| Sussex County, New Jersey | |||
|
|||
Location in the state of New Jersey |
|||
New Jersey's location in the U.S. |
|||
| Founded | 8 June, 1753 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Seat | Newton | ||
| Largest city | Vernon | ||
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
536 sq mi (1,388 km²) 521 sq mi (1,350 km²) 15 sq mi (38 km²), 2.75% |
||
| Population - (2010) - Density |
149,265 286.4/sq mi (110.6/km²) |
||
| Website | www.sussex.nj.us | ||
The County of Sussex (also known as Sussex County) is the northernmost county in the State of New Jersey. It is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 Federal decennial census, 149,265 persons resided in Sussex County. Sussex County is the 36th wealthiest county in the United States with its median household income being $65,266.
The county was founded on 8 June 1753 from portions of Morris County.[1] Morris County separated from Hunterdon County which separated from Burlington County in 1713. Originally the area of Sussex County was under the legal jurisdiction of Burlington County which went to the New York line. Warren County was separated from Sussex County on November 20, 1824. The county seat of Sussex County is the Town of Newton[2].
Contents |
Sussex County was named by Royal Governor Jonathan Belcher (1689–1757) for Sussex in England which was the ancestral seat of His Grace, Thomas Pelham-Holles, first Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and first Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne (1693–1768), who at the time was the Secretary of State for the Northern Department, and later the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1754–1756, 1757–1762). Pelham-Holles, whose office oversaw British affairs in North America, was Governor Belcher's political superior. During his term as Governor of New Jersey (1747–1757), Belcher named many municipalities in honor of important British political figures, most of whom were superior to him in rank or precedence. He probably did so attempting to curry political favor, thereby regaining a level of standing that had been diminished from his scandal-caused removal from the Governorship of Massachusetts in 1741.[4][5]
Sussex, in England, was notable historically as one of the seven kingdoms of the Heptarchy (A.D. 500–850), which were later unified under Egbert of Wessex (c. 770–839) into the Kingdom of England. The -sex suffix indicates the Saxon areas, of people from Saxony; Sus-sex for south Saxon, Es-sex for east Saxon, Wes-sex for west Saxon, and Middle-sex, as opposed to the Anglia names, for the areas of the Angles, Anglos, who came from Angle-land in what is now Denmark. Ironically, Sussex is the most northern county in New Jersey.
Sussex County was under the Wisconsin Glacier which lasted from 21,000 B.C to 13,000 B.C. The glacier covered all of Sussex County. This glacier covered the top of Kittatinny Mountain. End moraines are in Stokes State Forest, Augusta, Hampton Twp., and Andover Twp. After the Wisconsin Glacier melted due to a change in climate, plants and grasses slowly grew. The area was still cold, so the landscape was first Tundra and then changed to Taiga Biome/Boreal Forest. The Boreal forest was a coniferous forest in which spruce and other pine trees grew. Grasslands also grew, as the area had various flora communities. Water was still present from glacial melt. By 12,000 BC the glacier retreated to the Catskills and by 8000 BC the glacier was north of the St Lawrence River in Canada.[6] Between 8000 BC and 6000 BC Boreal and deciduous forests were growing. This is the time period that the Mastodons became extinct.
Mastodons roamed the area. Mastodons were found at Highland Lakes dated 8940 BC ± 200 years, in Swartswoods Lake, in Liberty Twp. dated 9045 BC ± 750 years, and Orange County, New York dated 7910 BC ± 225 years and 8050 BC ± 160 years. Caribou bones were found at the Dutchess County Cave near Florida, New York. Paleo Indian sites have been found at the Zierdt site in Montague, the Plenge Site in Great Meadows and at the Harry's Farm Site in Pahaquarry Township, Warren County, in which charcoal has been dated to 5430 BC ± 120 years. Charcoal dated 8940 BC ± 50 years, has been found at the Paleo Indian camp on Broadhead Creek in Pennsylvania, near the Delaware River. This site is one of the earliest Paleo Indian sites in Eastern North America. The caribou bones found in a cave near Florida, New York, site dated 10,580 BC ± 370 years. This suggests that Paleo Indians lived in the Sussex County area as far back as 10,310 BC to 10,950 BC. Paleo Indians lived in small groups and followed game. They were hunter-gatherers who made fluted spear points of Jasper and black Chert. Their numbers were not large and this, along with the fact that their sites are several to many feet below the present ground level, is why Paleo Indian sites are hard to find.
The area warmed and deciduous forests began to grow around 8000 BC. Oaks, maples, birch, willows replaced the coniferous forests and big game became extinct. There are different reasons for this, such as over-hunting or lack of food. By 6000 BC the Coniferous forests were almost gone, except for hemlock trees. Different big game lived in that type of forest, such as deer, elk and moose.
Eventually, the Lenape settled in the area, though the time of their arrival is unknown. Before the Lenape arrived in Sussex County, other native Americans occupied the area. The Lenape lived in river valleys, in flat flood plains. They were hunter-gatherers. With the advent of clay pottery around 1200 BC and the bow and arrow around 800 to 1000 AD, the Lenape were intensively gathering, Populations increased faster. Many types of nuts were available to them such as acorns, hickory nuts, walnuts, beech nuts, chestnuts, and butternuts. Game was plentiful everywhere, such as deer, bear, elk, beaver and squirrels. Fish in the rivers were caught in nets or by hand and there was also shellfish.
The Lenape lived in long houses which were made of trees. These trees were cut down by fire. There was a small door at the end of the long house. In the roof there was a small hole to allow smoke to escape due to fires in the house.
By the time the Dutch and other Europeans arrived in the very late 17th century to early 18th century the region was settled by the Lenape. They were living in extended family camps which were near each other along the river valleys. These camps were fairly permanent although they may have migrated in search of food during different seasons. With the slow rise of agriculture around the year 1000, camps slowly became more stable. Population increased due to the ability to store food in pottery and procure game with the bow and arrow. The family clans were harmonious with each other. The Lenape had a trail that went from the Delaware River through Culvers Gap to Augusta, east of Newton, to Cranberry Lake and then to Stanhope. From there it probably went to Landing and to the Rockaway River near Rockaway. In Denville the trail may have divided, one going to Morristown and the other going to Parsippany (Philhower 1924). The Lenape trail is also shown on William Fadden's map.
The Little Ice Age may have also affected settlement of Sussex County. Beginning in the early 17th century, winters became longer and summers shorter. Frosts lasted longer into the growing season and started earlier in the autumn. This would affect the growing of crops by settlers. Several years of crop failure or low production may have sent settlers back to the warmer climate of the coastal areas. The Kittatinny Valley and the Flatbrook Valley would have definitely been affected by the temperature change, as these areas are among the coldest in the state. This cold would also have affected Lenape populations, particularly due to corn crop failures, caused by early frosts in August or late frosts in June and the inability to fish due to the freezing of the rivers or lakes for long periods. Various game went into a semi-hibernation during cold periods, which made hunting more difficult. Nut trees and nut crop production also would have been affected by the late frosts or freezes in May or June. All these factors would have resulted in starvation among the Native Americans. This Little Ice Age lasted until about 1850.
In 1664, the English gained control of New Netherland and relations with the Native Americans became better. Land purchases in the early 18th century and the Walking Purchase of 1737, in which 3 men started walking north on September 19, 1737, from Neshaminy Creek, Pa., northward. With them were three native Americans to observe. After a day and a half, one man walked past Port Jervis, New York area, in which the Native Americans were forced to sell all of this land, which was hundreds of square miles. This was land of all of eastern Pennsylvania. The Native Americans moved to the Ohio Valley or Canada. Due to this, relations with the English became poor. When the French and Indian War started in 1754, some Native Americans sided with the French.
By the 1750s, nearly all Native Americans were gone from Sussex County. This was due to the land purchases, starvation due to the Little Ice Age, or diseases that the Native Americans contacted from the Europeans. The Native Americans were separated from Asia and Europe for thousands of years and did not have immunities. Nearly half of Native Americans died from disease. During the 1750s the Native Americans moved to western Pennsylvania, the Ohio Valley and to Eastern Canada.
Between 1611 and 1614, three Dutchmen, A. Block, H. Christiaensen and C. Mey surveyed land between the 40th and 45th parallels along the Atlantic coast and named the area they surveyed New Netherlands. In 1614, a Dutch fort was established on Castle Island on the Hudson River near Albany, New York. This fort was called Fort Nassau. In 1615, three Dutchmen left Fort Nassau and traveled southwest to the Delaware River and followed the river downstream. In 1616 they were captured by Native Americans near the confluence of the Schuykill River and Delaware River, south of Easton, Pennsylvania. The route the three men traveled is unknown, but they may have traveled through Sussex County or Pennsylvania. This is the earliest record of Europeans traveling in or near Sussex County. In 1625, a Dutch fort was built on the southern end of Manhattan Island and named Fort Amsterdam.
