| Bernards Township, New Jersey | |
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| — Township — | |
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| Coordinates: 40°41′4″N 74°34′13″W / 40.68444°N 74.57028°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Somerset |
| Incorporated | February 21, 1798 |
| Government [1] | |
| - Type | Township (New Jersey) |
| - Mayor | Carolyn Kelly |
| - Deputy Mayor | Scott Spitzer |
| Area | |
| - Total | 24.0 sq mi (62.2 km2) |
| - Land | 24.0 sq mi (62.2 km2) |
| - Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation [2] | 308 ft (94 m) |
| Population (2007)[3] | |
| - Total | 26,590 |
| - Density | 1,023.8/sq mi (395.3/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 07920 (Basking Ridge) 07938 (Liberty Corner) 07939 (Lyons) 07931 (Far Hills) |
| Area code(s) | 908 |
| FIPS code | 34-05560[4][5] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0882174[6] |
| Website | http://www.bernards.org |
Bernards Township is a township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. At the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 24,575.
Basking Ridge, Liberty Corner, Lyons and West Millington are ZIP codes and unincorporated areas located within Bernards Township. Martinsville is an unincorporated area split between Bernards Township and Bridgewater Township.
Contents |
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 24.0 square miles (62.2 km²), of which, 24.0 square miles (62.2 km²) of it is land and 0.04% is water.
It is roughly bounded by the Second Watchung Mountain in the southwest, the Dead River swamp on the south, the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Passaic River, and Millington Gorge in the East.
History
Bernards Township was originally formed by Royal Charter as Bernardston Township from remaining portions of Northern precinct. It was incorporated as Bernards Township as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798. Portions of the township were taken to form Warren Township (March 5, 1806), Far Hills (April 7, 1921) and Bernardsville (March 6, 1924).[7]
Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 2,293 |
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| 1940 | 4,512 | 96.8% | |
| 1950 | 7,487 | 65.9% | |
| 1960 | 9,018 | 20.4% | |
| 1970 | 13,305 | 47.5% | |
| 1980 | 12,920 | −2.9% | |
| 1990 | 17,199 | 33.1% | |
| 2000 | 24,575 | 42.9% | |
| Est. 2007 | 26,590 | [3] | 8.2% |
| Population 1930 - 1990.[8] | |||
At the 2000 census[4], there were 24,575 people, 9,242 households and 6,487 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,023.8 per square mile (395.4/km²). There were 9,485 housing units at an average density of 395.1/sq mi (152.6/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 89.20% White, 1.44% African American, 0.05% Native American, 7.85% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.63% of the population.
There were 9,242 households of which 37.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.0% were married couples living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.17.
Age distribution was 27.7% under the age of 18, 3.2% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males.
The median household income was $107,204, and the median family income was $135,806 (these figures had risen to $115,582 and $149,900 respectively in a 2007 estimate[9]). Males had a median income of $95,758 versus $60,865 for females. The per capita income for the township was $56,521. About 0.6% of families and 1.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.2% of those under age 18 and 2.9% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Local government
Bernards Township operates under the Township form of New Jersey municipal government. The Township Committee consists of five members, elected by the public in partisan elections for three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with one or two seats coming up for election each year.[1] In the Township Committee form of government, all legislative and executive powers of the Township are the responsibility of the Township Committee, except in matters of health. The Mayor is elected by the committee from among its members at the annual Reorganization meeting held in January. In the Township Committee form of government, all members have equal power and may vote on all issues.
Members of the Township Committee are Mayor Carolyn Kelly, Deputy Mayor Scott Spitzer, John Carpenter, John Malay, and Mary Pavlini.[10]
Federal, state and county representation
Bernards Township is in the Eleventh Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 16th Legislative District.[11]
New Jersey's Eleventh Congressional District, covering western portions of Essex County, all of Morris County, and sections of Passaic County, Somerset County and Sussex County, is represented by Rodney Frelinghuysen (R, Harding Township). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
For the 2008-2009 Legislative Session, the 16th District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Christopher "Kip" Bateman (R, Neshanic Station) and in the Assembly by Peter J. Biondi (R, Hillsborough Township) and Denise Coyle (R, Basking Ridge).[12] The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).[13]
Somerset County is governed by a five-member Board of Chosen Freeholders, whose members are elected at-large to three-year terms on a staggered basis, with one or two elected each year. As of 2009[update], Somerset County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Rick Fontana (Bridgewater Township, 2009), Freeholder Deputy Director Jack Ciattarelli (Hillsborough Township, 2009), Peter S. Palmer (Bernardsville, term ends December 31, 2011),Patricia Walsh (Green Brook Township, 2010) and Robert Zaborowski (Franklin Township, 2011).[14]
The partnership with Terrebonne Parish
In 2005, after Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, which had a devastating effect on the area, locals from the Bernards Township sent supplies to Houma, Louisiana.
