Washington Township, Morris County, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Washington Township, New Jersey
Township
Trimmer-Dufford Farmstead
Seal
Location in Morris County and the state of New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Washington Township, Morris County, New Jersey
Washington Township, New Jersey Location in Morris County, New Jersey Show map of Morris County, New Jersey Washington Township, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Washington Township, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Morris
Incorporated	April 2, 1798
Named for	George Washington
Government
• Type	Township
• Body	Township Committee
Area
• Total	44.90 sq mi (116.28 km2)
• Land	44.58 sq mi (115.47 km2)
• Water	0.31 sq mi (0.81 km2)  0.70%
Area rank	42nd of 565 in state 2nd of 39 in county
Elevation	988 ft (301 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	18,197
• Estimate  (2023)	18,212
• Rank	149th of 565 in state 11th of 39 in county
• Density	408.2/sq mi (157.6/km2)
• Density rank	457th of 565 in state 36th of 39 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	07853 – Long Valley
Area code(s)	908
FIPS code	3402777240
GNIS feature ID	0882198

Washington Township is a township in southwestern Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 18,197, a decrease of 336 (−1.8%) from the 2010 census count of 18,533, which in turn reflected an increase of 941 (+5.3%) from the 17,592 counted in the 2000 census.

The township is situated in the westernmost part of Morris County bordering both Hunterdon and Warren counties. It is located within the Raritan Valley region and is one of six municipalities (five of which are townships) in the state with the name "Washington". Washington Borough, located only 10 miles (16 km) away, is surrounded by another municipality that is also called Washington Township in Warren County.

The township has been ranked as one of the state's highest-income communities. Based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) for 2014–2018, Washington Township residents had a median household income of $150,682, nearly 90% above the statewide median of $79,363. In the 2013–2017 ACS, Washington Township had a median household income of $140,445, ranking 45th in the state.

History

Washington Township was incorporated as a township by the New Jersey Legislature on April 2, 1798, from portions of Roxbury Township. Portions of the township were taken to form Chester Township as of April 1, 1799. The township was named for George Washington, one of more than ten communities statewide named for the first president.

In 1798, Morris County's Washington Township became the first incorporated in New Jersey, but by 1894 there were 18 municipalities and other communities across the state named Washington or Washingtonville.

In June 1979, a 5-year-old boy was killed by a leopard that had been chained to a stake outside of a circus, during a performance sponsored by the local fire department at Flocktown Road School.

A 1983 effort to rename Washington Township to Long Valley failed in an election.

Geography

The Anthony–Corwin Farm in the valley by Schooley's Mountain

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 44.771 square miles (115.957 km²), including 44.387 square miles (114.963 km²) of land and 0.384 square miles (0.994 km²) of water (0.86%).

Long Valley (2010 population of 1,879) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Washington Township. The Long Valley section—the heart of the township—was called German Valley when it was first settled in the 18th century by people from Saxony, in Germany, until its name was changed around 1917 in the wake of anti-German sentiment following World War I.

Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Bartley, Beattystown, Crestmoore, Drakestown, Fairmount, Four Bridges, German Valley, Lake George, Middle Valley, Naughright, Parker, Pleasant Grove, Pottersville, Scrappy Corner, Springtown and Stephensburg.

Schooley's Mountain is an unincorporated community in Washington Township named for the Schooley family, who owned a considerable amount of land there during the 1790s. The natural springs in the area helped attract visitors to the Schooley's Mountain section in the 1800s.

Neighboring municipalities include Morris County communities Chester Township to the east, Mount Olive to the north, Hunterdon County communities Tewksbury Township to the south and Lebanon Township to the southwest as well as Warren County communities Mansfield Township to the west and Hackettstown to the northwest. Also in Somerset County in the extreme southeast corner of the town there is a border with Bedminster Township.

Demographics

The Zion Lutheran Church in Long Valley located near the intersection of Route 513 and Route 517.

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 18,533 people, 6,237 households, and 5,195 families in the township. The population density was 417.5 per square mile (161.2/km²). There were 6,488 housing units at an average density of 146.2 per square mile (56.4/km²). The racial makeup was 93.06% (17,247) White, 1.39% (257) Black or African American, 0.06% (11) Native American, 3.30% (612) Asian, 0.01% (2) Pacific Islander, 0.69% (127) from other races, and 1.49% (277) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.57% (847) of the population.

