Hackettstown

Hackettstown, New Jersey
—  Town  —
Map of Hackettstown in Warren County. Inset: Location of Warren County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Hackettstown, New Jersey
Coordinates: 40°51.2′N 74°49.8′W / 40.8533°N 74.83°W / 40.8533; -74.83Coordinates: 40°51.2′N 74°49.8′W / 40.8533°N 74.83°W / 40.8533; -74.83
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Warren
Incorporated	March 9, 1853
Government
• Type	Special Charter
• Mayor	Michael B. Lavery (R, 2011)[1]
Area
• Total	3.7 sq mi (9.6 km2)
• Land	3.7 sq mi (9.6 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation[2]	554 ft (169 m)
Population (2010 Census)
• Total	9,724
• Density	2,600/sq mi (1,000/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	07840
Area code(s)	908
FIPS code	34-28710[3][4]
GNIS feature ID	0885237[5]
Website	http://www.hackettstown.net

Hackettstown is a town in Warren County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 9,724. The town is located in the eastern most region of the Lehigh Valley.

Hackettstown was incorporated as a town by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 9, 1853, from portions of Independence Township. Portions of territory were exchanged with Mansfield Township in 1857, 1860, 1872 and 1875.^[6]

Hackettstown houses the headquarters of Mars Chocolate USA, the American division of Mars, Incorporated, makers of Milky Way, Mars, M&M's, Twix and Snickers candy bars, as well as pet foods (such as the well-known Whiskas and Pedigree brands), human foods (including Uncle Ben's) and non-confectionery snack foods (including Combos).

It is believed that Hackettstown was named after Samuel Hackett, a prominent landowner who is said to have "contributed liberally to the liquid refreshments on the christening of a new hotel, in order to secure the name which, before this, had been Helms' Mills or Musconetcong".^[7]

Hackettstown was named #72 of the top 100 towns in the United States to Live and Work In by Money Magazine in 2005; it has not been included since.^[8]

Geography

Hackettstown is located at 40°51.2′N 74°49.8′W (40.8532, -74.8293).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.7 square miles (9.6 km²), all of it land. It is located in a valley along the banks of the Musconetcong River.

Upper Pohatcong Mountain extends northeast of Washington approximately 6 mi (9.7 km) to the vicinity of Paris.

Hackettstown borders the townships of Washington, Mansfield, Allamuchy, Mount Olive Township and Independence.

Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 10,403 people, 4,134 households, and 2,530 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,809.5 people per square mile (1,085.6/km²). There were 4,347 housing units at an average density of 1,174.0 per square mile (453.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.25% White, 2.18% African American, 0.12% Native American, 2.91% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 2.00% from other races, and 2.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.01% of the population.

There were 4,134 households out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.0% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the town the population was spread out with 22.7% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 33.9% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $51,955, and the median income for a family was $64,383. Males had a median income of $44,420 versus $31,110 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,742. About 2.3% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.9% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

The Town of Hackettstown operates under a Mayor-Council form of government. It was created by a Special Charter adopted by the New Jersey Legislature and approved by the voters in 1970.

The governing body consists of a strong mayor and six councilpersons all elected at large.

The Mayor is elected for a three year term and serves as the chief executive officer of the Town. The Mayor presides over Town meetings, Supervises Town departments and Town employees, Presents a proposed budget for consideration by the Town Council, (and, unless otherwise provided for by state or local law) hires all employees with the advise and consent of the Town Council.

The Mayor does not vote on any matter, except in the event of a tie vote. However, the Mayor has the power to veto any ordinance. A Mayor’s veto may be overridden by the vote of four council members.

The six-member Town Council serve for three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two Council seats up for vote at each election. The Council exercises the legislative power of the Town along with any other powers designated to the governing body by State or local law. The Council adopts all ordinances and regulations along with budget. Council members also serve on three member Council Committees that include Fire, Sanitation, Police, Welfare, Lighting, Recreation, Printing, License and Franchise, Public Works, Ordinance and Finance. These committees conduct research and detailed reviews of issues on behalf of the Town.^[10]

As of 2012^[update], the Mayor of Hackettstown is Maria DiGiovanni (R, term ends December 31, 2014). The Hackettstown Town Council consists of Gerald DiMaio, Jr. (Acting Mayor; R, 2013), William Conforti (Alternate Acting Mayor; R, 2012), John Stout (R, 2013), Scott Sheldon (R, 2012), Paul Wallace (R, 2012), Leonard Kunz (R, 2014), and Eric Tynan (R, 2014).^[11][12]

Federal, state and county representation

Hackettstown is in the 5th Congressional district and is part of New Jersey's 23rd Legislative District.^[13]

New Jersey's Fifth Congressional District is represented by Scott Garrett (R, Wantage Township). New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).

