Pequannock Township, New Jersey

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Pequannock Township is a Township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 13,888.

Pequannock Township includes neighborhoods known as Pequannock and Pompton Plains, each of which is served by their own separate post office.

Pequannock (in the name of the Township and of the Pequannock River) is thought to have been derived from the Lenni Lenape Native American word "Paquettahhnuake", meaning, "cleared land ready or being readied for cultivation".[1] Pompton has been cited by some sources to mean "a place where they catch soft fish."[2]

Contents

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 18.7 km² (7.2 mi²). 18.3 km² (7.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (1.94%) is water.

The Township of Pequannock is located in eastern Morris County, along Route 23, approximately 5 miles north of the interchange of Route 23 with Interstate 80 and U.S. Route 46. Interstate 287 crosses the northwest corner of the Township, with a full interchange just north of the Township in the Borough of Riverdale.

[edit] History

Incorporated in 1740 as one of the largest townships in the region, this 6.96 square mile bedroom community composed of Pompton Plains in its northern portion and old Pequannock in its southern was once a vast 176 square mile region of rural farmland settled by the Dutch after its purchase by Arent Schuyler and associates in 1695 & 1696. The name for the area goes back at least as far as 1720 when it was referred to as a "Precinct" in Hunterdon County.

Over time, towns were split off from the township:

During the American Revolutionary War, both Comte de Rochambeau & George Washington's troops camped on what is now the site of the Pequannock Valley Middle School. While Washington stayed at the Schuyler-Colfax House in nearby Pompton, he did attend church services in the First Reformed Church located in Pompton Plains, also known as the Pompton Meeting House which had been constructed in 1771. The Mandeville Inn, located on the site of where the Soldiers had camped during the war, was built in 1788 and was once owned by Garret Hobart, later Vice President of the United States. The stone with the engraved date is now located inside the Pequannock Valley Middle School when the Inn was demolished and replaced with the school in 1950.

During the Civil War, Pequannock was a stop on the underground railroad. The Giles Mandeville House (also built in 1788), a field and quarry-stone structure located at 515 Turnpike, which served as a waypoint for many runaway slaves, still stands today in use as the Manse of the adjacent First Reformed Church since 1953.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census2 of 2000, there were 13,888 people, 5,026 households, and 3,829 families residing in the township. The population density was 758.4/km² (1,965.1/mi²). There were 5,097 housing units at an average density of 278.4/km² (721.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 96.60% White, 0.30% African American, 0.12% Native American, 1.91% Asian, 0.50% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.94% of the population.

There were 5,026 households out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.5% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.8% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% 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 3.23.

In the township the population was spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $72,729, and the median income for a family was $84,487. Males had a median income of $61,093 versus $38,523 for females. The per capita income for the township was $31,892. About 2.5% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.4% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Government

[edit] Local government

The Township operates under a Council-Manager Plan E form of government under the Faulkner Act, which was instituted in 1957. The voters elect five councilpersons who in turn elect one of their number to serve as Mayor. The Township Council employs a professional public Manager to serve as the Township Manager; the Township Manager is the Chief Executive and Administrative Officer of the Township.[3]

Pequannock's Township Council consists of Mayor Ruth E. Spellman and Deputy Mayor Jay Vanderhoff, Edward G. Engelbart, Nick Kapotes and Paul Hollick.[4]

[edit] Federal, state and county representation

Pequannock Township is in the Eleventh Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 26th Legislative District.[5]

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 26th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Robert Martin (R, Morris Plains) and in the Assembly by Alex DeCroce (R, Morris Plains) and Joseph Pennacchio (R, Morris Plains). 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 Pequannock Township School District serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. The district is made up of three K-5 elementary schools (Stephen J. Gerace, Hillview and North Boulevard), Pequannock Valley Middle School, and Pequannock Township High School for grades 9-12

[edit] Notable residents

Some notable former and current residents include:

[edit] References

  1. ^ Morris County profile of Pequannock Township, accessed November 9, 2006
  2. ^ Town Information - Pequannock, accessed November 9, 2006
  3. ^ Pequannock Township, accessed July 8, 2006
  4. ^ Township Council 2006, accessed July 7, 2006
  5. ^ League of Women Voters: 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, p. 62, accessed August 30, 2006

[edit] External links

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Municipalities of Morris County, New Jersey
(County Seat: Morristown)
Boroughs

Butler | Chatham | Chester | Florham Park | Kinnelon | Lincoln Park | Madison | Mendham | Morris Plains | Mount Arlington | Mountain Lakes | Netcong | Rockaway | Riverdale | Victory Gardens | Wharton
Towns Boonton | Dover | Morristown
Townships Boonton | Chatham | Chester | Denville | East Hanover | Hanover | Harding | Jefferson | Long Hill | Mendham | Mine Hill | Montville | Mount Olive | Morris | Parsippany-Troy Hills | Pequannock | Randolph | Rockaway | Roxbury | Washington
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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