Readington

Readington Township is a township located in the easternmost portion of Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 16,126,[9][10][11] reflecting an increase of 323 (+2.0%) from the 15,803 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 2,403 (+17.9%) from the 13,400 counted in the 1990 Census.[21]

Created by Royal charter of King George II, "Reading" Township was formed on July 15, 1730, from portions of Amwell Township. It was the first new township created after Hunterdon was established as an independent county.[22] The township was incorporated as Readingtown Township, one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships, on February 21, 1798. Portions of the township were annexed by Tewksbury Township in 1832 and 1861.[23] The township was named for John Reading, the first native-born governor of the British Province of New Jersey.[24][25]

Covering more than 48 square miles (120 km2), it is the largest township in the county,[22] covering almost 11% of the county's area.[26] More than 8,000 acres (32 km2) of land have been preserved from development. Readington Township is bounded on the north by the Lamington River and Rockaway Creek; to the east by Somerset County, which existed as the boundary between East and West Jersey from 1688 to 1695;[27] to the south, the South Branch of the Raritan River; and to the west by the old West Jersey Society's line which crosses the Cushetunk Mountains.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 47.83 square miles (123.88 km2), including 47.56 square miles (123.17 km2) of land and 0.27 square miles (0.70 km2) of water (0.57%).[1][2]

Cushetunk Mountain is a ring-shaped mountain located in Clinton Township. The diabase mountain was formed 160 million years ago. The Lenape called the mountain "Cushetunk" meaning "place of hogs".[28] In the 1960s, the valley was filled with water to create Round Valley Reservoir, at 180 feet (55 m) in depth the second-deepest in the state.[29]

Whitehouse Station (2010 Census population of 2,089[30]) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Readington Township.[31]

The township borders the municipalities of Clinton Township, Raritan Township and Tewksbury Township in Hunterdon County; and Branchburg and Hillsborough Township in Somerset County.[32][33][34]

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Backers Island, Higginsville, McCrea Mills, Riverside, Rockfellows Mills, Round Mountain, Stovers Mills and Wood Church, as well as the following:[35]

The 2010 United States census counted 16,126 people, 5,971 households, and 4,496 families in the township. The population density was 337.8 per square mile (130.4/km2). There were 6,191 housing units at an average density of 129.7 per square mile (50.1/km2). The racial makeup was 93.09% (15,011) White, 1.33% (214) Black or African American, 0.11% (18) Native American, 3.60% (581) Asian, 0.01% (1) Pacific Islander, 0.77% (124) from other races, and 1.10% (177) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.93% (633) of the population.[9]

Of the 5,971 households, 35.1% had children under the age of 18; 66.0% were married couples living together; 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present and 24.7% were non-families. Of all households, 20.7% were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.15.[9]

25.1% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 20.4% from 25 to 44, 35.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.4 years. For every 100 females, the population had 96.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 94.1 males.[9]

The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $120,821 (with a margin of error of +/- $9,180) and the median family income was $138,171 (+/- $10,232). Males had a median income of $100,647 (+/- $11,576) versus $61,372 (+/- $6,196) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $55,493 (+/- $4,019). About 1.3% of families and 1.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.7% of those under age 18 and 1.7% of those age 65 or over.[49]

As of the 2000 United States Census[18] there were 15,803 people, 5,676 households, and 4,410 families residing in the township. The population density was 331.4 people per square mile (127.9/km2). There were 5,794 housing units at an average density of 121.5 per square mile (46.9/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 95.14% White, 0.76% African American, 0.06% Native American, 2.56% Asian, 0.53% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.05% of the population.[47][48]

There were 5,676 households, out of which 37.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.3% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.3% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.18.[47][48]

In the township the population was spread out, with 26.5% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males.[47][48]

The median income for a household in the township was $95,356, and the median income for a family was $106,343. Males had a median income of $66,778 versus $48,385 for females. The per capita income for the township was $41,000. About 0.7% of families and 1.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.4% of those under age 18 and 1.8% of those age 65 or over.[47][48]

Readington Township is home to the personal and commercial lines of insurance of Chubb Corp.,[50] and the QuickChek Corporation, which operates over 100 convenience stores throughout New Jersey and New York.[51]

Readington was once also home to the global headquarters of Merck & Co., one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the country, but the company has since relocated to nearby Kenilworth, New Jersey.[52]

Readington's business climate benefits from its proximity to major highways, Princeton, Bridgewater Township and other centers of business in central New Jersey.

