589) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $40,921 (+/− $9,604). About 2.5% of families and 2.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those age 65 or over.

Parks and recreation

Peters Valley School of Craft

• Brau Kettle karst
• Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and Stokes State Forest cover more than two-thirds of the township
• Peters Valley School of Craft

Education

Public school students in kindergarten through sixth grade attend the schools of the Sandyston-Walpack Consolidated School District, together with students from Walpack Township. The school is located in the Layton section of Sandyston Township. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 138 students and 16.9 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 8.2:1. In the 2016–17 school year, Sandyston-Walpack had the 26th smallest enrollment of any school district in the state, with 149 students.

Students in seventh through twelfth grade from Sandyston and Walpack Townships for public school attend Kittatinny Regional High School located in Hampton Township, which also serves students who reside in Fredon Township and Stillwater Township. The high school is located on a 96-acre (39 ha) campus in Hampton Township, about seven minutes outside of the county seat of Newton. Kittatinny Regional High School was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence in 1997–1998. As of the 2018–19 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 941 students and 97.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.7:1.

Transportation

U.S. Route 206 and County Route 521 southbound in Sandyston Township

As of May 2010^[update], the township had a total of 52.47 miles (84.44 km) of roadways, of which 28.98 miles (46.64 km) were maintained by the municipality, 16.22 miles (26.10 km) by Sussex County and 7.27 miles (11.70 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

U.S. Route 206 bisects the township, concurrent with County Route 521. The Dingman's Ferry Bridge, one of the last privately owned toll bridges on the Delaware River and one of the last few in the United States, carries two lanes of PA 739 and NJ County Route 560, connecting to Delaware Township, Pike County, Pennsylvania.

Notable people

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

• George B. Harper (1918–1988), politician who served in the New Jersey Senate from 1954 to 1964
• Harry Harper (1895–1963), pitcher who played in the major leagues for four different teams
• Ernest L. Hettich (1897–1973), scholar of classics
• Bill Sienkiewicz (born 1958), artist known for his work in comic books, particularly for Marvel Comics' New Mutants, Moon Knight, and Elektra: Assassin