Of the 6,237 households, 43.4% had children under the age of 18; 73.7% were married couples living together; 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present and 16.7% were non-families. Of all households, 13.9% were made up of individuals and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.27.

28.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 19.6% from 25 to 44, 34.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.0 years. For every 100 females, the population had 96.1 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 93.3 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $112,651 (with a margin of error of ± $7,207) and the median family income was $124,818 (± $8,669). Males had a median income of $92,019 (± $5,016) versus $66,302 (± $11,089) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $49,154 (± $2,492). About 0.1% of families and 0.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.2% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Washington Township Schools is a public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of four schools, had an enrollment of 1,938 students and 196.9 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.8:1. Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Benedict A. Cucinella Elementary School with 451 students in grades PreK-5, Flocktown-Kossmann School with 442 students in grades PreK-5, Old Farmers Road School with 310 students in grades K-5 and Long Valley Middle School with 720 students in grades 6–8.

Students in public school for ninth through twelfth grades attend West Morris Central High School, which is located in the township, but has a Chester mailing address. The school is part of the West Morris Regional High School District, which also serves students from the surrounding Morris County school districts of Chester Borough, Chester Township, Mendham Borough, Mendham Township. of the 2020–21 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 1,098 students and 94.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.6:1. The high school district's board of education is comprised of nine members who are elected directly by voters to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis. The nine seats on the board of education are allocated based on the populations of the constituent municipalities, with four seats assigned to Washington Township.

Transportation

U.S. Route 46 westbound in Washington Township

Roads and highways

The township had a total of 149.44 miles (240.50 km) of roadways, of which 129.99 miles (209.20 km) were maintained by the municipality, 18.25 miles (29.37 km) by Morris County and 1.20 miles (1.93 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

U.S. Route 46, County Route 513, and County Route 517 pass through the township. The nearest limited-access roads are Interstate 80 in neighboring Mount Olive and Interstate 78 in neighboring Tewksbury Township. U.S. Route 206 is accessible in nearby Bedminster and Chester townships.

Public transportation

NJ Transit offered local bus service on the MCM5 route, which was terminated in 2010 as part of budget cuts.

Local media

Radio station WRNJ has studios, offices and its transmitter in Washington Township, broadcasting at 1510 AM and several FM stations in neighboring towns. The station is licensed to nearby Hackettstown.

The township's official newspaper is the Daily Record. The Observer-Tribune is a weekly newspaper that serves Washington Township and a few surrounding communities in western Morris County.

Notable people

Celeste Holm

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

• Wesley Addy (1913–1996), actor
• Walt Ader (1913–1982), race car driver who placed 22nd at the 1950 Indianapolis 500
• Jack Borgenicht (1911–2005), mountain climber, entrepreneur, preservationist and philanthropist
• Michael Burton (born 1992), football fullback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League
• Dolan Twins (born 1999), comedy duo
• Guy R. Gregg (born 1949), politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1992 to 2008, where he represented the 24th Legislative District
• Celeste Holm (1917–2012), Oscar-winning actress
• Jacob W. Miller (1800–1862), politician who represented New Jersey in the United States Senate
• Henry Muhlenberg (1711–1787), founder of Lutheranism in America, who established a congregation in German Valley, which met at the Old Stone Church
• Ida C. Nahm (1865–1922), physician and clubwoman
• Andrew Politi (born 1996), professional baseball pitcher
• Mike Rossi (born 1994), freestyle aerialist
• Paul Schmidtberger, novelist, whose works include Design Flaws of the Human Condition
• Shannon Sohn (born 1974), television news reporter at WABC-TV Eyewitness News in New York City, where she became the first helicopter reporter to win a national Emmy Award
• Bill Stepien (born 1978), former Deputy Chief of Staff for Governor Chris Christie and former campaign manager for the Donald Trump 2020 presidential campaign
• Lisa Unger (born 1970), author of contemporary fiction
• Diana West (born 1965), lactation consultant and author specializing on the topic of breastfeeding
• Charles Wuorinen (born 1938), Pulitzer Prize-winning composer of contemporary classical music