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Bernards Township, New Jersey

Bernards Township is a township in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 27,830, an increase of 1,178 (+4.4%) from the 2010 census count of 26,652,  reflecting an increase of 2,077 (+8.5%) from the 24,575 counted in the 2000 census.

Located on the eastern end of the Somerset Hills region, the township is a bedroom suburb of New York City in the much larger New York metropolitan area, located within the Raritan Valley region.

History
Bernards Township was originally formed by royal charter on May 24, 1760, as Bernardston Township from remaining portions of Northern precinct. It was incorporated as Bernards Township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798, as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships. Portions of the township were taken to form Warren Township (March 5, 1806), Far Hills (April 7, 1921) and Bernardsville (March 6, 1924). The township celebrated its 250th charter anniversary in May 2010.

A set of referendums to create independent boroughs from portions of Bernards Township were held in June 1921, which would have left only Liberty Corner and Lyons remaining in Bernards Township if all three proposals had been approved; The referendum in Far Hills passed and the vote in Bernardsville failed in 1921, but ultimately passed in 1924. Voters rejected the creation of proposed borough of Basking Ridge by a more than 4–1 margin.

The township was named for Sir Francis Bernard, 1st Baronet, who served as governor of the Province of New Jersey.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 24.33 square miles (63.01 km2), including 24.20 square miles (62.68 km2) of land and 0.13 square miles (0.33 km2) of water (0.52%).

The township is roughly bounded by the Second Watchung Mountain in the southwest, the Dead River swamp on the south, the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Passaic River, and Millington Gorge in the east.

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Basking Ridge, Franklin Corners, Green Knoll, Hardscrabble, Liberty Corner, Lyons, Madisonville, Mount Horeb, Somerset Mills, State Park, Stone House and White Bridge. Martinsville is an unincorporated area in Bridgewater Township, whose 08836 ZIP Code also covers portions of Bernards Township.

The township borders Bedminster Township and Far Hills to the west, Bernardsville to the northwest, Bridgewater Township to the southwest, and Warren Township to the southeast in Somerset County and Harding Township to the northeast and Long Hill to the east in Morris County.

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 26,652 people, 9,783 households, and 6,897 families in the township. The population density was 1,113.6 per square mile (430.0/km2). There were 10,103 housing units at an average density of 422.1 per square mile (163.0/km2). The racial makeup was 81.83% (21,809) White, 1.89% (504) Black or African American, 0.08% (20) Native American, 13.80% (3,679) Asian, 0.03% (7) Pacific Islander, 0.55% (147) from other races, and 1.82% (486) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.95% (1,054) of the population.

Of the 9,783 households, 40.0% had children under the age of 18; 61.7% were married couples living together; 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present and 29.5% were non-families. Of all households, 26.6% were made up of individuals and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.27.

28.8% of the population were under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 20.6% from 25 to 44, 32.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.1 years. For every 100 females, the population had 93.5 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 88.5 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $123,285 (with a margin of error of +/− $7,030) and the median family income was $153,906 (+/− $14,565). Males had a median income of $123,390 (+/− $9,621) versus $86,272 (+/− $9,195) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $67,809 (+/− $4,972). About 2.1% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.3% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census
At the 2000 United States census there were 24,575 people, 9,242 households and 6,487 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,023.8 PD/sqmi. There were 9,485 housing units at an average density of 395.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the township was 89.20% White, 1.44% African American, 0.05% Native American, 7.85% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.63% of the population.

There were 9,242 households, of which 37.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.0% were married couples living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.17.

Age distribution was 27.7% under the age of 18, 3.2% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $107,204, and the median income for a family was $135,806. Males had a median income of $95,758 versus $60,865 for females. The per capita income for the township was $56,521. About 0.6% of families and 1.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.2% of those under age 18 and 2.9% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
The headquarters of Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, Fedders, Hitachi Power Systems USA and Verizon Wireless are located in the township. Verizon Communications, which maintains its world headquarters in New York City, has located operations of its major business units in buildings that were formerly AT&T's world headquarters.

Local government
Bernards Township operates 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 held during the first week of January, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor and another as Deputy Mayor.

, members of the Bernards Township Committee are Mayor Jennifer L. Asay (R, term on committee and as mayor ends December 31, 2024), Deputy Mayor Janice M. Fields (R, term on committee ends 2025; term as deputy mayor ends 2024), Gary S. Baumann (R, 2026), Ana Duarte McCarthy (D, 2026) and Andrew J. McNally (R, 2024).

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

Prior to the 2010 Census, Bernards Township had been part of the NJ's 11th congressional district, 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.

Elections
As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 18,377 registered voters in Bernards Township, of which 3,544 (19.3% vs. 26.0% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 7,019 (38.2% vs. 25.7%) were registered as Republicans and 7,803 (42.5% vs. 48.2%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 11 voters registered to as Libertarians or Greens. Among the township's 2010 Census population, 69.0% (vs. 60.4% in Somerset County) were registered to vote, including 96.9% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 80.4% countywide).

In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 59.2% of the vote (7,879 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 40.1% (5,338 votes), and other candidates with 0.8% (101 votes), among the 13,383 ballots cast by the township's 19,555 registered voters (65 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 68.4%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 8,078 votes here (56.1% vs. 46.1% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 6,143 votes (42.6% vs. 52.1%) and other candidates with 99 votes (0.7% vs. 1.1%), among the 14,405 ballots cast by the township's 18,039 registered voters, for a turnout of 79.9% (vs. 78.7% in Somerset County). In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 8,364 votes here (60.6% vs. 51.5% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 5,317 votes (38.5% vs. 47.2%) and other candidates with 84 votes (0.6% vs. 0.9%), among the 13,812 ballots cast by the township's 16,534 registered voters, for a turnout of 83.5% (vs. 81.7% in the whole county).

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 77.1% of the vote (6,505 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 21.7% (1,829 votes), and other candidates with 1.2% (105 votes), among the 8,547 ballots cast by the township's 19,701 registered voters (108 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 43.4%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 6,124 votes here (59.5% vs. 55.8% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 2,639 votes (25.6% vs. 34.1%), Independent Chris Daggett with 1,427 votes (13.9% vs. 8.7%) and other candidates with 33 votes (0.3% vs. 0.7%), among the 10,293 ballots cast by the township's 18,244 registered voters, yielding a 56.4% turnout (vs. 52.5% in the county).

Education
Students in public school for pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade are served by the Bernards Township School District. As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of six schools, had an enrollment of 4,874 students and 456.1 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.7:1. Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are Cedar Hill Elementary School with 483 students in grades K-5, Liberty Corner Elementary School with 466 students in grades K-5, Mount Prospect Elementary School with 507 students in grades PreK-5, Oak Street Elementary School with 406 students in grades K-5, William Annin Middle School with 1,201 students in grades 6-8 and Ridge High School with 1,794 students in grades 9-12. The district offers its Integrated Preschool Program for children on the autism spectrum, utilizing the principles of applied behavior analysis.

