| Pequannock Township, New Jersey | |
|---|---|
| — Township — | |
| Pequannock Township highlighted in Morris County. Inset map: Morris County highlighted in the State of New Jersey. | |
| Census Bureau map of Pequannock Township, New Jersey | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Morris |
| Formed | March 25, 1740 as Poquanock Township |
| Incorporated | February 21, 1798 as Pequanack Township |
| Government[1] | |
| • Type | Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council) |
| • Mayor | Ed Engelbart |
| • Manager | David Hollberg[2] |
| Area | |
| • Total | 7.2 sq mi (18.7 km2) |
| • Land | 7.1 sq mi (18.3 km2) |
| • Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.4 km2) |
| Elevation[3] | 210 ft (64 m) |
| Population (2008)[4] | |
| • Total | 16,658 |
| • Density | 2,313.6/sq mi (890.8/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 07440, 07444 |
| Area code(s) | 862 & 973 |
| FIPS code | 34-58110[5][6] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0882208[7] |
| Website | http://www.peqtwp.org/ |
Pequannock Township is a Township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 13,888.
Pequannock Township includes neighborhoods known as Pequannock and Pompton Plains, each of which is served by their own separate post office.
Pequannock (in the name of the Township and of the Pequannock River) is thought to have been derived from the Lenni Lenape Native American word "Paquettahhnuake", meaning, "cleared land ready or being readied for cultivation".[8] Pompton has been cited by some sources to mean "a place where they catch soft fish."[9]
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According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 7.2 square miles (18.7 km²), of which, 7.1 square miles (18.3 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (1.94%) is water.
The Township of Pequannock is located in eastern Morris County, along Route 23, approximately five miles north of the interchange of Route 23 with Interstate 80 and U.S. Route 46. Interstate 287 crosses the northwest corner of the township, with a full interchange just north of the township in the borough of Riverdale. Pequannock Township is located 35 miles west of New York City.[10]
The name for the area goes back at least as far as March 1, 1720, when it was referred to as "Poquanick", a precinct in Hunterdon County. Formed as "Poquanock Township" on March 25, 1740 as one of the largest townships in the region, this 6.96-square-mile (18.0 km2) bedroom community composed of Pompton Plains in its northern portion and old Pequannock in its southern was once a vast 176-square-mile (460 km2) region of rural farmland settled by the Dutch after its purchase by Arent Schuyler and associates in 1695 & 1696. The township was incorporated by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships on February 21, 1798.[11]
Over time, several municipalities were split off from the township:[11]
During the American Revolutionary War, both Comte de Rochambeau & George Washington's troops camped on what is now the site of the Pequannock Valley Middle School. While Washington stayed at the Schuyler-Colfax House in nearby Pompton, unproven oral history states that he attended church services in the First Reformed Church located in Pompton Plains, also known as the Pompton Meeting House, which had been constructed in 1771. The Mandeville Inn, located on the site of where the soldiers had camped during the war, was built in 1788 and was once owned by Garret Hobart, later Vice President of the United States. The stone with the engraved date is now located inside the Pequannock Valley Middle School when the Inn was demolished and replaced with the school in 1950.
During the Civil War, Pequannock was a stop on the underground railroad. The Giles Mandeville House (also built in 1788), a field and quarry-stone structure located at 515 Newark-Pompton Turnpike, which served as a waypoint for many runaway slaves, still stands today in use as the Manse of the adjacent First Reformed Church since 1953.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 2,104 |
|
|
| 1940 | 2,856 | 35.7% | |
| 1950 | 5,254 | 84.0% | |
| 1960 | 10,553 | 100.9% | |
| 1970 | 14,350 | 36.0% | |
| 1980 | 13,776 | −4.0% | |
| 1990 | 12,844 | −6.8% | |
| 2000 | 13,888 | 8.1% | |
| Est. 2008 | 16,658 | [4] | 19.9% |
| Population 1930 - 1990.[12] | |||
As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 13,888 people, 5,026 households, and 3,829 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,965.1 people per square mile (758.4/km²). There were 5,097 housing units at an average density of 721.2 per square mile (278.4/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 96.60% White, 0.30% African American, 0.12% Native American, 1.91% Asian, 0.50% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.94% of the population.
There were 5,026 households, out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.5% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.8% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the township the population was spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $72,729, and the median income for a family was $84,487. Males had a median income of $61,093 versus $38,523 for females. The per capita income for the township was $31,892. About 2.5% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.4% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.
Since 1957, the Township has operated under the Council-Manager Plan E form of government under the Faulkner Act. The Council consists of five members elected at large to four-year terms in office on a staggered basis. At an annual reorganization meeting, the members of the Council elect one of their members to serve as Mayor and another as Deputy Mayor. The Township Council hires a Township Manager, who serves as the Chief Executive and Administrative Officer of the Township.[1][13]
As of 2011[update], Pequannock's Township Council consists of Mayor Richard Phelan (R, 2014), Deputy Mayor Melissa Florance-Lynch (R, 2014), Ed Engelbart (R, 2012), Joel D. Vanderhoff (R, 2012), and Catherine Winterfield (R, 2014).[14]
Pequannock Township is in the 11th Congressional district. 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).
Pequannock Township is in the 26th Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature, which is represented in the New Jersey Senate by Joseph Pennacchio (R, Pine Brook) and in the New Jersey General Assembly by Alex DeCroce (R, Morris Plains) and Jay Webber (R, Morris Plains).[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, Pequannock Township leans strongly toward the Republican Party. In the 2008 Presidential Election, Republican John McCain received 59% of the vote, defeating Democrat Barack Obama, who received around 40%. In the 2009 Gubernatorial Election, Republican Chris Christie received 58.5% of the vote, defeating Democrat Jon Corzine, who received around 33%.
The Pequannock Township School District serves public school students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district (with 2008-09 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[25] are three K-5 elementary schools — Stephen J. Gerace (329 students), Hillview (372) and North Boulevard (374 students) — Pequannock Valley Middle School for grades 6-8 (612) and Pequannock Township High School for grades 9-12 (790).
Holy Spirit is a Catholic school serving grades PK-8 operated under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson.[26] In addition, there is Kolbe Immaculata School (K-12), the Netherlands Reformed Christian School (PK-12) and Chancellor Academy (6-12).
Two major roadways exist within the township; Interstate 287 crosses the northwest corner and Route 23 runs near the eastern boundary.
The Mountain View and Lincoln Park New Jersey Transit stations are both near Pequannock, offering service on the Montclair-Boonton Line to Hoboken Terminal. Pequannock Township was also formerly served by the Pompton Plains Railroad Station.
Bus service is provided by New Jersey Transit on the 193, 194 and 197 lines to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, the 75 line to Newark and local service on the 748 route.[27]
Downtown Pompton Plains is 19.8 miles (31.9 km) from Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark / Elizabeth, 14.1 miles (22.7 km) from Teterboro Airport, 13.7 miles (22.0 km) from Morristown Municipal Airport in Hanover Township, 11.5 miles (18.5 km) from Greenwood Lake Airport in West Milford, 6.6 miles (10.6 km) from Essex County Airport and 1.6 miles (2.6 km) from Lincoln Park Airport in Lincoln Park Borough.
Pequannock is served by New York City TV stations. It is served by the newspapers The Star-Ledger, the Daily Record, and The Record of Bergen County, NJ.
Some notable former and current residents include:
| Butler Borough | Riverdale Borough | Pompton Lakes Borough | ||
| Kinnelon Borough | Wayne Township | |||
| Pequannock Township | ||||
| Lincoln Park Borough |