Hopewell Township, Mercer County, New Jersey
Encyclopedia
As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 17,304. The racial makeup of the township was 86.7% White, 2.1% African American, 0.1% Native American, 8.9% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.5% from other races
, and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.3% of the population.
As of the census
of 2000, there were 16,105 people, 5,498 households, and 4,431 families residing in the township. The population density
was 277.1 people per square mile (107.0/km²). There were 5,629 housing units at an average density of 96.9 per square mile (37.4/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 77.30% White, 15.83% African American, 0.12% Native American, 3.97% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.66% from other races
, and 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.45% of the population.
There were 5,498 households out of which 40.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.6% were married couples
living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.4% were non-families. 16.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.5% 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 3.11.
In the township the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 103.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.3 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $93,640, and the median income for a family was $101,579. Males had a median income of $66,849 versus $47,701 for females. The per capita income
for the township was $43,947. About 0.9% of families and 1.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.5% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
form of government with a five-member Township Committee. The Township Committee is elected directly by the voters in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with at least one seat coming up for election each year. At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor.
As of January 2011, the members of the Hopewell Township Committee are:
Mayor
James Burd,
Deputy Mayor
Michael Markulec,
Kim Johnson,
Vanessa Sandom, and
John Murphy.
Hopewell Township is served by the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station & Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Mercer County, located in Trenton
.
based on the results of the 2010 Census.
. Route 31 is the main north-south road that goes through the township. Interstate 95(M)
also passes through in the southern part with two interchanges: Exits 3 (Scotch Road) and 4 (Route 31). I-295
is outside the municipality in neighboring Lawrence Township.
A couple major county roads that go through are County Route 518
, County Route 546
, County Route 569
and County Route 579
.
Hopewell Township was supposed to be the where the Somerset Freeway
would have started in the south and end in the north in either Piscataway
or Franklin
. This would have completed I-95 in New Jersey. Originally, I-295 had extended into Hopewell and ended where the supposed Somerset Freeway interchange was to be built. Ultimately, the Somerset Freeway was cancelled in 1982. I-295 was re designated I-95 from the cancelled interchange to the exit at U.S. Route 1 in 1993.
, a comprehensive regional public school district serving (as of 2005) nearly 4,000 students from Hopewell Borough
(371 students), Hopewell Township (2,998 students), and Pennington Borough
(497 students). Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics
) include four Elementary Schools (K-5) — Bear Tavern Elementary School with 532 students, Hopewell Elementary School with 522 students, Stony Brook Elementary School with 522 students, Toll Gate Grammar School with 310 students — Timberlane Middle School with 952 students in grades 6 -8, and Hopewell Valley Central High School, which has an enrollment of 1,152 students in grades 9 - 12.
, which uses solar power
to generate hydrogen that is used to provide 100% of a home's heating, cooling and electrical needs. The Hopewell Solar-Hydrogen Residence was dedicated on October 20, 2006.
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.3% of the population.
As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 16,105 people, 5,498 households, and 4,431 families residing in the township. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 277.1 people per square mile (107.0/km²). There were 5,629 housing units at an average density of 96.9 per square mile (37.4/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 77.30% White, 15.83% African American, 0.12% Native American, 3.97% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.66% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.45% of the population.
There were 5,498 households out of which 40.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.4% were non-families. 16.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.5% 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 3.11.
In the township the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 103.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.3 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $93,640, and the median income for a family was $101,579. Males had a median income of $66,849 versus $47,701 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the township was $43,947. About 0.9% of families and 1.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.5% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
Local government
Hopewell Township is governed under the TownshipTownship (New Jersey)
A township, in the context of New Jersey local government, refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government. As a political entity, a township is a full-fledged municipality, on par with any town, city, borough, or village, collecting property taxes and providing...
form of government with a five-member Township Committee. The Township Committee is elected directly by the voters in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with at least one seat coming up for election each year. At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor.
As of January 2011, the members of the Hopewell Township Committee are:
Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
James Burd,
Deputy Mayor
Deputy Mayor
Deputy mayor is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official in many local governments. Many elected deputy mayors are members of the city council who are given the title and serve as acting mayor in the mayor's absence...
Michael Markulec,
Kim Johnson,
Vanessa Sandom, and
John Murphy.
Hopewell Township is served by the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station & Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Mercer County, located in Trenton
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
.
Federal, state and county representation
Hopewell Township is in the 12th Congressional district and is part of New Jersey's 15th state legislative district. The legislative district was kept unchanged by the New Jersey Apportionment CommissionNew Jersey Apportionment Commission
The New Jersey Apportionment Commission is a constitutionally-created ten-member commission responsible for apportioning the forty districts of the New Jersey Legislature. The commission is convened after each decennial U.S. Census, and the districts are to be in use for the legislative elections...
based on the results of the 2010 Census.
Transportation
A couple of major roads pass through. Route 29 passes through the southwestern part of Hopewell alongside the Delaware and Raritan CanalDelaware and Raritan Canal
The Delaware and Raritan Canal is a canal in central New Jersey, United States, built in the 1830s that served to connect the Delaware River to the Raritan River. It was intended as an efficient and reliable means of transportation of freight between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New York City,...
. Route 31 is the main north-south road that goes through the township. Interstate 95(M)
Interstate 95 in New Jersey
Interstate 95 is a major Interstate Highway that traverses the full extent of the East Coast of the United States, from Florida to Maine...
also passes through in the southern part with two interchanges: Exits 3 (Scotch Road) and 4 (Route 31). I-295
Interstate 295 (Delaware-New Jersey)
Interstate 295 in New Jersey and Delaware is an auxiliary Interstate Highway, designated as a bypass around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The route begins at a junction with Interstate 95 south of Wilmington, Delaware, and runs to another junction with I-95 north of Trenton, New Jersey...
is outside the municipality in neighboring Lawrence Township.
A couple major county roads that go through are County Route 518
County Route 518 (New Jersey)
County Route 518 is a county highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The highway extends from Route 165 in Lambertville to Lincoln Highway in Franklin Township...
, County Route 546
County Route 546 (New Jersey)
County Route 546, abbreviated CR 546, is a county highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The highway begins at the Washington Crossing Bridge at Titusville, New Jersey and extends from Route 29 in Hopewell Township to U.S...
, County Route 569
County Route 569 (New Jersey)
County Route 569, abbreviated CR 569, is a county highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The highway extends from Quakerbridge Road in Lawrence Township to Broad Street in Hopewell Borough.-Route description:...
and County Route 579
County Route 579 (New Jersey)
County Route 579, abbreviated CR 579, is a county highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The highway extends from John Fitch Parkway in Trenton to Route 173 in Greenwich Township.-Mercer County:...
.
Hopewell Township was supposed to be the where the Somerset Freeway
Interstate 95 in New Jersey
Interstate 95 is a major Interstate Highway that traverses the full extent of the East Coast of the United States, from Florida to Maine...
would have started in the south and end in the north in either Piscataway
Piscataway Township, New Jersey
The township consists of the following historic villages and areas: New Market, known as Quibbletown in the 18th Century, Randolphville, Fieldville and North Stelton...
or Franklin
Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey
-Communities of Franklin Township:The following are census-designated places, unincorporated enclaves, and historical communities located within Franklin Township...
. This would have completed I-95 in New Jersey. Originally, I-295 had extended into Hopewell and ended where the supposed Somerset Freeway interchange was to be built. Ultimately, the Somerset Freeway was cancelled in 1982. I-295 was re designated I-95 from the cancelled interchange to the exit at U.S. Route 1 in 1993.
Education
Students in public school for kindergarten through twelfth grade attend the Hopewell Valley Regional School DistrictHopewell Valley Regional School District
The Hopewell Valley Regional School District is a comprehensive regional public school district serving students in preschool through twelfth grade from three communities in Mercer County, New Jersey...
, a comprehensive regional public school district serving (as of 2005) nearly 4,000 students from Hopewell Borough
Hopewell, New Jersey
Hopewell is a Borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 1,922.Hopewell was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 14, 1891, from portions of Hopewell Township, based on the results of a...
(371 students), Hopewell Township (2,998 students), and Pennington Borough
Pennington, New Jersey
Pennington is a Borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 2,585.Pennington was established as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on January 31, 1890, from portions of Hopewell Township, based on the results of...
(497 students). Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics
National Center for Education Statistics
The National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...
) include four Elementary Schools (K-5) — Bear Tavern Elementary School with 532 students, Hopewell Elementary School with 522 students, Stony Brook Elementary School with 522 students, Toll Gate Grammar School with 310 students — Timberlane Middle School with 952 students in grades 6 -8, and Hopewell Valley Central High School, which has an enrollment of 1,152 students in grades 9 - 12.
The Hopewell Project
Hopewell is home to an experimental renewable energy project called The Hopewell ProjectThe Hopewell Project
The Hopewell Project is a solar-powered residence in North America that generates hydrogen for subsequent reconversion into electricity, meeting all of the home's power needs, including heating and cooling, through renewable solar energy...
, which uses solar power
Solar power
Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...
to generate hydrogen that is used to provide 100% of a home's heating, cooling and electrical needs. The Hopewell Solar-Hydrogen Residence was dedicated on October 20, 2006.
Media
- Hopewell Valley News
- Town Topics
- Pennington Post
Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Hopewell Township include:- John GanoJohn GanoJohn Gano was a Baptist minister and Revolutionary War chaplain who allegedly baptized his friend, General George Washington.-Biography:...
(1727–1804), Baptist minister who is said to have baptized George WashingtonGeorge WashingtonGeorge Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
. - John Hart (c. 1711-79), signer of the United States Declaration of IndependenceUnited States Declaration of IndependenceThe Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...
. - Rush D. HoltRush D. Holt, Jr.Rush Dew Holt, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Democratic Party. He is currently the only Quaker in Congress.-Early life and education :Rush D. Holt was born to Rush D...
(born 1948), U.S. Congressman for the 12thNew Jersey's 12th congressional districtNew Jersey's Twelfth Congressional district is currently represented by Democrat Rush D. Holt Jr. The district is known for its research centers and educational institutions such as Princeton University, Institute for Advanced Study, Johnson & Johnson and Bristol-Myers Squibb.-Voting trends:The...
Congressional District of New Jersey. - James W. MarshallJames W. MarshallJames Wilson Marshall was an American carpenter and sawmill operator, whose discovery of gold in the American River in California on January 24, 1848 set the stage for the California Gold Rush. The mill property was owned by Johan Sutter who employed Marshall to build his mill...
(1810–85), sawmill operator, whose 1848 discovery of gold in the American River in California set the stage for the California Gold RushCalifornia Gold RushThe California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
.
External links
- Hopewell Township web site
- Hopewell Valley School District
- Data for the Hopewell Valley Regional School District, National Center for Education StatisticsNational Center for Education StatisticsThe National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...
- Hopewell Township Fire District