| Bethlehem Township, New Jersey | |
|---|---|
| — Township — | |
| Historic Van Syckle's Tavern of Bethlehem Township | |
| Map of Bethlehem Township in Hunterdon County. Inset: Location of Hunterdon County in New Jersey. | |
| Census Bureau map of Bethlehem Township, New Jersey | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Hunterdon |
| Earliest Mention | 1730 |
| Incorporated | February 21, 1798 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Township (New Jersey) |
| • Mayor | John Graefe (2011) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 20.8 sq mi (54.0 km2) |
| • Land | 20.8 sq mi (54.0 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 630 ft (192 m) |
| Population (2010)[1] | |
| • Total | 3,979 |
| • Density | 191.3/sq mi (73.7/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 08827 - Hampton 08809 - Clinton, 08802 - Asbury |
| Area code(s) | 908 |
| FIPS code | 34-05650[2][3] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0882189[4] |
| Website | http://www.bethlehemnj.org |
Bethlehem Township is a Township in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 3,979.[1]
Bethlehem was first mention in official records dating back to 1730, though details of its formation are uncertain.[5] Bethlehem was incorporated as one of New Jersey's initial 104 townships by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798.[5] Portions of the township were taken to form Kingwood Township (1749, date uncertain), Alexandria Township (March 5, 1765), Union Township (February 17, 1853) Junction borough (February 20, 1895, now known as Hampton borough), Bloomsbury (March 30, 1905) and Glen Gardner (March 26, 1919).
The Musconetcong River forms its northern border with Warren County. The northern half of the Township consists of the Musconetcong Valley while the southern half is covered by the Musconetcong Mountains.[6] The southwest corner of the township lies on what is known as the Hunterdon Plateau.
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According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 20.8 square miles (54 km2), all of it land (Though small streams exist within the township).
Bethlehem Township is considered an exurb of New York City, as Hunterdon County lies on the western fringe of the New York City Metropolitan Area. The landscape is mainly rural in nature (farms and forests), scattered with newer housing developments and older farm homes.
Bethlehem Township remains well connected to major metropolitan areas (such as the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania and New York City) via I-78/US 22 and Route 173. While I-78/US 22 pass through without any interchanges, the nearest exit is just outside the township in bordering Bloomsbury (Exit 7) and Union (Exit 11).
Public transportation is non-existent, save for one public bus service (The LINK) which services Hunterdon County, NJ. Fares range from about $2.00 to $10.00. Funding for operation of the Hunterdon County LINK System is provided by Hunterdon County, NJ TRANSIT and the Federal Transit Administration.[7]
People who live in Bethlehem Township have mailing addresses to nearby towns including Clinton, New Jersey and Hampton, New Jersey (and even Asbury, New Jersey which is located in neighboring Warren County), as 'Bethlehem Township' itself is not a mailing address.
Similarly, the mailing addresses of schools and businesses located within the township operate the same way, with their addresses being listed in nearby Clinton, Hampton, and Asbury.
Anderson Road, located within Bethlehem Township, actually begins in neighboring Union Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey and ends in Bethlehem Township as a dead-end, or cul-de-sac.
Consequently, Anderson Road cannot be accessed internally through Bethlehem Township; it can only be accessed through Union Township. Because of this reason, the part of Anderson Road that is in Bethlehem Township may seem closer to parts of Union Township.
Various animals are native to central-western New Jersey, including red fox (vulpes vulpes),[8] black bear, groundhogs, wild turkeys, deer, squirrels, chipmunks, a variety of birds, and a plethora of insects and vegetation.
Trees include deciduous varieties and evergreen varieties.
There are also some fish in the streams of the county.
Black bears are the largest land mammals in New Jersey and are known to be most abundant in the northern-western regions of the State, including Bethlehem Township.
