The borough of Spring Lake Heights was formed by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 19, 1927, from portions of Wall Township, based on the results of a referendum held on May 3, 1927.[21] The borough was named for Spring Lake, which was named for a clear spring-fed lake.[22][23][24]
Hampton Township was formed from portions of Sussex County by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 11, 1864.[18] The township was named for Jonathan Hampton, who donated land in 1769 to the Episcopal Church of Newton.[19] State legislator Robert Hamilton, an Episcopalian, appreciated Hampton’s generosity, and gave the township its name.[20] Portions of the township were taken on February 24, 1904, to form Fredon Township.[18]
Franklin, known as the “Fluorescent Mineral Capital of the World,”[22] is located over a rich ore body containing more than 150 minerals, many of them fluorescent and 25 of which are found nowhere else on earth. Settled in the 17th century, the village known as Franklin Furnace after Benjamin Franklin,[23][24][25] developed near iron mines and iron smelting operations located along the Wallkill River. In the early 19th century, zinc deposits in the area began to be developed commercially. For most of the century many small companies mined zinc and iron in the Franklin area. In 1897 all zinc mining efforts merged into the New Jersey Zinc Company, which was a major controlling factor in the development of Franklin. Immigrants from Russia, Britain, Hungary and Poland joined the work force at the mine. The population, 500 in 1897, had swelled to 3,000 by 1913. On March 18, 1913, the Borough of Franklin was incorporated from portions of Hardyston Township, based on the results of a referendum held on April 23, 1913.[26]
Greenwich Township was first formed on March 1, 1695, and was formally incorporated as one of New Jersey’s initial group of 104 townships by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798. Over the centuries, portions of the township were taken to form Woolwich Township (March 7, 1767), Franklin Township (January 27, 1820), Spicer Township (March 13, 1844; now Harrison Township), Mantua Township (February 23, 1853), East Greenwich Township (February 10, 1881) and Paulsboro (March 2, 1904).[21] The township was named for Greenwich, England.[22]
The borough is known for the Mendham Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places with notable landmarks that include the Phoenix House, which serves as the borough’s municipal building, and the historic Black Horse Inn and Tavern.[22] New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Mendham Borough as the number one place to live in the state in its 2013 rankings of the “Best Places to Live” in New Jersey.[23]
Demarest was formed by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 8, 1903, from portions of Harrington Township and Palisades Township.[21][22] The borough was named for the Demarest family[23] and for the Demarest train station, which had in turn been named for Ralph S. Demarest, who was a director of the Northern Railroad of New Jersey that built the station and represented the area in both the New Jersey General Assembly and the New Jersey Senate in the mid-19th century.[24][25]
Brielle was formed as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 10, 1919, from portions of Wall Township, based on the results of a referendum passed on June 3, 1919.[21] The borough was named for Brielle, a town in the Netherlands.[22]
The Wildwoods is used as a collective term for the four communities located on Wildwood island that have “Wildwood” as part of the municipality name—the Borough of Wildwood Crest, City of Wildwood, Borough of West Wildwood and the City of North Wildwood—together with Diamond Beach, a portion of Lower Township situated on the island.[3][22] The city, and the surrounding communities that share the name, derives its name from the wild flowers found in the area.[23]
Holland Township is located in the northwestern part of Hunterdon County. The Delaware River forms its boundary with Pennsylvania and the Musconetcong River its boundary with Warren County. It was created from Alexandria Township on April 13, 1874, before being dissolved and reabsorbed into Alexandria Township on March 4, 1878. The township was reformed and separated as a municipality of its own again on March 11, 1879. Milford was created on April 15, 1911, from portions of Holland Township, based on the results of a referendum held on May 8, 1911.[20] The township was named by Dutch settlers for Holland.[21]
The town and colony of Salem was laid out in 1675 by John Fenwick and the community was given permission to choose officers in October 1693. It was incorporated on February 21, 1798, as part of the initial group of 104 townships established by the New Jersey Legislature. On February 25, 1858, it was reincorporated as Salem City.[24]