Governor Kieft's War of 1643 to 1645, the Esopus War of 1655 to 1660, and the Peach War of 1655 to 1657 would have prevented colonization of New Netherlands, which today is called Sussex County. There were also hostile relations between the Dutch and Native Americans.
On August 27, 1664, three English ships approached Fort Amsterdam and the fort was surrendered to the English. The English now controlled New Amsterdam and Sussex County was now under control of the colony of New York. Relations with the Native Americans improved for a while.
The French and Indian War started in 1754 and lasted until August 1765. The French wanted North America for the fur trade. Native Americans who were cheated out of their land by the English and other Europeans. Native Americans, the Lenape and the Shawnee sided with the French who promised them that their lands would be returned. Even though a treaty was signed on February 10, 1763 the war continued until August 1765, as communication was poor at the time This war had an effect on colonists who lived in Sussex County. Small forts or fortified homes made a line from Phillipsburg to the Port Jervis area. Seven fortified homes stood along the Delaware River in the Sussex County area from Walpack Bend to Port Jervis. These eight forts are shown on the map drawn by Jonathon Hampton in 1758. Fort Reading was 12 miles (19 km) north of Easton, near Belvidere. The next was Col. Van Camps Fort, 18 miles (29 km) north of Fort Reading. Col. Van Camps Fort was just south of Walpack Bend. Fort Walpack was 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Van Camps Fort in the river bend at Walpack. Fort Shapnack, also called Head Quarters, was 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Fort Walpack. Fort Nominack was 8 mikes north near Nominack Island. Shipeconk Fort was 4 miles (6.4 km) north. Coles Fort was 8 miles (13 km) north of Shipeconk Fort. The most northern fort was Fort Gardner which was 12 miles (19 km) north of Fort Cole. Fort Gardner was near the NJ and NY state line. Later the line was drawn further south, so Fort Gardner is northeast of Port Jervis, New York. (NJCD and Kraft 1976). According to historians today there was sixteen forts or fortified homes. Indian raids took place on farms of colonists in western Sussex County, Pennsylvania and New York State along the Delaware River. Farm houses and barns were burned and people were killed. Due to this, settlement of Sussex County came to a halt as no colonists wanted to venture into the northwestern part of Sussex County during this war.
The first known settler was a blacksmith who purchased land from the Lenape near Port Jervis in 1698. He purchased land in New Jersey that later became part of New York State when the state border changed in 1769 to a place further south than what it was originally. The Lenape sold him the land as his skills as a blacksmith were highly valued, since he could make iron pots, axes, and knives that no Native American could make. After this, settlement probably occurred along the Delaware in Montague around 1705 to 1710. Settlement probably occurred in 1714 in Walpack and a church was built there in 1716.
Permanent farms started to appear in the flat areas of the county where the land was fertile and near streams for water. Some land was previously cleared by Native Americans, while other areas were natural fields due to natural fires or flora selection. Game was still plentiful, as were fish and waterfowl. Houses were built of stone or tree logs.
A map by William Fadden in 1778 shows several roads going through western Sussex County. The map does not show the Pahaquarry Copper Mine or a road that leads to the Pahaquarry area. Instead the map shows a road that goes from the Port Jervis area south along the eastern side of the Delaware River to Minisink Island. At Minisink Island the road forks three ways. One road goes through Culver's Gap. The second road goes south to the village of Walpack, where it turns west and crosses the Delaware River at Walpack Bend, continues along the western side of the Delaware River, and proceeds south. The third road crosses the Delaware at Minisink Island and goes along the western side of the Delaware River in a southward direction.
During the Civil War, approximately 2000 residents entered Union service, per "Sons of Sussex", a 2010 listing by Lisa E. Heuslein and John C. Rights available at the Sussex County Library in Frankford.
The County of Sussex is governed by a Board of Chosen Freeholders that consists of five members elected at-large to serve three-year terms. Seats are elected on a staggered basis over three years, with two seats available in the first year, two seats the following, and then one seat. All terms of office begin on January 1 and end on December 31. The Board of Chosen Freeholders is the center of legislative and administrative responsibility for the County of Sussex. It is responsible for writing and adopting a budget and overseeing the spending of funds appropriated by that budget.
Many county services do overlap those provided by municipalities within the county, however, the Board of Chosen Freeholders is responsible for the following tasks:
As of 2010[update], members of the Sussex County Board of Chosen Freeholders are Freeholder Director Jeffrey M. Parrott (R, term ends December 31, 2010; Wantage Township), Deputy Director Phillip R. Crabb (R, 2011; Franklin Borough), Richard A. Zeoli (R, 2012; Byram Township), Parker Space (R, 2010; Wantage Township) and Susan M. Zellman (R, 2012; Stanhope).[7]
As with each county in New Jersey, three elected positions, known as "constitutional officers" are required by the New Jersey State Constitution.
The office of County Clerk, a position which is selected for a term of five years, is currently occupied by Erma Gormley (R). The office of County Surrogate, elected also for at term of five years, is currently occupied by Nancy Fitzgibbons (R). The County Sheriff, a position which has a term of three years, is currently Michael F. Strada (R).
The following are Sussex County's 24 incorporated municipalities:
Sussex County is a predominantly Republican area, as among registered voters, affiliations with the Republican Party outpace those of the Democratic Party by a ratio of three to one. All five members of the county board of Chosen Freeholders, all three county-wide constitutional officers, and all except a few of the 108 municipal offices among the county's 24 municipalities are held by Republicans. In the 2004 U.S. Presidential election, George W. Bush carried the county by a 29.6% margin over John Kerry, the largest margin for Bush in any county in New Jersey, with Kerry carrying the state by 6.7% over Bush.[8] In 2008, John McCain carried Sussex County by a 20.6% margin over Barack Obama, McCain's best showing in New Jersey, with Obama winning statewide by 15.5% over McCain.[9] In the 2009 Gubernatorial Election, Republican Chris Christie received 63% of the vote, defeating Democrat Jon Corzine, who received around 26%. Also, Sussex County is the home county of Scott Garrett, who is by far the most conservative congressman from New Jersey. He represents almost all of Sussex County along with Warren County, northern Passaic County, and northern Bergen County. The southeast corner of Sussex County is represented by Rodney Frelinghuysen.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 536 square miles (1,390 km2), of which, 521 square miles (1,350 km2) of it is land and 15 square miles (39 km2) of it (2.75%) is water. High Point in this county is also the highest natural elevation in the state at 1,803 feet (549.5 m) above sea level. Sunrise Mountain in Stokes State Forest has an elevation of 1,653 feet (504 m). The county's lowest elevation is approximately 300 feet (90 m) above sea level along the Delaware River near Flatbrookville.
Around five hundred million B.C. a chain of volcanic islands shaped like an arch collided with proto North America and rode over the top of the North American plate. This created the highlands of Sussex County. There was a shallow sea that was located where the Delaware River is located, the Flatbrook Valley and the Kittatinny Mountain. Quartz pebbles and other conglomerate was transported to the sea and formed a long band. Then around four hundred million B.C., a small continent that was long and thin, collided with proto North. America. This collision created compression, which caused heat. The quartz conglomerate folded and faulted. The heat allowed the quartz to bend, thus the Kittatinny Mountain was born.
Sussex County has two Geophysical provinces. The first is the Ridge and Valley Province which occupies about two thirds of the county, the west and central section. The second is the Highlands Province which is the eastern third of the county.
The Kittatinny Mountain traverses the western section of the county and goes in a northeast-southwest axis. This is the first major ridge of the Ridge and Valley province. Walpack Ridge runs from Walpack Bend and follows the Delaware River to Port Jervis. These two ridges are the only two mountains in the ridge and valley province. Between Walpack Ridge and the Kittatinny Mountain is the Flatbrook Valley which is drained by the Little and Big Flatbrook streams.
To the east of Kittatinny Mountain is the Kittatinny Valley which is made of Ordovician Martinsburg Formation composed of shale, and slate, which make up most of the valley. A section of Kittatinny formation goes though Balesville. The rest is composed of Ordovician Jacksonburg formation which is limestone. There is also an ancient volcano at Rutan Hill, north of Beemerville. Kittatinny Valley is part of the Great Appalachian Valley which goes from Canada to Alabama. North of this valley is the Hudson Valley and to the south is the Lehigh Valley. The Walkill River drains the northern part of the Kittatinny Valley and the Paulinskill River drains the central and southern section of the Kittatinny Valley.