Readington is home to several museums and offers many programs for adults and children. The Bouman-Stickney Homestead is located off of Dreahook Road in the hamlet of Stanton. Coldbrook School, the site of living history programs for the township's elementary school children, is in the northern section of town, and the Eversole-Hall House is located on Route 523, next to the Municipal building.[53] Taylor's Mill, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was built around 1760 by John Taylor. It is the only remaining pre-revolutionary mill in the township and was used to provide troops with food during the Revolutionary War. The township plans to make Taylor's Mill a fourth township museum.[54]

Readington Township is governed under the Township form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 141 municipalities (of the 565) statewide that use this form, the second-most commonly used form of government in the state.[55] The Township Committee is comprised of five members, who are elected directly by the voters at-large in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle.[7][56] At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor. The Mayor serves as chair of the Township Committee and has the powers vested in the mayor's office by general law.[57]

As of 2020[update], members of the Readington Township Committee are Mayor Jonathan Heller (R, term on committee and as mayor ends December 31, 2020), Deputy Mayor R. Juergen Huelsebusch (R, term on committee ends 2021; term as deputy member ends 2020), John Albanese (R, 2020), Betty Ann Fort (R, 2022) and Benjamin A. Smith (R, 2021).[3][58][59][60][61][62][63]

In the 2017 general election, Republicans John Albanese (3887 votes) and Jonathan Heller (3738 votes) prevailed against Democratic challenger Alan Harwick (2027 votes) The all-Republican Committee was unanimous on the leadership roles at the 2018 reorganization meeting, choosing Benjamin Smith as mayor and Betty Ann Fort as deputy mayor.[64]

In December 2014, the Township Council selected M. Elizabeth Duffy from a list of three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the vacant seat of Beatrice Muir, who had resigned the previous month from a term of office ending in December 2015.[65]

Readington Township is located in the 7th Congressional District[66] and is part of New Jersey's 16th state legislative district.[10][67][68] Prior to the 2011 reapportionment following the 2010 Census, Readington Township had been in the 23rd state legislative district.[69]

For the 117th United States Congress. New Jersey's Seventh Congressional District is represented by Tom Malinowski (D, East Amwell Township).[70] New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Democrats Cory Booker (Newark, term ends 2027)[71] and Bob Menendez (Harrison, term ends 2025).[72][73]

For the 2022–2023 session, the 16th Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the New Jersey Senate by Andrew Zwicker (D, South Brunswick) and in the General Assembly by Roy Freiman (D, Hillsborough Township) and Sadaf Jaffer (D, Montgomery Township).[74]

Hunterdon County is governed by a five-member Board of Chosen Commissioners, who serve three-year terms of office at-large on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats up for election each year on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. At an annual reorganization meeting held each January, the commissioners select one member to serve as the board's Director and another to serve as Deputy Director, each for a one-year term.[75] As of 2021[update], Hunterdon County's Commissioners are Commissioner Director Susan Soloway (R; Franklin Township, term as commissioner and as director ends December 31, 2021),[76] Commissioner Deputy Director John E. Lanza (R; Raritan Township, term as commissioner ends 2022; term as deputy director ends 2021),[77] J. Matthew Holt (R; Clinton Town, 2021),[78] Zachary T. Rich (R; West Amwell Township, 2022)[79] and Shaun C. Van Doren (R; Tewksbury Township, 2023).[80][81][82] Constitutional officers elected on a countywide basis are County Clerk Mary H. Melfi (R; Flemington, 2021),[83] Sheriff Fredrick W. Brown (R; Alexandria Township, 2022)[84] and Surrogate Susan J. Hoffman (R; Kingwood Township, 2023).[85][86][87]

As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 11,223 registered voters in Readington Township, of which 1,745 (15.5%) were registered as Democrats, 5,118 (45.6%) were registered as Republicans and 4,354 (38.8%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 6 voters registered to other parties.[88]

