List of counties in New Jersey

The shape of New Jersey divided by black lines into the different counties. Larger counties are in the center and northwest, with smaller counties in the northeast; see the list for details.
New Jersey's 21 counties

There are 21 counties in the U.S. state of New Jersey. These counties together contain 566 municipalities, or administrative entities composed of clearly defined territory; 250 boroughs, 52 cities, 15 towns, 245 townships, and 4 villages.[1] In New Jersey, a county is a local level of government between the state and municipalities. County government in New Jersey includes a Board of Chosen Freeholders,[2] sheriff, clerk, and surrogate,[3] all of which are elected officials. Counties organized under the Optional County Charter Law may also have an elected county executive.[4] Counties traditionally perform state-mandated duties such as the maintenance of jails, parks, and certain roads.[5] The site of a county's administration and courts is called the county seat.

Contents

History

New Jersey was governed by two groups of proprietors as two distinct provinces, East Jersey and West Jersey, between 1674 and 1702. New Jersey's first counties were created as administrative districts within each province, with East Jersey split in 1675 into Bergen, Essex, Middlesex and Monmouth counties, while West Jersey's initial counties of Burlington and Salem date to 1681.[6][7] The most recent county created in New Jersey is Union County, created in 1857 and named after the union of the United States when the Civil War was imminent. New Jersey's county names derive from several sources, though most of its counties are named after place names in England and prominent leaders in the colonial and revolutionary periods. Bergen County is the most populous county—as of the Census Bureau's 2008 population estimate—with 894,840 people, while Salem County is the least populous with 66,141 people.[1]

Representation in the New Jersey Senate

Until the 1960s, the New Jersey Senate had 21 representatives, one from each county regardless of population. In the wake of the 1964 decision by the Supreme Court of the United States in Reynolds v. Sims, establishing the one man, one vote principle that state legislative districts must be approximately equal in size, David Friedland filed suit in New Jersey Supreme Court on behalf of two union leaders, challenging a system under which each county was represented by a single member in the New Jersey Senate. The senate enacted a proposal whereby each senator's vote would be weighted based on the population of the county represented, under which Cape May County's senator would receive one vote while the senator from Essex County would receive 19.1, in direct relation to the ratio of residents between counties.[8] In a decision issued on December 15, 1964, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the weighted voting system as adopted was unconstitutional. The court ordered that interim measures be established for the 1965 legislative elections, in which weighted voting could be used as a temporary measure, and that the needed constitutional changes to restructure the New Jersey Legislature to be in compliance with "one man, one vote" requirements be in place before elections took place in 1967.[8] The legislature's final decision was to establish 40 districts statewide, each represented by one senator and two assemblymembers, without relation to county boundaries.

FIPS code

The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code, used by the United States government to uniquely identify counties, is provided with each entry. FIPS codes are five digit numbers, for New Jersey the codes start with 34 and are completed with the three digit county code. The FIPS code for each county in the table links to census data for that county.[9]

Counties

County
 FIPS Code[9] County Seat[10] Created[10] Formed from[6][7] Named for[11] Population (2008)[12] Area[10] Map
 