During the 2009–10 school year, Ridge High School was awarded the National Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education, the highest award an American school can receive. The school had also won the award for the 1986–1987 school year. Mount Prospect Elementary School was one of 11 in the state to be recognized in 2014 by the United States Department of Education's National Blue Ribbon Schools Program. In 2015, Liberty Corner School was one of 15 schools in New Jersey, and one of nine public schools, recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School in the exemplary high performing category.

Ridge High School was ranked 194th, the second-highest in New Jersey, in Newsweek magazine's 2010 rankings of America's Best High Schools. The school was the 9th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 328 schools statewide, in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2010 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", after being ranked 12th in 2010 out of 322 schools. The Ridge High School was ranked 37th best in America in 2015 by Newsweek.

Pingry School, a private coeducational college preparatory day school, has its upper campus, for grades 6 to 12, located in Basking Ridge (prior to 2013 the campus was listed as being located in Martinsville).

Saint James School is a parochial elementary school for students in preschool through eighth grade that operates under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen.

Transportation

Roads and highways
, the township had a total of 138.86 mi of roadways, of which 109.20 mi were maintained by the municipality, 21.13 mi by Somerset County and 8.53 mi by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Major roads serving Bernards Township include Interstate 78, Interstate 287 and U.S. Route 202.

Public transportation
NJ Transit train service is available at the Basking Ridge station and Lyons station on the Gladstone Branch, providing service between Gladstone and Hoboken Terminal.

Lakeland Bus Lines provides Route 78 rush-hour service from Bedminster to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan.

Points of interest

 * Alward Farmhouse
 * Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church and Cemetery – listed on the National Register of Historic Places
 * The Brick Academy – A restoration of what was known as the Basking Ridge Classical School, a prep school for those hoping to attend Princeton University. The Brick Academy is the current home of the Historical Society of the Somerset Hills.
 * Town Hall and Astor Estate
 * Franklin Corners Historic District – Includes Van Dorn's Mill and the Grain House Restaurant, listed on the NRHP
 * Liberty Corner Village
 * Lyons VA Medical Center – A Veterans Administration Hospital with Classical Revival style brick buildings, listed on the NRHP
 * The Devil's Tree – A solitary oak tree in a field off Mountain Road in the southern corner of the township that has been subject of several stories in Weird NJ magazine
 * Kennedy–Martin–Stelle Farmstead – Farmstead Arts Center, listed on the NRHP
 * Boudinot–Southard Farmstead – Also known as the Ross Farm, listed on the NRHP
 * Southard Park
 * Mountain Park
 * USGA Museum

Volunteer Effort - Terrebonne Parish
In 2005, after Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, which had a devastating effect on the Greater New Orleans area, the Bernards Township Regional Chamber of Commerce, under the leadership of former Mayor Albert LiCata, organized and sent truckloads of supplies to assist residents of Houma, Louisiana. In 2007, the Parish returned the favor by sending the Terrebonne High School Marching band on a 26-hour bus ride to the Bernards Township Chamber's Holiday Parade to march at their event and perform a Christmas concert for the public at a local church.

Justice Department lawsuit
On November 22, 2016, the United States Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Bernards Township, alleging "that the township violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) when it denied zoning approval to allow the Islamic Society of Basking Ridge to build a mosque on land it owns."

In January 2017 the township hired Trenton-based Burton Trent Public Affairs to help manage the negative publicity associated with the Justice Department's allegations. The contract was reportedly worth $45,000.

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

 * William Alexander, Lord Stirling (1726–1783), Continental Army major general during the American Revolutionary War
 * John Jacob Astor VI (1912–1992), socialite, shipping businessman and member of the Astor family.
 * J. C. Chandor (born 1974), Academy Award-nominated writer/director of the 2011 film Margin Call
 * Chris Daggett (born 1950), President and CEO of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation who ran as an independent candidate in the 2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election
 * Marc Del Gaizo (born 1999), professional ice hockey defenseman for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League
 * Scott Fischer (1955–1996), climber and guide who was the first American to climb Lhotse, the fourth-highest mountain in the world, who died during an attempt to climb Mount Everest in the 1996 Everest Disaster
 * Patricia Lee Gauch (born 1934), author of over 30 works of children's literature; inducted into the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame in 1993
 * Jarryd Goldberg (born 1985), former professional soccer player who played for Miami FC
 * Jeff Grace, comedian, screenwriter, film producer, film director and actor; directed Folk Hero & Funny Guy
 * Jon Gutwillig (born 1974), guitarist of the Disco Biscuits
 * Tobin Heath (born 1988), soccer player and member of the United States women's national team who won a gold medal as youngest member of the US team in the 2008 Olympics
 * Vincent R. Kramer (1918–2001), United States Marine Corps colonel who was a guerrilla warfare expert and was awarded the Navy Cross during the Korean War
 * Peter Kuhn (1955–2009), race car driver who won both the USAC and SCCA Formula Super Vee championships in 1980
 * George Ludlow Lee Sr. (1901–1966), chairman of the board of Red Devil, Inc.
 * Philip Lindsley (1786–1855), Presbyterian minister, educator, and classicist; acting president of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), 1822–1824
 * Kelly-Anne Lyons (born 1985), actress, television presenter, writer and model, who starred in the BBC comedy Dick and Dom's Funny Business
 * Max Mahoney (born 1998, class of 2016), professional basketball player for VfL Kirchheim Knights of the ProA
 * Page McConnell (born 1963), keyboardist best known for his work with the rock band Phish
 * Robert Mulcahy (1932–2022), athletic director at Rutgers University
 * Akshay Nanavati (born 1984), United States Marine Corps veteran, speaker, entrepreneur, ultra runner and author of Fearvana
 * Jasbir Puar (born 1967), queer theorist, Professor of Women and Gender Studies at Rutgers University and author of The Right to Maim
 * Perry Scott (1917–1988), American football player and coach, who played in the NFL for the Detroit Lions
 * J. Robert Sims (born c. 1941), chemical / mechanical engineer and inventor, who served as president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
 * Samuel Lewis Southard (1787–1842), U.S. Senator, Secretary of the Navy, and the 10th Governor of New Jersey
 * Mike Tannenbaum (born 1969), former general manager of the New York Jets
 * LaDainian Tomlinson (born 1979), former NFL running back who played for the New York Jets
 * Kelly Williford (born 1994), professional tennis player
 * Zip the Pinhead (c. 1842–1926), turn-of-the-century sideshow performer who was born in Liberty Corner as William Henry Johnson

title: Bernards Township, New Jersey


text:
Bernardsville, New Jersey

Bernardsville is the northernmost borough in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated in the heart of the Raritan Valley region, the borough is part of the Somerset Hills in central New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 7,893, an increase of 186 (+2.4%) from the 2010 census count of 7,707,  which in turn had reflected an increase of 362 (+4.9%) from the 7,345 counted at the 2000 census. Bernardsville is often mispronounced as "Ber-NARDS-ville" as opposed to the correct pronunciation, "BER-nards-ville".

Bernardsville was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 6, 1924, from portions of Bernards Township, based on the results of a referendum held on April 29, 1924. The borough was named for Sir Francis Bernard, 1st Baronet, who served as governor of the Province of New Jersey before the Revolutionary War. In 2009, part of the borough was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Olcott Avenue Historic District.