In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 63.8% of the vote (5,537 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 35.0% (3,039 votes), and other candidates with 1.2% (103 votes), among the 8,730 ballots cast by the township's 11,700 registered voters (51 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 74.6%.[89][90] In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 61.1% of the vote (5,646 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 37.0% (3,425 votes) and other candidates with 1.1% (100 votes), among the 9,245 ballots cast by the township's 11,302 registered voters, for a turnout of 81.8%.[91] In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 63.5% of the vote (5,566 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry with 35.7% (3,127 votes) and other candidates with 0.9% (91 votes), among the 8,767 ballots cast by the township's 10,679 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 82.1.[92]

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 79.1% of the vote (4,524 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 19.5% (1,114 votes), and other candidates with 1.5% (83 votes), among the 5,812 ballots cast by the township's 11,669 registered voters (91 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 49.8%.[93][94] In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 70.4% of the vote (4,771 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 20.6% (1,395 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 7.3% (495 votes) and other candidates with 0.7% (46 votes), among the 6,777 ballots cast by the township's 11,169 registered voters, yielding a 60.7% turnout.[95]

In the 2016 presidential election, Republican Donald Trump received 56.8% of the vote (5,565 cast), ahead of Democrat Hillary Clinton with 36.6% of the vote (3,590 cast), Libertarian Gary Johnson with 2.8% of the vote (278 cast), Green Party Jill Stein with 1% of the vote (100 cast), 27 votes for other candidates and 97 write-in votes for a total of 9,657 votes cast. Turnout was 77.5%, with 9,803 of 12,659 registered voters casting votes that day.[96]

The Readington Township Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.[97] As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of four schools, had an enrollment of 1,495 students and 161.1 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.3:1.[98] Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[99]) are Three Bridges School[100] with 318 students in grades PreK-3, Whitehouse School[101] with 304 students in grades K-3, Holland Brook School[102] with 319 students in grades 4-5 and Readington Middle School[103] with 541 students in grades 6–8.[104][105]

Students in public school for ninth through twelfth grades attend the Hunterdon Central High School, part of the Hunterdon Central Regional High School District, which also serves students in central Hunterdon County from Delaware Township, East Amwell Township, Flemington Borough and Raritan Township.[106][107] As of the 2018–19 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 2,844 students and 238.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.9:1.[108] Seats on the high school district's nine-member board of education are allocated based in the population of the five constituent municipalities who participate in the school district, with three seats allocated to Readington Township.[109]

Eighth grade students from all of Hunterdon County are eligible to apply to attend the high school programs offered by the Hunterdon County Vocational School District, a county-wide vocational school district that offers career and technical education at its campuses in Raritan Township and at programs sited at local high schools, with no tuition charged to students for attendance.[110]

Readington Township is served by a full-time Police Department, two ambulances staffed by the Whitehouse Rescue Squad, and four volunteer Fire Companies.

The following volunteer fire departments serve the Township:[112]

As of May 2010[update], the township had a total of 178.01 miles (286.48 km) of roadways, of which 145.39 miles (233.98 km) were maintained by the municipality, 19.33 miles (31.11 km) by Hunterdon County and 13.29 miles (21.39 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.[117]

Roads and highways that pass through the township include Interstate 78,[118] U.S. Route 202,[119] Route 22[120] and Route 31.[121]

The township is also served by NJ Transit's White House station,[122] offering service on the Raritan Valley Line to Newark Penn Station and Hoboken Terminal, with connecting service to Penn Station New York in Midtown Manhattan.[123]

NJ Transit provides local bus service on the 884 route.[124]

The Hunterdon County LINK provide local bus service on Routes 17 / 18 between Milford and Clinton; and Route 23 between Flemington and Bridgewater Commons Mall / Somerville.[125]

The Norfolk Southern Railway's Lehigh Line (formerly the mainline of the Lehigh Valley Railroad), runs through Readington Township.[126]

The Black River and Western Railroad is a freight and heritage railroad that runs from Lambertville via Ringoes and Flemington to Three Bridges (Readington) where it connects to the Norfolk Southern Railway.[127]

The Quick Chek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2012.[128] The event held at Solberg-Hunterdon Airport is the largest summertime hot air balloon festival in North America.[129]

On April 5, 2007, a shootout during the attempt to arrest serial bank robbers near a PNC Bank branch on U.S. Route 22 in Readington resulted in the death of FBI agent Barry Lee Bush. Bush was the first FBI agent to be killed in the line of duty in New Jersey and the second FBI agent to be killed by a fellow agent since the bureau was established in 1908.[130][131]

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Readington Township include: