| Harding Township, New Jersey | |
|---|---|
| — Township — | |
| Map highlighting Harding Township's location within Morris County. Inset: Morris County's location within New Jersey. | |
| Census Bureau map of Harding Township, New Jersey | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Morris |
| Incorporated | June 25, 1894 |
| Government[1] | |
| • Type | Township (New Jersey) |
| • Mayor | Marshall P. Bartlett |
| • Administrator | Gail McKane[2] |
| Area | |
| • Total | 20.5 sq mi (53.0 km2) |
| • Land | 20.4 sq mi (52.9 km2) |
| • Water | 0.04 sq mi (0.1 km2) |
| Elevation[3] | 230 ft (70 m) |
| Population (2007)[4] | |
| • Total | 3,319 |
| • Density | 155.6/sq mi (60.1/km2) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 07976 |
| Area code(s) | 973 |
| FIPS code | 34-29700[5][6] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0882195[7] |
| Website | http://www.hardingnj.org/ |
Harding Township is a township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the population of the township was 3,180.
The township contains two unincorporated communities, a portion of Green Village and all of New Vernon, both of which have origins as colonial settlements that predate the American Revolution. The governmental offices for the township are in New Vernon.
The 07976 ZIP code for New Vernon was named one of the "25 Richest Zip Codes" in the United States by Forbes magazine in 2006.[8] Many relatively unchanged large country estates that have been passed down through several generations attest to the wealth of many of its residents. Some have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places and some of those, have nonprofit support organizations that assure the retention of the original nature of the properties.
Harding Township was formed as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on September 1, 1922, from portions of Passaic Township (now known as Long Hill Township), based on the results of a referendum passed on May 9, 1922.[9]
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According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 20.5 square miles (53 km2), of which, 20.4 square miles (53 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) of it (0.20%) is water.
| Mendham Twp | Morris Township | Madison | ||
| Bernardsville | Chatham Twp | |||
| Harding Twp | ||||
| Bernards Twp | Long Hill Twp |
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 1,206 |
|
|
| 1940 | 1,565 | 29.8% | |
| 1950 | 1,970 | 25.9% | |
| 1960 | 2,683 | 36.2% | |
| 1970 | 3,249 | 21.1% | |
| 1980 | 3,236 | −0.4% | |
| 1990 | 3,640 | 12.5% | |
| 2000 | 3,180 | −12.6% | |
| Est. 2007 | 3,319 | [4] | 4.4% |
| Population 1930 - 1990.[10] | |||
As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 3,180 people, 1,180 households, and 940 families residing in the township. The population density was 155.6 people per square mile (60.1/km²). There were 1,243 housing units at an average density of 60.8 per square mile (23.5/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 97.20% White, 0.41% African American, 1.07% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 1.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.79% of the population.
There were 1,180 households out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.3% were married couples living together, 5.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.3% were non-families. 17.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the township the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 3.6% from 18 to 24, 21.9% from 25 to 44, 32.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.9 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $111,297, and the median income for a family was $128,719. Males had a median income of $95,737 versus $57,308 for females. The per capita income for the township was $72,689. None of the families and 1.1% of the population were living below the poverty line, including none under eighteen and 3.3% of those over 64.
Harding 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.[1] At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor and another as Deputy Mayor.
Eleven standing committees are appointed at the reorganization meeting including planning, zoning and legal; finance and insurance; public safety; public works and building; personnel; recreation commission; freeholder liaison; Glen Alpin Steering liaison; school board liaison; open space liaison; and board of health liaison. Two members of the township committee serve on each standing committee and provide oversight to the departments.
