Montgomery Township, New Jersey
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Montgomery Township is a Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 17,481. The Census Bureau's 2004 population estimate for Montgomery Township is 22,287, which represents growth of over 130% since the 1990 Census population figure of 9,612.
Montgomery Township was incorporated as a one of New Jersey's initial 104 townships by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798, from what remained of Western precinct. Portions of the township were taken to form Princeton borough (February 11, 1813, in Mercer County) and Rocky Hill (December 18, 1889).[1]
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[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 84.5 km² (32.6 mi²), all land.
There are several hamlets within the Township: Belle Mead, Blawenburg, Bridgepoint, Dutchtown, Fairview, Harlingen, Plainville, Rocky Hill, Skillman, Stoutsburg and Zion.[2]
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 2,648 |
|
|
| 1940 | 3,360 | 26.9% | |
| 1950 | 3,819 | 13.7% | |
| 1960 | 3,851 | 0.8% | |
| 1970 | 6,353 | 65.0% | |
| 1980 | 7,360 | 15.9% | |
| 1990 | 9,612 | 30.6% | |
| 2000 | 17,481 | 81.9% | |
| historical data source: [3] | |||
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 17,481 people, 5,803 households, and 4,781 families residing in the township. The population density was 206.9/km² (535.9/mi²). There were 6,130 housing units at an average density of 72.6/km² (187.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 84.55% White, 2.07% African-American, 0.09% Native American, and 11.52% Asian American. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.21% of the population.
There were 5,803 households out of which 51.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.5% were married couples living together, 5.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.6% were non-families. 14.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.33.
In the township the population was spread out with 32.9% under the age of 18, 3.9% from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 6.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $118,850, and the median income for a family was $129,150. 70.20% of the residents have a college education or better, and 89.8% are white collar. Males had a median income of $86,687 versus $55,441 for females. The per capita income for the township was $48,699. About 1.4% of families and 1.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.2% of those under age 18 and 1.3% of those age 65 or over.
Rocky Hill, a separately incorporated borough of Montgomery, has a population of 658 people. The median age is 44 years. The median household income is $79,469 per year. 25% are single households, while 66.3% are married households. The percentage of families (households with children) is 69.1%. The average household size is 2.28 people. 59.7% are college or better, and 79.8% are white collar.
[edit] Government
[edit] Local government
Members of the Montgomery Township Committee are Mayor Cecilia Xie Birge, Deputy Mayor Louise Wilson, Mark Caliguire, Brad Fay and John Warms[4].
In 2006, Cecilia Birge, a Democrat, and Mark Caliguire, a Republican, both won re-election.
On January 4, 2007, Cecilia Xie Birge was selected as Mayor by the Montgomery Township Committee, becoming what may be "the first Chinese-American female mayor in the history of New Jersey". After five consecutive terms a s Mayor, Louise Wilson was selected to serve as the township's Deputy Mayor.[5]
[edit] Federal, state and county representation
Montgomery Township is in the Seventh Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 16th Legislative District.[6]
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] Education
The Montgomery Township School District is a comprehensive public school district that serves students in Kindergarten through 12th grade. With the opening of the new high school building in 2005, the new school grade configuration is Orchard Hill Elementary School (Kindergarten through grade two), Village Elementary School (grades three and four), Montgomery Lower Middle School (grades five and six), Montgomery Upper Middle School (grades seven and eight) and Montgomery High School (grades nine through twelve).
Montgomery Township is one of the fastest growing school districts in New Jersey. In September 1992, the K-12 enrollment was 1,590 compared to 4,924 in September 2005. This represents a tripling of enrollment in eleven years. Continued enrollment growth is projected, with the district expected to reach 6,000 students in 2008.
Rocky Hill, which was the first village in the Township, is now a separately incorporated borough whose children attend Montgomery Township schools as part of a sending/receiving relationship.
[edit] History
The area of present day Montgomery Township was a part of Lenni Lenape Native American lands, later was a rural farmland during colonial times and during the American Revolutionary War was a crossroads of history. The area was named Montgomery Township after General Brigadier Richard Montgomery. It is located in the southern tip of Somerset County in New Jersey and is situated between the Millstone River Valley and the Sourland Mountains. The Township is approximately 60 minutes from New York City, 75 minutes from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and 15 minutes from downtown Princeton.
The Township has a rich, varied history and culture as a number of English, Dutch, German and other settlers settled in the area. There were several prominent Montgomery residents who served as "Freeholders of the Western Precinct" in the 1790s with names of families such as Voorhees, Blew, Stryker, Stockton, Hageman, Skillman, Sutpen, Updike, Stout, Beekman, Trehune, VanPelt, Duryea and Hunt with Dr. John Witherspoon as head of the Council.
The Township first became involved in the military movements of the American Revolutionary War as General George Washington traveled across this part of New Jersey in the first week of December, 1776. Between 1776 and 1783, General Washington spent considerable amount of time around this area and he frequently visited his friend John Van Horne at his manor house just west of present Montgomery Avenue. Rockingham in Rocky Hill was Washington's headquarters in 1783 while he attended the Continental Congress session in Princeton. The Township is also the home of many of the farms, dwellings and houses that were built around the 1800s. The Montgomery Center for the Arts is located in one of these houses, called 'The 1860 House' which was constructed in the late Greek Revival architecture style. Of particular importance are the rustic stone bridges that exist in the area.
The Dirck Gulick House, a one-and-one half story Dutch vernacular building constructed in the mid-eighteenth century, is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The area of Montgomery Township was reduced when Mercer County was formed in 1838, at which time the southern end of the municipality was ceded to Princeton Township. Transportation was a major industry in Montgomery Township during the 19th Century. The Delaware and Raritan Canal was constructed on the municipality's eastern border with Franklin Township during the 1830s. The railroad arrived in the 1870s; first the short-lived Mercer and Somerset Railroad and then the Central Railroad of New Jersey had stops in several local villages. Today the railroad is used only for freight traffic.
In the late 20th Century, Montgomery Township evolved into a primarily residential community, along with industrial zones and corporate office properties while retaining large tracts of open spaces and "Green Acres."
[edit] Municipal Court
The Montgomery Township Municipal Court hears all motor vehicle, disorderly persons offenses, weights/measures complaints, fish & game violations, local ordinance violations and citizen complaints. (i.e. Simple Assault; Shoplifting; Criminal Mischief) The goal of the Court is to ensure that every person is treated with respect and given a fair trial or experience in Municipal Court. Usual Court sessions are the 1st, 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m., and the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 4:30 p.m.
[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. 224.
- ^ New Jersey Localities, accessed September 9, 2006
- ^ New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990. Retrieved on 2007-03-03.
- ^ Montgomery Township Elected Officials, accessed January 10, 2007
- ^ Birge succeeds Wilson as Montgomery mayor, Princeton Packet by Jake Uitti, January 5, 2007
- ^ League of Women Voters: 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, p. 61, accessed August 30, 2006
[edit] External links
- Montgomery Township website
- Montgomery Township School District
- Montgomery Township School District's 2005-06 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- National Center for Education Statistics data for the Montgomery Township School District
- The Montgomery News website, the hometown newspaper
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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 | |