In 2000, Bernardsville had the 10th-highest per capita income in New Jersey. Based on data from the 2006–2010 American Community Survey, the borough had a per-capita income of $70,141, ranked 27th in the state. In 2019, the borough was ranked by Bloomberg News as 64th of 100 on its 2019 list of Bloomberg Richest Places, one of 18 in the state included on the list.

History
Bernardsville was originally a section of Bernards Township known as Vealtown. In 1840, Vealtown became Bernardsville, named after Sir Francis Bernard, Colonial governor of New Jersey from 1758 to 1760. Located in the northernmost part of Somerset County, just 12 mi south of Morristown, the borough includes some of the last vestiges of the Great Eastern Forest.

During the Revolutionary War, General Charles Lee rested his troops in Vealtown around the night of December 12 to 13, 1776. General Lee and some of his guard spent the night about 3 mi southeast at White's Inn on the southeast side of Basking Ridge, near the manor house of Continental Army general William Alexander, Lord Stirling. On the morning of December 13, General Lee was captured by the British and removed to New York. The Vealtown Tavern, now known as the John Parker Tavern, was a regular stop during the 1779–1780 winter encampment at Morristown.

After the Civil War, many wealthy and prominent New Yorkers moved into the area, first as summer visitors, then later as permanent residents of the Bernardsville Mountain. For most, the men worked in New York City while the women and children spent summers in Bernardsville. The Gladstone Branch of the existing railroad line was built through Bernardsville in 1872 and played an important role in the borough's development. The Gladstone line, whose five o'clock train was appropriately nicknamed "the millionaire's special," as it was direct route to Penn Station, allowed the men who built grand estates in Bernardsville to commute to the city on a daily basis rather than only visit their families on weekends. Bernardsville did not become an independent municipality until 1924, when it split from Bernards Township.

On November 4, 2020, The Bernardsville Library announced that it would join the MAIN Library System, which has member libraries in all of Morris County, all of Hunterdon County and parts of Somerset and Warren counties. The Bernardsville Library is the second library from Somerset County to join the MAIN System, after the Bernards Township Library in neighboring Bernards Township. The library joined the MAIN System on January 11, 2021

On January 15, 2021, Kings Food Markets announced that it would close their Bernardsville location on Morristown Road, officially closing on January 23, 2021.

Historic district
The New Jersey State Review Board for Historic Sites recommended the creation of the Olcott Avenue historic district on February 10, 2009. While the Olcott Avenue School is but one historic structure within Bernardsville's first historic district area, the area's appeal and historic significance is part of the story of the rise of the middle class in Bernardsville and how this particular location impacted the entire region, from the downtown, Little Italy, and the Mountain Colony areas.

The Olcott Avenue Historic District is a 28 acre historic district located along portions of Olcott, Childsworth, and Highview Avenues, and Church Street that recognizes a neighborhood developed in the early 20th century. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 20, 2009, for its significance in architecture, community planning and development, and education.

According to the National Park Service: The Olcott Avenue neighborhood in the borough of Bernardsville, located in northeast Somerset County, was developed at the turn of the 20th century as a carefully laid out middle class residential neighborhood. The streets in the district are characterized by lots of moderate size with regular setbacks with moderate to substantial dwellings constructed in a variety of late 19th and early 20th century architectural styles, several of which are particularly noteworthy examples. The original dwellings constructed during the first three decades or so of the 20th century all still stand and the streetscape has changed relatively little since curbs and sidewalks were added and the road was paved around 1916. Residents of the district have continued the long tradition of participation in civic activities.

Olcott Avenue is named after Frederic P. Olcott, a New York banker, politician, and philanthropist, who lived here. The street was originally named after Stewart Wolfe. In 1905, Olcott financed the construction of a high school, the first in the township, and donated it to the Bernards Township Board of Education. The stone building features Tudor Revival style and was designed by architect Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, who also lived here. Hardenbergh also designed the Bernardsville United Methodist Church and the parish house at St. Bernard's Church. The district includes several houses designed with Colonial Revival style.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 12.91 square miles (33.44 km2), including 12.84 square miles (33.24 km2) of land and 0.08 square miles (0.19 km2) of water (0.58%).

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the borough include Blaziers Corner, Mine Brook and Somersetin.

The borough borders Bernards Township to the east, Far Hills to the southwest, and Peapack-Gladstone to the west in Somerset County, Harding Township to the northeast and both Mendham Borough and Mendham Township to the northwest in Morris County.

Climate
Bernardsville has a climate that borders between Humid continental and Humid subtropical with cool sometimes cold winters and warm to hot, humid summers on average. High elevations of the town have a warm summer humid continental climate with more snow during the winter and more orographic precipitation. Summer is the wettest season with frequent afternoon thunderstorms while Winter is the driest season.

Demographics
Some of Bernardsville's Latino population are made up of residents of "Little Paraguay" located on the Basking Ridge side of the train tracks.

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 7,707 people, 2,685 households, and 2,086 families in the borough. The population density was 597.2 per square mile (230.6/km2). There were 2,871 housing units at an average density of 222.5 per square mile (85.9/km2). The racial makeup was 91.38% (7,043) White, 0.88% (68) Black or African American, 0.14% (11) Native American, 3.27% (252) Asian, 0.06% (5) Pacific Islander, 2.18% (168) from other races, and 2.08% (160) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.72% (903) of the population.

Of the 2,685 households, 40.6% had children under the age of 18; 67.2% were married couples living together; 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present and 22.3% were non-families. Of all households, 19.1% were made up of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.27.

28.6% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 31.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.1 years. For every 100 females, the population had 98.3 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 95.3 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $128,333 (with a margin of error of +/− $12,233) and the median family income was $141,510 (+/− $17,179). Males had a median income of $87,500 (+/− $36,816) versus $73,250 (+/− $10,725) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $70,141 (+/− $9,890). About 1.9% of families and 2.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.2% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census there were 7,345 people, 2,723 households, and 2,050 families residing in the borough. The population density was 568.1 PD/sqmi. There were 2,807 housing units at an average density of 217.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the borough was 93.94% White, 0.25% African American, 0.15% Native American, 2.64% Asian, 1.55% from other races, and 1.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.98% of the population.

There were 2,723 households, out of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.2% were married couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.7% were non-families. 21.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 28.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $104,162, and the median income for a family was $126,601. Males had a median income of $91,842 versus $50,732 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $69,854. About 1.6% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.3% of those under age 18 and 2.5% of those age 65 or over.

Local government
Bernardsville is governed under the borough form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 municipalities (of the 564) statewide, making it the most common form of government in New Jersey. The governing body is comprised of the mayor and the borough council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. A mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The borough council includes of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle. The borough form of government used by Bernardsville is a "weak mayor / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can veto ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council.

, the mayor of Bernardsville is Republican Mary Jane Canose, whose term of office ends December 31, 2026. Members of the Borough Council are Council President Jena McCredie (R, 2025), Jay Ambelang (R, 2024), Chad McQueen (R, 2025), Albert Ribeiro (R, 2024), Jeffrey Roos (D, 2026) and Christine Zamarra (D, 2026).

