Harding Township, New Jersey

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Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox settlement Harding Township is a township in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located in the Passaic Valley region within the New York metropolitan area. The township was formed as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on September 1, 1922, from portions of Passaic Township (since renamed as Long Hill Township), based on the results of a referendum passed on May 9, 1922.<ref name=Story>Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 193. Accessed May 28, 2024.</ref><ref>Staff. Acts of the One Hundred and Forty-Sixth Legislature of the State of New Jersey, pp. 74-77. New Jersey Secretary of State, 1922. Accessed October 17, 2015. "Chapter 40 - An Act to incorporate the township of Harding, in the county of Morris"</ref><ref>Historical Timeline of Morris County Boundaries Template:Webarchive, Morris County Library. Accessed December 24, 2016. "1922, September 1. Harding Township is established from Passaic. The township includes sections Green Village and New Vernon. From PL 1923, p. 587."</ref> As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 3,871,<ref name=LWD2020/> an increase of 33 (+0.9%) from the 2010 census count of 3,838,<ref name=Census2010/><ref name=LWD2010/> which in turn reflected an increase of 658 (+20.7%) from the 3,180 counted in the 2000 census.<ref>Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023.</ref>

The long-established hamlets of New Vernon and Green Village (also within Chatham Township) are both located in Harding Township. The township is home to the private club community Mount Kemble Lake, a former summer colony developed in the 1920s.<ref>Lawlor, Julia. "If You're Thinking of Living In/Harding Township, N.J.; Open Space, Scenic Beauty, Pricey Homes", The New York Times, November 3, 2002. Accessed October 7, 2020. "In the Mount Kemble Lake area, a summer vacation community developed in 1928, small cottages on 9,000-square-foot lots have been converted to year-round homes surrounding one of Harding's two lakes."</ref><ref>Brochure, Mount Kemble Lake. Accessed October 7, 2020. "Established in 1926, Mt. Kemble Lake is an unusual mix of privately owned homes and community owned assets, with a deep sense of volunteerism and community pride."</ref>

Described by The New York Times as "one of the most restrictive and elegant of New Jersey's residential suburban areas"<ref>Waggoner, Walter H. "Town With 3‐Acre Zoning Minimum Ordered to Allow Garden Apartments", The New York Times, July 6, 1973. Accessed October 7, 2020. "Harding Township, just south of Morristown, has been called 'the Garden of Eden of Morris County' by County Judge Jacques H. Gascoyne, and it is one of the most restrictive and elegant of New Jersey's residential suburban areas."</ref> and as an "affluent Morris County township",<ref>Garbarine, Rachelle. "In the Region/New Jersey; A Patient Family Becomes a Careful Developer", The New York Times, April 5, 1998. Accessed October 7, 2020. "The broad swath of meadows, hayfields and thick woods is among the last large estates and working farms in this affluent Morris County township."</ref> the community has been one of the state's highest-income municipalities. Harding Township had a per capita income of $109,472 and was ranked first in New Jersey based on data from the 2006–2010 American Community Survey from the United States Census Bureau, more than triple the statewide average of $34,858.<ref>Median Household, Family, Per-Capita Income: State, County, Municipality and Census Designated Place (CDP) With Municipalities Ranked by Per Capita Income; 2010 5-year ACS estimates Template:Webarchive, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Accessed December 2, 2019.</ref> Based on data from the ACS for 2014–2018, Harding Township ranked sixth in the state with a median household income of $183,587 and had almost half of households earning more than $200 thousand annually.<ref>Cervenka, Susanne. "Rich in New Jersey: Here are the 50 wealthiest towns in the state. Is yours one of them?", Asbury Park Press, July 1, 2019. Accessed October 7, 2020. "6. Harding County: Morris County Median household income: $183,587 Percent making more than $200,000: 47%"</ref>

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.<ref>The Most Expensive ZIP Codes 2006 Template:Webarchive, Forbes magazine April 21, 2006</ref> 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 have nonprofit support organizations that assure the retention of the original nature of the properties.<ref>New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Morris County, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Historic Preservation Office, updated October 1, 2020. Accessed October 7, 2020.</ref>

As of 2021, the median value of a home in Harding Township lies at $1,181,000.<ref>Census Reporter: Harding township, Morris County, NJ.</ref>

History

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 Template:Convert in length and was Template:Convert 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 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.<ref name=Thinking/> 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.

Wealthy urban residents from Manhattan and Newark bought farmland, enlarged old farmhouses, and landscaped the grounds. The movement to establish Harding Township was driven by local property owners who wanted to maintain a bucolic community without suburban development.

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.<ref>Washington, Gregory C. "Town snapshot: Harding", The Star-Ledger, November 30, 2006. Accessed August 2, 2007. "When concluded, Passaic Township was cut in half and the northern half was named after the sitting president of the United States, Warren G. Harding."</ref><ref>Bloom, Susan. "Harding Township re-dedicates municipal building", Daily Record, December 8, 2014. "In 1922, they seceded from Passaic Township, named their new town after then-sitting President Warren Harding, and never looked back."</ref>

The New Vernon Neighborhood Restrictive Agreement was established in 1928 by estate owners under which they agreed to voluntarily place restrictive covenants on their land that would require future owners of the properties to maintain the rural nature of the area.<ref>Staff. "Harding Township"Template:Dead link, Observer Tribune. Accessed September 11, 2013. "The desire to preserve Harding's rural character was evident even in 1928 when an unusual private land preservation effort began with the New Vernon Neighborhood Restrictive Agreement."</ref> This voluntary effort to limit development and save the pastoral qualities of over Template:Convert across Harding Township influenced subsequent zoning codes, which emerged several decades later, and helped preserve the landscape to the present day.<ref name=Thinking/>

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 20.57 square miles (53.28 km2), including 20.05 square miles (51.94 km2) of land and 0.52 square miles (1.34 km2) of water (2.51%).<ref name=CensusArea/><ref name=GR1 /> The township includes 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.

Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Baileys Mill, Dickson Mill, Glen Alpin, Jockey Hollow Park, Logansville, Mount Kemble Lake, Olmstead Mills, Osborn Mill, Pleasantville, Sugar Loaf and Van Dorens Mill.<ref>Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed May 21, 2015.</ref>

The township borders Mendham Township to the west, Madison to the northeast, Chatham Township to the east, Morris Township to the north, and Long Hill Township to the southeast in Morris County and Bernardsville to the southwest and Bernards Township to the south in Somerset County.<ref>Areas touching Harding Township, MapIt. Accessed March 13, 2022.</ref><ref>Morris County Municipalities Map, Morris County, New Jersey Department of Planning and Preservation. Accessed February 23, 2020.</ref><ref>New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.</ref>

Demographics

Population

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2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 3,838 people, 1,474 households, and 1,126 families in the township. The population density was 192.7 per square mile (74.4/km2). There were 1,610 housing units at an average density of 80.8 per square mile (31.2/km2). The racial makeup was 94.14% (3,613) White, 0.99% (38) Black or African American, 0.13% (5) Native American, 2.66% (102) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 0.34% (13) from other races, and 1.75% (67) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.49% (134) of the population.<ref name=Census2010/>

Of the 1,474 households, 31.2% had children under the age of 18; 68.7% were married couples living together; 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present and 23.6% were non-families. Of all households, 20.6% were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.00.<ref name=Census2010/>

24.0% of the population were under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 14.5% from 25 to 44, 35.8% from 45 to 64, and 21.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48.9 years. For every 100 females, the population had 93.7 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 93.1 males.<ref name=Census2010/>

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $168,365 (with a margin of error of +/− $37,371) and the median family income was $185,647 (+/− $30,739). Males had a median income of $123,854 (+/− $38,454) versus $66,131 (+/− $25,727) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $109,472 (+/− $24,951). About 6.8% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.5% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.<ref>DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics from the 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates for Harding township, Morris County, New Jersey Template:Webarchive, United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 2, 2012.</ref>

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census<ref name="GR2" /> there were 3,180 people, 1,180 households, and 940 families residing in the township. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 1,243 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. 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.<ref name=Census2000>Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Harding township, Morris County, New Jersey Template:Webarchive, United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 2, 2012.</ref><ref name=Census2000SF1>DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Harding township, Morris County, New Jersey Template:Webarchive, United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 2, 2012.</ref>

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.<ref name=Census2000/><ref name=Census2000SF1/>

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.<ref name=Census2000/><ref name=Census2000SF1/>

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.<ref name=Census2000/><ref name=Census2000SF1/>

Government

Local government

Harding Township is governed under the Township form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 141 municipalities (of the 564 statewide) that use this form, the second-most commonly used form of government in the state.<ref>Inventory of Municipal Forms of Government in New Jersey Template:Webarchive, Rutgers University Center for Government Studies, July 1, 2011. Accessed June 1, 2023.</ref> 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.<ref name=DataBook>2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, March 2013, p. 95.</ref><ref>"Forms of Municipal Government in New Jersey" Template:Webarchive, p. 7. Rutgers University Center for Government Studies. Accessed June 1, 2023.</ref> At an annual reorganization meeting held during the first week of January, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor and another as Deputy Mayor, each serving terms of one year.<ref name=Committee/>

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.

Template:As of, members of the Harding Township Committee are Mayor Timothy D. Jones (R, term on committee ends December 31, 2024; term as mayor ends 2023), Deputy Mayor Rita Chipperson (R, term on committee and as deputy mayor ends 2023), Nicole Lacz (R, 2024), Nicolas Platt (R, 2025) and Christopher M. Yates (R, 2023).<ref name=Committee>Township Committee, Harding Township. Accessed April 26, 2023. "Harding Township operates under the Township form of New Jersey municipal government. The Township Committee is comprised of five members, elected by the public in partisan elections for three-year terms of office on a staggered schedule, with one or two seats coming up for election each year.... At the annual Reorganization meeting held in January, the Mayor is elected by the committee from among its members."</ref><ref>2023 Municipal Data Sheet, Harding Township. Accessed April 26, 2023.</ref><ref name=MorrisManual>Morris County Manual 2024, Morris County, New Jersey Clerk. Accessed May 1, 2024.</ref><ref name=MorrisOfficials>Morris County Municipal Elected Officials For The Year 2024, Morris County, New Jersey Clerk, updated March 20, 2024. Accessed May 1, 2024.</ref><ref name=Morris2022>General Election November 8, 2022, Official Results, Morris County, New Jersey, updated November 28, 2022. Accessed January 1, 2023.</ref><ref name=Morris2021>General Election Winners For November 2, 2021, Morris County, New Jersey Clerk. Accessed January 1, 2022.</ref><ref name=Morrs2020>General Election 2020 November 3, 2020 Summary Report Official Results, Morris County, New Jersey, updated November 20, 2020. Accessed January 1, 2021.</ref>

Federal, state and county representation

Harding Township is located in the 11th Congressional District<ref name=PCR2012>Plan Components Report, New Jersey Redistricting Commission, December 23, 2011. Accessed February 1, 2020.</ref> and is part of New Jersey's 25th state legislative district.<ref name=Districts2023>Municipalities Sorted by 2023-2031 Legislative District, New Jersey Department of State. Accessed September 1, 2023.</ref>

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Politics

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As of March 2011, there were a total of 3,025 registered voters in Harding Township, of which 466 (15.4%) were registered as Democrats, 1,443 (47.7%) were registered as Republicans and 1,115 (36.9%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There was one voter registered to another party.<ref>Voter Registration Summary - Morris, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, March 23, 2011. Accessed December 18, 2012.</ref>

In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 70.4% of the vote (1,607 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 28.6% (654 votes), and other candidates with 1.0% (22 votes), among the 2,295 ballots cast by the township's 3,195 registered voters (12 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 71.8%.<ref name=2012Elections>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=2012VoterReg>Template:Cite web</ref> In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 61.9% of the vote (1,516 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 36.7% (898 votes) and other candidates with 0.9% (23 votes), among the 2,449 ballots cast by the township's 3,139 registered voters, for a turnout of 78.0%.<ref>2008 Presidential General Election Results: Morris County, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, December 23, 2008. Accessed December 18, 2012.</ref> In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 66.8% of the vote (1,618 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry with 32.1% (778 votes) and other candidates with 0.7% (20 votes), among the 2,421 ballots cast by the township's 3,040 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 79.6.<ref>2004 Presidential Election: Morris County, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, December 13, 2004. Accessed December 18, 2012.</ref>

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In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 82.0% of the vote (1,193 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 16.6% (242 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (19 votes), among the 1,476 ballots cast by the township's 3,200 registered voters (22 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 46.1%.<ref name=2013Elections>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=2013VoterReg>Template:Cite web</ref> In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 68.4% of the vote (1,280 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 20.5% (384 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 10.5% (197 votes) and other candidates with 0.3% (5 votes), among the 1,871 ballots cast by the township's 3,099 registered voters, yielding a 60.4% turnout.<ref>2009 Governor: Morris County Template:Webarchive, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, December 31, 2009. Accessed December 18, 2012.</ref>

