Warren Township, New Jersey
Encyclopedia
Warren Township is a Township
Township (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...

 in Somerset County
Somerset County, New Jersey
Somerset County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In 2010, the population was 323,444. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Somerville....

, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 15,311.

Warren was originally inhabited by the Lenape
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...

 Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

 and was settled in the 1720s by European farmers. As early as 1900, it became a refuge for wealthy residents looking to escape nearby New York City. Warren was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature
New Jersey Legislature
The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the Senate...

 on March 5, 1806, from portions of Bernards Township
Bernards Township, New Jersey
-History:Bernards Township was originally formed by Royal Charter in 1760 as Bernardston Township from remaining portions of Northern precinct. It was incorporated as Bernards Township as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798...

 and Bridgewater Township
Bridgewater Township, New Jersey
Bridgewater Township is a township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. , the township population was 44,464.Bridgewater Township was originally created by Royal Charter on April 4, 1749, from portions of the Northern precinct, and was incorporated as one of New Jersey's initial group of...

. The south-eastern half of the original township (which was close to a railroad and contained most of the population) was separated off as North Plainfield Township
Green Brook Township, New Jersey
Green Brook Township is a township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 7,203....

 on April 2, 1872. Warren is named for American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...

 patriot, General Joseph Warren
Joseph Warren
Dr. Joseph Warren was an American doctor who played a leading role in American Patriot organizations in Boston in early days of the American Revolution, eventually serving as president of the revolutionary Massachusetts Provincial Congress...

, who was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, 1775, mostly on and around Breed's Hill, during the Siege of Boston early in the American Revolutionary War...

.

In July 2009, CNNMoney.com
CNNMoney.com
CNNMoney.com is the world's largest business website. The site is the online home of Fortune and Money, and serves as CNN.com's exclusive business site. The site, edited by Chris Peacock, together with the three titles, is part of the Fortune|Money Group, and attracts more than 10.8 million unique...

 ranked Warren #6 in its list of "Best Places to Live" in the United States, citing in particular its schools, June carnival (the Lions Club's annual "Expo"), "wide open spaces" (generally 1.5 acres (6,070.3 m²) per house), and 74 "working farms" ("taxed-as-farmland" tracts, but rural, nevertheless).

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the township has a total area of 19.7 square miles (51 km²). All of it is land and with the exception of a few private ponds, none of the area is covered with water. The east-west Second Watchung Mountain ridge bisects Warren, with the northern half of the township sloping northward to the Passaic and Dead Rivers, and the southern half spanning the Washington Valley, between the First and Second Watchung Mountain ridges, through which runs the East Branch of the Middlebrook.

History

Warren Township is named for the hero of Bunker Hill, Joseph Warren. The town was formed in 1806 from parts of Bernards and Bridgewater Townships. Warren celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2006.
Parts of the town are designated populated place
Populated place
A populated place is a place or area with clustered or scattered buildings and a permanent human population referenced with geographic coordinates...

s and are commonly known as Coontown, Dockwatch Hollow, Mount Bethel, Round Top, Smalleytown, Springdale, Union Village, and Warrenville, although these place names have fallen into disuse.

Demographics

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 14,259 people, 4,629 households, and 3,939 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 725.0 people per square mile (279.9/km²). There were 4,718 housing units at an average density of 239.9 per square mile (92.6/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 86.28% White, 1.26% African American, 0.04% Native American, 10.67% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.41% 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 1.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.19% of the population.

There were 4,629 households out of which 45.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 78.3% 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, 4.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.9% were non-families. 12.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.05 and the average family size was 3.33.

In the township the population was spread out with 29.7% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $103,677, and the median income for a family was $121,264. Males had a median income of $80,231 versus $46,356 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 $49,475. About 0.7% of families and 2.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.4% of those under age 18 and 1.5% of those age 65 or over.

Local government

Warren Township is governed under the Township
Township (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 one or two seats coming up for election each year. At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor. Township Committee meetings are held at the municipal building on Thursdays.

, Township Committee members 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....

 Gary DiNardo (term ends December 31, 2012), 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...

 Carolann Garafola (2013), Mal Plager (2011), and Frank Salvato (2011) and Victor J. Sordillo (2012). Salvato, re-elected in 2008, is over 95 years old and was first elected to the Committee in the 1938 and served as mayor in 1939, the township youngest. He is believed to be the longest-serving elected official in the state of New Jersey having won re-election 25 times. The current five members have served together on the Committee since 2001.

In 1975 the Township Committee created the position of Township Administrator, to serve a one-year term beginning in July of each year. The current Township Administrator, Mark M. Krane, has served in that post since 1986.

The Historical Sites Committee was formed in 1971 and members are appointed by the governing body to administer municipally owned historic landmarks. The historical landmarks they have protected are the Mount Bethel Meeting House, the Kirch-Ford House, and two small family cemeteries. The Meeting House dates back to mid-1700 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

.

Federal, state and county representation

Warren Township is in the 7th Congressional district.

Warren is in the

Politics

On the national and state levels, Warren Township leans strongly toward the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

. In the 2008 Presidential Election
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...

, Republican John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....

 received 59% of the vote, defeating Democrat Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

, who received around 40%. In the 2009 Gubernatorial Election
New Jersey gubernatorial election, 2009
The New Jersey gubernatorial election of 2009 took place on November 3, 2009. Democratic Governor Jon Corzine was running for a second term and was being challenged by Republican Chris Christie, Independent Christopher Daggett and nine others, in addition to several write-in candidates...

, Republican Chris Christie received 67% of the vote, defeating Democrat Jon Corzine
Jon Corzine
Jon Stevens Corzine is the former CEO of Goldman Sachs and of MF Global, and a one time American politician, who served as the 54th Governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. A Democrat, Corzine served five years of a six-year U.S. Senate term representing New Jersey before being elected Governor...

, who received around 24%.

Education

The Warren Township Schools
Warren Township Schools
The Warren Township Schools are a community public school district that serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade from Warren Township, in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States....

 serve public school students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Schools in the district (with 2008-09 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...

.) are four K - 5 elementary schools —
Central School (343 students),
Mt. Horeb School (373),
Angelo L. Tomaso School (374), and
Woodland School (357) — along with
Warren Middle School (758) for grades 6-8.

Students in public school for grades 9-12 attend Watchung Hills Regional High School
Watchung Hills Regional High School
Watchung Hills Regional High School is a regional public high school and school district serving students in portions of Somerset and Morris Counties in New Jersey, United States. The high school is located next to Woodland School, in Warren Township...

, which serves students from Warren as well as the neighboring communities of Watchung
Watchung, New Jersey
Watchung is a Borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 5,801.Watchung was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on May 23, 1826, from portions of North Plainfield Township based on the results...

, Green Brook
Green Brook Township, New Jersey
Green Brook Township is a township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 7,203....

 (in Somerset County
Somerset County, New Jersey
Somerset County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In 2010, the population was 323,444. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Somerville....

), and Long Hill Township
Long Hill Township, New Jersey
-Local government:Long Hill Township is governed under the Township 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 one or two seats coming up for...

 (in Morris County
Morris County, New Jersey
Morris County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, about west of New York City. According to the United States 2010 Census, the population was 492,276. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Morristown....

).

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Warren Township include:
  • Dave Brown
    Dave Brown (quarterback)
    David Michael Brown is a former professional American football quarterback who played for Duke University and later in the National Football League for the New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals....

     (born 1970), former quarterback for the New York Giants
    New York Giants
    The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

    .
  • Monica Crowley
    Monica Crowley
    Monica Crowley is an American conservative radio and television commentator, and author based in New York City. She has her own radio show and is a regular commentator on The McLaughlin Group, a Fox News contributor, and Washington Times columnist.-Education:Crowley holds a B.A. in Political...

     (born 1968), conservative radio and TV talk show personality.
  • Donald DiFrancesco
    Donald DiFrancesco
    Donald Thomas DiFrancesco was the 51st Governor of New Jersey from 2001 to 2002 by virtue of his status as President of the New Jersey Senate, the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature....

     (born 1944), former N.J. Senate president and Acting Governor.
  • Mike Ferguson (born 1970), former U.S. Congressman.
  • James L. Flanagan, electrical engineer.
  • Bob Franks
    Bob Franks
    Robert Douglas "Bob" Franks was a Republican politician. He was a former U.S. Representative from New Jersey.-Biography:...

     (1951–2010), former N.J. legislative leader and U.S. Congressman.
  • Emma Fursch-Madi
    Emma Fursch-Madi
    Emma Fursch-Madi was a renowned French operatic soprano. She was born at Bayonne, France, studied at the Paris Conservatory and made her debut at the Paris Opera in 1871 in Gounod’s Faust. At the end of her second season at the Grand Opera, she was chosen by Verdi to be the first representative of...

     (1847–1894), French operatic soprano.
  • Gloria Gaynor
    Gloria Gaynor
    Gloria Gaynor is an American singer, best known for the disco era hits; "I Will Survive" , "Never Can Say Goodbye" , "Let Me Know " and "I Am What I Am" .-Early career:Gaynor was a singer with the Soul...