In June 2021, Democrat Thomas O'Dea Jr. resigned from office from a seat expiring in December 2023. In July 2021, the borough council selected Matthew Marino from a list of three candidates nominated by the Democratic municipal committee to fill the vacant seat on an interim basis. In November 2021, Republican Diane Greenfield was elected to serve the balance of the term of office.

In December 2018, the borough council selected Diane Greenfield from a list of three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the balance of the unexpired term of office ending in December 2019 that had been held by Michael C. Sullivan until he resigned from office earlier that month.

In February 2018, Republican John Donahue was selected by the borough council from three candidates nominated by the local party committee and appointed to fill the seat expiring in December 2018 that had been held by Michael dePoortere until he resigned from office earlier that month; Donohue will serve on an interim basis until the November 2018 general election.

In March 2018, Mayor Kevin Sooy, elected as a Republican, announced that he was switching parties and would run for re-election as a Democrat, saying that he was in sync with the platform of the local Democratic Party on issues facing the town. He would be defeated in the primary by Thomas O'Dea Jr. who was defeated in the general election by Republican Mary Jane Canose.

In 2018, the borough had an average property tax bill of $15,362, the highest in the county, compared to an average bill of $8,767 statewide.

Federal, state and county representation
Bernardsville 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 5,341 registered voters in Bernardsville, of which 955 (17.9% vs. 26.0% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 2,472 (46.3% vs. 25.7%) were registered as Republicans and 1,913 (35.8% vs. 48.2%) were registered as unaffiliated. There was one voter registered to another party. Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 69.3% (vs. 60.4% in Somerset County) were registered to vote, including 97.1% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 80.4% countywide).

In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 61.5% of the vote (2,318 cast), ahead of incumbent President Barack Obama, a Democrat, with 37.3% (1,408 votes), and other candidates with 1.2% (44 votes), among the 3,788 ballots cast by the borough's 5,673 registered voters (18 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 66.8%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 2,295 votes (55.8% vs. 46.1% countywide), ahead of Democrat Obama with 1,753 votes (42.6% vs. 52.1%) and other candidates with 41 votes (1.0% vs. 1.1%), among the 4,113 ballots cast by the borough's 5,208 registered voters, for a turnout of 79.0% (vs. 78.7% in Somerset County). In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 2,495 votes (61.0% vs. 51.5% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 1,543 votes (37.7% vs. 47.2%) and other candidates with 37 votes (0.9% vs. 0.9%), among the 4,093 ballots cast by the borough's 4,909 registered voters, for a turnout of 83.4% (vs. 81.7% in the whole county).

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 77.9% of the vote (2,118 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 20.7% (564 votes), and other candidates with 1.4% (37 votes), among the 2,762 ballots cast by the borough's 5,728 registered voters (43 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 48.2%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Christie received 1,867 votes (60.2% vs. 55.8% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 747 votes (24.1% vs. 34.1%), Independent Chris Daggett with 463 votes (14.9% vs. 8.7%) and other candidates with 13 votes (0.4% vs. 0.7%), among the 3,099 ballots cast by the borough's 5,304 registered voters, yielding a 58.4% turnout (vs. 52.5% in the county).

Education
Public school students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade attend the schools of the Somerset Hills Regional School District, a regional school district serving students from Bernardsville, Far Hills and Peapack-Gladstone, along with students from Bedminster who are sent to the district's high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship. As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of three schools, had an enrollment of 1,797 students and 155.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.6:1. Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are Marion T. Bedwell Elementary School with 471 students in grades Pre-K–4, Bernardsville Middle School with 474 students in grades 5–8 and Bernards High School with 819 students in grades 9–12. The district's board of education is comprised of nine elected members (plus one appointed member representing Bedminster) who set policy and oversee the fiscal and educational operation of the district through its administration. The nine elected seats on the board are allocated to the constituent municipalities based on population, with six seats allocated to Bernardsville.

The School of Saint Elizabeth, established in 1916, is a parochial school serving students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade that operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen.

Roads and highways
, the borough had a total of 67.80 mi of roadways, of which 53.28 mi were maintained by the municipality, 10.50 mi by Somerset County and 4.02 mi by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

The most prominent roads directly serving Bernardsville are U.S. Route 202 and County Route 525. Interstate 287 passes by just outside the borough.

Public transportation
NJ Transit train service is offered at the Bernardsville station on the Gladstone Branch and Morristown Line of the Morris & Essex Lines, with service to Hoboken Terminal, Newark Broad Street station Secaucus Junction and to Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan.

Lakeland Bus Lines provides Route 78 rush-hour service from Bedminster to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan.

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

 * Walt Ader (1913–1982), race car driver who placed 22nd at the 1950 Indianapolis 500
 * Brooke Astor (1902–2007), lived here during her marriage to John Dryden Kuser (1897–1964)
 * Roger Bart (born 1962), actor
 * Sir Francis Bernard (1712–1779), British colonial administrator who served as governor of the provinces of New Jersey and Massachusetts Bay
 * C. Ledyard Blair (1867–1949), prominent resident and investment banker
 * Roger Bodman (born 1952), politician and political strategist who served in the cabinet of New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean
 * Philip Capice (1931–2009), Emmy Award-winning television producer
 * Tommy Dorsey (1905–1956), jazz musician who lived at "Tall Oaks" in Bernardsville from 1935 to 1941
 * Forrest F. Dryden (1864–1932), President of Prudential Insurance Company
 * John Fairfield Dryden (1839–1911), founder of Prudential Insurance Company and U.S. Senator
 * Ernest Duncan (1916–1990), mathematician
 * Marc Ecko (born 1972), fashion designer and entrepreneur
 * Millicent Fenwick (1910–1992), U.S. Congresswoman, United States representative to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization
 * Zach Feuer (born 1978), art dealer, founder of New Art Dealers Alliance and owner of Zach Feuer Gallery
 * Guy Gabrielson (1891–1976), politician who served as chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1949 to 1952, and was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly from 1925 to 1929
 * Alina Habba (born 1984), lawyer best known for representing former president of the United States, Donald Trump.
 * Henry Janeway Hardenbergh (1847–1918), architect
 * Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (1929–1994), former first lady, who lived in Bernardsville with her husband Aristotle Onassis (1906–1975)
 * Elmer Matthews (1927–2015), lawyer and politician who served three terms in the New Jersey General Assembly
 * Andrew McCarthy (born 1962), actor
 * Katie Meyler (born 1982), 2014's Time Person of the Year for Ebola Fighters
 * Bill Moyers (born 1934), journalist and commentator
 * Bob Nash (1892–1977), pioneering football player in the earliest days of the National Football League
 * Frederic P. Olcott (1841–1909), financier, politician, and philanthropist
 * George B. Post (1837–1913), Beaux-Arts style architect, and early developer of Bernardsville
 * Donald Roebling (1908–1959), inventor of the amphtrack
 * John A. Roebling II (1867–1952), engineer and philanthropist
 * Carol Stiff, women's basketball executive, who is vice president of programming and acquisitions at ESPN and president of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame's board of directors
 * Suzanne Scott (born 1965/66), CEO of Fox News
 * Meryl Streep (born 1949), actress
 * Mike Tyson (born 1966) and Robin Givens (born 1964)
 * Jean Villepique, actress known for her roles in BoJack Horseman, A.P. Bio and Up All Night

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

title: Bernardsville, New Jersey


text:
Bound Brook, New Jersey

Bound Brook is a borough in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located along the Raritan River. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 11,988, an increase of 1,586 (+15.2%) from the 2010 census count of 10,402,  which in turn reflected an increase of 247 (+2.4%) from the 10,155 counted in the 2000 census,.

Bound Brook was originally incorporated as a town by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 24, 1869, within portions of Bridgewater Township. On February 11, 1891, it was reincorporated as a borough, based on the results of a referendum held on the previous day.

History
The area was first settled in 1681 and a community was established near the Bound Brook stream of the same name, which flows into the Raritan River via the Green Brook on the eastern side of the borough. The brook, which was mentioned as a boundary in a Native American deed, provides the source of the borough's name.

A wooden bridge over the Raritan River was erected as early as 1761 and named Queen's Bridge in 1767. Later, it became a covered bridge. During the American Revolutionary War, the bridge was used repeatedly by both sides including during the Battle of Bound Brook in 1777. In 1875, the wooden bridge was replaced by a steel pipe truss bridge. More than 100 years later, that bridge was itself replaced by a steel girder bridge in 1984, still using the old pillars. The bridge was renovated and repaved in 2007.

The Battle of Bound Brook, one of the battles in the New York and New Jersey campaign during the American Revolutionary War, occurred on April 13, 1777, and resulted in a defeat for the Continental Army, who were routed by about 4,000 troops under British command.

On April 22, 1921, over 100 people were injured in Bound Brook, and one died, when a cloud of phosgene gas began spreading over the city in the early morning hours, the result of a faulty valve of a storage tank at a paint factory in town. The intervention of four people stopped further escape of the phosgene, which had been used in concentrated form as a chemical weapon during World War I.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 1.70 square miles (4.39 km2), including 1.66 square miles (4.30 km2) of land and 0.03 square miles (0.09 km2) of water (2.00%).

The borough borders the municipalities of Bridgewater Township and South Bound Brook in Somerset County; and Middlesex Borough in Middlesex County.

Since the southern portion of the borough (including the downtown area) is a low-lying natural flood plain of the Raritan River, Bound Brook has suffered occasional severe flooding after heavy rain. Extensive flood control measures were put into place during 1999–2015 to provide protection from 150-year floods.

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 10,402 people, 3,586 households, and 2,435 families in the borough. The population density was 6,269.6 per square mile (2,420.7/km2). There were 3,816 housing units at an average density of 2,300.0 per square mile (888.0/km2). The racial makeup was 69.73% (7,253) White, 5.74% (597) Black or African American, 0.54% (56) Native American, 2.57% (267) Asian, 0.05% (5) Pacific Islander, 17.48% (1,818) from other races, and 3.90% (406) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 48.66% (5,062) of the population.

Of the 3,586 households, 32.7% had children under the age of 18; 45.1% were married couples living together; 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present and 32.1% were non-families. Of all households, 22.8% were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.28.

22.6% of the population were under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 34.2% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.1 years. For every 100 females, the population had 109.7 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 108.4 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $67,056 (with a margin of error of +/− $6,450) and the median family income was $68,315 (+/− $7,489). Males had a median income of $33,462 (+/− $4,681) versus $35,261 (+/− $7,245) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $25,015 (+/− $2,011). About 3.4% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.0% of those under age 18 and 2.5% of those age 65 or over.

The borough had one of the highest Costa Rican percentages of any municipality in the United States and third-highest in New Jersey (population 500+), with 3.4% of residents in the 2010 Census reporting that they were of Costa Rican birth.

2000 census
At the 2000 United States census there were 10,155 people, 3,615 households and 2,461 families residing in the borough. The population density was 5,953.7 PD/sqmi. There were 3,802 housing units at an average density of 2,229.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the borough was 82.57% White, 2.52% African American, 0.31% Native American, 2.88% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 8.67% from other races, and 2.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 34.87% of the population.

There were 3,615 households, of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.21.

21.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 36.2% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.7 males.

The median household income was $46,858 and the median family income was $51,346. Males had a median income of $32,226 versus $28,192 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $22,395. About 6.9% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.8% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.

The borough had the highest Costa Rican percentage of any municipality in the United States (population 500+), with 14.7% of residents in the 2000 Census reporting that they were of Costa Rican birth.

Parks and recreation
The borough has developed a series of trails for bicyclists and pedestrians that runs along the Raritan River, with a mix of paved and dirt trails providing access to residents.

Local government
Bound Brook is governed under the borough form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 municipalities (of the 564) statewide, making it the most common form of government in New Jersey. The governing body is comprised of a mayor and a borough council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. A mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The borough council includes six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle.

The borough form of government used by Bound Brook is a "weak mayor / strong council" government, in which council members act as the legislative body, with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can veto ordinances, subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council.

, the mayor of Bound Brook is Democrat Dominic Longo, whose term expires December 31, 2027. Members of the Borough Council are Council President Kendall Lopez (D, 2025), Linda Brnicevic (R, 2025), Shawn Guerra (D, 2026), David Morris (R, 2024; appointed to fill an unexpired term), Vinnie Petti (D, 2024) and Glen Rossi (R, 2026).

David Morris was appointed in January 2024 to fill the seat expiring in December 2024 that became vacant when Dominic Longo took office as mayor.

In September 2022, the borough council selected David Morris from a list of three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the mayoral seat expiring in December 2023 that became vacant after the resignation of Robert P. Fazen, who was moving out of the borough.

Federal, state and county representation
Bound Brook is located in the 12th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 23rd state legislative district.

Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 4,162 registered voters in Bound Brook, of which 1,149 (27.6% vs. 26.0% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 955 (22.9% vs. 25.7%) were registered as Republicans and 2,050 (49.3% vs. 48.2%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 8 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens. Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 40.0% (vs. 60.4% in Somerset County) of the total population were registered to vote, including 51.7% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 80.4% countywide).

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 57.9% of the vote (1,598 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 40.6% (1,120 votes), and other candidates with 1.6% (44 votes), among the 2,785 ballots cast by the borough's 4,399 registered voters (23 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 63.3%.

In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 1,593 votes (53.5% vs. 52.1% countywide), ahead of Republican John McCain with 1,312 votes (44.0% vs. 46.1%) and other candidates with 45 votes (1.5% vs. 1.1%), among the 2,979 ballots cast by the borough's 3,990 registered voters, for a turnout of 74.7% (vs. 78.7% in Somerset County). In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 1,474 votes (49.6% vs. 47.2% countywide), ahead of Republican George W. Bush with 1,440 votes (48.5% vs. 51.5%) and other candidates with 25 votes (0.8% vs. 0.9%), among the 2,970 ballots cast by the borough's 3,882 registered voters, for a turnout of 76.5% (vs. 81.7% in the whole county).

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 64.5% of the vote (1,092 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 33.7% (570 votes), and other candidates with 1.8% (30 votes), among the 1,723 ballots cast by the borough's 4,485 registered voters (31 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 38.4%.

In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 1,074 votes (52.2% vs. 55.8% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 749 votes (36.4% vs. 34.1%), Independent Chris Daggett with 172 votes (8.4% vs. 8.7%) and other candidates with 32 votes (1.6% vs. 0.7%), among the 2,056 ballots cast by the borough's 4,138 registered voters, yielding a 49.7% turnout (vs. 52.5% in the county).

Education
The Bound Brook School District serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of five schools, had an enrollment of 1,975 students and 172.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.5:1. Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are LaMonte-Annex Elementary School with 195 students in grades PreK-Kindergarten Lafayette Elementary School with 266 students in grades 1-2, Smalley Elementary School with 545 students in grades 3-6, Community Middle School with 283 students in grades 7-8 and Bound Brook High School with 652 students in grades 9-12.

Students from South Bound Brook, New Jersey, attend the district's high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the South Bound Brook School District. At the start of the 2011–12 school year, the school joined the Interdistrict Public School Choice Program, which allows students from other area communities to attend the Bound Brook schools. In the 2011–2012 school year, the high school started a biomedical program from Project Lead the Way in addition to the existing engineering academy program.

There was an Interparochial Catholic School in the borough, Holy Family Academy (for Pre-K to grade 8) serving the local and surrounding communities with an estimated enrollment of 150 prior to closure. The school was one of three in the area closed by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen at the end of the 2010–2011 school year, with plans to feed remaining students to a school facility in South Plainfield.

In 2018, Stephen Kovacs founded and thereafter owned Kaprica United Fencing Academy in Bound Brook, where he was head coach.

Kovacs was accused in 2021 by detectives of allegedly sexually assaulting two teenage fencing students multiple times in 2020 and 2021; he died in Somerset County Jail in January 2022.

Roads and highways
, the borough had a total of 25.37 mi of roadways, of which 20.56 mi were maintained by the municipality, 2.73 mi by Somerset County and 2.08 mi by the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Route 28 travels east–west through the center of Bound Brook, while U.S. Route 22 clips the northern portion of the borough. County Routes 525, 527, 533 also pass through.

Interstate 287 is accessible to the west via Route 28 in bordering Bridgewater Township.

Public transportation
The borough is served by the Bound Brook train station, which offers NJ Transit service on the Raritan Valley Line to Newark Penn Station. The historic station building on the north side of the tracks is located at 350 E. Main Street and was constructed in 1913. It is now a restaurant; the other station building on the south side is now privately owned. A pedestrian tunnel connects the south and north sides of the tracks. There are also Conrail tracks going past the station, used for freight trains to and from Newark.

NJ Transit offers bus service to and from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan on the 114 and 117 routes, along with local service to Newark on the 65 and 66 routes.

Somerset County offers DASH, CAT, and SCOOT routes, providing service to destinations including Franklin Township, New Brunswick, Raritan, Manville and Hillsborough Township, as well as Bridgewater Commons and Raritan Valley Community College.

Bound Brook Cycling Classic
Every year, the Borough of Bound Brook hosts a nationally competitive bicycle race, the Bound Brook Cycling Classic, that on the same weekend, precedes the neighboring final purse contest, as part of the three-day Tour of Somerville, held annually on Memorial Day Weekend. The contest in Somerville, founded in 1940 by Fred “Pop” Kugler, is the oldest professionally competitive race in the United States.

Natural disasters
The lower downtown area of Bound Brook has been infamous for flooding of the Raritan River. In September 1999, many structures near the commercial zone were damaged or destroyed by record Raritan floods resulting from Hurricane Floyd. This disaster reinvigorated a long-planned effort called the Green Brook Flood Control Project that would protect Bound Brook from up to a 150-year flooding event from the Raritan River and its tributaries, the Middle Brook and Green Brook that form the western and eastern boundaries of the town. During 1999–2015, the United States Army Corps of Engineers implemented extensive flood control measures to provide protection from future floods.

The highest flooding level since 1800 in Bound Brook was reached during Hurricane Floyd in September 1999 – 42.13 ft, according to the United States Geological Survey —nearly matched by Tropical Storm Doria in August 1971, the April 2007 nor'easter and Hurricane Irene in August 2011. Main Street was also flooded in July 1938, September 1938, August 1955, August 1973, October 1996, and March 2010.

Bound Brook's downtown flooding led to several out-of-control fires over its history, including the fires of 1881 and 1887, which led to the formation of the Bound Brook Fire Department. In 1896, flooding likely caused the lime in the L.D. Cook lumberyard to ignite and the resulting fire spread to and destroyed the Presbyterian church. During Hurricane Floyd in 1999, a fire began in Otto Williams Harley Davidson on Main Street. With the building cut off by flood water, the fire spread quickly to two other structures before the Bound Brook Fire Department could contain it, then under the command of Chief Richard S. Colombaroni. Using fire boats from the New York City Fire Department as well as extensive help from mutual aid companies, the fire was stopped before two other buildings on Main Street and others nearby on Mountain Avenue, could be affected.

During the April 2007 Nor'easter, the Bound Brook Fire Department stopped another fire from spreading through an area of close residential construction. Under the command of Chief James Knight, and again with the assistance of mutual aid companies including the Finderne Fire Department, fire loss was restricted to three residential buildings.

On January 12, 2020, a non flood-related, seven-alarm fire set by an arsonist ripped through commercial buildings in the downtown area, causing $52 million in damages.

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

 * Isaac Blackford (1786–1859), Indiana Supreme Court Justice
 * Margaret Bourke-White (1904–1971), photographer
 * Jeffrey Chiesa (born 1965), 59th Attorney General of New Jersey and interim United States Senator from New Jersey
 * John G. Demaray (1930–2015), medievalist
 * Dmytro Dontsov (1883-1973), Ukrainian nationalist who influenced the OUN, buried in Bound Brook.
 * Margit Feldman (1929–2020), public speaker, educator, activist, and Holocaust survivor
 * Patrick X. Gallagher (1935–2019), mathematician and Columbia University professor
 * William P. Gottlieb (1917–2006), jazz musician and photographer
 * Sylvester Graham (1794–1851), Presbyterian minister and inventor of the Graham cracker
 * William Griffith (1766–1826), judge who served on the United States circuit court
 * William H. Johnson (stage name Zip the Pinhead; 1857–1926), freak show and circus performer
 * George M. La Monte (1863–1927), businessman, politician, and philanthropist
 * Dick Lynch (1936–2008), NFL defensive back who played for the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants
 * James Augustine McFaul (1850–1917), Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton from 1894 to 1917
 * Ronald Naldi, singer at the Metropolitan Opera
 * William E. Ozzard (1915–2002), President of the New Jersey Senate and the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities.
 * George Pfister (1918–1997), Major League Baseball executive
 * Jason Ryan (born 1976), MLB pitcher who played for the Minnesota Twins
 * Upton Sinclair (1878–1968), muckraker-writer
 * Samuel Swan (1771–1844), physician and U.S. Congressman
 * William C. Thompson (1889–1963), cinematographer
 * Henry Trefflich (1908–1978), wild animal importer and dealer
 * Perry Wilson (1916–2009), actress who appeared in the film Fear Strikes Out

title: Bound Brook, New Jersey


text:
Branchburg, New Jersey

Branchburg is a township in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 14,940, an increase of 481 (+3.3%) from the 2010 census count of 14,459,  which in turn reflected a decline of 107 (−0.7%) from the 14,566 counted in the 2000 census.