| Climate data for Bethlehem Township, NJ | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °F (°C) | 36.8 (2.7) |
39.9 (4.4) |
49.8 (9.9) |
61.3 (16.3) |
72.0 (22.2) |
80.2 (26.8) |
85.1 (29.5) |
83.1 (28.4) |
75.6 (24.2) |
64.4 (18.0) |
52.8 (11.6) |
41.6 (5.3) |
61.9 (16.6) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 18.4 (−7.6) |
20.0 (−6.7) |
28.1 (−2.2) |
37.0 (2.8) |
46.9 (8.3) |
56.0 (13.3) |
61.7 (16.5) |
59.9 (15.5) |
52.0 (11.1) |
40.0 (4.4) |
32.2 (0.1) |
24.0 (−4.4) |
39.7 (4.3) |
| Source: <Flemington 5 NNW Weather Station= >FLEMINGTON 5 NNW Weather station (2009). "Clinton, NJ Weather". Clinton, NJ Weather Data. Open Publishing. http://www.idcide.com/weather/nj/clinton.htm. Retrieved 1 December 2009. | |||||||||||||
Bethlehem Township falls under the 'Northern New Jersey' climate zone. According to the Office of the New Jersey State Climatologist at Rutgers University, the Northern climate zone covers about one-quarter of New Jersey and consists mainly of elevated highlands and valleys which are part of the Appalachian Uplands. Surrounded by land, this region can be characterized as having a continental climate with minimal influence from the Atlantic Ocean, except when the winds contain an easterly component. Prevailing winds are from the southwest in summer and from the northwest in winter. Being in the northernmost portion of the state, and with small mountains up to 1,800 feet in elevation, the Northern Zone normally exhibits a colder temperature regime than other climate regions of the State of New Jersey. This difference is most dramatic in winter when average temperatures in the Northern Zone can be more than ten degrees Fahrenheit cooler than in the Coastal Zone. Annual snowfall averages 40 to 50 inches in the northern zone as compared with an average of 10-15 inches in the extreme south.[9]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 735 |
|
|
| 1940 | 791 | 7.6% | |
| 1950 | 857 | 8.3% | |
| 1960 | 1,090 | 27.2% | |
| 1970 | 1,385 | 27.1% | |
| 1980 | 3,045 | 119.9% | |
| 1990 | 3,104 | 1.9% | |
| 2000 | 3,820 | 23.1% | |
| 2010 | 3,979 | 4.2% | |
| Population 1930 - 1990.[1][10] | |||
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 3,820 people, 1,266 households, and 1,092 families residing in the township. The population density was 183.3 people per square mile (70.8/km²). There were 1,303 housing units at an average density of 62.5 per square mile (24.1/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 97.51% White, 0.86% African American, 0.10% Native American, 1.02% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.03% from other races, and 0.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.62% of the population.
There were 1,266 households out of which 43.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 80.3% were married couples living together, 3.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 13.7% were non-families. 10.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.02 and the average family size was 3.26.
In the township the population was spread out with 29.5% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 6.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 101.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.9 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $88,048, and the median income for a family was $92,768. Males had a median income of $69,063 versus $41,806 for females. The per capita income for the township was $35,298. None of the families and 1.0% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 10.0% of those over 64.
Population density: 183 people per square mile.[11]
Most common first ancestries reported in Bethlehem township:[11] German (25.2%), Italian (14.7%), Irish (14.4%), Polish (9.2%), English (7.6%), United States or American (6.1%), French (except Basque) (3.3%)
Most common places of birth for the foreign-born residents:[11] India (22%), Germany (18%), United Kingdom (12%), Austria (9%), Russia (7%), Poland (5%), Netherlands (4%)
| Franklin Twp | Washington Twp, Glen Gardner and Hampton |
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| Bloomsbury and Greenwich Twp |
Lebanon Twp | |||
| Bethlehem Twp | ||||
| Holland Twp and Alexandria Twp | Union Twp |
Bethlehem Township is governed under the Township form of government with a five-member Township Committee. The Township Committee is elected directly by the voters in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with one or two seats coming up for election each year.[12] At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor and another as Deputy Mayor.
As of 2011[update], members of the Bethlehem Township Committee are Mayor John Graefe (2011), Deputy Mayor John Jimenez (2011), Greg Glazar (2013), Jennifer McClurg (2012) and John Meehan (2011).[6][13]
Mine Road is the location of the Bethlehem Township Municipal buildings.
Bethlehem Township is in the 7th Congressional district and is part of New Jersey's 23rd state legislative district.[14] The legislative district was kept unchanged by the New Jersey Apportionment Commission based on the results of the 2010 Census.[1]
New Jersey's Seventh Congressional District is represented by Leonard Lance (R, Clinton Township). New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
23rd Legislative District (New Jersey) of the New Jersey Legislature, which is represented in the New Jersey Senate by Michael J. Doherty (R, Oxford Township) and in the New Jersey General Assembly by John DiMaio (R, Hackettstown) and Erik Peterson (R, Franklin Township).[15] The Governor of New Jersey is Chris Christie (R, Mendham).[16] The Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey is Kim Guadagno (R, Monmouth Beach).[17]
Hunterdon County is governed by a five-member Board of Chosen Freeholders, who serve three-year terms of office at-large, with either one or two seats up for election each year on a staggered basis.[18] As of 2011, Hunterdon County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Matt Holt (Clinton Town), Freeholder Deputy Director Robert Walton (Hampton), William Mennen (Tewksbury Township),George B. Melick (Tewksbury Township), and Ronald Sworen (Frenchtown).[19]
Students in public school for grades K through 8 attend the schools of the Bethlehem Township School District. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[20]) are Thomas B. Conley School for grades K - 5 (325 students) and Ethel Hoppock Middle School for grades 6 - 8 (298 students).
Public school students in grades 9 through 12 attend North Hunterdon High School in Annandale as part of the North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional High School District. North Hunterdon High School serves students from Bethlehem Township, Clinton Town, Clinton Township, Franklin Township, Lebanon Borough and Union Township.[21]
Spruce Run State Park and Reservoir is a New Jersey park located near Bethlehem Township in close-by Clinton Township. It is possible to walk or bike to Spruce Run from Bethlehem Township.
Notable current and former residents of Bethlehem Township include:[22]
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