Everything about Readington Township New Jersey totally explained
Readington Township is a
Township located in the easternmost portion of
Hunterdon County,
New Jersey. As of the
United States 2000 Census, the township population was 15,803. Nationwide, Readington Township ranks 87th among the
Highest-income places in the United States with a population of at least 10,000.
Whitehouse Station is a
census-designated place and
unincorporated area located within Readington Township.
Created by Royal Charter of
King George II, "Reading" Township was formed
July 15,
1730 from portions of
Amwell Township. It was the first new township created after Hunterdon became a county. 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.
Containing almost forty-eight square miles, it remains the largest township in the County. Readington Township is bounded on the north by the
Lamington River and
Rockaway Creek; to the east by
Somerset County; 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.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 47.8
square miles (123.9
km²), of which, 47.7 square miles (123.5 km²) of it's land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (0.25%) is water.
Readington Township borders
Raritan Township,
Clinton Township, and
Tewksbury Township. Readington Township also borders
Branchburg in
Somerset County.
Cushetunk Mountain is a ring-shaped mountain located in Readington Township and Clinton Township. Once an active volcano, the
diabase mountain was formed a hundred and sixty million years ago. The
Lenape called the mountain "Cushetunk" meaning "place of hogs" after the wild hogs found there. In the 1960's, the valley was filled with water to create
Round Valley Reservoir.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, 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/sq mi (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.
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.
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.
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.
Government
Local government
Readington Township uses the
Township form of government which is one of the oldest forms of government in New Jersey. The original Township Act of 1798 incorporated 104 townships. The Township Act of 1899 established governance by a township committee with all municipal powers. This act, with a handful of amendments, served until it was repealed by the Township Act of 1989, which cleared up many ambiguities of the previous law.
Under the current township government laws, the township committee remains the backbone of the municipality's government. Voters elect, at-large, the township committee comprising of five members. The elections are partisan and the committee members serve staggered three-year terms. The Township Committee elects the mayor and deputy mayor each January from its members for a one-year term. The Mayor serves as chair of the Township Committee and has the powers vested in the mayor's office by general law.
Members of the Readington Township Committee are
Mayor Thomas S. Auriemma (term ends
December 31,
2009),
Deputy Mayor Julia C. Allen (2008), Frank L. Gatti (2008), Beatrice Muir (2009) and Gerard J. Shamey (2010).
Federal, state and county representation
Readington Township is in the Seventh Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 23rd Legislative District.
Education
The
Readington Township Public Schools serve students in grades kindergarten through grade eight. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the
National Center for Education Statistics) are
Three Bridges School
(K-3, 435 students),
Whitehouse School (K-3, 526 students),
Holland Brook School (4-5, 521 students) and
Readington Middle School (6-8, 787 students).
Students in public school for grades 9 - 12 attend the
Hunterdon Central Regional High School, which serves over 3,000 students in central Hunterdon County. Students from
Delaware Township,
East Amwell Township,
Flemington Borough,
Raritan Township and Readington Township attend the high school.
Business
Readington Township is home to the global headquarters of
Merck & Co., one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the country. It is also home to the personal and commercial lines of insurance of
Chubb Corporation, and the
Quick Chek Corporation, which operates over 100 convenience stores throughout New Jersey and New York.
Readington's business climate benefits from its proximity to major highways,
Princeton,
Bridgewater Township and other centers of business in
central New Jersey.
Emergency Services
Readington Township is served by a full-time Police Department, 3 volunteer run Rescue Squads, and 4 volunteer Fire Companies.
EMS & Rescue Services
- The Whitehouse First Aid & Rescue Squad Station 22 Rescue was formed in 1950 and provides the lead EMS & Rescue coordination for the Township under the leadership of 2008 Chief George Liothake. They are a blended department, led by volunteers, and have staff EMT's to cover the Basic Life Support Ambulances during times when volunteers are unavailable.
The Flemington-Raritan First Aid & Rescue Squad Station 49 Rescue provides both EMS & Rescue Services to the Three Bridges section of the Township. Also a blended organization, the Squad has been serving since 1952. 2008 Chief Tom Hoffman
The Branchburg Rescue Squad Station 74 Rescue is an all-volunteer EMS & Rescue Squad serving the Hillcrest section of the Township out of their Branchburg based headquarters. 2008 Chief Paul Malarcher
Fire Deparments
The following volunteer fire departments serve the Township:
East Whitehouse Volunteer Fire Co. (Station 31 Fire)
Readington Volunteer Fire Co. (Station 32 Fire)
Three Bridges Volunteer Fire Co. (Station 33 Fire)
Whitehouse Station Volunteer Fire Co. #1 (Station 22 Fire)
Transportation
Interstate 78, U.S. Route 202, Route 22 and Route 31 all pass through the township. The township is also served by the New Jersey Transit in White House, 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.
Community
The Quick Chek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2007. The event held at Solberg-Hunterdon Airport is the largest summertime hot air balloon festival in North America.
FBI Shootout
On April 5, 2007, a shootout near a PNC Bank branch on U.S. Route 22 in Readington resulted in the death of an FBI agent. FBI Agent Barry Lee Bush, assigned to the Newark FBI Office, was investigating a string of bank robberies in Central New Jersey, was airlifted to a New Brunswick hospital where he was pronounced dead. All three suspects were caught.
Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Readington Township include:
Jack Cust, a professional baseball player with the Oakland Athletics, currently resides in Readington Township.
Jonathan Jennings (1784-), first Governor of Indiana, serving from 1816 to 1822.
Robyn Kenney (1979-), field hockey player.
William Marchant (1923-1995), playwright and screenwriter, best known for writing the play that served as the basis for the 1957 Walter Lang movie, The Desk Set.Further Information
Get more info on 'Readington Township New Jersey'.
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