Sussex, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sussex, New Jersey
Borough
Intersection of Route 23 and Route 284
Seal
Map of Sussex County highlighting Sussex Borough. Inset: Location of Sussex County in the State of New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Sussex, New Jersey
Sussex, New Jersey Location in Sussex County, New Jersey Show map of Sussex County, New Jersey Sussex, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Sussex, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Sussex
Incorporated	October 14, 1891 as Deckertown
Renamed	March 2, 1902 as Sussex
Named for	Sussex, England
Government
• Type	Borough
• Body	Borough Council
Area
• Total	0.62 sq mi (1.62 km2)
• Land	0.59 sq mi (1.54 km2)
• Water	0.03 sq mi (0.08 km2)  5.00%
Area rank	536th of 565 in state 23rd of 24 in county
Elevation	449 ft (137 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,024
• Estimate  (2023)	2,050
• Rank	484th of 565 in state 20th of 24 in county
• Density	3,412.8/sq mi (1,317.7/km2)
• Density rank	198th of 565 in state 1st of 24 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	07461
Area code(s)	973 exchanges: 702, 875
FIPS code	3403771670
GNIS feature ID	0885414
Website

Sussex is a small town, called a borough, located in Sussex County, in the state of New Jersey. In 2020, about 2,024 people lived here.

Sussex became a borough on October 14, 1891. It was first named Deckertown after an early settler, Peter Decker. Later, on March 2, 1902, its name was changed to Sussex. Both the county and the borough are named after the historic county of Sussex in England.

For a while, there was talk about combining Sussex with its neighboring area, Wantage Township. This idea came up because the two communities share schools, a library, and other services. However, in 2009, the plan did not go through because voters in Wantage Township decided against it.

Exploring Sussex's Location and Landscape

Sussex borough covers a total area of about 0.62 square miles (1.62 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a small part being water. It sits about 449 feet (137 meters) above sea level.

Interestingly, Sussex is completely surrounded by Wantage Township. This makes it one of New Jersey's "doughnut towns." A doughnut town is a place that is entirely enclosed by another town or area.

The borough is part of the Wallkill River watershed. This river flows north and eventually reaches the Hudson River. A smaller stream called Glen Brook also flows nearby. It forms a small lake called Clove Lake, which is partly within the borough.

Understanding Sussex's Weather Patterns

Because Sussex is inland and at a higher elevation, its weather is cooler than many other parts of New Jersey. It has a humid continental climate. This means it has cold, snowy winters and very warm, humid summers.

The average temperature in January is around 25.8°F (–3.4°C). In July, the average is about 71.8°F (22.1°C). Temperatures can reach 90°F (32°C) about 13 days a year. They can also drop to 0°F (–18°C) about 5 nights a year.

Sussex gets about 38.7 inches (98 centimeters) of snow each winter. However, the amount of snow can change a lot from year to year. The coldest temperature ever recorded was –29°F (–34°C) in 1994. The hottest was 106°F (41°C) in 1936.

Who Lives in Sussex? A Look at the Population

In 2010, there were 2,130 people living in Sussex. These people lived in 899 households. Most residents (about 91%) were White. There were also smaller groups of Black, Asian, Native American, and Pacific Islander people. About 8% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

The average household had about 2.32 people. About 22.8% of the population was under 18 years old. About 12.3% of the population was 65 years or older. The average age of people in Sussex was 38.7 years old.

Learning in Sussex: Schools and Education

Students in Sussex attend public schools through the Sussex-Wantage Regional School District. This district serves students from Pre-K (pre-kindergarten) up to eighth grade. Students from Wantage Township also attend these schools.

The district has three schools:

• Clifton E. Lawrence School in Wantage (grades K–2)
• Wantage Elementary School in Wantage (grades 3–5)
• Sussex Middle School in Sussex (grades 6–8)

For high school, students from Sussex go to High Point Regional High School. This school serves students from ninth through twelfth grades. Students from Branchville, Frankford Township, Lafayette Township, and Montague Township also attend High Point Regional High School.

Sussex also has a private school called Sussex Christian School. It was started in 1958 and teaches students from different Christian backgrounds. It serves students from northern New Jersey and nearby areas in New York and Pennsylvania.

Getting Around Sussex: Roads and Travel

Route 23 northbound in Sussex

Sussex has about 9.21 miles (14.82 kilometers) of roads. The borough itself maintains most of these roads.

The main roads in Sussex are Route 23 and Route 284. These routes cross each other in the borough.

For public transportation, there is a local bus service called Skylands Connect. This bus connects Sussex to nearby towns like Hamburg, Sparta, and Newton.

If you need to fly, Sussex Airport is located about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) southwest of the borough.

Famous Faces from Sussex

Many interesting people have connections to Sussex:

• Grant Decker (1814–1890), who was the first mayor of Flint, Michigan.
• Paul W. Downs (born 1982), an actor, writer, and director. He is known for playing Trey Pucker on the TV show Broad City.
• D. C. Fontana (1939–2019), a television script writer and story editor. She is famous for her work on the original Star Trek series.
• Bill Glynn (1925–2013), a Major League Baseball player. He played as a first baseman for the Cleveland Indians and the Philadelphia Phillies.
• William Alexander Linn (1846–1917), a journalist and historian.
• Homer Mensch (1914–2005), a classical bassist.

See also

In Spanish: Sussex (Nueva Jersey) para niños