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Education

The Harding Township School District serves public school students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade at Harding Township School.<ref>Harding Township Board of Education District Policy - Identification, Harding Township School District. Accessed January 29, 2020. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Pre-Kindergarten through eight in the Harding Township School District. Composition: The Harding Township School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Harding Township."</ref><ref>School Performance Reports for the Harding Township School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 1, 2024.</ref> As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 299 students and 41.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 7.3:1.<ref name=NCES>District information for Harding Township School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 1, 2022.</ref>

For ninth through twelfth grades, public school students attend Madison High School in Madison, as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Madison Public Schools.<ref>Madison High School 2016 Report Card NarrativeTemplate:Dead link, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed November 30, 2017. "Madison High School also enjoys the benefits of our sending-receiving relationship with Harding Township, a nearby K-8 school district. Students from Harding and Madison become a cohesive class in their four years together."</ref><ref>Master Plan Housing Element & Fair Share Plan, Harding Township, adopted November 17, 2008. Accessed January 29, 2020. "The Harding Township School system is governed by an elected Board of Education comprised of five members, one of whom also serves on the Madison Board of Education, and is administered by a full-time Superintendent. The Harding Township School, located in New Vernon Village, is comprised of an elementary and middle school (kindergarten through eighth grade) with an on-site Principal/Director of Curriculum. Secondary school education for Harding’s children is provided through an agreement with Madison High School."</ref> As of the 2021–22 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 839 students and 69.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.1:1.<ref>School data for Madison High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 1, 2022.</ref>

Historic district

The Tempe Wick Road–Washington Corners Historic District is a Template:Convert historic district located in Harding Township and Mendham Township. It extends along Tempe Wick Road from Mount Kemble Avenue to Cold Hill Road, and short segments of Corey Lane, Cemetery Road, Kennaday Road, Leddell Road, and Jockey Hollow Road. Tempe Wick Road is named for Temperance Wick.

The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 25, 2000, for its significance in architecture and military history. The district includes 44 contributing buildings, 6 contributing sites, 10 contributing structures, and 4 contributing objects.<ref name="nrhpdoc">Template:Cite web With Template:NRHP url</ref>

Transportation

Interstate 287 southbound in Harding Township

Roads and highways

Template:As of, the township had a total of Template:Convert of roadways, of which Template:Convert were maintained by the municipality, Template:Convert by Morris County and Template:Convert by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.<ref>Morris County Mileage by Municipality and Jurisdiction, New Jersey Department of Transportation, May 2010. Accessed July 18, 2014.</ref>

Interstate 287 is the most prominent highway within Harding Township, though there are no exits within the township. The nearest exits, 30 and 33, are both just outside the township in neighboring Bernards Township and Morris Township, respectively. U.S. Route 202 is the main highway providing local access to Harding Township.

Public transportation

Many Harding residents commute to jobs in Manhattan. There are private van shuttles that make the 45-minute trip to Jersey City or Hoboken, where ferries and PATH make the short journey across the Hudson River to Lower Manhattan. Additionally, many residents use the Madison, Morristown, and other nearby train stations to commute to Midtown Manhattan.<ref>Capuzzo, Jill P. "Harding Township, N.J.: A Historic Place That Feels Like the Country", The New York Times, March 27, 2019. Accessed November 26, 2020. "Driving into Manhattan, about 35 miles east, during rush hour can take over an hour. Harding does not have its own train station, so commuters take New Jersey Transit trains from stations in Bernardsville, Morristown, Madison or Chatham."</ref>

NJ Transit had provided local bus service on the MCM8 route until 2010, when subsidies were eliminated to the local service provider as part of budget cuts.<ref>Morris County Bus / Rail Connections, NJ Transit, backed up by the Internet Archive as of May 22, 2009. Accessed December 2, 2014.</ref><ref>NJ Transit Restructures Morris County Bus Service; Four current 'MCM' routes will be expanded to six new bus routes Template:Webarchive, NJ Transit, September 13, 2010. Accessed August 7, 2015.</ref><ref>Morris County System Map Template:Webarchive, NJ Transit. Accessed August 7, 2015.</ref>

Notable people

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Justin Gimelstob

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

References

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