The 23rd Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Michael J. Doherty (R, Washington Township, Warren County) and in the General Assembly by John DiMaio (R, Hackettstown) and Erik Peterson (R, Franklin Township, Hunterdon County).^[14] The Governor of New Jersey is Chris Christie (R, Mendham).^[15] The Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey is Kim Guadagno (R, Monmouth Beach).^[16]

Warren County is governed by a Board of Chosen Freeholders whose three members are elected at-large on a staggered basis with one seat coming up for election each year. As of 2011, Warren County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Everett A. Chamberlain (Belvidere, term ends December 31, 2012), Freeholder Deputy Director Richard D. Gardner (Asbury, 2011) and Freeholder Jason Sarnoski (Lopatcong Township, 2013).^[17]

Education

The Hackettstown School District serves students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Schools in the district (with 2008-09 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics^[18]) are Hatchery Hill School (K-4; 243 students), Willow Grove School (K-4; 240), Hackettstown Middle School (5-8; 437) and Hackettstown High School (9-12; 937). Students from the townships of Allamuchy, Independence, and Liberty, attend the district's high school as part of sending/receiving relationships.^[19]

For the 2001-02 school year, Hackettstown Middle School was recognized with the Blue Ribbon Award from the United States Department of Education, the highest honor that an American school can achieve.^[20]

Centenary College of New Jersey, a private college affiliated with the United Methodist Church, is located in Hackettstown.

Transportation

The Hackettstown station is the western terminus of the New Jersey Transit Morristown Line and the Montclair-Boonton Line, which both provide service to Hoboken Terminal with connections to Pennsylvania Station in Midtown Manhattan via Midtown Direct trains.

Passing through Hackettstown are U.S. Route 46, Route 57, and County Route 517 Route 182 exists completely within the boundaries of Hackettstown.

Hackettstown is located 49.3 miles from Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, Elizabeth. Lehigh Valley International Airport near Allentown, Pennsylvania is 39.0 miles away. A small general aviation airport, named Hackettstown Airport and holding the official database designation of (FAA LID: N05) is in adjoining Mansfield Township, only a few hundred yards from the municipal border with Hackettstown proper.

History

William Johnson (1817 - 1891) was a prime mover in getting the town incorporated in 1853. He and his brother George (1815 - 1889) were successful merchants in the town beginning in 1839 when they began operating the W.L. & G.W Johnson dry good store. The two men were very active in community affairs. George was a member of First Presbyterian Church, a director of the Hackettstown National Bank, and a member of the Hackettstown Water Board. Both men were involved in the establishment of the Union Cemetery.^[21]

Tillie Smith, an 18-year-old kitchen worker from a poverty-stricken family, was raped, murdered and left lying in an open field on the campus of the Centenary Collegiate Institute in Hackettstown, where she worked in 1886.^[22]

A maintenance worker at the school named James Titus was tried and convicted of the rape and murder. He was sentenced to hang, but he signed a confession and served 19 years of hard labor and then lived from 1904 to 1952 in Hackettstown, among many of the same residents who championed his conviction. The conviction was based on circumstantial evidence, and the public opinion was shaped by the newspapers in New York, Trenton and Philadelphia.^[23]

In 1925, a train wreck in the town killed 27 people and injured about 50 others en route to New York City from Chicago. The derailment occurred on Rockport road in the early morning at approximately 3:30AM. The event made national headlines and stands as the deadliest event in Warren county ever.^[24]

Culture and contemporary life

Local media

• WNTI, 91.9 on the FM dial - Centenary College radio.
• WRNJ, known as "Oldies 1510 WRNJ" at 1510 on the AM dial, is licensed to Hackettstown. It is also simulcast on FM translators on FM 92.7 and FM 104.7.
• The main office for The Warren Reporter, a free weekly newspaper delivered to 42,000 households in Warren County, is on East Moore Street.^[25]

Sports

• Hackettstown High School is known for its sports teams, collectively known as the Tigers. The group recently moved into the Northwest New Jersey Athletic Conference.
• The Centenary College teams are known as the Cyclones.^[26]
• Skyland Roller Girls, founded in 2008, bout out of Excel Roller Skating Center in Hackettstown [1]

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Hackettstown include:

• Bette Cooper (born 1920), Miss America 1937^[27][28]
• Jim Courter (born 1941), former Member of Congress.^[29]
• John DiMaio (born 1955), member of the New Jersey General Assembly who served as mayor of Hackettstown from 1991 to 1999.^[30]
• Brian Fallon (born 1980), lead singer for The Gaslight Anthem/The Horrible Crowes^[31]
• Kristen Maloney (born 1981), former gymnastics Olympian.^[32]
• Jimmi Simpson (born 1975), actor.^[33]

References

External links

• Hackettstown website
• Warren County page for Hackettstown
• Hackettstown School District
• Hackettstown School District's 2009–10 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
• Data for the Hackettstown School District, National Center for Education Statistics
• Hackettstown Business Improvement District
• Hackettstown Life Community Web Site
• Warren County Regional Chamber of Commerce
• Warren County Economic Development Corporation
• Warren County Convention & Visitors Bureau

v t e Municipalities and communities of Warren County, New Jersey, United States County seat: Belvidere Boroughs Alpha Washington Towns Belvidere Hackettstown Phillipsburg Townships Allamuchy Blairstown Franklin Frelinghuysen Greenwich Hardwick Harmony Hope Independence Knowlton Liberty Lopatcong Mansfield Oxford Pahaquarry (defunct) Pohatcong Washington White CDPs Allamuchy-Panther Valley Asbury Beattystown Brass Castle Columbia Delaware Great Meadows-Vienna Oxford Communities Great Meadows Johnsonburg Port Colden Port Murray Stewartsville