In 2007, the Parish returned the favor by sending The Terrebonne High School Marching band on a 26 hour bus ride to the Bernards township to march in their Christmas parade, and perform a Christmas concert for the public at a local church.
Education
Students in kindergarten through twelfth grade are educated by the Bernards Township School District. The schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[15]) include four K-5 elementary schools — Cedar Hill Elementary School, with 650 students; Liberty Corner Elementary School, with 611 students; Mount Prospect Elementary School, with 689 students; and Oak Street Elementary School, with 593 students (including pre-K) — William Annin Middle School, with 1,260 students in grades 6 - 8; and Ridge High School, with 1526 students in grades 9 - 12. Cedar Hill Elementary currently houses a state of the art public program for children on the autism spectrum, utilizing the principles of ABA.
The high school mascot is the Ridge Red Devil. Ridge High School was listed in 102nd place, the second highest ranked school in New Jersey, in Newsweek's 2007 listing of America's Top Public High Schools.[16] The school was ranked as Number 116 in 2006 and Number 91 in 2005.[17] Ridge High School was the 11th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 316 schools statewide, in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2006 cover story on the state's Top Public High Schools.[18] Ridge was ranked 24th in 2008.[19]
Pingry School, a private coeducational college preparatory day school, has its upper campus, for grades 6 to 12, located in Martinsville.[20]
Points of interest
- The Devil's Tree - A solitary, somewhat sickly-looking oak tree in a field off Mountain Road in the southern corner of the township that has been subject of several stories in Weird NJ magazine.
- The township houses the corporate headquarters of Avaya, Fedders, Hitachi Power Systems and Verizon.
- The Brick Academy - An outstanding restoration of what was known as the Basking Ridge Classical School, a prep school for those looking to attend Princeton University. The Brick Academy is the current home to the Historical Society of the Somerset Hills, a historical society that serves the regional area known as the Somerset Hills - Bedminster, Bernardsville, Bernards Twp, Far Hills, Peapack & Gladstone.
Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Bernards Township include:
- Patricia Lee Gauch, author of over 30 works of children's literature who was inducted into the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame in 1993.[21]
- Page McConnell (born 1963), keyboardist best known for his work with Phish.[22]
- Robert E. Mulcahy III, athletic director at Rutgers University.[23]
- Samuel Lewis Southard (1787-1842), served as U.S. Senator, Secretary of the Navy, and the 10th Governor of New Jersey.[24]
- Zip the Pinhead, famous turn-of-the-century sideshow performer, was born in Liberty Corner.[25]
References
- ^ a b 2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 77.
- ^ USGS GNIS: Township of Bernards, Geographic Names Information System, accessed January 4, 2008.
- ^ a b Census data for Bernards township, United States Census Bureau. Accessed November 11, 2008.
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ A Cure for the Common Codes: New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed July 14, 2008.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ John P. Snyder The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 222.
- ^ New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.
- ^ http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-context=adp&-qr_name=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_DP3YR3&-ds_name=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_&-tree_id=3307&-redoLog=false&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=06000US3403505560&-format=&-_lang=en
- ^ [1], Bernards Township. Accessed January 03, 2009.
- ^ 2008 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 54. Accessed September 30, 2009.
- ^ Legislative Roster: 2008-2009 Session, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed June 6, 2008.
- ^ "About the Governor". New Jersey. http://www.nj.gov/governor/about/. Retrieved 6 June 2008.
- ^ The Role of County Government: "What Is A Freeholder?", Somerset County, New Jersey. Accessed May 23, 2009.
- ^ Data for the Bernards Township School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed May 13, 2008.
- ^ Newsweek, America's Top Public High Schools
- ^ ibid
- ^ Top Public High Schools in New Jersey, New Jersey Monthly, September 2006
- ^ Top Public High Schools in New Jersey, New Jersey Monthly, August 2008
- ^ About Pingry, November 2008
- ^ Horner, Shirley. "ABOUT BOOKS", The New York Times, October 3, 1993. Accessed December 19, 2007. "The other inductees are Patricia Lee Gauch of Basking Ridge, who has written more than 30 children's books"
- ^ Page McConnell, Legacy Recordings. Accessed November 11, 2008.
- ^ Caldwell, Dave. "IN PERSON; Renaissance Man", The New York Times, December 4, 2005. Accessed January 24, 2008. "The taciturn Mulcahy, who graduated from Millburn High School and lives in Basking Ridge, did much of the groundwork that let Schiano, after a few tough seasons, become a success in his home state -- their home state."
- ^ Samuel Lewis Southard profile, United States Congress. Accessed July 29, 2007.
- ^ Sceurman, Mark. [2], Weird NJ. Accessed June 4, 2009.
External links
- Bernards Township official web site
- Bernards Township School District
- The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills
- Bernards Township School District's 2007–08 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- Data for the Bernards Township School District, National Center for Education Statistics
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Coordinates: 40°40′22″N 74°33′31″W / 40.67278°N 74.55861°W
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