Basking Ridge, New Jersey
Basking Ridge is an unincorporated area located within Bernards Township in the Somerset Hills region of Somerset County, New Jersey.
The area was settled during colonial times. It is home to the old AT&T Headquarters, now owned by Verizon. Basking Ridge is the current headquarters for Verizon Wireless, Avaya, and Barnes & Noble College Booksellers.
The community of Basking Ridge is part of greater Bernards Township, which also includes Lyons, Liberty Corner, and West Millington.
Geography
Basking Ridge is located at (40.706111, -74.549444).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 21.66 square miles (34.85 km²), of which, 21.63 square miles (34.81 km²) of it is land and 0.04% is water.
Demographics
As Basking Ridge is not an independent municipality, the following demographic data is based on the United States Census Bureau figures for the ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) for the 07920 ZIP Code. Some figures temporarily unavailable will be provided shortly:
As of the United States 2000 Census[1], there are 24,600 people, 9,300 households, and 6,517 families residing in the ZCTA. The population density is 1,137.1 people per square mile (1830.0/km²). There are 9,537 housing units at an average density of 440.8/sq mi (709.3/km²). The racial makeup of the ZCTA is 89.2% Caucasian, 1.4% African American, 0.1% Native American, 7.8% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.4% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. 2.6% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 9,300 households out of which 37.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.8% are married couples living together, 5.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% are non-families. 26.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.56 and the average family size is 3.15.
In the ZCTA the population is spread out with 27.3% under the age of 18 , 3.2% from 18 to 24 , 31.2% from 25 to 44 , 25.4% from 45 to 64 , and 12.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 39.3 years.
The median income for a household in the ZCTA is $105,471, and the median income for a family is $131,618. Males have a median income of $93,436 versus $60,101 for females. The per capita income for the ZCTA is $54,753. 1.4% of the population and 0.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 1.2% of those under the age of 18 and 2.8% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
| Demographic |
Town |
National |
| Population |
21,424 |
272,334,966 |
| Median Age |
37.13 years |
33.93 years |
| Median Household Income |
$93,946 |
$40,985 |
| % of Single Households |
37.39% |
30.22% |
| % of Married Households |
62.61% |
69.78% |
| % Families |
70.72% |
69.40% |
| Avg. Household Size |
2.42 people |
2.58 people |
| % College or Higher |
59.76% |
26.46% |
| % White Collar |
82.53% |
55.54% |
| Homes Owner Occupied |
79.84% |
57.72% |
| Avg. Dwelling Size |
6 rooms |
4.5 rooms |
History
On December 13, 1776, General Charles Lee was captured by the British in his room in town. Lee had ranked next to Washington in command.
Historic sites
- The Old Oak Tree is situated in the graveyard of the Presbyterian Church. This 600-year old white oak tree is a site where George Washington is said to have picnicked in the late 1770s.
- The Brick Academy was built as the Basking Ridge Classical School; its function was to prepare young men for the College of New Jersey (now known as Princeton University). It has also served as a public school, a union hall, and a town hall. It now serves as a historic museum for Basking Ridge.
- The Van Dorn Mill was built in 1768 as a wooden structure; it was rebuilt in 1843 as the finest stone structure in New Jersey. Thousands of stones were hauled from the hedgerows of nearby farms. Builders were paid one dollar per day to build the stone mill. Altogether, this amounted to $5,000, a large amount of money in the 1800s. However, the mill paid for itself in the first year of operation.
- The Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church is a Greek Revival church built in 1839 and is listed on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places.
- In the center of town is an oak tree that was recorded in General William Lane's diary during the American Revolutionary War. On its eastern side is engraved the letters "WL".
- The Devil's Tree is a solitary oak, with some dead limbs, growing in an undeveloped field on Mountain Road, opposite Emerald Valley Lane, a recently constructed subdivision. Local legend, documented in Weird NJ magazine and the book based on it, has it that the tree is cursed or the property of the Devil.
Education
Ridge High School was originally founded by the Bernards Township Board of Education in 1924. When Bernardsville separated from Bernards Township, the schools still remained one system until 1947 when the original high school became the property of Bernardsville. From 1948, however, township students continued attending Bernardsville High School as tuition students.[2] In 1960 a contract was issued for the construction of a new Ridge High School and Cedar Hill School which were built on approximately 60 acres (24 ha) of land.