Atlantic County 001 Mays Landing 1837 Gloucester County The Atlantic Ocean, which forms the county's eastern border &0000000000270681000000270,681 &0000000000000561000000561 sq mi
(&00000000000014530000001,453 km2)		 A county in the southeast part of the state. It is medium in size.
Bergen County 003 Hackensack 1683 One of four original counties created in East Jersey Bergen, New Netherland settlement &0000000000894840000000894,840 &0000000000000234000000234 sq mi
(&0000000000000606000000606 km2)		 A county in the northeast part of the state. It is small.
Burlington County 005 Mount Holly Township 1694 One of two original counties created in West Jersey The old name for the ancient market town a mile from shore in Bridlington, England &0000000000445475000000445,475 &0000000000000805000000805 sq mi
(&00000000000020850000002,085 km2)		 A county in the southern part of the state. It gets wider as it goes northeast. It is one of the largest counties.
Camden County 007 Camden 1844 Gloucester County Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden (1714–1794), an English supporter of the colonists during the American Revolution[13] &0000000000517234000000517,234 &0000000000000222000000222 sq mi
(&0000000000000575000000575 km2)		 A county in the southwest part of the state. It is very small.
Cape May County 009 Cape May Court House 1692 Burlington County The 17th-century Dutch explorer Cornelius Jacobsen Mey (?–16??), who explored and surveyed the Delaware Bay to the south of the county &000000000009583800000095,838 &0000000000000255000000255 sq mi
(&0000000000000660000000660 km2)		 A county the makes up the southern tip of the state. It is one of the smallest.
Cumberland County 011 Bridgeton 1748 Salem County Prince William, Duke of Cumberland (1721–1765), second son of George II of England and military victor at the Battle of Culloden in 1746 &0000000000156830000000156,830 &0000000000000489000000489 sq mi
(&00000000000012670000001,267 km2)		 A county in the southern part of the state, west of the tip. It is averagely sized.
Essex County 013 Newark 1683 One of four original counties created in East Jersey The county of Essex in England &0000000000770675000000770,675 &0000000000000126000000126 sq mi
(&0000000000000326000000326 km2)		 A county in the northeast part of the state. It is one of the smallest.
Gloucester County 015 Woodbury 1686 Burlington County The city of Gloucester, England &0000000000287860000000287,860 &0000000000000325000000325 sq mi
(&0000000000000842000000842 km2)		 A county in the southwest part of the state. It is averagely sized.
Hudson County 017 Jersey City 1840 Bergen County The English explorer Henry Hudson (d. 1611), who explored portions of New Jersey's coastline &0000000000595419000000595,419 &000000000000004700000047 sq mi
(&0000000000000122000000122 km2)		 A county in the northeast part of the state. It is the smallest county.
Hunterdon County 019 Flemington 1714 Burlington County Robert Hunter (1664–1734), the Colonial Governor of New Jersey from 1710 to 1720 &0000000000129031000000129,031 &0000000000000430000000430 sq mi
(&00000000000011140000001,114 km2)		 A county in the west part of the state, just north of the divide between north and south. It is averagely sized.
Mercer County 021 Trenton 1838 Burlington County, Hunterdon County, Middlesex County, and Somerset County The Continental Army General Hugh Mercer (1726–1777), who died at the Battle of Princeton[14] &0000000000364883000000364,883 &0000000000000226000000226 sq mi
(&0000000000000585000000585 km2)		 A county in the western part of the state, just above an indentation. It is small compared to its neighbors.
Middlesex County 023 New Brunswick 1683 One of four original counties created in East Jersey The former county of Middlesex in England &0000000000789102000000789,102 &0000000000000311000000311 sq mi
(&0000000000000805000000805 km2)		 A county in the northern part of the state. It is averagely sized.
Monmouth County 025 Freehold Borough 1683 One of four original counties created in East Jersey The Rhode Island Monmouth Society or the historic county of Monmouthshire in Wales &0000000000642448000000642,448 &0000000000000472000000472 sq mi
(&00000000000012220000001,222 km2)		 A county in the central-western part of the state. It is averagely sized and gets skinnier in the west.
Morris County 027 Morristown 1739 Hunterdon County Colonel Lewis Morris (1671–1746), colonial governor of New Jersey at the time of the county's formation[15][16] &0000000000487548000000487,548 &0000000000000469000000469 sq mi
(&00000000000012150000001,215 km2)		 A county in the northern part of the state, landlocked by other counties. It is well-sized.
Ocean County 029 Toms River 1850 Monmouth County The Atlantic Ocean, which forms the eastern border of New Jersey &0000000000569111000000569,111 &0000000000000636000000636 sq mi
(&00000000000016470000001,647 km2)		 A county in the southeast part of the state. It is large and gets skinnier in the south.
Passaic County 031 Paterson 1837 Bergen County and Essex County "Pasaeck", a Lenape word meaning "valley" &0000000000490948000000490,948 &0000000000000185000000185 sq mi
(&0000000000000479000000479 km2)		 A county in the north-central part of the state. It is small, and has two wide parts with a skinny area between them.
Salem County 033 Salem 1694 One of two original counties created in West Jersey A Hebrew word meaning "peace" &000000000006614100000066,141 &0000000000000338000000338 sq mi
(&0000000000000875000000875 km2)		 A county in the southwest part of the state. It is averagely sized.
Somerset County 035 Somerville 1688 Middlesex County The county of Somerset in England &0000000000324563000000324,563 &0000000000000305000000305 sq mi
(&0000000000000790000000790 km2)		 A county landlocked by other counties in the northern part of the state. It is small.
Sussex County 037 Newton 1753 Morris County The county of Sussex in England &0000000000150909000000150,909 &0000000000000521000000521 sq mi
(&00000000000013490000001,349 km2)		 A county in the northwest corner of the state. It is larger than most surrounding counties.
Union County 039 Elizabeth 1857 Essex County The union of the United States threatened by dispute between North and South over slavery &0000000000523249000000523,249 &0000000000000103000000103 sq mi
(&0000000000000267000000267 km2)		 A county in the northeast part of the state, on an indentation. It is one of the smallest counties.
Warren County 041 Belvidere 1824 Sussex County The American Revolutionary War General Joseph Warren (1741–1775), killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill &0000000000109876000000109,876 &0000000000000358000000358 sq mi
(&0000000000000927000000927 km2)		 A county in the northwest part of the state. It is averagely sized.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "New Jersey – Place and County Subdivision". U.S. Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=n&_lang=en&mt_name=DEC_2000_PL_U_GCTPL_ST7&format=ST-7&_box_head_nbr=GCT-PL&ds_name=DEC_2000_PL_U&geo_id=04000US34. Retrieved September 6, 2009. 
  2. ↑ Coppa, Frank J. (2000). County government: a guide to efficient and accountable government. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 39–40. ISBN 9780275968298. http://books.google.com/books?id=SpN8aALBgw0C&source=gbs_navlinks_s. Retrieved August 31, 2009. 
  3. ↑ Coppa, County government, p. 165
  4. ↑ Coppa, County government, p. 108
  5. ↑ "An Overview of County Government". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Content/NavigationMenu/About_Counties/County_Government/A_Brief_Overview_of_County_Government.htm. Retrieved August 31, 2009. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "County Formation Map" (PDF). New Jersey Association of Election Officials. http://www.njaeo.us/County%20Formation%20Map.pdf. Retrieved August 30, 2009. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Torp, Kim (2006). "New Jersey County Formation". Genealogy Trails. http://genealogytrails.com/njer/countyformation.html. Retrieved August 30, 2009. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Wright, George Cable (December 16, 1964). "Weighted Voting Voided in Jersey; State's Highest Court Bars Senate's Plan – No Ruling on Its Constitutionality New Jersey Supreme Court Bars Senate's Weighted Vote Plan". The New York Times (The New York Times Company). http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0913F63C5D13738DDDAF0994DA415B848AF1D3. Retrieved September 1, 2009. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "EPA County FIPS Code Listing". US Environmental Protection Agency. http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/codes/nj.html. Retrieved July 24, 2007. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 "NACo – Find a county". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/state.cfm&statecode=nj. Retrieved January 25, 2008. 
  11. ↑ "The Origin of New Jersey Place Names" (PDF). Federal Writers' Program. 1938. http://www.njstatelib.org/NJ_Information/Digital_Collections/Place_Names/PLACE.pdf. Retrieved April 25, 2008. 
  12. ↑ "New Jersey County Selection Map". U. S. Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/maps/new_jersey_map.html. Retrieved November 30, 2009. 
  13. ↑ Greenberg, Gail (August 30, 2009). "A Brief History of Camden County". Camden County Board of Freeholders. http://www.camdencounty.com/facts/index.html. Retrieved August 31, 2009. 
  14. ↑ "History". Mercer County Cultural & Heritage Commission. http://nj.gov/counties/mercer/about/history/. Retrieved August 31, 2009. 
  15. ↑ "The Land Past and Present". Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders. http://www.co.morris.nj.us/history/history.asp. Retrieved August 30, 2009. 
  16. ↑ "How did our county get its name?". Morris County Library. July 26, 2008. http://www.gti.net/mocolib1/kid/county.html#lewis. Retrieved August 31, 2009. 

External links

List of U.S. counties & county-equivalents
by political division (state / capital federal district)

Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Delaware · District of Columbia · Florida · Georgia · Hawaii · Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana · Maine · Maryland · Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · Nevada · New Hampshire · New Jersey · New Mexico · New York · North Carolina · North Dakota · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · South Carolina · South Dakota · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Vermont · Virginia · Washington · West Virginia · Wisconsin · Wyoming
 State of New Jersey
Trenton (capital)
Topics

Delegations · Demographics · Economy · Elections · Geography · Government · History · Media · Municipalities · Music · People · Politics · Symbols · Transportation · Parks
Regions

Atlantic Coastal Plain · Central Jersey · Delaware River Region · Delaware Valley · Gateway Region · Gold Coast · Highlands · Jersey Shore · Meadowlands · New York metro area · North Hudson · North Jersey · Pascack Valley · Piedmont · Pine Barrens · Raritan Bayshore · Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians · Southern Shore Region · Skylands Region · South Jersey · Tri‑State Region · West Hudson
Counties

Atlantic · Bergen · Burlington · Camden · Cape May · Cumberland · Essex · Gloucester · Hudson · Hunterdon · Mercer · Middlesex · Monmouth · Morris · Ocean · Passaic · Salem · Somerset · Sussex · Union · Warren
Major cities

Atlantic City · Camden · Edison · Elizabeth · Hackensack · Jersey City · Newark · Ocean City · Paterson · Trenton · Vineland