As of 2011[update], members of the Harding Township Committee are Committee Chair (Mayor) Marshall P. Bartlett, Committee Vice Chair (Depuuty Mayor) Regina M. Egea, Louis J. Lanzerotti, Nicolas Platt and Ned Ward.[11]
Harding Township is in the 11th Congressional district and is part of the New Jersey's 21st Legislative District.[12]
New Jersey's Eleventh Congressional District is represented by Rodney Frelinghuysen (R, Harding Township). New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
21st Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature, which is represented in the New Jersey Senate by Thomas Kean, Jr. (R, Westfield) and in the New Jersey General Assembly by Jon Bramnick (R, Westfield) and Nancy Munoz (R, Summit).[13] The Governor of New Jersey is Chris Christie (R, Mendham).[14] The Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey is Kim Guadagno (R, Monmouth Beach).[15]
Morris County is governed by a seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders, who are elected at-large to three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with two or three seats coming up for election each year.[16] As of 2011, Morris County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director William J. Chegwidden (Wharton),[17] Deputy Freeholder Director Douglas R. Cabana (Boonton Township),[18] Gene F. Feyl (Denville),[19] Ann F. Grassi (Parsippany-Troy Hills),[20] Thomas J. Mastrangelo (Montville),[21] John J. Murphy (Morris Township)[22] and Margaret Nordstrom (Washington Township).[23][24]
On the national and state levels, Harding Township leans very strongly toward the Republican Party. In the 2008 Presidential Election, Republican John McCain received 62% of the vote, defeating Democrat Barack Obama, who received around 37%. In the 2009 Gubernatorial Election, Republican Chris Christie received 68% of the vote, defeating Democrat Jon Corzine, who received around 21%.
The Harding Township School District serves public school students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Harding Township School had an enrollment of 313 (as of the 2009-10 school year).[25]
For grades 9-12, public school students attend Madison High School in Madison, as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Madison Public Schools.[26]
After the retreat of the Wisconsin Glacier, a mighty glacial lake called Glacial Lake Passaic formed in this area that, about 15,000 to 11,000 years ago, extended for 30 miles (48 km) in length and was 10 miles (16 km) wide. The lake finally drained when a blockage of the Passaic River reopened. The Great Swamp is the remnant of the lake bottom and portions of the swamp lay in what now is the township. Once the lake drained, higher areas became a wooded area that was used for hunting, fishing, and farming by Native Americans. At the time of colonization by the Dutch it belonged to the matrilineal Lenape tribes, but British colonists did their best to displace them westward.
Much of what now is known as Harding was an agricultural community with roots stretching as far back as the early 18th century. Bypassed by colonial turnpikes, revolution era canals, and railroads laid in the Victorian era, the area remained a rural backwater. For almost two centuries of European occupation, its open and rolling landscapes reflected its agricultural use, as land had been cleared for cattle pastures, orchards, and fields of grain.[27] The Great Swamp, the wooded slopes of the Watchung Mountains, and those near Jockey Hollow also were used by local farmers for wood supply. The communities of Green Village, Logansville, New Vernon, and Pleasantville were the village centers in this agricultural community; it was not unusual for villages to have a store and post office, a school of one or two rooms, churches, blacksmiths, and sometimes, a tavern.
Wealthy urban residents from Manhattan and Newark in search of rural tranquility pushed beyond the natural barrier presented by the Watchung Mountains and bought great swaths of farmland, enlarged old farmhouses, and landscaped the grounds. Several estate owners, desirous of better roads and wishing to deter suburban development, led the movement to form Harding Township.
The township was created in 1922 from the northern half of what was then Passaic Township (present day Long Hill Township) and it was named after the incumbent President of the United States, Warren G. Harding.[28]
The desire to preserve Harding’s rural character was quite evident by 1928. An unusual private land preservation effort was begun with the New Vernon Neighborhood Restrictive Agreement, when several estate owners convinced many others to place restrictive covenants on their land that would remain as parts of the deeds. This voluntary effort to limit development and save the pastoral qualities of over 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) across Harding Township influenced subsequent zoning codes, which emerged several decades later, and helped preserve the landscape to the present day.[27]
Notable current and former residents of Harding Township include: