Author Archives: njgate

Wantage Township was formed as a precinct on May 30, 1754, from portions of Newton Township. It was incorporated as a township on February 21, 1798, as part of the state’s initial group of 104 townships. Boundary exchanges were made with Frankford Township in both 1826 and 1834. Portions of the township were taken on October 14, 1891 to form the Borough of Deckertown (renamed Sussex borough in 1902).[19] The township was named for Wantage, England.[20]

The Borough of Pine Hill was created on April 23, 1929, from Clementon Township, one of seven municipalities created from the now-defunct township, and one of five new municipalities (including Hi-Nella Borough, Lindenwold Borough, Pine Valley Borough and Somerdale Borough) created on that same date.[22] Earlier known as Mont Ararat or Clementon Heights, the name “Pine Hill” was chosen to reflects the trees and terrain of the area.[23]

Beachwood was incorporated as a Borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 22, 1917, from portions of Berkeley Township, based on the results of a referendum held on April 12, 1917.[19]

The City of Somers Point is in the eastern part of Atlantic County, southwest of Atlantic City.

Ridgefield was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on May 26, 1892, from portions of Ridgefield Township.[21][22] The borough was named for the area’s terrain.[23]

It is the home of Ringwood State Park which contains the New Jersey Botanical Garden at Skylands (plus Skylands Manor), the Shepherd Lake Recreation Area and historic Ringwood Manor.

Bellmawr is home to the main post office for the area, one of the largest in the state of New Jersey, handling an average of 4.5 million pieces of mail daily.[21]

East Greenwich Township was created by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 10, 1881, from the eastern part of Greenwich Township and the western part of Mantua Township.[19]

Wanaque was incorporated as an independent borough on February 23, 1918, when Pompton Township was split up into three boroughs, along with Bloomingdale and Ringwood, and affirmed by a referendum held on March 22, 1918.[23] The borough’s name Wanaque (original pronunciation ‘Wa Na Kee’) is thought to have been derived from a Lenni Lenape Native American word meaning “land of sassafras”.[24][25][26]

Gloucester City was incorporated by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 25, 1868, from the remaining portions of Union Township, which was then dissolved. Additional territory was annexed in 1925 from Centre Township and in 1927 from Haddon Township.[21] The city’s name derives from Gloucester, England.[22][23]