History
While the area of today's Branchburg has a history antedating the American Revolutionary War, the township itself was incorporated by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 5, 1845, from portions of Bridgewater Township. The township is named for its location at a point where branches of the Raritan River merge.

The land that is now known as Branchburg Township was originally inhabited by the Raritans, a tribe of the Lenni Lenape Native Americans. By 1686 most of the land was purchased from the Lenape by the Lords Proprietors of East Jersey, who sold the land in small parcels to numerous settlers, mostly of Dutch or English extraction. With the 1688 redrawing of the boundary between East and West Jersey, the Branchburg region was split between Essex County to the north and the newly formed Somerset County to the south. With Somerset's acquisition of territory from Essex and Middlesex Counties in 1741, Branchburg lay entirely within Somerset County.

Bridgewater Township was chartered in 1749. The residents of the part of Bridgewater west of the Raritan River petitioned the New Jersey Legislature for incorporation as a separate township, which was granted by an act dated April 5, 1845. The first town meeting was held April 14, 1845, in White Oak Tavern, a stagecoach stop and local meeting place along the Old York Road.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 20.30 square miles (52.58 km2), including 20.07 square miles (51.98 km2) of land and 0.23 square miles (0.6 km2) of water (1.14%).

The township is 11 mi long and approximately 2 mi across at its widest point. Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Burnt Mill, Centerville, Fox Hollow, Neshanic, Neshanic Station (ZIP Code 08853) and North Branch (ZIP Code 08876), North Branch Depot and Woodfern.

The township is bordered on the west by Readington Township in Hunterdon County; on the north by Bedminster Township and on the south by Bridgewater Township and Hillsborough Township.

The main watercourses are the Lamington River on the north, the North Branch of the Raritan River on the east and the South Branch of the Raritan River on the east and south. These rivers along with small streams and brooks are excellent for fishermen who enjoy trout stocked streams and rivers. Branchburg is in the Raritan Valley, a line of cities in Central New Jersey. Branchburg lies in the western division of the Raritan Valley along with Bridgewater and Raritan.

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 14,459 people, 5,271 households, and 4,032 families in the township. The population density was 721.4 per square mile (278.5/km2). There were 5,419 housing units at an average density of 270.4 per square mile (104.4/km2). The racial makeup was 86.80% (12,550) White, 2.25% (326) Black or African American, 0.15% (22) Native American, 8.40% (1,215) Asian, 0.03% (5) Pacific Islander, 0.59% (86) from other races, and 1.76% (255) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.45% (643) of the population.

Of the 5,271 households, 38.2% had children under the age of 18; 67.6% were married couples living together; 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present and 23.5% were non-families. Of all households, 18.8% were made up of individuals and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.17.

26.1% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 33.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.3 years. For every 100 females, the population had 95.6 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 92.4 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $119,092 (with a margin of error of +/− $7,934) and the median family income was $136,310 (+/− $12,919). Males had a median income of $97,359 (+/− $7,041) versus $61,192 (+/− $8,826) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $51,387 (+/− $2,945). About 1.5% of families and 1.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.5% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census there were 14,566 people, 5,272 households, and 4,064 families residing in the township. The population density was 719.1 PD/sqmi. There were 5,405 housing units with an average density of 266.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the township was 90.44% White, 1.95% African American, 0.10% Native American, 6.17% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.39% from other races, and 0.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.69% of the population.

There were 5,272 households, out of which 39.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.6% were married couples living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.9% were non-families. 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the township the population was spread out, with 27.3% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 34.6% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64 and 8.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.2 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $96,864, and the median income for a family was $110,268. Males had a median income of $70,726 versus $47,786 for females. The per capita income for the township was $41,241. About 1.1% of families and 1.9% of the population were living below the poverty line, including 1.4% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
Branchburg Township is the home to the 31 Tannery Project which serves as the corporate headquarters for Ferreira Construction, the Ferreira Group, and Noveda Technologies. The 42000 sqft office and shop building was constructed in 2006. It was the first building in the state of New Jersey to meet New Jersey's Executive Order 54 and the first net zero electric commercial building in the United States.

Sports
Branchburg is home to the 2012 14U Babe Ruth World Series Championship baseball team, the first from the state since 1989. The underdog Bulldogs, consisting of players drawn from a tryout pool totaling 16 players, competed and won against teams drawn from tryout pools as large as 500 players.

Local government
Branchburg Township operates 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. The township has been governed by a five-member Township Council since the 1971 elections, when the population surpassed 4,000 in the 1970 United States Census, mandating an expansion from the three-member committee that had been in place until then. A mayor and deputy mayor are selected from among the council from among its members at an annual reorganization meeting.

, members of the Township Committee are Mayor Anna P. Columbus (Republican Party, term on committee and as mayor ends December 31, 2024), Deputy Mayor Thomas L. Young (R, term on committee ends 2025; term as deputy mayor ends 2024), Brendon Beatrice (R, 2024), David Owens (R, 2025) and James G. Schworn (R, 2026).

In January 2020, the Township Committee chose David Owens from a list of three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the vacant seat expiring in December 2022 that had been held by Robert Petrelli until he resigned immediately after his new three-year term started.

In July 2015, Patricia Rees resigned from office, citing her employment by the nonpartisan New Jersey School Board Association.

Federal, state and county representation
Branchburg Township is located in the 7th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 16th state legislative district.

Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 9,970 registered voters in Branchburg Township, of which 1,832 (18.4% vs. 26.0% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 3,650 (36.6% vs. 25.7%) were registered as Republicans and 4,484 (45.0% vs. 48.2%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 4 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens. Among the township's 2010 Census population, 69.0% (vs. 60.4% in Somerset County) were registered to vote, including 93.2% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 80.4% countywide).

In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 60.2% of the vote (4,537 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 38.5% (2,902 votes), and other candidates with 1.2% (92 votes), among the 7,568 ballots cast by the township's 10,499 registered voters (37 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 72.1%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 4,651 votes (58.5% vs. 46.1% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 3,172 votes (39.9% vs. 52.1%) and other candidates with 92 votes (1.2% vs. 1.1%), among the 7,956 ballots cast by the township's 9,643 registered voters, for a turnout of 82.5% (vs. 78.7% in Somerset County). In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 4,706 votes (61.6% vs. 51.5% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 2,835 votes (37.1% vs. 47.2%) and other candidates with 79 votes (1.0% vs. 0.9%), among the 7,639 ballots cast by the township's 9,087 registered voters, for a turnout of 84.1% (vs. 81.7% in the whole county).

