Category Archives: NJ Cities Gates services

Independence Township was originally created on November 11, 1782, from Hardwick Township, while the area was still part of Sussex County, and was incorporated as one of the state’s initial group of 104 townships by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798. Most of Independence Township became part of the newly created Warren County on November 20, 1824, with the remainder becoming part of Green Township in Sussex County. Portions of the township were taken to form Hackettstown (March 9, 1853) and Allamuchy Township (April 4, 1873).[20] The township was named for American independence.[21]

Norwood was formed as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 14, 1905, from portions of Harrington Township.[21]

The borough had the 27th-highest property tax rate in New Jersey, with an equalized rate of 4.179% in 2020, compared to 3.470% in the county as a whole and a statewide average of 2.279%.[19]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

The township has been one of the state’s highest-income communities. Based on data from the 2012–2016 American Community Survey (ACS), NJ.com ranked the township as having the fifth-highest income in the state, with a median household income of $173,473.[20] Based on data from the 2014–2018 ACS, the township residents had a median household income of $162,037, more than double the statewide median of $79,363.[21]

It is part of the New York metropolitan area, as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area. The township may be named for Mendham, Suffolk, England,[21][22] or it may derive from the Native American word mendom (meaning “raspberry”) or for an Earl of Mendham.[23][24]