Category Archives: NJ Cities Gates services

What is now Maple Shade was originally formed as Chester Township on November 6, 1688, and was known as Cropwell Township from June 5, 1690, through February 22, 1699. Chester was incorporated as one of New Jersey’s initial 104 townships by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798. Portions of the township were taken to form Cinnaminson Township (March 15, 1860) and Moorestown Township (March 11, 1922). The municipality’s name was changed to Maple Shade Township as of November 6, 1945, based on the results of a referendum passed that same day.[22]

Vernon is home to Mountain Creek (formerly Great Gorge and Vernon Valley), a ski resort and water park as well as the Crystal Springs Resort’s Minerals Hotel and Elements Spa. The Hidden Valley ski resort, which opened in 1976 and occupied a 140-acre (57 ha) property that included one of New Jersey’s three remaining downhill skiing facilities, closed at the end of the 2013 season and could find no buyers at an auction held that year;[20] it has since reopened as the National Winter Activity Center. The Great Gorge Playboy Club was located in the Vernon community of McAfee, but was sold and turned into a hotel, now called the Legends Resort & Country Club. Opened in 1972 at a cost of $20 million, featuring 700 rooms and 27 holes of golf, the hotel was sold to Americana in 1982 and later was resold to Metairie Corp. which branded the property as the Legends Resort and Country Club. In 2017, the township started eviction proceedings against low-income residents who had been living in the defunct resort on a permanent basis.[21]

Hawthorne was originally part of the now-defunct Manchester Township, which was later subdivided to create Hawthorne, Haledon, North Haledon, Prospect Park, Totowa, The Heights/Columbia Heights District of Fairlawn and most of the First Ward of Paterson. The Borough of Hawthorne was incorporated from portions of Manchester Township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 24, 1898.[20] The borough was named for novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne.[21][22]

West Deptford Township was formed as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 1, 1871, from portions of Deptford Township. Portions of the township were taken to form the boroughs of National Park (April 15, 1902) and Westville (April 7, 1914).[21] Woodbury annexed portions of the township in May 1907.[22] The township was named for Deptford, which in turn was named after the English port of Deptford.[23][24]

Located within the New Jersey Meadowlands, it is the most suburban of the county’s municipalities, though large parts of the town are dedicated to light manufacturing, retail, and transportation uses, as well as protected areas.[24]

New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Lower Township as its 34th best place to live in its 2008 rankings of the “Best Places To Live” in New Jersey.[21] Geographically, the township is part of the South Jersey region.

NJ Transit rail service is available at the Cranford station, along the Raritan Valley train line, with service to Newark Penn Station and to Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan via Midtown Direct. It is part of the New York City metropolitan area.

Montgomery Township was incorporated on February 21, 1798, as one of New Jersey’s initial group of 104 townships by an act of the New Jersey Legislature, from what remained of Western precinct. Portions of the township were taken to form Princeton Borough (February 11, 1813, in Mercer County, consolidated to form Princeton as of January 1, 2013), Princeton Township (April 9, 1838, also now consolidated into Princeton) and Rocky Hill (December 18, 1889).[21]

Raritan was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 2, 1838, from portions of the now-defunct Amwell Township. Flemington was formed within the township on March 14, 1870, and became an independent borough on April 7, 1910. Portions of the township were ceded to East Amwell Township in 1854 and 1897.[20]

What is now Glassboro was originally formed as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 11, 1878, from portions of Clayton Township. Portions of the township were taken to form Elk Township (April 17, 1891) and Pitman (May 24, 1905). Glassboro was incorporated as a borough on March 18, 1920, replacing Glassboro Township.[22] The borough was named for its glass industry.[23][24][25]