To the east of the Kittatinny Valley is the Highland province. A narrow fault of Hardyston Quartzite separates the Kittatinny Valley from the Highlands. Igneous and metamorphic rock from the Late Precambrian and Early Paleozoic era, make up the Highlands. Kittatinny and Franklin formation, along with Hardyston Quartzite are in the Highlands. The New Jersey Highlands geology is complicated due to complex patterns of folds, faults and intrusions. The Highland Province has the Wawayanda Mountains which has an elevation of 1448 at two peaks; Sparta Mountain, elevation 1232: Pochuck Mountain, elevation 1194, north of Lake Pochung; Hamburg Mountain, elevation 1495 east of Lake Wildwood.
Sussex County has five river drainages. The first is the Walkill River which starts at Mohawk Lake in Sparta and travels north into New York and empties into the Hudson River. The second is the Paulinskill which starts near Newton, travels north to Lafayette, then heads west. The River flows through Augusta and the turns southwest where it flows though Blairstown and drains into the Delaware River south of Columbia, New Jersey. The third is the Pequest River, which starts in Andover Twp. travels south to Great Meadows where it turns west and flows to Belvidere, where it drains into the Delaware River. The fourth is the Big Flatbrook, which starts in Stokes State Forest at Steam Mill and travels in a southwesterly direction, west of the Kittatinny Mountain and drains into the Delaware River near Flatbrookville. The fifth is the Pequannock River which starts west of Vernon in a valley between Hamburg Mountain and Waywayanda Mountain. The river flows south and then turns east were it flows south of Waywayanda mountain and leaves the county. All of these rivers are well known trout streams, which are stocked every year by NJ Fish and Game.
Much of the county is hilly, as the Ridge and Valley Province is considered to be within the Appalachian Mountains. The Great Valley of the Appalachians, allows for land to be more amenable to agriculture. Corn, tomatoes, pumpkins, apples, peaches are grown.
Given Sussex County's location at the top of the state, it is bordered by counties in New Jersey as well as in neighboring New York and Pennsylvania. This region is often collectively known as the Tri-State Area.[10] The following counties are adjacent and contiguous to Sussex County (in order starting with the northernmost and rotating clockwise):
| Pike County, Pennsylvania | Orange County, New York | |||
| Monroe County, Pennsylvania | Passaic County | |||
| Sussex County, New Jersey | ||||
| Warren County | Morris County |
Early industry and commerce chiefly centered on agriculture, iron mining, shifting during the late 19th and early 20th centuries to focus on several factories and the mining of zinc. Today, Sussex County features a mix of rural farmland, forests and suburban development. Though agriculture (chiefly dairy farming) is on the decline and because the county hosts little industry, Sussex County is considered a "bedroom community" as most residents commute to neighboring counties (Bergen, Essex and Morris Counties) or to New York City for work.
Property taxes in Sussex County have always been historically lower than its neighboring counties. Taxes on an acre of land, depending on the condition and size of the house, could be as low as $1500 a year. Typical property taxes in the county are in the $3000–$6000 a year range. This is due to low local spending, regional schools, modest police departments, and all municipalities having a volunteer Fire Department.
Sussex County is served by a number of roads connecting it to the rest of the state and to both Pennsylvania and New York. Interstate 80 passes through the extreme southern tip of Sussex County solely in Byram. Interstate 84 passes just yards north of Sussex County, but never enters New Jersey.
New Jersey's Route 15, Route 23, Route 94, Route 181, Route 183, and Route 284 pass through the County, as does U.S. Route 206
Commuter Rail available from Netcong, New Jersey on the Morris & Essex Lines of New Jersey Transit. New Jersey Transit also aims to open up the Lackawanna Cutoff, which passes through Andover and Green Townships to commuter traffic, connecting Scranton, Pennsylvania with Hoboken, New Jersey and New York City.
Sussex County has four public-use airports, all privately owned and catering to recreational pilots. They are Sussex Airport, in Wantage Township, which has a runway of 3,500 feet (1,100 m), Newton Airport in Andover Township, Andover Aeroflex Airport also in Andover Township, and Trinca Airport in Green Township, which has a 1,900-foot (580 m) grass runway.
Clear Channel Radio owns a cluster of four stations in the area.