William Annin Middle School was originally named after a colonial patriot who settled in Basking Ridge in 1722. It was originally a junior high school but became a middle school in 1982. It houses grades six, seven, and eight and uses an interdisciplinary team approach.[3]
National Register of Historic Places
The Basking Ridge Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994, it is district #94000817.[4] The Basking Ridge Classical School was added in 1976, it is building #76001185. The Alward Farmhouse was added in 1986, it is building #86000388.[5][6]
- Alward Farmhouse, added March 13, 1986
- Basking Ridge Classical School, added July 21, 1976
- Coffee House, added November 7, 1977
- Presbyterian Church in Basking Ridge, added December 31, 1974
- Lord Stirling Manor Site, added June 22, 1978
Parks and recreation
There are several parks within the town. Four are county parks: Lord Stirling Park, Rebel Hill, Southard, and Harry Dunham. The fifth is Pleasant Valley Park which contains the town pool and miles of woodchip trails.
Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Basking Ridge include:
- Chris Daggett (born 1950), former regional administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection who ran for Governor of New Jersey in 2009 as an independent.[7]
- Scott Fischer (1955-96), climber and guide who was the first American to climb Lhotse, the fourth-highest mountain in the world. He died on May 11, 1996 in an attempt to climb Mount Everest in the 1996 Everest Disaster.[8]
- Patricia Lee Gauch, author of over 30 works of children's literature who was inducted into the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame in 1993.[9]
- Jon Gutwillig (born 1974), guitarist of the Disco Biscuits.[10]
- Tobin Heath (born 1988), soccer player and member of the United States women's national team who won a gold medal as youngest member of the US team in the 2008 Olympics.[11]
- Page McConnell (born 1963), keyboardist best known for his work with Phish.[12]
- Robert E. Mulcahy III, former athletic director at Rutgers University.[13]
- Samuel Lewis Southard (1787-1842), served as U.S. Senator, Secretary of the Navy, and the 10th Governor of New Jersey.[14]
- LaDanian Tomlinson, NFL Football Player for the New York Jets, 5 time Pro-Bowler and 2006 NFL Most Valuable Player. [15]
References
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Bernards Township School District Website. Bernards Township School District Site Ridge High School, Accessed March 27, 2011.
- ^ [1] Bernardsboe William Annin Middle School, Accessed March 27,2011
- ^ NEW JERSEY - Somerset County - Historic Districts, National Register of Historic Places. Accessed November 18, 2006.
- ^ State Listings in Somerset County, New Jersey, National Register of Historic Places. Accessed November 18, 2006.
- ^ National Register Information System, accessed January 25, 2007.
- ^ Nutt, Amy Ellis. "Chris Daggett, ever the policy wonk, concentrates on the details", The Star-Ledger, October 11, 2009. Accessed May 15, 2011. "As an independent, Daggett straddles more than just political parties. He’s a child of the free-thinking, authority-mocking 1960s — and a buttoned-down, plow-ahead grinder. The life-long Basking Ridge resident graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he says his college thesis was 'something out of the ’60s, like the study of personhood.'"
- ^ Powers, Phil. "Scott Style: Adventure Student Makes Good", The Leader of the National Outdoor Leadership School, Winter 1992. Accessed May 15, 2011. "Fischer's mountaineering background began at the young age of 14 when he took a NOLS Adventure Course. His father was an outdoor enthusiast who called Scott in to watch a television program one night at their home in Basking Ridge, New Jersey."
- ^ Horner, Shirley. "ABOUT BOOKS", The New York Times, October 3, 1993. Accessed December 19, 2007. "The other inductees are Patricia Lee Gauch of Basking Ridge, who has written more than 30 children's books"
- ^ Spelling, Ian. "The Disco Biscuits will play the Nokia Theatre in Manhattan", The Record (Bergen County), December 23, 2009. Accessed December 4, 2011. "Gutwillig – who grew up in Morristown/Basking Ridge — and the boys are actually several bands."
- ^ Giase, Frank. "Basking Ridge native Tobin Heath selected No. 1 overall in WPS Draft", The Star-Ledger, January 15, 2010. Accessed December 4, 2011. "Basking Ridge native Tobin Heath was selected with the first pick in the Women’s Professional Soccer Draft today at the Philadelphia Convention Center."
- ^ Page McConnell, Legacy Recordings. Accessed November 11, 2008.
- ^ Caldwell, Dave. "IN PERSON; Renaissance Man", The New York Times, December 4, 2005. Accessed January 24, 2008. "The taciturn Mulcahy, who graduated from Millburn High School and lives in Basking Ridge, did much of the groundwork that let Schiano, after a few tough seasons, become a success in his home state -- their home state."
- ^ Samuel Lewis Southard, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed July 29, 2007.
- ^ Bishop, Greg. "Tomlinson Relishes New Home, and New Opportunity", The New York Times, June 8, 2010. Accessed August 21, 2010. "Tomlinson Relishes New Home, and New Opportunity"
External links