Hunterdon County, New Jersey
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| Hunterdon County, New Jersey | |
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| Map | |
 Location in the state of New Jersey |
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 New Jersey's location in the U.S. |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | 1714 |
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| Seat | Flemington |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
438 sq mi (1,134 km²) 430 sq mi (1,114 km²) 8 sq mi (21 km²), 1.79% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
121,989 285/sq mi (110/km²) |
| Website: www.co.hunterdon.nj.us | |
Hunterdon County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2000 Census, the population is 121,989. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Flemington[1].
Hunterdon County ranks as the 13th among the highest-income counties in the United States with a per capita income of $36,370. It ranks fourth among U.S. counties for household income according to the most recent U.S. Census. Hunterdon County's median household income was $93,342, behind only Fairfax and Loudoun and Howard. As of 2005, Hunterdon had the third-highest median property tax of any county in the nation at $6,988, the highest in New Jersey[2][3]. As of the Tax Foundation's rankings based on 2006 data, Hunterdon had taken the top spot for highest median property tax at $7,999.[4][5]
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[edit] General
Transitioning from rural to suburban, Hunterdon County is an exurb on the western edge of New Jersey and home to commuters to New York City and Philadelphia. The county seat, Flemington, is noted for the Lindbergh kidnapping trial which convicted Bruno Hauptmann of the murder of aviator Charles Lindbergh's son. With growing towns and shopping areas, as well as relaxing rural areas, Hunterdon County is a far stretch from the urban areas associated with New Jersey.
[edit] Politics
Hunterdon County is fiscally conservative and socially moderate. It is one of the most Republican areas of New Jersey. George W. Bush beat John F. Kerry by 20 points in the 2004 presidential election in Hunterdon County, even though he lost New Jersey by 7 points [1]. Hunterdon County is represented exclusively by Republican Freeholders and the majority of township committee and borough council seats are held by Republicans.
[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 438 square miles (1,134 km²), of which, 430 square miles (1,114 km²) of it is land and 8 square miles (20 km²) of it (1.79%) is water.
Much of the county is hilly, the ground rising up slowly from the Delaware River. The highest points are two areas in Lebanon Township, one on the Morris County line, both reaching at least 1,060 feet (323 m) above sea level. The lowest elevation is where the Mercer County line reaches the Delaware River, approximately 40 feet (12 m) above sea level.
[edit] Adjacent counties
- Warren County, New Jersey - north
- Morris County, New Jersey - northeast
- Somerset County, New Jersey - east
- Mercer County, New Jersey - southeast
- Bucks County, Pennsylvania - west
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1790 | 20,153 |
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| 1800 | 21,261 | 5.5% | |
| 1810 | 24,556 | 15.5% | |
| 1820 | 28,604 | 16.5% | |
| 1830 | 31,060 | 8.6% | |
| 1840 | 24,789 | * | -20.2% |
| 1850 | 28,990 | 16.9% | |
| 1860 | 33,654 | 16.1% | |
| 1870 | 36,963 | 9.8% | |
| 1880 | 38,570 | 4.3% | |
| 1890 | 35,355 | -8.3% | |
| 1900 | 34,507 | -2.4% | |
| 1910 | 33,569 | -2.7% | |
| 1920 | 32,885 | -2.0% | |
| 1930 | 34,728 | 5.6% | |
| 1940 | 36,766 | 5.9% | |
| 1950 | 42,736 | 16.2% | |
| 1960 | 54,107 | 26.6% | |
| 1970 | 69,718 | 28.9% | |
| 1980 | 87,361 | 25.3% | |
| 1990 | 107,776 | 23.4% | |
| 2000 | 121,989 | 13.2% | |
| Est. 2006 | 130,783 | [6] | 7.2% |
| * lost territory historical census data source: [7][8] |
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As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 121,989 people, 43,678 households, and 32,845 families residing in the county. The population density was 284 people per square mile (110/km²). There were 45,032 housing units at an average density of 105 per square mile (40/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.91% White, 2.25% Black or African American, 0.14% Native American, 1.92% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.75% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. 2.76% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 18.7% were of Italian, 17.3% German, 14.5% Irish, 8.4% English, 7.3% Polish and 5.1% American ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 43,678 households out of which 37.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.30% were married couples living together, 6.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.80% were non-families. 20.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the county the population was spread out with 25.70% under the age of 18, 5.80% from 18 to 24, 31.30% from 25 to 44, 27.10% from 45 to 64, and 10.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.30 males.
