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.[20] The township is named for its location at a point where branches of the Raritan River merge.[21]

Fairview was formed on December 19, 1894, from portions of Ridgefield Township, based on the results of a referendum held the previous day.[20][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] The borough is named for its view of the Hackensack River valley.[23]

[19][20][21][22] As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough’s population was 13,574,[23][24][24][25] reflecting an increase of 734 (+5.7%) from the 12,840 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 36 (+0.3%) from the 12,804 counted in the 1990 Census.[26]

Highland Park was formed as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 15, 1905, when it broke away from what was then known as Raritan Township (present-day Edison).[20] The borough was named for its location above the Raritan River.[21]

As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city’s population was 15,188[23] a decrease from 16,116 in 2010,[24][25][26] reflecting a decline of 814 (−4.8%) from the 16,930 counted in the 2000 census, which had in turn increased by 131 (+0.8%) from the 16,799 counted in the 1990 census.[27]

Mantua Township was formed as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 23, 1853 from portions of Greenwich Township. Portions of the township were taken to form East Greenwich Township (February 10, 1881) and Pitman (May 24, 1905).[21] The township is named after Mantua, in Italy[22] or for a Mantua sub-tribe of the Lenape Native Americans.[23][24]

The Norfolk Southern Railway’s Lehigh Line (formerly the mainline of the Lehigh Valley Railroad with a mix of mainline trackage combined long leased to the Central Railroad of New Jersey by its builder Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company), runs through Phillipsburg on its way cross river to Easton, Pennsylvania. The Belvidere Delaware Railroad was leased in 1871 and later acquired by the Pennsylvania Railroad, connecting the lower Poconos to Trenton, New Jersey and Philadelphia.

Under the terms of an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 23, 1865, Haddon Township was incorporated from portions of Newton Township. The following communities were subsequently created from the Haddon Township: Haddonfield (April 6, 1875), Collingswood (May 22, 1888), Woodlynne (March 19, 1901), Haddon Heights (March 2, 1904), Audubon (March 13, 1905) and Oaklyn (also March 13, 1905).[20] The township was named for early settler Elizabeth Haddon.[21]

The first European settlers in Tenafly were Dutch immigrants, who began to populate the area during the late 17th century. The name “Tenafly” is derived from the early-modern Dutch phrase “Tiene Vly” or “Ten Swamps” which was given by Dutch settlers in 1688.[22][23] Other derivations cite a Dutch-language connection to its location on a meadow.[24][25]

What is now Robbinsville Township was originally incorporated as Washington Township (named for George Washington[24]) by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 15, 1859, from portions of East Windsor Township.[25] On November 6, 2007, voters approved by a vote of 1,816 to 693[26] a measure that changed the township’s name from Washington Township (the name of five other municipalities in New Jersey) to Robbinsville, named after a settlement within the township. The official changeover took place January 1, 2008, as signs and other items with “Washington” on them began to be changed.[27]