     (born 1949), singer, known for I Will Survive
    I Will Survive
    "I Will Survive" is a song first performed by American singer Gloria Gaynor, released in October 1978. It was written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris...

    .
  • Chris Kratt
    Chris Kratt
    Christopher F. "Chris" Kratt is an American host of television programs Wild Kratts, Kratts' Creatures, Zoboomafoo, and Be the Creature, which airs on the National Geographic Channel....

     (born 1969) host of Kratts' Creatures
    Kratts' Creatures
    Kratts' Creatures is a children's television program on PBS. The show was hosted by the Kratt Brothers, Chris and Martin. It also featured Shannon Duff as Alison Baldwin and Ron Rubin as the voice of an animated anthropomorphic dinosaur. The show introduced its viewers to the world of animals. 50...

    and Zoboomafoo
    Zoboomafoo
    Zoboomafoo is an American children's television series that aired from January 25, 1998, to April 21, 2001, and is still shown today in syndication depending on the area, and it is regularly shown on PBS Kids Sprout. A total of 65 episodes were aired...

    as well as Be the Creature
    Be the Creature
    Be the Creature is a creation of the Kratt Brothers . A wildlife series designed to immerse both the brothers and the viewers in the world of animals, Be the Creature features 13 episodes. Unlike other Kratt Brothers programs, Kratts' Creatures and Zoboomafoo, Be the Creature is oriented towards a...

    , which runs on the National Geographic Channel
    National Geographic Channel
    National Geographic Channel, also commercially abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo, is a subscription television channel that airs non-fiction television programs produced by the National Geographic Society. Like History and the Discovery Channel, the channel features documentaries with factual...

    .
  • Martin Kratt
    Martin Kratt
    Martin William Kratt is an educational nature show host. He and his brother Chris Kratt grew up in Warren Township, New Jersey, and together created the children's television series Kratts' Creatures and Zoboomafoo as well as Be the Creature, which runs on the National Geographic Channel...

     (born 1965), brother of Chris, and also an educational nature show host.
  • Brielle LaCosta
    Brielle LaCosta
    Brielle LaCosta is a beauty queen from Warren Township, New Jersey who is Miss New Jersey International 2010 and Miss New Jersey Galaxy 2011.-Personal background:...

     (born 1984), 2010 Miss New Jersey International.
  • Calvin Pace
    Calvin Pace
    Calvin Lamar Pace is an American football linebacker for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by Arizona Cardinals in the first round in the 2003 NFL Draft...

     (born 1980), outside linebacker for the New York Jets.
  • Adam Riess
    Adam Riess
    Adam Guy Riess is an American astrophysicist at Johns Hopkins University and the Space Telescope Science Institute and is widely known for his research in using supernovae as Cosmological Probes. Riess shared both the 2006 Shaw Prize in Astronomy and the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics with Saul...

     (born 1969), Nobel Prize winner in Physics, 2011.
  • Dan Schulman
    Dan Schulman
    Not to be confused with Dan Shulman the ESPN broadcasterDan Schulman joined American Express as Group President, Enterprise Growth, in 2010...

    , president of American Express
    American Express
    American Express Company or AmEx, is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Three World Financial Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Founded in 1850, it is one of the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is best...

    , former founding CEO of Virgin Mobile USA.
  • Ravi Shankar
    Ravi Shankar
    Ravi Shankar , often referred to by the title Pandit, is an Indian musician and composer who plays the plucked string instrument sitar. He has been described as the best known contemporary Indian musician by Hans Neuhoff in Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart.Shankar was born in Varanasi and spent...

     (born 1920), musician and composer best known for his work on the sitar
    Sitar
    The 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...

    .
  • Jeffrey Vanderbeek
    Jeffrey Vanderbeek
    Jeffrey Vanderbeek is the owner of the New Jersey Devils, a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League. Vanderbeek, a New Jersey native and Devils season ticket holder since the late 1980s, became a minority owner when Puck Holdings, an affiliate of YankeeNets, purchased the team in...

    , owner of the New Jersey Devils
    New Jersey Devils
    The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

    .

Points of interest

  • Wagner Farm Arboretum
    Wagner Farm Arboretum
    Wagner Farm Arboretum is a new arboretum currently being established at 197 Mountain Avenue, Warren Township in Somerset County, New Jersey.The arboretum began in 2001, when Warren Township purchased the Wagner Farm property. In 2002 the town's advisory committee suggested that the site be made...

  • Mount Bethel Meeting House, c.1770
  • Kirch-Ford House, c.1770
  • Torino's (traditionally: the King George Inn), c.1820
  • Springdale United Methodist Church, c.1840
  • Mount Horeb United Methodist Church, 1867
  • Tomb of the 12 Nuns

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK