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Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey

Springfield Township is a township in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is located on a ridge in northern-central New Jersey, within the Raritan Valley and Rahway Valley regions in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 17,178, the highest recorded at any decennial census, an increase of 1,361 (+8.6%) from the 2010 census count of 15,817,  which in turn reflected an increase of 1,388 (+9.6%) from the 14,429 counted in the 2000 census.

Springfield was formed as a township on April 14, 1794, from portions of Elizabeth Township and Newark Township, while the area was still part of Essex County, and was incorporated as one of New Jersey's first 104 townships by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798. It became part of the newly formed Union County on March 19, 1857, with portions remaining in Essex County used to create Millburn. Other portions of the township have been taken to form New Providence Township (November 8, 1809, now known as Berkeley Heights), Livingston (February 5, 1813), Summit (March 23, 1869) and Cranford (March 14, 1871). The township's name derives from springs and brooks in the area.

The Battle of Springfield was fought here, the last of many battles of the American Revolutionary War to be fought in New Jersey.

Springfield is the home of the Baltusrol Golf Club, which was the host to the 2016 PGA Championship. It has also hosted other golf major championships, including the U.S. Open, held on seven occasions at Baltusrol, most recently in 1993. Golfweek magazine ranked Baltusrol as the 36th best in its 2010 rankings of the "Best Classic Courses" in the country.

New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Springfield as the 85th best place to live in New Jersey in its 2010 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey.

History
Springfield is celebrated as the site of a Battle of Springfield between the American Continental Army and British forces on June 23, 1780. The British, under Hessian General Wilhelm von Knyphausen, advanced from Elizabethtown about 5 o'clock in the morning. They were opposed by General Nathanael Greene, but owing to the superior number of the enemy he was compelled to evacuate Springfield, which was then burned by the British. During the action the Rev. James Caldwell, chaplain in the New Jersey brigade, is said to have distributed the Watts hymn books from the neighboring Presbyterian Church among the soldiers for wadding, saying at the same time, "Now put Watts into them, boys." This battle prevented further advance on the part of the British. The American loss was about 15 and that of the British about 150.

Some historical landmarks from the Revolution still stand: the Cannon Ball House, which has since been converted into a museum, was (according to the township's official website) "Built circa 1741 and served as a farmhouse at the time of the Revolutionary War. During the Battle of Springfield (June 23, 1780) the British used it as a hospital. ... It was one of only three buildings left standing when all others including the Presbyterian Church where Reverend James Caldwell had taken Watts hymnbooks for rifle wadding, were set on fire. ... In later years the house became a tavern to serve travelers on Morris (Ave) Turnpike. The farmland was later sold off, and it served then as a private residence. The property was acquired by the Springfield Historical Society in 1955. It has become known as The Cannon Ball House because a cannonball was found on the west side embedded in a beam. ... The Cannon Ball House has five revolutionary era rooms, some American Civil War items, early tools, a Battle diorama and a colonial garden. It has just been (1998) renovated to its original appearance and color."

After being burned down by the British, First Presbyterian Church was rebuilt. A statue of a Continental soldier was erected in 1903 at the site of the smallest state park in New Jersey.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 5.17 square miles (13.40 km2), including 5.16 square miles (13.36 km2) of land and 0.02 square miles (0.04 km2) of water (0.31%).

The Township of Springfield is located on the northern edge of Union County and is bordered by Millburn to the north in Essex County, by Union Township to the east, by Kenilworth to the southeast, by Westfield and Cranford to the south, by Mountainside to the southwest and by Summit to the northwest.

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Baltusrol, Branch Mills and Milltown.

Parks and recreation
The Rahway River Parkway greenway along the Rahway River runs through the township.

Parks include:
 * Briant Park, which crosses into Summit
 * Lenape Park, which covers 450 acres and also includes portions of Cranford, Kenilworth, Union Township and Westfield

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 15,817 people, 6,511 households, and 4,265 families in the township. The population density was 3,057.2 per square mile (1,180.4/km2). There were 6,736 housing units at an average density of 1,302.0 per square mile (502.7/km2). The racial makeup was 82.46% (13,042) White, 6.25% (989) Black or African American, 0.06% (10) Native American, 7.70% (1,218) Asian, 0.01% (2) Pacific Islander, 1.75% (277) from other races, and 1.76% (279) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.50% (1,502) of the population.

Of the 6,511 households, 29.0% had children under the age of 18; 53.6% were married couples living together; 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present and 34.5% were non-families. Of all households, 29.6% were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.05.

21.1% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 29.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.9 years. For every 100 females, the population had 88.8 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 84.7 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $84,038 (with a margin of error of +/− $8,139) and the median family income was $111,359 (+/− $8,121). Males had a median income of $74,335 (+/− $7,959) versus $62,859 (+/− $6,250) for females. The per capita income for the township was $46,393 (+/− $3,175). About 2.9% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.9% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census there were 14,429 people, 6,001 households, and 4,014 families residing in the township. The population density was 2,801.8 PD/sqmi. There were 6,204 housing units at an average density of 1,204.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the township was 89.72% White, 3.72% African American, 0.02% Native American, 4.69% Asian, 0.96% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 4.14% of the population.

There were 6,001 households, out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the township the population was spread out, with 20.6% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.0 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $73,790, and the median income for a family was $85,725. Males had a median income of $55,907 versus $39,542 for females. The per capita income for the township was $36,754. About 1.8% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.0% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.

Local government
The Township of Springfield is governed under the Township form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 141 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form, the second-most commonly used form of government in the state. The Township Committee is comprised of five members, who are elected directly by the voters at-large in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle. At an annual reorganization meeting, usually held on the first day of January, the committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor and another as Deputy Mayor.

, Springfield Township Committee members are Mayor Christopher Weber (D, term on committee and as mayor ends December 31, 2024), Deputy Mayor Harris Laufer (D, elected to an unexpired term on committee ending 2025; term as deputy mayor ends 2024), Christopher Capodice (D, 2026), Richard Huber (D, 2025) and Alexander Keiser (D, 2024).

In the November 2012 general election, voters approved the formation of a Charter Study Commission that would consider the possibility of changing the existing township form of government and may recommend changing to one the forms available under the Faulkner Act (mayor-council, council-manager, small municipality or mayor-council-administrator), one of the other available forms or to leave the form of government unchanged.

Federal, state and county representation
Springfield Township is located in the 7th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 21st state legislative district.

Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 10,078 registered voters in Springfield Township, of which 3,271 (32.5% vs. 41.8% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 1,795 (17.8% vs. 15.3%) were registered as Republicans and 5,007 (49.7% vs. 42.9%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 5 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens. Among the township's 2010 Census population, 63.7% (vs. 53.3% in Union County) were registered to vote, including 80.7% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 70.6% countywide).

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 4,083 votes (55.3% vs. 66.0% countywide), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 3,179 votes (43.0% vs. 32.3%) and other candidates with 63 votes (0.9% vs. 0.8%), among the 7,388 ballots cast by the township's 10,772 registered voters, for a turnout of 68.6% (vs. 68.8% in Union County). In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 4,328 votes (53.9% vs. 63.1% countywide), ahead of Republican John McCain with 3,548 votes (44.2% vs. 35.2%) and other candidates with 82 votes (1.0% vs. 0.9%), among the 8,033 ballots cast by the township's 10,379 registered voters, for a turnout of 77.4% (vs. 74.7% in Union County). In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 4,246 votes (55.1% vs. 58.3% countywide), ahead of Republican George W. Bush with 3,372 votes (43.8% vs. 40.3%) and other candidates with 49 votes (0.6% vs. 0.7%), among the 7,703 ballots cast by the township's 9,885 registered voters, for a turnout of 77.9% (vs. 72.3% in the whole county).

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 57.0% of the vote (2,624 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 41.7% (1,921 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (59 votes), among the 4,723 ballots cast by the township's 10,771 registered voters (119 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 43.8%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 2,477 votes (46.0% vs. 41.7% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 2,447 votes (45.5% vs. 50.6%), Independent Chris Daggett with 359 votes (6.7% vs. 5.9%) and other candidates with 28 votes (0.5% vs. 0.8%), among the 5,380 ballots cast by the township's 10,214 registered voters, yielding a 52.7% turnout (vs. 46.5% in the county).

Education
The Springfield Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of five schools, had an enrollment of 2,236 students and 168.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.3:1. All of the township's schools are named after notable Springfieldians. For instance, the township's high school is named after Jonathan Dayton, a signer of the United States Constitution. Schools in the district (with 2022–23 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are Edward V. Walton Early Childhood Center with 551 students in grades PreK-2, James Caldwell Elementary School with 292 students in grades 3-5, Thelma L. Sandmeier Elementary School with 245 students in grades 3-5, Florence M. Gaudineer Middle School with 518 students in grades 6-8 and Jonathan Dayton High School with 659 students in grades 9-12.

Adjacent to Florence M. Gaudineer Middle School is Saint James the Apostle School, a Catholic school serving students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grades with an enrollment of 148 students, operating under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark.

Roads and highways
, the township had a total of 56.53 mi of roadways, of which 39.82 mi were maintained by the municipality, 8.63 mi by Union County and 8.08 mi by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Interstate 78, U.S. Route 22, Route 24 and Route 124, as well as CR 509 Spur and CR 577, are among the highways and roadways that pass through Springfield Township.

Public transportation
NJ Transit provides bus service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan in New York City and to points in New Jersey including Newark Penn Station. Parking is available for a fee at a municipal lot near the center of town (Hannah Street and Center Street) and in the Duffy's Corner lot at Morris and Caldwell Place, which provide easy access to all NJ Transit buses that run through town. Annual permits are available from the town hall.

Although there is no train station in Springfield, the Millburn and Short Hills NJ Transit stations are located nearby, though neither allows commuter-hour parking for non-residents. The closest stations that allow out-of-town residents access to parking are Maplewood and Summit. The 70 bus provides access from the center of town to NJ Transit's Summit and Millburn stations; Eastbound it terminates at NJ Transit's Newark Penn Station with connections to Amtrak, NJ Transit trains to New York Penn Station, and Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) trains. The township also runs a jitney that operates on weekdays during morning and evening rush hours from the community pool to NJ Transit's Short Hills station. NJ Transit buses 65, 66 and 70 (to Newark), the 114 (to Midtown Manhattan's Port Authority Bus Terminal) and local service on the 52 route also run along the town's major roadways. Bus #114 runs at a frequency of 2-3 buses per hour during rush hour and 1 per hour outside of rush hour.

Newark Liberty International Airport is approximately 10 mi east of Springfield, putting hundreds of direct international and national flights within a 20 min reach of the town's residents.

Historical transportation
The Rahway Valley Railroad passed through the community, and during the early 20th century offered both freight and passenger service, but is currently out of service. The section of the railway that extended from Springfield to Summit was taken out of service in 1976, though special trains were operated to provide service to Baltusrol during the 1980 U.S. Open.

A trolley line called the Morris County Traction Company, ran trolley service through Springfield to/from Newark and Morris County, in the early part of the 20th century.

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

 * Dan Avidan (born 1979), lead singer-songwriter of Ninja Sex Party, Shadow Academy and Starbomb; co-host of web series Game Grumps
 * Lou Campanelli (1938–2023), basketball coach
 * William A. Chatfield (born 1951), government executive and lobbyist who served as the 11th Director of the Selective Service System, from 2004 to 2009
 * Anthony Cioffi (born 1994), football safety; played college football for Rutgers University and was signed by the Oakland Raiders
 * Jonas Coe (1805–1864), naval commander in Argentina and Uruguay
 * Jon Denning (born 1987), NASCAR driver
 * Jeannette DePalma (1956–1972), murder victim found in Houdaille Quarry whose unsolved case has become a matter of significant controversy thanks in part to coverage in Weird NJ magazine
 * Ina Drew, former Chief Investment Officer at JP Morgan Chase who resigned following the 2012 JPMorgan Chase trading loss that resulted in billions in losses to the bank
 * George A. Halsey (1827–1894), politician; represented New Jersey's 5th congressional district in Congress 1867–1869 and 1871–1873
 * Toni Kalem (born 1951), actress, screenwriter and director; best known for her portrayal of Angie Bonpensiero on the HBO series The Sopranos
 * Louis Keller (1857–1922), publisher, social arbiter of high society and golf club owner, best known as the founder of the Baltusrol Golf Club and as the first publisher of the Social Register
 * Donald Lan (1930–2019), politician; Secretary of State of New Jersey, 1977–1982
 * George Low Jr. (1912–1995), professional golfer; better known as a putting instructor and hustler
 * George Low Sr. (1874–1950), Scottish-American professional golfer who finished tied for second place in the 1899 U.S. Open championship
 * Dina Matos (born 1966), former First Lady of New Jersey
 * Gail J. McGovern (born 1952), businessperson who has served as President and CEO of the American Red Cross
 * Mark Melni, pianist and inventor
 * Curt Merz (1938–2022), professional American football guard who played seven seasons in the American Football League for the Kansas City Chiefs
 * Jackie Nese (born 1997), singer/songwriter, dancer, actor, who was a contestant on American Idol in 2015
 * Dylan O'Brien (born 1991), actor
 * Bernard Purdie (born 1941), prolific session drummer
 * Claudio Reyna (born 1973), professional soccer player
 * Jeff Ross (born 1965 as Jeffrey Ross Lifschultz), comedian
 * George Erik Rupp (born 1942), former President of Rice University and Columbia University; has headed the International Rescue Committee since 2002
 * Gabe Saporta (born 1979), lead singer and primary creative force behind the band Cobra Starship
 * Joe Schaffernoth (1937–2016), pitcher who played for the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians
 * Barbara Tropp (1948–2001), chef and cookery writer who helped introduce Americans to Chinese cuisine
 * Zygi Wilf (born 1950), owner of the Minnesota Vikings
 * James Yee (born 1968), former United States Army chaplain with the rank of captain; best known for being subject to an intense investigation by the United States, but all charges were later dropped


text:
Springfield, New Jersey

Springfield, New Jersey may refer to:

 * Springfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey
 * Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey
 * Springfield/Belmont, Newark, New Jersey, a neighborhood of Newark

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Springfield, New Jersey


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Summit, New Jersey

Summit is the northernmost city of Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located within the New York metropolitan area. Situated on a ridge in northern-central New Jersey, the city is located within the Raritan Valley and Rahway Valley regions, and also borders both Essex and Morris counties in the Passaic Valley region. Summit is a commercial hub and commuter town for New York City. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 22,719, an increase of 1,262 (+5.9%) from the 2010 census count of 21,457,  which in turn reflected an increase of 326 (+1.5%) from the 21,131 counted in the 2000 census.

Originally incorporated as Summit Township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 23, 1869, from portions of New Providence Township (now Berkeley Heights) and Springfield Township, Summit was reincorporated as a city on March 8, 1899.

Possible derivations of Summit's name include its location atop the Second Watchung Mountain; the Summit Lodge, the house to which jurist James Kent moved in 1837 and which stands today at 50 Kent Place Boulevard; and to a local sawmill owner who granted passage to the Morris and Essex Railroad for a route to "the summit of the Short Hills".

18th century
The region in which Summit is located was purchased from Native Americans on October 28, 1664. Summit's earliest European settlers came to the area around the year 1710. The original name of Summit was "Turkey Hill" to distinguish it from the area then known as "Turkey" (New Providence's original name until 1759). During the American Revolutionary War, Summit was known as "Beacon Hill", because bonfire beacons were lit on an eastern ridge in Summit to warn the New Jersey militiamen of approaching British troops.

Summit was called the "Heights over Springfield" during the late 18th century and most of the 19th century, and was considered a part of New Providence. During this period, Summit was part of Springfield Township, which eventually broke up into separate municipalities. Eventually, only Summit and New Providence remained joined.

19th century
Lord Chancellor James Kent, a Chancellor of New York State and author of Commentaries on American Law, retired to this area in 1837 in a house he called Summit Lodge (perhaps a namesake of the town) on what is now called Kent Place Boulevard. He lived there until 1847. Today, the lodge is part of a large mansion, at 50 Kent Place Boulevard, opposite Kent Place School.

In 1837, the Morris and Essex Railroad, which became the Delaware Lackawanna and Western Railroad and is now NJ Transit's Morris and Essex Lines, was built over what was then called "The Summit" hill, a name later shortened to Summit. The railroad allowed Summit to outgrow neighboring New Providence, which didn't have a train station. In 1868, a hotel named "The Summit House" burned beside the railroad. In 1869, Summit and New Providence separated and the Summit area was incorporated as the "Township of Summit". In the late 19th century, the area began shifting from farmland to wealthy estates; in 1892, renowned architect C. Abbott French cleared away a crest of a "summit ridge", removing "an impenetrable tangle of wild vines ... and myriads of rattlesnakes," to build a house with a view of New York City, The Times Building, and the Brooklyn Bridge. The present-day incarnation of Summit, known formally as the City of Summit, was incorporated on April 11, 1899.

During this time, Summit was the home of America's "antivice crusader", Anthony Comstock, who moved there about 1880 and built a house in 1892 at 35 Beekman Road, where he died in 1915.

In the 19th century, Summit served as a nearby getaway spot for wealthy residents of New York City in search of fresh air. Weekenders or summer vacationers would reach Summit by train and relax at large hotels and smaller inns and guest houses. Calvary Episcopal Church was built in 1894–1895; the New York Times called it a "handsome new house of worship".

20th century
Silk weaving, which had thrived as an industry in the late 19th century, declined in the early decades of the 20th. In 1915, there was a strike at the Summit Silk Company on Weaver Street. In the early 20th century, there was much building; in 1909, one report suggested at least 40 residences were being built (some with stables) with costs varying from $4,500 to $45,000, making it "one of the greatest periods of building activity this place, the Hill City, has known."

A new railway was constructed from what was then-called New Orange. The Rahway Valley Railroad connected Summit with the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W). In the early 20th century, both freight and passenger service were offered by this line. (Although in 2009, Union County was exploring the possibility of reactivating the long-dormant line for freight traffic. ) A trolley line called the Morris County Traction Company, once ran a passenger trolley through Summit to/from Newark and Morris County, in the early part of the 20th century. Broad Street in Summit was designed and built for the trolley, which is why it is wider and straighter than most streets in the city. Portions of the rails could still be seen on it as late as the 1980s.

Relations between city authorities and businesses have not always been smooth; in 1898, city authorities and the New York and New Jersey Telephone Company had disputes about wires and telephone poles; the city acted and "wires and cables of the company were cut from the poles." There were disputes between Summit's commuters and the Lackawanna railroad about walkways; in one incident in 1905, "a number of passengers seeking to board the 6:35 train found their way barred. They made a united rush, and when the dust cleared away, the door wasn't there. It is said the company will put the door back. The commuters say they will remove it as often as it is replaced."

Following World War II, the city experienced a building boom as living outside New York City and commuting to work became more common and the population of New Jersey grew. At this point, Summit took on its suburban character of tree lined streets and architect-designed houses that it is known for today.

In 1974 there was a lawsuit to split "East Summit" off as its own municipality. Until 1973 the city had been divided into two wards, east and west, by the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad tracks. Right before the 1973 municipal election new ward districts where determined that overrode the preexisting geographic boundaries in order to make the two wards roughly equal in population. Following a sweeping Republican victory in the election, the citizens of the eastern portion of the city claimed they had been gerrymandered by the city's Republican leadership in mayor Elmer J. Bennett and council president Frank Lehr. The eastern half of the city was more ethnically diverse and with a predominately Democratic voter base. As such Joseph R. Angelo was proclaimed the "Mayor of East Summit" and citizens sued the municipal government. The lawsuit to split the city in half, Mosely v. Kates, got as far as the Supreme Court of New Jersey which ultimately ruled in favor of the defendants and the city was kept whole.

In the late 1970s, Summit had a mini-bus system, with three long circular routes through most parts of Summit that were primarily designed to bring commuters to the railroad station downtown. The Velvet Underground played their first paid concert at Summit High School on December 11, 1965. The headlining act for that concert was a local band, The Myddle Class.

21st century
More than a dozen Summit residents died in the September 11 terrorist attacks. Many worked in the World Trade Center, and commuted by rail to Hoboken. A few days after the attacks, townspeople assembled on the town green while a minister "called out the names of a dozen residents still unaccounted for after Tuesday's attack on the World Trade Center. Others in the crowd of nearly 2,000 called out names he had left out." A few World Trade Center firms moved to Summit.

Summit has consistently ranked high in NJMonthly's biennial Top 100 Towns. In 2019, Summit was ranked the second best place to live.

In 2005, star baseball athlete Willie Wilson and former Summit graduate returned to Summit High School. Wilson said: "To me, Summit is a special place ... It's where it all began and I have great memories. This is where I want to help kids and youth baseball, and I want my own son and daughter to come and help me create something here." During the economic downturn of 2008–2009, Summit was listed as #6 on a list of American communities "likely to be pummeled by the economic crisis." Crime is generally not bad in the city; the summer 2010 assault of Abelino Mazariego-Torres during a robbery attempt gone awry shocked residents in what one person described as a "very small and very peaceful town." Several youths were charged in the murder.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city had a total area of 6.05 square miles (15.66 km2), including 5.99 square miles (15.52 km2) of land and 0.05 square miles (0.13 km2) of water (0.84%). It is about 20 mi west of Manhattan.

Springfield Avenue is the city's main street.

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the city include Brantwood Park and Tall Oaks.

It is bordered to the northeast by Millburn in Essex County, to the northwest by Chatham Borough and Chatham Township, both in Morris County, to the west by New Providence, to the southwest by Berkeley Heights, to the south by Mountainside and to the southeast by Springfield Township.

Demographics
The city has long been popular with traders, investment bankers, and money managers, with nearly 20% of Summit's residents working in finance and real estate. One report said that Manhattan's financial elite prefers living in Summit because of large houses, great schools, and NJ Transit's rail link to Manhattan's financial district.

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 21,457 people, 7,708 households, and 5,519 families in the city. The population density was 3,578.9 per square mile (1,381.8/km2). There were 8,190 housing units at an average density of 1,366.0 per square mile (527.4/km2). The racial makeup was 83.54% (17,926) White, 4.52% (970) Black or African American, 0.14% (30) Native American, 6.38% (1,368) Asian, 0.01% (3) Pacific Islander, 2.84% (610) from other races, and 2.56% (550) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.29% (2,851) of the population.

Of the 7,708 households, 39.6% had children under the age of 18; 60.6% were married couples living together; 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present and 28.4% were non-families. Of all households, 23.4% were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.29.

29.0% of the population were under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 28.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.7 years. For every 100 females, the population had 96.8 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 92.0 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $109,602 and the median family income was $145,083. Males had a median income of $109,608 (+/− $15,245) versus $61,368 (+/− $8,854) for females. The per capita income for the city was $70,574. About 4.4% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.4% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census
At the 2000 United States census there were 21,131 people, 7,897 households and 5,606 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,490.7 PD/sqmi. There were 8,146 housing units at an average density of 1,345.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 87.77% White, 4.33% African American, 0.09% Native American, 4.45% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.70% from other races, and 1.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.17% of the population.

There were 7,897 households, of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.1% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.18.

Age distribution was 27.0% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 33.0% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $92,964, and the median income for a family was $117,053. Males had a median income of $85,625 versus $46,811 for females. The per capita income for the city was $62,598. About 2.5% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.1% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
Corporate residents of Summit include:
 * Bristol Myers Squibb is a biotechnology company and the largest corporate taxpayer in Summit. The company purchased a campus on the western part of Summit, formerly owned by Celgene, and before them Merck & Co. (formerly Schering Plough pharmaceuticals until a 2009 merger); these facilities were previously home to Novartis (formerly Ciba-Geigy).
 * Overlook Medical Center is located on a hill with views of the Manhattan skyline and is operated by the Atlantic Health System and features the Atlantic Neuroscience Institute, the Carol G. Simon Cancer Center and the Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute.
 * Whiptail Technologies is a maker of solid state storage appliances.
 * Hibernia Atlantic is headquartered in Summit and is a transatlantic submarine cable network provider.

Arts and culture
The Summit Opera House was built in the 1890s by the Woman's Christian Temperance Union as meeting place and dry entertainment hall. It currently houses Winberie's restaurant on the ground floor, and a church, office space, and apartments on the upper floors. It is located at Springfield Avenue and Kent Place Boulevard in downtown Summit.

The Summit Playhouse mounts live dramatic performances.

The Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, on Elm Street diagonally across from the Summit Middle School, is a professionally recognized regional art center with an art school and an exhibition program.

Horseback riding is available at the Watchung stables, located in the Watchung Reservation since the 1930s.

The city supports a program of public art organized by Summit Public Art, a volunteer-based city organization founded in 2002, whose mission is to bring art to public spaces throughout Summit. In 2019, the city was encouraging artists, including singer-songwriters, to perform at local venues in the downtown area, as part of its Summit Street Sounds program.

Parks and recreation
Renovated and expanded in 2019, the Summit Community Center has two gymnasiums, a senior citizens lounge, a meeting room, a game room, and a small kitchen.

Local parks and reserves

 * Reeves-Reed Arboretum is a suburban conservancy dedicated to environmental and horticultural education for children and adults and enjoyment of nature through the professional care and preservation of a historic country estate.
 * "Briant Park, owned by Union County, New Jersey and located in the City of Summit and Springfield Township, covers 30.3 acres. It is bordered along its western side by Park Drive, along the east by Shunpike Road, and on the northern side by Briant Parkway and Morris Avenue. A brook cuts through the park, and the park is connected via a greenway to Hidden Valley Park in the southeast. There is a pond for ice-skating and fishing, some picnic areas, athletic fields, and a fitness trail."
 * "Hidden Valley Park, owned by Union County, New Jersey and located in the City of Summit and Springfield Township. The park contains 70.4 acres of basically undeveloped land that is connected via a greenway along Orchard Street to Briant Park. Hidden Valley Park is bordered along its southern edge by Interstate 78 and along the west by the residential neighborhoods along Baltusrol Road and Morris Avenue." Its eastern border is adjacent to the now-closed Houdaille Quarry which is now parkland owned by the county.
 * Passaic River Parkway, owned by Union County, New Jersey, is actually six small park areas along the Passaic River in western Union County (Summit, New Providence, Berkeley Heights). These areas are undeveloped with no facilities, and covers a total of 133.4 acres. Area #1 in Summit and New Providence is located between Route 124 and the railroad tracks. The northern area of the park bordered by Morris County, and the southern area is bordered by River Road in Summit."
 * Watchung Reservation is a 1,945 acre nature reserve and recreation area administered by the Union County Parks Department that is bounded by Summit, Mountainside, Berkeley Heights, Scotch Plains and Springfield Township. The reservation consists mainly of the upper valley of Blue Brook, between the ridges of First Watchung Mountain and Second Watchung Mountain. A dam near the headwaters of the creek creates Lake Surprise.

Planned rail trail
As of 2022, construction was underway on the Summit Park Line, a 1.2 mi pedestrian linear park that will run from Morris Avenue by the Overlook Medical Center to Briant Park, mostly along a segment of the abandoned Rahway Valley Railroad (RVRR). The park will connect the central business district, another public park, walkways, and nature areas while offering a view of the Manhattan skyline. Approved in December 2020, the park's creation is fully funded by foundation grants and individual and corporate donations. Its creation is guided by the non-profit Summit Park Line Foundation. A footbridge over Morris Avenue in Summit was installed in October 2022.

Beyond its Summit portion, area residents have pushed for the full abandoned RVRR Main Line to become a rail trail. Doing so would create a 7.3-mile pedestrian linear park along the RVRR main line from Summit to the southwest edge of Roselle Park and provide a protected greenway to connect several county parks akin to the High Line. The rail trail would run eastbound from the Overlook Medical Center on the edge of downtown Summit as the Summit Park Line and then head south along the old railbed through Springfield, Union, and Kenilworth and ending at the southwest edge of Roselle Park at the Cranford border.

In 2022, as the Summit Park Line proceeds, advocates have also been pushing for immediate development of the RVRR Main Line portion south of Route 22, running southbound past the Galloping Hill Golf Course through Kenilworth and Roselle Park. The New Jersey Department of Transportation, which owns the railbed, has been working to clear its southern end for possible use as a trail. Were the rail trail to expand even farther, beyond the 7.3 mile RVRR Main Line railbed, it could conceivably connect in the Cranford area with the unused Staten Island Rapid Transit line, eventually connecting to a bridge over the Arthur Kill in Linden.

Local government
Summit operates under the city form of municipal government; one of 15 (of the 564) municipalities statewide that use this form. On April 11, 1899, Summit voters adopted as the Charter of the City of Summit the Statute of 1899 applicable to cities of less than 12,000 population. On December 15, 1987, the New Jersey Legislature enacted a law that repealed the original charter, retaining those sections not covered by general law that were specific to Summit. The charter now specifies that "1: The council may, by referendum, change the term of the councilman at large from a two year term to a four year term. 2: Resolutions adopted by the council do not have to be approved by the mayor. 3: The council pro tempore shall be the acting mayor in the mayor's absence due to sickness or other cause. 4: The municipality may appoint an administrator in accordance with the provisions of N.J.S. 40A:9-136. 5: The municipality may adopt an administrative code."

The mayor is elected by the city for a four-year term and is the city's official spokesman and chief elected official. The mayor can appoint various officials, including the chief of police and the board of education. The mayor serves as the chairman of the Board of School Estimate and on various committees, and has the right to speak at common council meetings, but can only vote to break ties in the council. This bully pulpit role is considered the mayor's strongest power.

The common council has the chief policy making and administrative oversight role in city government. The council approves all laws and adopts the city budget. The council also oversees the work of city department heads. The council is comprised of three members from Ward I and three members from Ward II plus one member elected at-large. The at-large member serves a two-year term of office, while the six ward members serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with one seat in each ward up for election each year. The council elects from its membership a president and a president pro tem, each serving a one-year term. The president presides at all council meetings, and the president pro tem presides in the president's absence. The president pro tem also serves as acting mayor in the absence of the mayor.

, the mayor of Summit is Republican Elizabeth Fagan, whose term of office ends December 31, 2027. Members of the common council are Council President Lisa K. Allen (R, 2025; Second Ward), President Pro Tem Delia Hamlet (R, 2025; First Ward), Jamel Boyer (R, 2026; Second Ward), Andy Minegar (D, 2024; First Ward), Bob Pawlowsk (R, 2026; First Ward), Kevin Smalllwood (R, 2025; At Large) and Greg S. Vartan III (D, 2024; Second Ward).

In February 2021, the common council selected Lisa K. Allen from a list of three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the Second Ward seat expiring in December 2022 that had been held by Stephen Bowman until he resigned from office. Allen served on an interim basis until the November 2021 general election, when she was elected to serve the balance of the term of office.

Summit had been a stronghold of the Republican Party for years. From 1921 to 2001, no Democrats served in elected office and very few ran for office. The real elections occurred in the Republican primary. In 2001, two Democratic candidates were elected to council: Michel Bitritto won in Ward I and Jordan Glatt won the at-large seat. Summit had never elected a Democrat as mayor until 2003, when Jordan Glatt was elected.

In November 2011, Republicans swept all the open seats, with Ellen Dickson elected mayor and Gregory Drummond, Patrick Hurley and Robert Rubino sweeping the three council seats, giving full control of city government back to the Republican party.

Democrats began making inroads in the ensuing years, with the election of Nora Radest, a Democrat, for mayor in 2015, along with two Democratic council members (David Naidu and Richard Sun, who was the youngest-ever elected city official at the age of 24). In November 2018, for the first time in Summit's history, Democrats were elected to hold the majority of seats on council.

In November 2019, Susan Hairston was sworn in to the First Ward seat expiring in December 2020 that became vacant following the death of Matthew Gould. In 2020, she was elected to the same seat, becoming the first African-American council member in city history.

In November 2023, Republicans swept the local election, winning the mayoralty and three city council seats, bringing the composition to five Republicans and two Democrats. In this 2023 election, Republican Ward 2 Councilmember Jamel Boyer became the first African American male elected to the city's Common Council. Michael F. Rogers is the city administrator of Summit. In this role, he directs day-to-day operations of city government and the city departments.

The Department of Community Services is responsible for engineering, public works, and code administration. The engineering division manages city infrastructure such as roads, curbs, sewers, and provide support to the planning and zoning boards. Public works maintains streets, trees, traffic signs, public parks, traffic islands, playgrounds, public buildings, support vehicles, equipment, and has other responsibilities. The city runs a municipal disposal area / solid waste transfer station where recyclables are collected, including bulky trash; residents must have a town-generated sticker on their cars to use this facility. Certain trees require government permission in the form of a permit before being removed. Summit provides for snow plowing 66 mi of roads, covering all city streets, except for county roads. The city has embarked on a program of "Bringing Art to Public Spaces in Summit"; this program, established in 2002, has placed sculptures at different venues around the town and is supported in part by private donations. The Summit Chamber of Commerce advertises the town on cable television.

In 2018, the city had an average property tax bill of $17,919, the highest in the county, compared to an average bill of $8,767 statewide.

Federal, state and county representation
Summit is located in the 7th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 21st state legislative district.

Politics
As of March 2021, there were a total of 16,171 registered voters in Summit, of which 6,048 (37.4% vs. 49.6% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 4,014 (24.8% vs. 15.8%) were registered as Republicans and 6,109 (37.7% vs. 34.5%) were registered as Unaffiliated. Among the city's 2020 Census population, 68.6% (vs. 58.9% in Union County) were registered to vote, including 94.9% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 77% countywide).

In the 2020 Presidential election, Democrat Joe Biden received 8,500 votes (67.2% vs. 62.8% countywide) ahead of Republican Donald Trump with 3,846 votes (30.4% vs. 35.5% countywide). In the 2016 presidential election, Democrat Hillary Clinton received 5,776 votes (60.3% vs. 65.9% countywide) ahead of Republican Donald Trump with 3,210 votes (33.5% vs.30.5% countywide) and other candidates with 421 votes (4.4% vs. 3.6% countywide). In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 4,895 votes (49.4% vs. 66.0% countywide), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 4,859 votes (49.1% vs. 32.3%) and other candidates with 109 votes (1.1% vs. 0.8%), among the 9,899 ballots cast by the city's 14,330 registered voters, for a turnout of 69.1% (vs. 68.8% in Union County). In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 5,820 votes (54.5% vs. 63.1% countywide), ahead of Republican John McCain with 4,700 votes (44.0% vs. 35.2%) and other candidates with 88 votes (0.8% vs. 0.9%), among the 10,677 ballots cast by the city's 13,690 registered voters, for a turnout of 78.0% (vs. 74.7% in Union County). In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 5,183 votes (50.0% vs. 40.3% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 5,068 votes (48.9% vs. 58.3%) and other candidates with 75 votes (0.7% vs. 0.7%), among the 10,360 ballots cast by the city's 13,159 registered voters, for a turnout of 78.7% (vs. 72.3% in the whole county).

In the 2017 gubernatorial election, Democrat Phil Murphy received 57.2% of the vote (3,495 votes) ahead of Republican Kim Guadagno with 41.2% (2,520 votes) and other candidates with 1.6% (99 votes) among the 6,114 total votes cast by the city's 15,131 registered voters for a turnout of 40.4%. In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 68.1% of the vote (3,971 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 30.6% (1,785 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (76 votes), among the 5,928 ballots cast by the city's 14,076 registered voters (96 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 42.1%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine was defeated in his hometown when Republican Chris Christie received 3,682 votes (50.3% vs. 41.7% countywide), ahead his 3,014 votes (41.2% vs. 50.6%), Independent Chris Daggett with 543 votes (7.4% vs. 5.9%) and other candidates with 43 votes (0.6% vs. 0.8%), among the 7,323 ballots cast by the city's 13,435 registered voters, yielding a 54.5% turnout (vs. 46.5% in the county).

Education
Students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade are educated by the Summit Public Schools. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of nine schools, had an enrollment of 3,961 students and 349.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.3:1. Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are Jefferson Primary Center (128 students; in grades Pre-K–K), Wilson Primary Center (138; Pre-K–K), Brayton School (340; 1–5), Franklin School (336; 1–5), Jefferson School (227; 1–5), Lincoln-Hubbard School (314; 1–5), Washington School (346; 1–5), Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School (942; 6–8) and Summit High School (1,169; 9–12).

The district's board of education is comprised of seven members who set policy and oversee the fiscal and educational operation of the district through its administration. As a Type I school district, the board's trustees are appointed by the Mayor to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either two or three members up for reappointment each year. Of the more than 600 school districts statewide, Summit is one of about a dozen districts with appointed school districts. The board appoints a superintendent to oversee the district's day-to-day operations and a business administrator to supervise the business functions of the district.

Private schools

 * Kent Place School, founded in 1894, serves girls in preschool through 12th grade.
 * Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child (K–6 coed; 7–12 for girls), which operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark
 * Oratory Preparatory School (7–12) was founded in 1907 as Carlton Academy
 * St. Teresa of Avila School (Preschool-K), operated by the Archdiocese of Newark

Youth sports
Summit has sports programs for youth including basketball, baseball, soccer, and football leagues through the Recreation Center. In addition, the city's YMCA organizes sports clinics and teams including the Summit Area YMCA "Seals" Swim Team. Children can play in recreational programs and try out for a traveling soccer program run by the Summit Soccer Club, a nonprofit dedicated to the development of youth soccer in the city. Travel soccer runs for both the fall and spring seasons.

Lacrosse is a popular sport. Summit High School's boys team holds the third-most NJSIAA Boys Group Titles and 11 appearances in the Tournament of Champions, winning in 2009 and 2010 and four times finishing as runner-up. Summit holds the New Jersey state high school record with 68 consecutive victories during 2009 to 2011. In 2012, the team was ranked second in New Jersey and in the top 20 nationally. Beginning in first grade, boys and girls can learn to play lacrosse in clinics and teams organized by the Summit Lacrosse Club. Many Division 1 lacrosse players have come from Summit High School or local private schools.

Real estate and housing
Summit residential real estate is among the most expensive in the state. The 2018 median home price was $987,583. Real estate taxes vary; an $800,000 four-bedroom, 2-full-bath, 2-partial-bath single-family home built in 1939 had taxes of $16,000 in 2009. As of 2018, the average property tax bill in the city of Summit was $17,930, the 14th highest in the state.

Summit, along with many suburban communities in the United States, adopted a policy of zoning ordinances requiring a single-family house on a large lot and could thereby "exclude any undesirable influences that might erode property values", a requirement that effectively excluded apartment buildings and multi-family dwellings, and tended to raise the price of houses. One study found that since 1945, the single-family house on a large lot zoning mechanism "has been increasingly used in suburban and rural areas to safeguard particular vested interests." A reporter from The New York Times who is a Summit resident criticized the city for being an "economically, racially and ideologically homogenized populace" with "a growing divide between Summit's haves and have-nots." He elaborated in 2006: "there's an ever-diminishing corner of the city akin to the so-called slums of Beverly Hills, where middle-income homeowners like me can take advantage of the schools and services of Summit without the million-dollar price tags so ubiquitous on the other side of the Midtown Direct tracks." But he preferred the city as a place to raise and educate his children. One developer sued the city in 2005 to comply with New Jersey's Fair Housing Act to provide more affordable housing units. The city is working on a "housing master plan" to avoid future lawsuits from developers. In 2011, volunteers with Habitat for Humanity, in conjunction with church groups including St. Teresa of Avila and the Unitarian Church led by Vanessa Southern, constructed affordable housing on Morris Avenue.

Union County, which includes Summit, had the 10th highest property taxes in the nation as of 2010, based on data gathered by the National Taxpayers Union.

Landmarks

 * The Summit Downtown Historic District is on the United States Department of Interior National Register of Historic Places.
 * The Carter House – at 90 Butler Parkway, Summit's oldest known structure, built in 1741, now home to the Summit Historical Society.
 * The DeBary Inn was built in 1880 as one of the private residences of (Samuel) Frederick De Bary, a merchant of French wines, liquors, and other imported beverages. In 1916, the land was subdivided and sold, the house was moved 200 ft, and it opened as a hotel in 1923; later it housed senior citizens. Authorities and rules stymied an effort to turn it into a bed and breakfast in the early 2000s, and at present it serves as an "executive boutique inn" partially owned by CNBC host Jim Cramer.
 * Vanderpoel Castle was a large residence built by George Vanderpoel in 1885. It was located on a 15-acre estate adjacent to Vanderpoel pond on what is now the Summit Municipal Golf Course, near the intersection of River Road, Route 24 and JFK Parkway. Later divided into apartments, it was demolished in 1969.
 * The Grand Summit Hotel (formerly The Summit Suburban Hotel) hosts a variety of events, including stockholder meetings.
 * The Kent Place School occupies a large block bordered by Kent Place Boulevard, Norwood Avenue, and Morris Avenue near downtown Summit. Its Mabie House was built in 1931.
 * Dominican Monastery of Our Lady of the Rosary monastery is located on Springfield Avenue.
 * The Summit Diner, located on the corner of Union Place & Summit Avenue, is a 1938 O'Mahony diner that has wood paneled walls, eight booths and 20 stools. It is said to be the oldest operating diner in the state.
 * Summit Free Public Library offers a wide range of books, CDs, DVDs, internet access, special programs, and is located at the corner of Maple Street and Morris Avenue.
 * Twin Maples is a registered Historic Place at Springfield Avenue and Edgewood Road. Constructed in 1908 based on a design by architect Alfred F. Norris, it is home to the Summit Fortnightly Club and the Junior Fortnightly.
 * The United States Postal Service is on Maple Street near the downtown.

Roads and highways
, the city had a total of 84.80 mi of roadways, of which 66.94 mi were maintained by the municipality, 14.72 mi by Union County and 3.14 mi by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Route 24 and Route 124 run along the eastern boundary of Summit, and Interstate 78 runs along the southern boundary. County Routes 512, 527 and 649 also pass through the city.

Parking is an ongoing issue. There are several free two-hour-limit parking lots for shoppers, as well as metered parking on main streets. The city council has conducted studies to explore further parking options.

Public transportation
NJ Transit's Morristown Line and Gladstone Branch merge at Summit station, providing frequent passenger service to New York's Penn Station and Hoboken Terminal. The train ride from Summit to New York is about 50 minutes (local) or 35 minutes (express). One reporter wrote: "The train line dominates Summit, bisecting its handsome commercial district from the town green on a sunken track, like a Dutch canal."

NJ Transit offers bus service to and from Newark on the 70 route with local Wheels service on the 986 route.

Lakeland Bus Lines (Route 78) provides direct service to and from Manhattan during peak commuting hours.

Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark / Elizabeth is about 15 minutes away via Interstate 78.

Media
Daily newspapers serving the community are The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Star-Ledger.

Locally, Summit is served by the Summit Herald-Dispatch and the Independent Press, the latter of which is based in New Providence and serves the City of Summit and several surrounding communities. Both newspapers are published on a weekly basis. Summit is also served by the online news source, The Alternative Press

Summit is home to HTTV, a cable television station providing public, educational, and government access (PEG) cable TV programming. HTTV's signal reaches municipalities in Union, Essex and Morris counties via Verizon channel 33 and Comcast channel 36. The station produces original content weekly and provides live streaming from HTTVOnline.org. The station is run by station manager, Amanda Olsen.

In popular culture
In "Mr. Monk and the End", the series finale of the cable TV show Monk, the fictional character of Randy Disher reveals he is leaving San Francisco because he has been offered the job as the chief of police of Summit, New Jersey. He is also going there to marry his longtime crush, Sharona Fleming. Following this up, in the 2012 novel Mr. Monk on Patrol, Randy has to bring Monk in after a corruption scandal sweeps the Summit government, leading to Randy becoming acting mayor.

Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Summit include:

 * Ozzie Ahlers (born 1946), songwriter and music producer who plays the keyboard, guitar, and bass who has played with Van Morrison, Jerry Garcia, The Edge and Craig Chaquico, in addition to a solo career
 * Robert Arellano (born 1969), author, musician and educator
 * Miles Austin (born 1984), former wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, and Philadelphia Eagles
 * Stephen Austin, former NFL executive
 * Michael Badgley (born 1995), football placekicker for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League
 * Paul Baier (born 1985), professional ice hockey player
 * Sean Baker (born 1971), filmmaker best known for the independent feature films Starlet, Tangerine and The Florida Project
 * John Bardeen (1908–1991), only person to have won two (shared) Nobel prizes in physics, in 1956 for the transistor and in 1972 for superconductivity
 * Wendy Barker (born 1942), poet
 * Anthony James Barr (born 1940), programming language designer, software engineer and inventor
 * Jack Belden (1910–1989), war correspondent who covered the Japanese invasion of China, the Second World War and the Chinese Revolution
 * James M. Bennett (born 1948), FairTax advocate
 * Mark Berson (born 1953), men's soccer coach at the University of South Carolina
 * Robert Blackburn (1920–2003), artist and print maker
 * Brett Ellen Block (born 1973), short story author and novelist
 * Walter Houser Brattain (1902–1987), physicist who shared the 1956 Nobel Prize in Physics for the transistor
 * Arthur Raymond Brooks (1895–1991), last surviving American flying ace of World War I
 * Dave Brown (born 1970), quarterback who played for the New York Giants
 * Fritz Buehning (born 1960), former professional tennis player
 * Susannah Cahalan (born 1985), journalist and author, best known for the memoir Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness
 * Levin H. Campbell (born 1927), judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
 * John Carroll (born 1955), basketball coach who served as the head coach for the Boston Celtics during the latter part of the 2003–2004 season
 * Mark Cesark (born 1965), sculptor, best known for his use of found and scrap steel
 * Greg Cohen (born 1953), jazz artist
 * Laurie Collyer (born 1967), film director, best known for Sherrybaby
 * Anthony Comstock (1844–1915), legal reformer, famous for the anti-pornography laws named after him
 * William A. Conway (1910–2006), banking executive and activist shareholder of behalf of minority stockholders
 * Jon Corzine (born 1947), former U.S. Senator from New Jersey and former Governor of New Jersey
 * Marguerite Courtot (1897–1986), silent film actress
 * Jim Cramer (born 1955), stock trader, and anchor of CNBC's former Kudlow & Cramer and present Mad Money
 * Marshall Curry (born c. 1970), two-time Academy Award-nominated American documentary director, producer, cinematographer and editor of such films as Street Fight about the 2002 Newark mayoral election
 * Paul Davenport (born 1946), ninth president of the University of Western Ontario
 * Benjamin Henry Day Jr. (1838–1916), illustrator and printer, best known for his invention of Ben-Day dots
 * (Samuel) Frederick De Bary (1815–1898), wealthy businessman who gave his name to Summit's DeBary Inn and to DeBary, Florida
 * Leonard De Paur (1914–1998), composer
 * Mark Di Ionno (born 1956), journalist and writer
 * Lawrence Dillon (born 1959), composer who is Composer in Residence at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts
 * Daniel Doan (1914–1993), author best known for his works about hiking in New England
 * Mark Donohue (1937–1975), race car, Indy, Formula 1 and NASCAR driver who was the winner of the 1972 Indy 500
 * David Drake, chef
 * East River Pipe, musician Fred M. Cornog
 * Frankie Edgar (born 1981), mixed martial artist who is the current UFC lightweight champion
 * Brian Edwards (born 1984), goalkeeper for Toronto FC
 * Alan Louis Eggers (1895–1968), received the Medal of Honor for his actions during World War I
 * Marianne Espinosa, Judge of the Appellate Division of New Jersey Superior Court
 * Maggie Estep (1963–2014), writer and poet most well known for coming to prominence during the height of the spoken word and poetry slam performance rage
 * Kevin C. Fitzpatrick (born 1966), author who has written about Dorothy Parker
 * Bob Franks (1951–2010), politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly and represented New Jersey's 7th congressional district
 * Kristine Froseth (born 1996), actress and model, known for playing Kelly Aldrich in the Netflix series The Society and Alaska Young in the Hulu series Looking for Alaska.
 * Doug Gansler (born 1962), attorney and politician who served as 45th Attorney General of Maryland
 * Lauren Beth Gash (born 1960), lawyer and politician who served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1993 to 2001
 * Alex Gibney (born 1953), documentary film director and producer
 * Charles Gibson (born 1943), former anchor of ABC News' World News Tonight and Good Morning America
 * Dave Given (born 1954), former ice hockey right winger who played one game in the World Hockey Association for the Vancouver Blazers
 * Scott Goldblatt (born 1979), freestyle swimmer who won a gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics
 * Joseph Greenspan (born 1992), soccer player for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC of the United Soccer League
 * Edna Guy (1907–1982), modern dance pioneer
 * Alina Habba (born 1984), lawyer best known for representing former President of the United States, Donald Trump.
 * Norman Hill (born 1933), civil rights activist
 * Constance Horner (born 1942), public official in the Reagan and first Bush administrations
 * Frederick Erastus Humphreys (1883–1941), one of the first military pilots trained by the Wright brothers
 * Ice-T (born 1958 as Tracy Lauren Marrow), rapper / actor who lived in Summit and attended Brayton Elementary School and Summit Junior High School (now Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School), both part of Summit Public Schools
 * Charles R. Jackson (1903–1968), novelist best known for The Lost Weekend
 * Nikki M. James (born 1981), actress and singer
 * Violet A. Johnson (1870-1939), civic leader and founder of Fountain Baptist Church
 * Reggie Jones (born 1951), retired boxer who represented the U.S. at the 1972 Summer Olympics, where he was controversially eliminated in a fight he was generally accepted to have won
 * Susan Kenney (born 1941), short story writer and novelist
 * Lord Chancellor Kent (1763–1847), Lord Chancellor of New York State (1814–1823)
 * Raymond Kethledge (born 1966), judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
 * Peter Kuhn (1955–2009), race car driver who won both the USAC and SCCA Formula Super Vee championships in 1980
 * Peter Kuper (born 1958), alternative cartoonist and illustrator
 * William "Bill" Larned (1872–1926), professional tennis player who won the U.S. Open seven times from 1901 through 1911
 * Al Leiter (born 1965), former MLB pitcher who played for both the New York Mets and New York Yankees
 * Jack Leiter (born 2000), son of Al Leiter and potential first-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft
 * MJ Long (1939–2018), architect, lecturer and author, best known for her work as a principal architect partner on the British Library in London, together with her husband
 * William Lowell Sr. (1863-1954), dentist and an inventor of a wooden golf tee patented in 1921
 * Hamilton Wright Mabie (1846–1916), author, lived in Summit
 * Holbrook Mann MacNeille (1907–1973), mathematician who led military research teams before directing the American Mathematical Society
 * Tim Mahoney (born 1956), former U.S. Representative from Florida's 16th congressional district
 * Eli Manning (born 1981), Former New York Giants quarterback
 * Olivia Miles (born 2003), college basketball player for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's basketball team.
 * Bryce Miller (born 1982), race car driver in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
 * Richard McGee Morse (1922–2001), scholar of Latin American studies
 * Eric Munoz (1947–2009), member of the New Jersey General Assembly who died in office
 * Nancy Munoz (born 1954), member of the New Jersey General Assembly who took office following her husband's death
 * Heidi Neumark (born 1954), pastor and spiritual writer
 * Alexa Noel (born 2002), professional tennis player
 * Ryan O'Malley (born 1993), tight end with the Oakland Raiders of the NFL
 * Thomas E. O'Shea (1895–1918), United States Army corporal awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions during World War I
 * Margareta Pâslaru (born 1943), Romanian singer
 * Stephen Paulus (1949–2014), composer
 * Hugo Pfaltz (1931–2019), politician who served two terms in the New Jersey General Assembly
 * Christopher Porrino (born 1967), lawyer who became New Jersey Attorney General in 2016
 * Jeff Porter (born 1985), track and field athlete who competes in the 110-meter hurdles and was named as part of the U.S. team at the 2016 Summer Olympics
 * Joe Porter (born 1985), professional football player
 * Monroe Jackson Rathbone II (1900–1976), chemical engineer and businessman who was the chairman, president, and CEO of Standard Oil of New Jersey
 * Dennis Ritchie (1941–2011), creator of the C programming language and co-inventor of the UNIX operating system
 * Florence Spearing Randolph (1866-1951), suffragist, ordained minister, pastor of the Wallace Chapel AME Zion Church
 * Bill Robinson (born 1929), jazz singer
 * David D. Rudolph (born 1949), member of the Maryland House of Delegates
 * George Erik Rupp (born 1942), former President of Rice University and Columbia University, who has headed the International Rescue Committee since 2002
 * Rex Ryan (born 1962), head coach of the Buffalo Bills
 * Eli Sagan (1927–2015), clothing manufacturer, author, George McGovern campaign staffer, and member of Richard Nixon's Enemies List
 * C. Thomas Schettino (1907–1983), Associate Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1959 to 1972
 * Craig Schiffer (born 1956), former Chief Executive Officer of the Americas of Dresdner Kleinwort
 * Herb Schmidt, soccer and lacrosse coach at Penn State University
 * Pat Shurmur (born 1965), former head coach of the New York Giants
 * James Sie (born 1962), voice actor
 * Gaddis Smith (1932–2022), historian at Yale University and an expert on U.S. foreign relations and maritime history
 * Scott Smith (born 1965), author of the novel A Simple Plan and the script of the film of the same name
 * Janet Sorg Stoltzfus, (1931–2004), educator, who established the Ta'iz Cooperative School, the first non-religious school in north Yemen.
 * Joseph Stamler (1911–1988), New Jersey Superior Court judge and professor at Rutgers University
 * Meryl Streep (born 1949), actress, winner of three Academy Awards, 21-time Oscar nominee
 * Sándor Szabó (born 1960), pianist
 * Will Taggart (born c. 1996), guitarist
 * Tom Terrell (1950–2007), music journalist
 * Henry Twombly (1862–1955), college football player and lawyer
 * James Valenti (born 1977), operatic tenor
 * Edwin S. Votey (1856-1931), businessman, inventor, industrial designer, and manufacturer of pianos and organs
 * Arthur K. Watson (1919–1974), IBM executive and United States Ambassador to France
 * Gerard Way (born 1977), singer-songwriter, who is co-founder of the band My Chemical Romance
 * Kai Wehmeier (born 1968), logician and philosopher at the University of California, Irvine
 * Meredith Whitney (born 1969), award-winning stock analyst who predicted the 2007–2008 banking crisis
 * Worthington Whittredge (1820–1910), landscape artist and important member of the Hudson River School
 * Robert R. Williams (1886–1965), chemist who was the first to synthesize thiamine
 * Willie Wilson (born 1955), retired professional baseball player who won the American League batting title and who was a two-time All-Star for the Kansas City Royals
 * Nick Wyman (born 1950), actor and president of Actors' Equity Association
 * Adam Zucker (born 1976), sportscaster for CBS Sports and CBS Sports Network

Points of interest

 * Watchung Reservation, a nature reserve, borders Summit to the south.
 * Downtown Summit has a variety of restaurants of different cuisines.
 * Memorial Field features athletic fields, a play area for children, and tennis and basketball courts.
 * Canoe Brook Country Club
 * Beacon Hill Club
 * New Jersey Visual Arts Center
 * Summit Free Public Library
 * Summit Family Aquatic Center
 * Summit Community Center
 * Summit Area YMCA