Stations from The Hudson Valley Also can be heard: 92.7 WRRV-FM- Middletown. Format: Alternative 104.7 WSPK-FM- Poughkeepsie. Format: Top 40 Stations from Scranton-East Stroudsburg Area also can be heard: 107.9 WKRF-FM- Tobyhanna. Format: Top 40 Stations from The Lehigh Valley Area can also be heard: 104.1 WAEB-FM- Allentown. Format: Top 40 FST Broadcasting Corp. owns WTBQ, just north of Vernon, New Jersey.
The radio station WNTI, 91.9 FM, is broadcast from Centenary College in Hackettstown (Warren County). It is a commercial free, public station playing progressive music. It can be heard throughout most of Sussex County. Calvary Chapel of Howell, New Jersey broadcasts WRDR The Bridge FM with towers in Northern New Jersey and Southern New York.
Public radio (NJN – New Jersey Public Radio); primarily NPR but also an American Public Media outlet:
Heroin use has been on the rise and shows no signs of improvement despite efforts of law enforcement and community groups working to fight the problem. This is due to the inexpensive cost of heroin and its highly addictive nature. Yet for the most part, crime is fairly low in Sussex County. Law Enforcements are well organized and the sheriff is elected by the people of Sussex County. This is the only law enforcement position that is elected in the county. The Sheriff's office is located on 39 High Street, in Newton. The current sheriff of Sussex County is Michael Strada.
The State Police are located on Route 206 in Augusta and most townships have local police departments. There is also N.J. Park police in Stokes State Forest and other state parks.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1790 | 19,500 |
|
|
| 1800 | 22,534 | 15.6% | |
| 1810 | 25,549 | 13.4% | |
| 1820 | 32,752 | 28.2% | |
| 1830 | 20,346 | * | −37.9% |
| 1840 | 21,770 | 7.0% | |
| 1850 | 22,989 | 5.6% | |
| 1860 | 23,846 | 3.7% | |
| 1870 | 23,168 | −2.8% | |
| 1880 | 23,539 | 1.6% | |
| 1890 | 22,259 | −5.4% | |
| 1900 | 24,134 | 8.4% | |
| 1910 | 26,781 | 11.0% | |
| 1920 | 24,905 | −7.0% | |
| 1930 | 27,830 | 11.7% | |
| 1940 | 29,632 | 6.5% | |
| 1950 | 34,423 | 16.2% | |
| 1960 | 49,255 | 43.1% | |
| 1970 | 77,528 | 57.4% | |
| 1980 | 116,119 | 49.8% | |
| 1990 | 130,943 | 12.8% | |
| 2000 | 144,166 | 10.1% | |
| 2010 | 149,265 | 3.5% | |
| * lost territory historical census data source:[11][12] [13] |
|||
As of the census[14] of 2000, there were 144,166 people, 50,831 households, and 38,784 families residing in the county. The population density was 277 people per square mile (107/km²). There were 56,528 housing units at an average density of 108 per square mile (42/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.70% White, 1.0% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 1.20% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.74% from other races, and 1.14% from two or more races. 3.30% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 20.4% were of Italian, 18.1% Irish, 16.0% German, 7.2% English, 5.9% Polish and 5.2% American ancestry according to Census 2000.
By 2006, 90.3% of the county population was non-Hispanic whites. The percentage of African-Americans was up to 1.7%. Asians were now 1.9% of the population. 5.3% of the population was Latino.
In 2000 There were 50,831 households out of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.0% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.7% were non-families. 18.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.24.
In the county the population was spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $67,266, and the median income for a family was $73,335 (these figures had risen to $79,434 and $89,302 respectively as of a 2007 estimate[15]). Males had a median income of $50,395 versus $33,750 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,992. About 2.8% of families and 4.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.1% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.
The Sussex County Interscholastic League, or SCIL, is the high school athletic league for most high schools in the county.
There are nine Wildlife management areas located in Sussex County for hunting, fishing, trapping, hiking, snowshoeing and cross country skiing. This is over fifteen thousand acres. There is also state forests and state parks which are listed below.
Augusta is the site of Skylands Park, a minor league baseball stadium, home of the Sussex Skyhawks. The Skyhawks play in the Can-Am League. Skylands Park was the former home of the New Jersey Cardinals (from 1994–2005), but the Cardinals moved to State College, Pennsylvania making room for the Skyhawks.
|
County Government Churches Education |
History and Tourism News and Media |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||