Bernards Township, New Jersey

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Bernards Township is a Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 24,575.

Basking Ridge, Liberty Corner, Lyons and West Millington are ZIP codes and unincorporated areas located within Bernards Township. Martinsville is an unincorporated area split betwen Bernards Township and Bridgewater Township.

Contents 1 Geography 2 History 3 Demographics 4 Government 4.1 Local government 4.2 Federal, state and county representation 5 Education 6 Points of Interest 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 62.2 km² (24.0 mi²). 62.2 km² (24.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.04% is water.

[edit] History

[edit] Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 24,575 people, 9,242 households, and 6,487 families residing in the township. The population density was 395.4/km² (1,023.8/mi²). There were 9,485 housing units at an average density of 152.6/km² (395.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 89.20% White, 1.44% African American, 0.05% Native American, 7.85% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.63% of the population.

There were 9,242 households out of which 37.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.0% were married couples living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the township the population was spread out with 27.7% under the age of 18, 3.2% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $107,204, and the median income for a family was $135,806. Males had a median income of $95,758 versus $60,865 for females. The per capita income for the township was $56,521. About 0.6% of families and 1.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.2% of those under age 18 and 2.9% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Government

[edit] Local government

The Bernards Township Committee consists of five members, elected by the public for three-year terms of office. In the Township Committee form of government, all legislative and executive powers of the Township are the responsibility of the Township Committee, except in matters of health. The Mayor is elected by the committee from among its members at the annual Reorganization meeting held in January. In the Township Committee form of government, all members have equal power and may vote on all issues.

Members of the Township Committee are Mayor John Malay, Deputy Mayor Mary Pavlini, John Carpenter, Ali Chaudry, and Carolyn Kelly.^[1]

[edit] Federal, state and county representation

Bernards Township is in the Eleventh Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 16th Legislative District.^[2]

New Jersey's Eleventh Congressional District, covering western portions of Essex County, all of Morris County, and sections of Passaic County, Somerset County and Sussex County, is represented by Rodney Frelinghuysen (R, Harding Township). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Robert 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] Education

Students in Kindergarten through twelfth grade are educated by the Bernards Township School District. The schools in the district (with 2003-04 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) include four K-5 elementary schools — Cedar Hill Elementary School, with 624 students; Liberty Corner Elementary School, with 608 students; Mount Prospect Elementary School, with 628 students; and Oak Street Elementary School, with 608 students (including pre-K) — William Annin Middle School, with 1,198 students in grades 6 - 8; and Ridge High School, with 1,335 students in grades 9 - 12.

The high school mascot is the Ridge Red Devil. Ridge High School was listed in 116th place, the second highest ranked school in New Jersey, in Newsweek's May 8, 2006, issue, listing the Top 1000 High Schools in The United States^[3]. The school was ranked as Number 91 in Newsweek's 2005 survey^[4]. Ridge High School was the 11th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 316 schools statewide, in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2006 cover story on the state's Top Public High Schools^[5].

Pingry School, a private coeducational college preparatory day school, has its upper campus, for grades 7 to 12, located in Martinsville.

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[edit] Points of Interest

• The Devil's Tree - A solitary, somewhat sickly-looking oak tree in a field off Mountain Road in the southern corner of the township. The subject of several stories in Weird NJ magazine, it is supposedly the site of hangings and lynchings in the past. Those who do it harm are said to come to it themselves shortly thereafter.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Bernards Township official web site
• Bernards Township School District
• The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills
• Bernards Township School District's 2004-2005 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
• National Center for Education Statistics data for the Bernards Township School District

This box: view • talk • edit Municipalities of Somerset County, New Jersey (County Seat: Somerville)
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