Non-profit and charitable organizations

 * Other Fellow First Foundation. Headquartered at the Summit Diner since its founding in 2000, the Other Fellow First Foundation uses its small endowment to quickly aid New Jersey families in distress. It has raised and given away more than $6,000,000 to people and local non-profit organizations. They run a yearly "Frozen Turkey Drive" and have raised money for SAGE Eldercare's Meals on Wheels program, the Summit Volunteer First Aid Squad's new building, and other causes.
 * GRACE. Founded in 2016 by the Junior League of Summit with The Connection and The United Way, GRACE (Giving and Receiving Assistance for our Community's Essentials) give food and basic necessities to local families in need. Until 2020, the all-volunteer program supported the weekly needs of about 100 local families; the pandemic pushed that number to more than 500. In 2020, GRACE achieved 501c(3) status and became a part of the City's Department of Community Programs. GRACE is headquartered at Cornog Field House at Soldier's Memorial Field in Summit.
 * Bridges Outreach. Founded in 1988, Bridges Outreach in 2020 delivered 65,000 brown bag meals, 10,000 pairs of underwear and socks, 7,500 toiletry kits, 49,000 cups of soup, and other clothing to more than 21,000 people in New York City, Newark, Irvington, and Summit.
 * SHIP (Summit Helping Its People). Founded in 1990 by the Summit Interfaith Clergy Fellowship and supported solely by donations, SHIP serves more than 15,000 lunch and dinner meals each year to homeless and at-risk homeless people not served by other local programs.
 * Summit Marches On. Founded in 2017 to advocate for progressive causes, voter education/engagement, and to organize local events and initiatives to support the community. Their charitable initiatives include: SHIELD of Summit, which matches senior citizens and the infirm with volunteer grocery shoppers; the Fabric Mask Assembly line; the Summit Volunteer Hub on Facebook, which matches charities and volunteers; and collaborations with a variety of local organizations on fundraising and good-raising initiatives.
 * Empowering Kids Organization. Founded in 2019, the group works to help underprivileged kids by connecting their families with opportunities and resources, such as tutoring, camps, and art and improv classes.
 * Family Promise. Founded in 1986 as a local charity, the organization now has affiliates nationwide. It works to help homeless and low-income families achieve independence through community efforts.

title: Summit, New Jersey


text:
Union Township, Union County, New Jersey

Union Township is a township in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In the 18th century, the area that is now Union was then called Connecticut Farms. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 59,728, an increase of 3,086 (+5.4%) from the 2010 census count of 56,642,  which in turn reflected an increase of 2,237 (+4.1%) from the 54,405 counted in the 2000 census.

History
Settled in 1667, Union was the third English speaking settlement in New Jersey after Elizabeth and Newark, with the area that is now Union then called Connecticut Farms.

Union Township was the site of the Battle of Connecticut Farms. On June 6, 1780, British troops, led by Hessian General Wilhelm von Knyphausen, boarded boats on Staten Island bound for Elizabeth, New Jersey. At midnight, 5,000 troops started to land. They expected the Continental Army to give little resistance, believing that they were tired of the war and were poorly fed and paid. They also expected the citizens of New Jersey to welcome them. They were wrong on both counts and were unable to make their way to and through the Hobart Gap.

Union Township was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on November 23, 1808, from portions of Elizabeth Township, while the area was still part of Essex County. It became part of the newly formed Union County on March 19, 1857. Portions of the township have been taken to form Linden Township (March 4, 1861), Roselle Park, (March 22, 1901), Kenilworth (May 13, 1907) and Hillside (April 3, 1913). In 1946, a group of residents pushed for the township's name to be changed to "Connecticut Farms", citing the potential benefits to area residents and businesses from the broad awareness of the historical significance of the name.

The Self-Master Colony was a private experiment in housing the homeless; built on the Hoyt family mansion in Union Township in 1908. The colony was founded by Andress Small Floyd and his wife Lillian, lasting until 1938.

Geography
The Township of Union is located on the northern edge of Union County and is bordered by eight municipalities: Hillside to the east, Elizabeth to the southeast, Roselle Park and Kenilworth to the south and Springfield Township to the west. Northwest of the township lies Millburn, to the north lies Maplewood and to the northeast lies Irvington, all in Essex County.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 9.08 square miles (23.52 km2), including 9.05 square miles (23.44 km2) of land and 0.03 square miles (0.08 km2) of water (0.35%).

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Battle Hill, Connecticut Farms, Galloping Hill, Headlentown, Putnam Manor, Salem, Townley and Vauxhall.

Neighborhoods

 * Five Points, area around the junction of Galloping Hill Road, Chestnut Street, Salem Road, Delaware Avenue, Walton Avenue, and Tucker Avenue.
 * Brookside Heights (Curryville), west of Vauxhall Road.
 * Vauxhall, area of Union north of I-78 and west of Stuyvesant Avenue, with its own ZIP code 07088.
 * Union Center, area around the intersection of Morris and Stuyvesant Avenues.
 * Putnam Ridge, a section between Suburban Road, Morris Avenue, Twin Oaks Road, and Colonial Avenue.
 * Putnam Manor, an historic section between Colonial Avenue and Salem Road.
 * Orchard Park
 * Parkside Manor, a three-road section off of Union Terrace.
 * Larchmont Estates, area bordered by Larchmont Reservation (NW and NE edges), Morris Avenue (SW), Liberty Avenue (SE), and Joe Collins Park/Larchmont Reservation (NE edge).
 * Battle Hill, area served by Battle Hill Elementary School in west Union, bordered by Rahway River (W edge), Morris Avenue (N), the west branch of the Elizabeth River (E), and Route 22 (S).
 * Green Lane, new community between Kean University and Union Station.
 * Fairway Drive, community bordering the Galloping Hill Golf Course.
 * Rich Creek, the neighborhood of Richard Terrace

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 56,642 people, 19,556 households, and 14,276 families in the township. The population density was 6,244.3 per square mile (2,410.9/km2). There were 20,250 housing units at an average density of 2,232.4 per square mile (861.9/km2). The racial makeup was 53.78% (30,464) White, 28.98% (16,417) Black or African American, 0.14% (80) Native American, 10.60% (6,003) Asian, 0.04% (24) Pacific Islander, 4.06% (2,297) from other races, and 2.40% (1,357) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.94% (8,465) of the population.

Of the 19,556 households, 31.6% had children under the age of 18; 53.7% were married couples living together; 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present and 27.0% were non-families. Of all households, 23.0% were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.35.

21.1% of the population were under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 28.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.6 years. For every 100 females, the population had 89.7 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 85.6 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $73,722 (with a margin of error of +/− $4,858) and the median family income was $86,705 (+/− $3,822). Males had a median income of $54,811 (+/− $1,998) versus $47,144 (+/− $2,316) for females. The per capita income for the township was $31,135 (+/− $1,104). About 3.7% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.7% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census of 2000, there were 54,405 people, 19,534 households, and 14,162 families residing in the township. The population density was 5,968.1 PD/sqmi. There were 20,001 housing units at an average density of 2,194.1 /sqmi. An example of a diverse municipality in the United States, the racial makeup of the township was 67.66% White, 19.76% African American, 0.15% Native American, 7.72% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.44% from other races, and 2.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.93% of the population.

There were 19,534 households, out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were non-families. 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.25.

In the township the population was spread out, with 22.3% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.2 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $59,173, and the median income for a family was $68,707. Males had a median income of $45,299 versus $35,604 for females. The per capita income for the township was $24,768. About 3.0% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.

Local government
Union Township is governed under the Township form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 141 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form, the second-most commonly used form of government in the state. The Township Committee is comprised of five members, who are elected directly by the voters at-large in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle. At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor. The Mayor, in addition to voting as a member of the Township Committee, presides over the meetings of the committee and carries out ceremonial duties.

, members of the Union Township Committee are Mayor Manuel T. Figueiredo (D, term on committee ends December 31, 2024; term as mayor ends 2024), Deputy Mayor Joseph Florio (D, term on committee ends December 31, 2026; term as deputy mayor ends 2024), James Bowser, Jr. (D, 2025), Patricia Guerra-Frazier (D, 2025; appointed to serve an unexpired term through 2024 election), and Sandra Terrell (D, 2024; appointed to serve an unexpired term).

On March 26, 2024, Sandra Terrell was appointed to the Township Committee to fill the seat held by James Louis, who resigned on March 13 for personal reasons. Louis had been appointed on December 5, 2023 to fill the seat held by Michele Delisfort, who resigned on November 21 following her election as Union County commissioner.

On December 19, 2023, Patricia Guerra-Frazier was appointed to the Township Committee to fill the seat held by Suzette Cavadas, who resigned on December 12 for personal reasons.

Federal, state, and county representation
Union Township is in the 10th Congressional Districts and is part of New Jersey's 20th state legislative district.

Prior to the 2010 Census, Union Township had been split between the 7th and 10th Congressional Districts with different boundaries, a change made by the New Jersey Redistricting Commission that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections. The redistricting plan that took effect in 2013 placed 31,611 residents living in the central and western portions of the township into the 7th District, while 25,031 residents in a semicircle that runs along the northern, eastern and southern borders of the township were placed into the 10th District.

Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 31,155 registered voters in Union Township, of which 12,061 (38.7% vs. 41.8% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 3,928 (12.6% vs. 15.3%) were registered as Republicans and 15,157 (48.7% vs. 42.9%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 9 voters registered to other parties. Among the township's 2010 Census population, 55.0% (vs. 53.3% in Union County) were registered to vote, including 69.7% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 70.6% countywide).

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 16,423 votes (70.7% vs. 66.0% countywide), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 6,464 votes (27.8% vs. 32.3%) and other candidates with 155 votes (0.7% vs. 0.8%), among the 23,235 ballots cast by the township's 33,589 registered voters, for a turnout of 69.2% (vs. 68.8% in Union County). In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 15,625 votes (63.8% vs. 63.1% countywide), ahead of Republican John McCain with 8,462 votes (34.5% vs. 35.2%) and other candidates with 189 votes (0.8% vs. 0.9%), among the 24,505 ballots cast by the township's 32,622 registered voters, for a turnout of 75.1% (vs. 74.7% in Union County). In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 12,751 votes (57.9% vs. 58.3% countywide), ahead of Republican George W. Bush with 8,987 votes (40.8% vs. 40.3%) and other candidates with 174 votes (0.8% vs. 0.7%), among the 22,013 ballots cast by the township's 30,383 registered voters, for a turnout of 72.5% (vs. 72.3% in the whole county).

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Democrat Barbara Buono received 53.4% of the vote (6,269 cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 45.4% (5,334 votes), and other candidates with 1.2% (135 votes), among the 12,013 ballots cast by the township's 33,305 registered voters (275 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 36.1%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 7,628 ballots cast (53.0% vs. 50.6% countywide), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 5,734 votes (39.8% vs. 41.7%), Independent Chris Daggett with 741 votes (5.1% vs. 5.9%) and other candidates with 113 votes (0.8% vs. 0.8%), among the 14,397 ballots cast by the township's 31,972 registered voters, yielding a 45.0% turnout (vs. 46.5% in the county).

Education
The Union Public School District serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. The schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are Battle Hill Elementary School (379 students; in grades PreK-4), Hannah Caldwell Elementary School (646; PreK-4), Connecticut Farms Elementary School (382; PreK-4), Franklin Elementary School (468; PreK-4), Livingston Elementary School (420; PreK-4), Washington Elementary School (558; PreK-4), Jefferson Elementary School (524; grade 5), Burnet Middle School (977; 6–8), Kawameeh Middle School (728; 6–8) and Union High School (2,270; 9–12).

Union was threatened with being the first municipality north of the Mason–Dixon line to suffer from penalties as a result of school segregation. The area of Vauxhall was primarily black and the students enrolled at Jefferson Elementary School were disproportionately black, compared to the rest of the township. Union avoided problems by converting Jefferson Elementary into a sixth-grade only school called Central 6 and bused the Jefferson students to all the other elementary schools. It was later renamed Central 5 and is now Jefferson School, which is used as a one-year school for fifth-grade students.

Union is home to several private nursery schools and the Deron School, a private school for learning disabled students ages 5–13. St. Michael's Parish School and Holy Spirit School (founded in 1965 ) operate under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark.

Kean University, dating back to 1855, serves a total student population of almost 16,000. Called New Jersey State Teachers College when it was located in Newark, the school moved to Union in 1958, was renamed Kean College in 1973 and was granted university status in 1997.

Roads and highways
, the township had a total of 145.85 mi of roadways, of which 120.11 mi were maintained by the municipality, 11.43 mi by Union County and 12.46 mi by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and 1.85 mi by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

Union is traversed by the Garden State Parkway, Interstate 78, U.S. Route 22 and Route 82 (Morris Avenue).

The Parkway connects Kenilworth in the south to Hillside in the north. The Parkway includes interchanges 139A (Chestnut Street) / 139B (Route 82 West Union), interchanges 140 (Route 22 / Route 82 west) / 140A (Route 22 / Route 82 west) and interchange 141 (Vauxhall Road / Union).

Public transportation
NJ Transit offers rail service at the Union train station providing service on the Raritan Valley Line, formerly the mainline of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, to Newark Penn Station. The station opened in 2003 and includes a parking lot with over 450 spaces.

NJ Transit also provides bus service to New York City and New Jersey points on the 113, 114 and 117 routes to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, on the 65, 66, 70, and 94 routes to Newark and local service on the 26 and 52.

Former Rahway Valley Railroad freight line, now abandoned, crosses through Union. This line, presently leased to Morristown and Erie Railway, is in the process of revitalization after which it will link to NJ Transit's Morris and Essex Lines at Summit and connect to Staten Island.

Newark Liberty International Airport is approximately 6 mi east of Union.

Notable buildings

 * The Union Watersphere, for many years the tallest water tower of its type in the world, stands 212 feet tall, holds 250,000 gallons of drinking water and is now also used as a cell phone tower. The landmark and icon inspired a former Union resident to create a website and museum (in Austin, Texas) dedicated to it.
 * Union is home to several houses constructed totally of poured concrete, an experiment of Thomas Edison. The homes on Ingersoll Terrace include poured concrete interior walls with formed concrete plumbing.
 * Union is home to a building in the shape of a ship at 2262 U.S. Route 22. Originally a restaurant and night club, it has changed ownership over the years, becoming a furniture store known as "The Flagship" and later The Wiz Home Electronics. It is currently a P. C. Richard & Son store.
 * Union is home to The Home Depot Superstore, that at 217000 sqft was the chain's largest store in the world as of 2012.
 * Connecticut Farms Presbyterian Church, historic church dating back to 1730, first church in New Jersey to be listed as a Historic Place.Connecticut Farms, Union, New Jersey - 47451437912.jpg]]

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

 * Aminat Ayinde, the second runner-up from Cycle 12 of America's Next Top Model
 * C. Louis Bassano (born 1942), politician who served in both the New Jersey General Assembly and the New Jersey Senate
 * Isaiah Briscoe (born 1996), basketball player for the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team
 * Freddie 'Red' Cochrane (1915–1993), professional boxer in the welterweight (147lb) division who became World Champion in 1941 in that class
 * Tim Coleman (born 1995), professional basketball player
 * Joe Collins (1922–1989), first baseman for the New York Yankees from 1948 to 1957 A park on Liberty Avenue is named after him.
 * Tom Coyne (1954–2017), mastering engineer
 * Jonathan Townley Crane (1819–1880), clergyman, author and abolitionist
 * Joseph Cryan (born 1961), represents the 20th legislative district in the New Jersey General Assembly
 * Quenton DeCosey (born 1994), professional basketball player for Koroivos of the Greek Basket League
 * Jamie Fox (1954–2017), political strategist
 * Gina Genovese (born 1959), businesswoman and politician who has served as mayor of Long Hill Township
 * Kayla Hoffman (born 1988), artistic gymnast
 * Mildred Barry Hughes (1902–1995), the first woman elected to the New Jersey Senate, in 1965
 * Davison Igbinosun (born 2004), American football cornerback for the Ohio State Buckeyes
 * Ron Karkovice (born 1963), Major League baseball catcher from 1986 to 1997
 * John Kean (1814–1895), businessman and public official
 * Amalya Lyle Kearse (born 1937), a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
 * Myra Smith Kearse (1899–1982), physician and community leader
 * Larry Kubin (born 1959), linebacker who played with the Washington Redskins from 1981 to 1984
 * Kelly Kulick (born 1977), professional bowler who became the first woman ever to win a regular Professional Bowlers Association tour title
 * Artie Lange (born 1967), comedian, actor, and former Howard Stern Show sidekick
 * Ray Liotta (1954–2022), actor
 * Ed Lucas (1939–2021), blind sportswriter who primarily covered the New York Yankees
 * Elliott Maddox (born 1947), professional baseball player with both the New York Yankees 1974–1976 and the New York Mets 1978–1980
 * Conde McGinley (born 1890), publisher of the anti-Communist and anti-Semitic weekly paper, Common Sense
 * Bob Mischak (1932–2014), American football guard and tight end who played in the American Football League and the NFL
 * Eulace Peacock (1914–1996), track and field athlete in the 1930s who was a top competitor of Jesse Owens
 * Matthew John Rinaldo (1931–2008), represented New Jersey in the United States House of Representatives for twenty years, in the 12th congressional district (1973–1983) and in the 7th congressional district (1983–1993)
 * Tyler Roberson (born 1994), professional basketball player for the Agua Caliente Clippers of the NBA G League
 * Lawrence E. Roberts (1922–2004), pilot with the Tuskegee Airmen and a colonel in the United States Air Force
 * Philip Rubin (born 1949), cognitive scientist, technologist and science administrator
 * Anthony E. Russo (born 1926), former member of the New Jersey Senate who served as Mayor of Union
 * Karl Schellscheidt (born 1968), soccer player, educator and entrepreneur
 * Manfred Schellscheidt (born 1941), German-American soccer coach and former player and member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame
 * Amy Simon (born 1971), planetary scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
 * Darnell Stapleton (born 1985), former offensive guard for the Pittsburgh Steelers who was a member of the Steelers' Super Bowl XLIII championship team
 * Travis Taylor (born 1990), professional basketball player
 * Bill Wenzel (1918–1987), cartoonist best known for his good girl art
 * Robert Wuhl (born 1951), actor
 * Darren Young (born 1983), professional wrestler formerly signed to WWE where he is one half of The Prime Time Players with Titus O'Neil