Bedminster Township, New Jersey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bedminster, New Jersey | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Somerset |
| Royal Charter | April 4, 1749 |
| Incorporated | February 21, 1798 |
| Government | |
| - Type | Township (New Jersey) |
| - Mayor | Robert F. Holtaway |
| - Administrator | Susan S. Stanbury[1] |
| Area | |
| - Total | 26.5 sq mi (68.6 km²) |
| - Land | 26.5 sq mi (68.6 km²) |
| - Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²) |
| Elevation [2] | 213 ft (65 m) |
| Population (2006)[3] | |
| - Total | 8,449 |
| - Density | 313.6/sq mi (121.1/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 07921 |
| Area code(s) | 908 |
| FIPS code | 34-04450[4] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0882176[5] |
| Website: http://www.bedminster.us | |
Bedminster Township is a Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 8,302.
Bedminster Township was created by Royal Charter on April 4, 1749, from portions of the Northern precinct. It was formally incorporated by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798. Portions of the township were taken on March 28, 1912, to form Peapack-Gladstone.[6] The village of Pluckemin is also part of the township.
Bedminster was the corporate headquarters of AT&T, prior to its merger with SBC Communications (now known as AT&T Inc.). It was also the corporate headquarters for Verizon Wireless before it was relocated to nearby Basking Ridge in 2006.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 26.5 square miles (68.6 km²), all of it land.
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 1,374 |
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| 1940 | 1,606 | 16.9% | |
| 1950 | 1,613 | 0.4% | |
| 1960 | 2,322 | 44.0% | |
| 1970 | 2,597 | 11.8% | |
| 1980 | 2,469 | -4.9% | |
| 1990 | 7,086 | 187.0% | |
| 2000 | 8,302 | 17.2% | |
| Est. 2006 | 8,449 | [3] | 1.8% |
| Population 1930 - 1990.[7] | |||
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 8,302 people, 4,235 households, and 2,100 families residing in the township. The population density was 313.6 people per square mile (121.1/km²). There were 4,467 housing units at an average density of 168.7/sq mi (65.2/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 90.05% White, 1.75% African American, 0.11% Native American, 6.41% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.83% from other races, and 0.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.84% of the population.
There were 4,235 households out of which 20.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.8% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.4% were non-families. 44.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.96 and the average family size was 2.76.
In the township the population was spread out with 17.8% under the age of 18, 3.8% from 18 to 24, 40.3% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 85.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.1 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $71,550, and the median income for a family was $96,890. Males had a median income of $71,136 versus $48,589 for females. The per capita income for the township was $53,549. About 1.9% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Government
[edit] Local government
Bedminster Township is governed under the Township form of New Jersey Municipal government by a five-member Township Committee. Members are elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with one or two seats coming up for election each year. At an annual reorganization meeting held during the first week of January, the committee selects one of its members to serve as mayor.[8]
Members of the Bedminster Township Committee (with their term end dates listed) are Mayor Robert F. Holtaway (term ends December 31, 2009), Finn Caspersen, Jr. (2009), Jeanne Maass (2010), Bernie Pane (2010) and Sally Rubin (2008).[9]
[edit] Federal, state and county representation
Bedminster Township is in the Seventh Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 16th Legislative District.[10]
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).
For the 2008-2009 Legislative Session, the 16th District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Christopher "Kip" Bateman (R, Neshanic Station) and in the Assembly by Peter J. Biondi (R, Hillsborough Township) and Denise Coyle (R, Basking Ridge).[11] The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).[12]
Somerset County is governed by a five-member Board of Chosen Freeholders, whose members are elected at-large to three-year terms on a staggered basis, with one or two elected each year. As of 2008, Somerset County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Peter S. Palmer (Bernardsville, term ends December 31, 2008), Freeholder Deputy Director Rick Fontana (Bridgewater Township, 2009), Jack Ciattarelli (Hillsborough Township, 2009), Patricia Walsh (Green Brook Township, 2010) and Robert Zaborowski (Franklin Township, 2008).[13]
[edit] Education
The Bedminster Township School District serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade. As of the 2005-06 school year, Bedminster Township Public School had an enrollment of 585 students.[14]
Public school students in grades 9-12 attend Bernards High School, as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Somerset Hills Regional School District, a K - 12 district serving students from Bernardsville, Far Hills and Peapack-Gladstone.[15]
[edit] Points of interest
- Natirar
- The Jacobus Vanderveer House - a mid- 1700's refurbished home used by General Henry Knox during the Revolutionary War
[edit] Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Bedminster Township include:
- John DeLorean (1925-2005), founder of the De Lorean Motor Company.[16]
- Steve Forbes (1947-), editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine and president and chief executive officer of its publisher, Forbes Inc.[17]
- Robert Wood Johnson IV (1947-), Owner of the New York Jets football team and great-grandson of the founder of the Johnson & Johnson Corporation.[18]
- Thomas Kean (1935-), former Governor of New Jersey and Chairman of the 9/11 Commission.[19]
- James Linn (1749-1821), represented New Jersey's 3rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1799 to 1801.[20]
- John Van Dyke (1807-1878), represented New Jersey's 4th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1847 to 1851.[21]
- Harrison A. Williams (1919-2001), United States Senator involved in the Abscam scandal.[22]
[edit] References
- ^ Administrator, Bedminster Township. Accessed December 20, 2007.
- ^ USGS GNIS: Township of Bedminster, Geographic Names Information System, accessed December 20, 2007.
- ^ a b Census data for Bedminster township, United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 25, 2007.
- ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 221.
- ^ Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.
- ^ Your Municipal Government, Bedminster Township. Accessed August 25, 2007.
- ^ 2007 Bedminster Township Committee, Bedminster Township. Accessed August 25, 2007.
- ^ League of Women Voters: 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, p. 54, accessed August 30, 2006
- ^ Legislative Roster: 2008-2009 Session, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed June 6, 2008.
- ^ About the Governor, New Jersey. Accessed June 6, 2008.
- ^ The Role of County Government: "What Is A Freeholder?", Somerset County, New Jersey. Accessed March 30, 2008.
- ^ Data for the Bedminster Township Public School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 27, 2008.
- ^ Somerset County School Districts-Sending/Receiving/Regional, Somerset County Superintendent of Schools. Accessed April 27, 2008.
- ^ Festival celebrates the De Lorean, BBC News, May 24, 2001
- ^ Steve Forbes, The Washington Post, August 17, 1999
- ^ Sandomir, Richard. " The Jets Fill One Opening: New Owner at $635 Million", The New York Times, January 12, 2000. Accessed September 30, 2007. "Johnson, who is 52 years old, has homes in Manhattan and Bedminster, N.J."
- ^ WEDDINGS; Rhonda Norton, Thomas Kean Jr., The New York Times, November 13, 1994
- ^ James Linn, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed December 3, 2007.
- ^ John Van Dyke, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed September 1, 2007.
- ^ Martin, Douglas. "Ex-Senator Harrison A. Williams Jr., 81, Dies; Went to Prison Over Abscam Scandal", The New York Times, November 20, 2001. Accessed November 4, 2007. "Harrison A. Williams Jr., the Democratic senator from New Jersey who used his considerable power to further the interests of labor and education before being convicted of bribery and conspiracy in the Abscam scandal, died on Saturday. He was 81 and lived in Bedminster"
[edit] External links
- Bedminster Township website
- Bedminster Township Public School
- Bedminster Township Public School's 2006-07 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- Data for the Bedminster Township Public School, National Center for Education Statistics
- The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills
- Somerset Hills School District
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