Hunterdon County's median income for a household was $79,888, which makes it the fourth highest county in the country based on median household income. Median income for a family was $91,050. Males had a median income of $61,888 versus $40,852 for females. The per capita income for the county was $36,370, which ranks as the thirteenth highest county in the country based on per capita income. About 1.60% of families and 2.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.10% of those under age 18 and 4.20% of those age 65 or over. As of October 2007, Hunterdon County now has the highest median property taxes in the United States.
[edit] Government
Hunterdon County is governed by a five-member Board of Chosen Freeholders. The members are elected at large on a staggered basis to serve three-year terms of office, with the three-year term of office starts (and ends) on January 1.
The Freeholder Board is the center of legislative and administrative responsibility and, as such, performs a dual role. As legislators they draw up and adopt a budget, and in the role of administrators they are responsible for spending the funds they have appropriated.
As of 2008, Hunterdon County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Erik Peterson (Milford), Freeholder Deputy Director William Mennen (Tewksbury Township), Matt Holt (Clinton Town), George B. Melick (Tewksbury Township) and Ronald Sworen (Frenchtown).[10]
[edit] Municipalities
The following municipalities are located in Hunterdon County. The municipality type is listed in parentheses after the name, except where the type is included as part of the name. Census-designated places and other unincorporated communities are listed under their municipalities.
- Alexandria Township
- Bethlehem Township
- Bloomsbury (borough)
- Califon (borough)
- Clinton Township
- Clinton (town)
- Delaware Township
- East Amwell Township
- Flemington (borough)
- Franklin Township
- Frenchtown (borough)
- Glen Gardner (borough)
- Hampton (borough)
- High Bridge (borough)
- Holland Township
- Kingwood Township
- Lambertville (city)
- Lebanon Township
- Lebanon (borough)
- Milford (borough)
- Raritan Township
- Readington Township
- Stockton (borough)
- Tewksbury Township
- Union Township
- West Amwell Township
[edit] Points of interest
- Hunterdon County Arboretum
- Solitude House Museum / Solitude Dam /Taylor's Falls / TISCO Headquarters 1742 in High Bridge, New Jersey
- The Red Mill (in Clinton, New Jersey)
[edit] Notable residents
- Jack Cust, MLB Player for the Oakland Athletics
- Troy Glaus, MLB Player for the St. Louis Cardinals.
- Merv Griffin, producer of many game and talk shows, owned and lived on a farm in Califon, New Jersey
- William Kirkpatrick, (1769-1832), born in Amwell, physician and United States Congressman from New York [11]
- James W. Marshall, discoverer of gold at Sutter's Mill in California in 1848.
- Gary Vaynerchuk, Host of Wine Library TV
- Joe Piscopo, Former Saturday Night Live cast member
[edit] References
- ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Suburbs Near NYC Have Highest Tax Bills, Newsday, October 4, 2006
- ^ Property Taxes on Owner Occupied Housing by County, 2005, Tax Foundation, accessed October 4, 2006
- ^ Woolsey, Matt. "America's Priciest Property Taxes", Forbes, October 3, 2007. Accessed January 11, 2008. "The hardest hit? Homeowners in western New Jersey's Hunterdon County. Last year, the median yearly property tax bill amounted to a whopping $7,999 here, according to the Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan research group in Washington, D.C, which compiled data based on 2006 figures."
- ^ New York, New Jersey Homeowners Nation's Hardest Hit by Property Taxes, Tax Foundation press release dated September 12, 2007. Accessed January 11, 2008.
- ^ QuickFacts: Hunterdon County, New Jersey. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2007-10-27.
- ^ New Jersey Resident Population by County: 1880 - 1930.
- ^ Geostat Center: Historical Census Browser. University of Virginia Library. Retrieved on 2007-03-02.
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Hunterdon County Board of Chosen Freeholders, accessed February 22, 2008.
- ^ (1963) Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Hunterdon County Official Website
- Map of Hunterdon County
- Hunterdon Land Trust Alliance
- HunterdonCountry.com
- River Ballet Company
- OurHunterdon.com
- Hunterdon County Obituary Collection
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