Monthly Archives: October 2022

Well known as the “Hub of Morris County” for its strategic location along major transportation routes at the center of the county.[1] Denville is notably home to an “eclectic downtown” in addition to four membership lake communities developed a century ago as summer colonies.[22]

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).[22] The township’s name derives from springs and brooks in the area.[23]

The name Weehawken is generally considered to have evolved from the Algonquian language Lenape spoken by the Hackensack and Tappan. It has variously been interpreted as “maize land”, “place of gulls”, “rocks that look like trees”, which would refer to the Palisades, atop which most of the town sits, or “at the end”, among other suggested translations.[15][16][17]

As of the 2010 United States Census, the township’s population was 16,773,[9][10][11] reflecting an increase of 992 (+6.3%) from the 15,781 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 4,249 (+36.8%) from the 11,532 counted in the 1990 Census.[23]

The township dates back to February 20, 1700, when the area was still part of Burlington County. One of the earliest European settlers before 1710 was George Woolsey, formerly of Jamaica, Queens, whose father was one of the earliest pre-1650 settlers of what was New Amsterdam. His descendants maintained the family farm for over 200 years.[23]

The borough was originally formed on July 20, 1891, as the Borough of Schraalenburgh from portions of Harrington Township and Palisades Township, based on the results of a referendum held the previous day.[21] The borough was formed during the “Boroughitis” phenomenon then sweeping through Bergen County, in which 26 boroughs were formed in the county in 1894 alone.[22] On March 7, 1898, portions of the borough were annexed to Palisades Township.[23] On June 13, 1898, the borough’s name was changed to Dumont in honor of Dumont Clarke, the borough’s first mayor.[21][24][25][26]

Delran Township was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 12, 1880, from portions of Cinnaminson Township. Portions of the township were taken to create Riverside Township on February 20, 1895.[21]

The township is situated in the westernmost part of Morris County bordering both Hunterdon and Warren counties. It is located within the Raritan Valley region and is one of six municipalities (five of which are townships) in the state of New Jersey with the name “Washington Township”.[19] Washington Borough, in fact is only 10 miles (16 km) away. Additionally, Washington Borough is surrounded by another municipality that is also called Washington Township in Warren County.

Dover is a majority minority community, with nearly 70% of the population as of the 2010 Census identifying themselves as Hispanic, up from 25% in 1980.[20]

“The time and circumstances under which the name South Orange originated will probably never be known,” wrote historian William H. Shaw in 1884, “and we are obliged to fall back on a tradition, that Mr. Nathan Squier first used the name in an advertisement offering wood for sale” in 1795.[22] Other sources attribute the derivation for all of The Oranges to King William III, Prince of Orange.[23]