Branchburg Township, New Jersey
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Branchburg Township is a Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 14,566.
Branchburg Township has a history dating back to before the American Revolutionary War. Branchburg Township was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 5, 1845, from portions of Bridgewater Township.[1]
Branchburg ranks seventh in size among Somerset County's twenty-one municipalities, and covers a total area of 20.3 square miles, being eleven miles long and approximately 2 miles across at its widest point. The hamlets of North Branch and Neshanic Station are included within Branchburg Township, which brings the ambiance of small villages and charm to the area.
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[edit] History
The land now known as Branchburg Township was originally inhabited by the Raritans, a tribe of the Lenni Lenape Native Americans. By 1686 most of the land was purchased from the Lenape by the Lords Proprietors of East Jersey. These Proprietors sold the land in small parcels to numerous settlers, mostly of Dutch or English extraction. Branchburg at that time was located in a large area called East Jersey, but more specifically, it encompassed parts of modern day Essex and Middlesex Counties as well as Somerset County. County boundaries were a subject of controversy until 1741 when Somerset County acquired parts of Middlesex and Essex Counties, nearly doubling its size. Due to the expansion of Somerset County, Branchburg finally lay entirely within the County where it is presently located.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 52.5 km² (20.3 mi²), all land.
The Township is bordered on the west by Hunterdon County; on the north by Bedminster Township and on the south by Bridgewater Township and Hillsborough Township. The main watercourses are the Lamington River on the north, the North Branch of the Raritan River on the east and the South Branch of the Raritan River on the east and south. These rivers along with small streams and brooks are excellent for fishermen who enjoy trout stocked streams and rivers.
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 1,084 |
|
|
| 1940 | 1,231 | 13.6% | |
| 1950 | 1,958 | 59.1% | |
| 1960 | 3,741 | 91.1% | |
| 1970 | 5,742 | 53.5% | |
| 1980 | 7,846 | 36.6% | |
| 1990 | 10,888 | 38.8% | |
| 2000 | 14,566 | 33.8% | |
| historical data source: [2] | |||
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 14,566 people, 5,272 households, and 4,064 families residing in the township. The population density was 277.6/km² (719.1/mi²). There were 5,405 housing units at an average density of 103.0/km² (266.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 90.44% White, 1.95% African American, 0.10% Native American, 6.17% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.39% from other races, and 0.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.69% of the population.
There were 5,272 households out of which 39.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.6% were married couples living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.9% were non-families. 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.19.
In the township the population was spread out with 27.3% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 34.6% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.2 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $96,864, and the median income for a family was $110,268. Males had a median income of $70,726 versus $47,786 for females. The per capita income for the township was $41,241. About 1.1% of families and 1.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.4% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Government
[edit] Local government
Members of the Township Committee are Mayor Thomas Young (term ends December 31, 2007), Deputy Mayor John Sanford (2009), Robert Bouwman (2008), James Leonard (2007) and Kate Sarles (2009).[3]
[edit] Federal, state and county representation
Branchburg Township is in the Seventh Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 16th Legislative District.[4]
New Jersey's Seventh Congressional District, covering portions of Hunterdon County, Middlesex County, Somerset County and Union County, is represented by Mike Ferguson (R). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
The 16th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Walter Kavanaugh (R, Somerville) and in the Assembly by Christopher Bateman (R, Somerville) and Peter J. Biondi (R, Somerville). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).
Somerset County is governed by a five-member Board of Chosen Freeholders. Somerset County's Freeholders are: Freeholder Director Rick Fontana, Freeholder Deputy Director Ken Scherer, Denise Coyle, Peter S. Palmer and Robert Zaborowski.
[edit] Transportation
Branchburg Township is centrally located with access to major roadways and highways. U.S. Route 202 and U.S. Route 22 travel through the township with easy passage to Interstate 78, Interstate 287 and Route 206, enabling residents to travel to New York City and Philadelphia within one hour.
Bus service between New York City and Allentown, Pennsylvania on the Transport of New Jersey bus line is available on a daily service; and service between Clinton, New Jersey and New York City, at the North Branch station (located at Milltown Road in adjacent Bridgewater Township) offers limited daily service and no weekend trains. New Jersey Transit's Raritan Valley Line has weekly service from North Branch Station to Newark and to Phillipsburg, New Jersey. At Newark Penn Station, connections can be made to Pennsylvania Station in Midtown Manhattan.
There is also bus service between New Hope, Pennsylvania and New York City, with a stop at the Municipal Park-and-Ride facility on Route 202 North on a daily basis.
Newark Liberty International Airport is located approximately 35 miles northeast of Branchburg. Also within driving distance are Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE, formerly Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton International Airport) near Allentown, Pennsylvania, John F. Kennedy International Airport and La Guardia Airport in New York, as well as the Mercer-Trenton Airport near Trenton and Princeton in Mercer County.
[edit] Education
Branchburg Township is the home of the main campus of Raritan Valley Community College
The Branchburg Township School District consists of Whiton Elementary School for grades K-2, both Old York School and Stony Brook School for grades 3-5 and Branchburg Central Middle School for grades 6-8.
The public secondary school serving Branchburg for grades 9-12 is Somerville High School, which students attend as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Somerville Public Schools.
[edit] References
- ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 222.
- ^ New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990. Retrieved on 2007-03-03.
- ^ Branchburg Township Committee 2007, accessed January 28, 2007
- ^ League of Women Voters: 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, p. 55, accessed August 30, 2006
[edit] External links
- Branchburg Township official web site
- Branchburg Township School District
- Branchburg Township School District's 2005-06 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- National Center for Education Statistics data for the Branchburg Township School District
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(County seat: Somerville) |
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| Boroughs | Bernardsville | Bound Brook | Far Hills | Manville | Millstone | North Plainfield | Peapack-Gladstone | Raritan | Rocky Hill | Somerville | South Bound Brook | Watchung |  |
| Townships | Bedminster | Bernards | Branchburg | Bridgewater | Franklin | Green Brook | Hillsborough | Montgomery | Warren | |
| Communities | Basking Ridge | Belle Mead | Blackwells Mills | Blawenburg | East Millstone | Flagtown | Griggstown | Harlingen | Lamington | Martinsville | Middlebush | Neshanic | North Branch | Pleasant Plains | Six Mile Run | Somerset | South Branch | Zarephath | |
| Historic houses | Meadows Foundation | Old Dutch Parsonage | Wallace House | |
