Stockton, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Stockton, New Jersey
Borough
The Stockton Inn
Seal
Location of Stockton in Hunterdon County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Hunterdon County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).
Census Bureau map of Stockton, New Jersey
Stockton, New Jersey Location in Hunterdon County, New Jersey Show map of Hunterdon County, New Jersey Stockton, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Stockton, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Hunterdon
Incorporated	April 14, 1898
Government
• Type	Borough
• Body	Borough Council
Area
• Total	0.62 sq mi (1.61 km2)
• Land	0.55 sq mi (1.41 km2)
• Water	0.07 sq mi (0.19 km2)  12.10%
Area rank	537th of 565 in state 26th of 26 in county
Elevation	121 ft (37 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	495
• Estimate  (2023)	494
• Rank	552nd of 565 in state 26th of 26 in county
• Density	906.2/sq mi (349.9/km2)
• Density rank	394th of 565 in state 11th of 26 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	08559
Area code(s)	609
FIPS code	3401970980
GNIS feature ID	0885409
Website

Stockton is a borough in Hunterdon County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The borough sits on the Delaware River at the western end of Amwell Valley. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 495, a decrease of 43 (−8.0%) from the 2010 census count of 538, which in turn reflected a decline of 22 (−3.9%) from the 560 counted in the 2000 census.

Stockton was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 14, 1898, from portions of Delaware Township.

History

Stockton is located along the Delaware River north of Lambertville. The community was first known as Reading Ferry and later as Howell's Ferry. The name was changed to Centre Bridge Station to match the name of the post office and hamlet on the Pennsylvania side of the river. The name became Stockton with the creation of a railroad station and a local post office in 1851. The community was named in honor of U.S. Senator Robert Field Stockton, who was instrumental in the creation of the Delaware and Raritan Canal. Stockton soon began to develop as an industrious town with mills and quarries sprouting in the area. In 1852 the Belvidere Delaware Railroad reached town and accelerated its prosperity. The borough was incorporated in 1898, having been separated from Delaware Township.

Historic locations and sightseeing

The Stockton Inn (formerly known as Colligan's Stockton Inn) was established in 1710. The inn's Dog & Deer Tavern first opened in 1796. The inn that was the inspiration for Richard Rodgers for his hit song "There's a Small Hotel" sung in the 1936 Broadway musical On Your Toes. First built as a private residence it is believed to have been converted to an inn around 1832.

The Delaware River Mill Society was formed to preserve and promote the buildings and site known as Prallsville Mills. John Prall Jr., became the owner of the site in 1794 and with his settlement the area became known as Prallsville.

The Delaware River Mill Society is a private non-profit organization responsible for the restoration, maintenance, and operation of the historic John Prall Jr. House and the Prallsville Mills Complex, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The entire property became part of the D & R Canal State Park in 1973. In 1976 when the State of New Jersey was unable to fund the restoration of its newly acquired Prallsville Mills, local citizens formed the Delaware River Mill Society, to "restore, preserve, operate, maintain and interpret" the historic site.

Prallsville Mills has become a place of cultural and environmental events attracting widespread participation. Visitors can tour 10 historic buildings including an 1877 grist mill, a 1790 linseed oil mill, an 1850 saw mill and a 1900 grain silo. Concerts, art exhibitions, antique shows, holiday parties, school fund-raiser auctions, meetings, as well as private parties, are a source of income for restoration and maintenance of the site. The site currently includes artist Ty Hodanish's studio and gallery, known as The Art Colony, which is housed in the Linseed Mill. The Mill is also situated in the center of the Delaware River Scenic Byway.

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  Former station for the Belvidere Delaware Railroad

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  Prallsville Mills by the Delaware and Raritan Canal

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 0.62 square miles (1.61 km²), including 0.55 square miles (1.41 km²) of land and 0.08 square miles (0.19 km²) of water (12.10%).

The borough borders Delaware Township in Hunterdon County and Solebury Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Prallsville is an unincorporated community located along the border with Delaware Township.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 538 people, 237 households, and 142 families in the borough. The population density was 1,005.6 inhabitants per square mile (388.3/km²). There were 259 housing units at an average density of 484.1 per square mile (186.9/km²). The racial makeup was 98.33% (529) White, 0.00% (0) Black or African American, 0.00% (0) Native American, 0.93% (5) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 0.00% (0) from other races, and 0.74% (4) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.56% (3) of the population.

Of the 237 households, 23.2% had children under the age of 18; 48.5% were married couples living together; 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present and 40.1% were non-families. Of all households, 32.1% were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.94.

19.5% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 21.4% from 25 to 44, 35.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47.7 years. For every 100 females, the population had 94.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 96.8 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $58,750 (with a margin of error of +/− $19,736) and the median family income was $72,321 (+/− $19,152). Males had a median income of $61,250 (+/− $24,259) versus $42,273 (+/− $34,015) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $38,153 (+/− $7,749). About none of families and 5.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 1.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

District No. 98 Schoolhouse

Stockton is part of the South Hunterdon Regional School District, which serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Lambertville, Stockton and West Amwell Township. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of three schools, had an enrollment of 925 students and 108.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 8.6:1. Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are The Lambertville Public School with 225 students in grades Pre-K–6, West Amwell School with 224 students in grades K–6 and South Hunterdon Regional High School with 458 students in grades 7–12.

Historically, Stockton had its own school district, the Stockton Borough School District, serving students in grades K–6. The district's sole school building, the District No. 98 Schoolhouse, had been in use since 1872. In a special election held in September 2013, voters from Lambertville, Stockton and West Amwell Township passed referendums to dissolve the South Hunterdon Regional High School District and to combine the three existing school districts from each municipality (Lambertville City School District, Stockton Borough School District and West Amwell Township School District), with majorities in each community passing both ballot items. A single combined regional district was created, serving students in grades Pre-K–12, in which property taxes are levied under a formula in which 57% is based on property values and 43% on the number of students. The executive county superintendent appointed an interim board of education for the new regional district, which was responsible for implementing the merger. The Stockton school was closed after the 2017–2018 school year and the elementary students were sent to Lambertville and West Amwell schools.

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

Route 29 southbound in Stockton

As of May 2010^[update], the borough had a total of 4.09 miles (6.58 km) of roadways, of which 2.50 miles (4.02 km) were maintained by the municipality, 0.28 miles (0.45 km) by Hunterdon County and 1.31 miles (2.11 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Route 29 and County Route 523 are the most significant highways passing through Stockton.

The Centre Bridge-Stockton Bridge is a toll-free bridge stretching 825 feet (251 m) over the Delaware River that is owned and operated by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission, connecting Pennsylvania Route 32 and Pennsylvania Route 263 in Solebury Township, Pennsylvania, to New Jersey Route 29 in Stockton. The original bridge, constructed at the site formerly known as Reading's Ferry, was opened to traffic in the spring of 1814. The covered bridge was destroyed in a flood on January 8, 1841, striking the Lambertville Bridge on its way down the Delaware, as part of a flood that severely damaged every bridge between Easton, Pennsylvania, and Trenton.

Notable people

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

• Anne Elstner (1899–1981), actress who played the title role on the radio soap opera Stella Dallas during its entire run, from 1937–1955
• Chet Huntley (1911–1974), television newscaster, best known for co-anchoring NBC's evening news program, the Huntley-Brinkley Report, for 14 years beginning in 1956
• JP Miller (1919–2001), writer of teleplays during the Golden Age of Television
• Carolyn Rovee-Collier (1942–2014), pioneer and expert in cognitive development

See also

In Spanish: Stockton (Nueva Jersey) para niños