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 77.1% of the vote (3,651 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 21.3% (1,010 votes), and other candidates with 1.6% (77 votes), among the 4,804 ballots cast by the township's 10,612 registered voters (66 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 45.3%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 3,945 votes (69.1% vs. 55.8% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 1,266 votes (22.2% vs. 34.1%), Independent Chris Daggett with 445 votes (7.8% vs. 8.7%) and other candidates with 27 votes (0.5% vs. 0.7%), among the 5,706 ballots cast by the township's 9,777 registered voters, yielding a 58.4% turnout (vs. 52.5% in the county).

Emergency services
Branchburg Township is served by three major Emergency Services; a full-time Police Department, an all-volunteer Emergency Medical & Rescue Services Squad, and four all-volunteer Fire Departments.

Police
The Branchburg Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Young, was established on June 16, 1980. The Department currently has 26 full-time sworn officers, two civilian employees, seven crossing guards, and 13 Emergency Management volunteers. The Department has specialized units of officers who have taken on duties in addition to their patrol or detective work. These include the Detective Bureau, Juvenile Officer, School Resources, Traffic Safety, Community Policing, Services, Bike Patrol, First-Aid, Explorers program and Emergency Management.

On January 26, 2010, a clerk at the Quick Chek store at 1296 Easton Turnpike in Branchburg called officers about a suspicious person in the store. Officers arrested Lloyd Woodson, and found in his possession and in his motel room a large weapons cache that included illegal weapons and ammunition, a detailed map of Fort Drum, and a traditional red-and-white Middle Eastern headdress. He was charged on multiple state and federal weapons charges. The three officers who responded to the call received an Exceptional Duty Award for their actions.

EMS and rescue squad
Emergency Medical Services and Rescue Services are provided throughout the Township by the Branchburg Rescue Squad, which was formed in October 1955 and continues to serve the residents and businesses on an all-volunteer basis. As of 2013, officers include President Carol Waechter and Chief Matt Hoffman. The Branchburg volunteers rely solely on donations received from the community. Services provided include Basic Life Support, Emergency Medical Services (BLS/EMS), NFPA Technician Level: Vehicle Extrication, Water Rescue, Confined Space, Rope Rescue, High Angle Rescue NFPA Operations Level: Ice Rescue NFPA Awareness Level: Trench Collapse, Building & Structural Collapse. Operating out of Station 74 Rescue at 113 River Road are three BLS Ambulances, a Heavy Rescue Services Unit, one Rescue Services Unit, one First Responder/Command Unit and two inflatable rescue boats.

Fire departments
The Township of Branchburg is covered by four volunteer fire departments: North Branch Volunteer Fire Company in the north, Readington Volunteer Fire Company to the west, Neshanic Volunteer Fire Department on the south and Country Hills Volunteer Fire Company covering the central portion of the township.

Education
The Branchburg Township School District serves public school students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of three schools, had an enrollment of 1,325 students and 152.7 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 8.7:1. Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are Whiton Elementary School with 544 students in grades Pre-K–3, Stony Brook School with 287 students in grades 4–5 and Branchburg Central Middle School with 486 students in grades 6–8.

The public secondary school serving Branchburg for ninth through twelfth grades is Somerville High School, which students attend as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Somerville Public Schools. As of the 2020–2021 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 1,155 students and 92.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.6:1.

Midland School is a non-profit special education school serving the individual social, emotional, academic and career needs of children with developmental disabilities. The school serves 245 students, ranging in age from 5 to 21 years old, from central and northern New Jersey.

Branchburg Township is the home of the main campus of Raritan Valley Community College.

Roads and highways
, the township had a total of 113.08 mi of roadways, of which 87.96 mi were maintained by the municipality, 18.74 mi by Somerset County and 6.38 mi by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Branchburg Township is centrally located with access to major roadways and highways. U.S. Route 202 and U.S. Route 22 travel through the township with easy passage to Interstate 78, Interstate 287, Garden State Parkway, and Route 206, enabling residents to travel to New York City and Philadelphia within one hour.

Rail and Public transportation
NJ Transit train service between Branchburg and New York City is available on the Raritan Valley Line at the North Branch station (located on Station Road), which offers limited daily service and no weekend trains. The Raritan Valley Line has weekly service from North Branch Station to Newark Penn Station, where connections can be made to Pennsylvania Station in Midtown Manhattan.

The Norfolk Southern Railway's Lehigh Line (formerly the mainline of the Lehigh Valley Railroad), runs through Branchburg.

NJ Transit offers bus service to and from Newark on the 65 line with local service on the 884 route.

Trans-Bridge Lines offers bus service between New Hope, Pennsylvania, and New York City, with a stop at the Municipal Park-and-Ride facility on Route 202 North on a daily basis, with westbound service on the Doylestown route to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and eastbound to Newark Liberty International Airport and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan.

Transport of New Jersey bus service between New York City and Allentown, Pennsylvania, is available on a daily basis.

Newark Liberty International Airport is located approximately 35 mi northeast of Branchburg. Also within driving distance are Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE, formerly Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton International Airport) near Allentown, Pennsylvania, John F. Kennedy International Airport and La Guardia Airport in New York, as well as the Trenton-Mercer Airport near Trenton and Princeton in Mercer County.

Points of interest
The South Branch Schoolhouse, located on South Branch Road, is a one-room schoolhouse built in 1873, the last one-room school house in use in the county. Its purpose was to educate children in grades 1–8 from Branchburg and Hillsborough townships. It was closed in 1965. In 2007 the schoolhouse was renovated to add the bell tower back onto the top of the building. Also known as the Little Red Schoolhouse, it is now owned by the township of Branchburg. Notable students at the Little Red Schoolhouse include opera star and Edison protégé Anna Case and Marion Van Fleet, the mother of actor Lee Van Cleef. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005 for its significance in architecture and education.

The Neshanic Station Historic District was added to the NRHP in 2016 for its significance in community development. It includes the Neshanic Station Lenticular Truss Bridge crossing the South Branch Raritan River.

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

 * Christopher Bateman (born 1957), member of the New Jersey Senate representing the 16th Legislative District, who served as mayor of Branchburg in 1986
 * Raymond Bateman (1927–2016), politician, who represented Somerset County in the New Jersey Senate in the 1960s and 1970s and was the Republican candidate for Governor of New Jersey in 1977
 * Frank Chapot (1932–2016), Olympic silver medalist equestrian
 * Jeffrey Chiesa (born 1965), New Jersey Attorney General who was named to the United States Senate to fill Frank Lautenberg's vacant seat on an interim basis from June 2013 until the October 2013 special election, when Cory Booker took office
 * Robert Cox (1813–1890), politician who served in the Michigan House of Representatives
 * Denise Coyle (born 1953), member of the New Jersey General Assembly from 2008 to 2012 who served as mayor of Branchburg in 1993
 * Anthony Gargiulo (born 1984), defensive end who played in the Canadian Football League for the Calgary Stampeders
 * Bob Masterson (1915–1994), American football end who played in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins
 * Brendan O'Hare, comedian known for his absurdist humor and podcast, This Is Branchburg

title: Branchburg, New Jersey