Harding Township, New Jersey

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Harding Township is a Township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 3,180. The 07976 ZIP Code for New Vernon was named one of the "25 Richest Zip Codes" in the United States by Forbes magazine in 2006.[1]

Contents

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 53.0 km² (20.5 mi²). 52.9 km² (20.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.20%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census2 of 2000, there were 3,180 people, 1,180 households, and 940 families residing in the township. The population density was 60.1/km² (155.6/mi²). There were 1,243 housing units at an average density of 23.5/km² (60.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 97.20% White, 0.41% African American, 1.07% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 1.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.79% of the population.

There were 1,180 households out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.3% were married couples living together, 5.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.3% were non-families. 17.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% 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 3.03.

In the township the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 3.6% from 18 to 24, 21.9% from 25 to 44, 32.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.9 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $111,297, and the median income for a family was $128,719. Males had a median income of $95,737 versus $57,308 for females. The per capita income for the township was $72,689. None of the families and 1.1% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 3.3% of those over 64.

[edit] Government

[edit] Local government

The Township of Harding operates under the “township” form of government. This is the oldest form of municipal government in New Jersey, having been first established by the Township Act of 1798. The township form of government is “government by committee,” with the legislative and executive responsibilities of the municipality vested in the township committee as a whole. The committee establishes policies for the administration of the various departments and appoints the township administrator, who is responsible for carrying out those policies and overseeing the day to day operations of the township.

The township committee members are elected officials whose three year terms of office begin on January 1 following their election at the November general election. At the reorganization meeting during the first seven days of January, the township committee elects one of its number to be the mayor and a second members as deputy mayor. Eleven standing committees are appointed at the reorganization meeting including Planning, Zoning & Legal; Finance & Insurance; Public Safety; Public Works and Building; Personnel; Recreation Commission; Freeholder Liaison; Glen Alpin Steering Liaison; School Board Liaison; Open Space Liaison; and Board of Health Liaison. Two members of the township committee serve on each standing committee and provide oversight to the departments.

Members of the Harding Township Committee are Committee Chair John R. Murray, III (serves as Mayor), Committee Vice-Chair Epsey C. Farrell (serves as Deputy Mayor), Donald C. Dinsmore, Louis J. Lanzerotti, and Mary Prendergast.[2]

[edit] Federal, state and county representation

Harding Township is in the Eleventh Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 21st Legislative District.[3]

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 21st legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Thomas Kean Jr. (R, Westfield) and in the Assembly by Jon Bramnick (R, Westfield) and Eric Munoz (R, Summit). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).

Morris County is governed by a seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders. Morris County's Freeholders are: Margaret Nordstrom (Freeholder Director), John Inglesino (Freeholder Deputy Director), Douglas R. Cabana, Frank J. Druetzler, Cecilia G. Laureys John J. Murphy and Jack Schrier.

[edit] Education

The Harding Township School serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade.

For grades 9-12, students attend Madison High School in Madison, as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Madison Public Schools.

[edit] History

Much of what is now known as Harding was an agricultural community with roots stretching as far back as the early 1700s. Bypassed by turnpikes, canals, and railroads, Harding remained a rural backwater. For almost two centuries, Harding’s open and rolling landscapes reflected its agricultural use, as land had been cleared for cattle pastures, orchards, and fields of grain. The Great Swamp and the slopes near Jockey Hollow also were used by local farmers for wood supply. The communities of New Vernon, Logansville, Pleasantville, and Green Village were the centers of this agricultural community; it was not unusual for villages to have a store and post office, a school of one or two rooms, churches, blacksmiths, and sometimes a tavern.

Wealthy city residents in search of rural tranquility bought great swaths of farmland, enlarged old farmhouses and landscaped the grounds. Several estate owners, desirous of better roads and wishing to deter suburban development, led the movement to form Harding Township. And so, in 1922 the township was created from the northern half of what was then called Passaic Township (present day Long Hill Township) and named after the incumbent President of the United States, Warren G. Harding.

The desire to preserve Harding’s rural character was quite evident by 1928. An unusual private land preservation effort was begun with the New Vernon Neighborhood Restrictive Agreement, when several estate owners convinced many others to place restrictive covenants on their land. This pre-zoning, voluntary effort to limit development and save the pastoral qualities of over 1000 acres (4 km²) across Harding Township influenced subsequent zoning codes and helped preserve the landscape to the present day.

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Most Expensive ZIP Codes 2006, Forbes magazine April 21, 2006
  2. ^ Harding Township Committee, accessed October 24, 2006
  3. ^ League of Women Voters: 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, p. 55, accessed August 30, 2006

[edit] External links

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Municipalities of Morris County, New Jersey
(County Seat: Morristown)
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CDPs and other Communities Budd Lake | Cedar Knolls | Cedar Lake | Convent Station | Flanders | Green Village | Lake Swannanoa | Landing | Lake Telemark | Long Valley | New Vernon | Port Morris | Stirling | Succasunna-Kenvil | Towaco | Whippany | White Meadow Lake
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