Bethlehem Township is a

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

Hunterdon County Hunterdon County is a county located in the western section of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 128,947, making it the state's 18th-most populous county,New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, United States. It is part of the

New York metropolitan area The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban area, urban landmass, at , and one of the list of most populous metropolitan areas, most populous urban agg ...

.METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS AND COMPONENTS, December 2003, WITH CODES

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, February 25, 2004. Accessed January 10, 2014. As of the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

, the township's population was 3,979, reflecting an increase of 159 (+4.2%) from the 3,820 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 716 (+23.1%) from the 3,104 counted in the 1990 Census.

History

Bethlehem was first mentioned in official records dating back to 1730, though details of its formation are uncertain.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 153. Accessed October 25, 2012. Bethlehem was incorporated as one of New Jersey's initial 104 townships by an act of the

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 ...

on February 21, 1798. Portions of the township were taken to form Kingwood Township (1749, date uncertain), Alexandria Township (March 5, 1765), Union Township (February 17, 1853), Junction borough (February 20, 1895, now known as Hampton borough),

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions. Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest mus ...

(March 30, 1905) and Glen Gardner (March 26, 1919). The township was named for the city of

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...

Geography

According to the

, the township had a total area of 20.80 square miles (53.87 km²), including 20.68 square miles (53.57 km²) of land and 0.12 square miles (0.30 km²) of water (0.56%). The township is an

exurb An exurb (or alternately: exurban area) is an area outside the typically denser inner suburban area, at the edge of a metropolitan area, which has some economic and commuting connection to the metro area, low housing density, and growth. It s ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, lying on the western fringe of the

, as part of the Newark-Union, NJ-PA Metropolitan Division, which is in turn a part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. The

Musconetcong River The Musconetcong River is a tributary of the Delaware River in northwestern New Jersey in the United States.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 It flows through ...

forms the township's northern border with

Warren County Warren County is the name of fourteen counties in the USA. Some are named after General Joseph Warren, who was killed in the Battle of Bunker Hill in the American Revolutionary War: * Warren County, Georgia * Warren County, Illinois * Warren County ...

. The northern half of the Township consists of the Musconetcong Valley while the southern half is covered by the

Musconetcong Mountain Musconetcong Mountain is a ridge in the Highlands region of New Jersey running south of and parallel to the Musconetcong River. The ridge travels through Alexandria, Holland, Bethlehem and Lebanon Township. Prominent Features *Point Mountain, 935 ...

s. The southwest corner of the township lies on what is known as the

Hunterdon Plateau Hunterdon Plateau is a plateau in western Hunterdon County, New Jersey. It borders the higher Musconetcong Mountain to the northwest, the Delaware River to the west, Amwell Valley to the south and the lower lying areas of the Newark Basin to the ...

. The landscape is mainly rural in nature, featuring farms and forests, scattered with newer housing developments and older farm homes.

Unincorporated communities An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Charlestown, Jugtown, Ludlow, Polktown, Swinesburg, Valley and West Portal. The township borders the municipalities of Alexandria Township,

, Glen Gardner,

Hampton Hampton may refer to: Places Australia *Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia *Hampton, New South Wales *Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region * Hampton, Victoria Canada * Hampton, New Brunswick *Ha ...

, Holland Township, Lebanon Township, Union Township in Hunterdon County; and Franklin Township, Pohatcong Township and Washington Township in

Mailing addresses

Residents and businesses in Bethlehem Township have mailing addresses to nearby towns including

, Clinton, Glen Gardner,

, and even Asbury (which is located in neighboring

), as "Bethlehem Township" itself is not a mailing address. File:BTNJdevelopmenthomes.jpg, Large houses in a modern housing development in Bethlehem Township, NJ

Climate

Bethlehem Township falls under the "Northern

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

" climate zone. According to the Office of the New Jersey State Climatologist at

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

, the Northern climate zone covers about one-quarter of New Jersey and consists mainly of elevated highlands and valleys which are part of the Appalachian Uplands. Surrounded by land, this region can be characterized as having a

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in the middle latitudes (40 to 55 north), within large landmasses where prevailing winds blow overland bringing som ...

with minimal influence from the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

, except when the winds contain an easterly component. Prevailing winds are from the southwest in summer and from the northwest in winter. Being in the northernmost portion of the state, and with small mountains up to in elevation, the Northern Zone normally exhibits a colder temperature regime than other climate regions of the State of New Jersey. This difference is most dramatic in winter when average temperatures in the Northern Zone can be more than ten degrees Fahrenheit cooler than in the Coastal Zone. Annual snowfall averages in the northern zone as compared with an average of in the extreme south. Bethlehem Township falls under the

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

6a Plant

Hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...

Wildlife and ecosystem

Various animals are native to central-western New Jersey, including

red fox The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the Order (biology), order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe ...

(vulpes vulpes),

black bear Black bear or Blackbear may refer to: Animals * American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), a North American bear species * Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus''), an Asian bear species Music * Black Bear (band), a Canadian First Nations group ...

groundhog The groundhog (''Marmota monax''), also known as a woodchuck, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. The groundhog is a lowland creature of North America; it is found through mu ...

wild turkey The wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo'') is an Upland game bird, upland ground bird native to North America, one of two extant species of Turkey (bird), turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. It is the ancestor to the domestic ...

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...

squirrel Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squ ...

chipmunk Chipmunks are small, striped rodents of the family Sciuridae. Chipmunks are found in North America, with the exception of the Siberian chipmunk which is found primarily in Asia. Taxonomy and systematics Chipmunks may be classified either as ...

s, a variety of birds, and a wide variety of insects and vegetation. There are also some fish in the streams of the county. Trees include

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

varieties and

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...

varieties. Black bears are the largest land mammals in New Jersey and are known to be most abundant in the northern-western regions of the state, including Bethlehem Township.

Demographics

Census 2010

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is a demographics survey program conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census, such as ancestry, citizenship, educati ...

showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars)

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of ...

was $127,540 (with a margin of error of +/− $12,090) and the median family income was $130,580 (+/− $16,200). Males had a median income of $95,694 (+/− $16,468) versus $70,069 (+/− $27,112) for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the borough was $44,477 (+/− $4,087). About 0.6% of families and 1.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 1.1% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Census 2000

As of the

2000 United States Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 ce ...

there were 3,820 people, 1,266 households, and 1,092 families residing in the township. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 183.3 people per square mile (70.8/km²). There were 1,303 housing units at an average density of 62.5 per square mile (24.1/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 97.51%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.86%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.10% Native American, 1.02%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.05%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.03% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.42% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.62% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Bethlehem township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey
,

. Accessed November 13, 2012.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Bethlehem township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey

. Accessed November 13, 2012. There were 1,266 households, out of which 43.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 80.3% were married couples living together, 3.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 13.7% were non-families. 10.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.02 and the average family size was 3.26. In the township the population was spread out, with 29.5% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 6.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.9 males. The median income for a household in the township was $88,048, and the median income for a family was $92,768. Males had a median income of $69,063 versus $41,806 for females. The

for the township was $35,298. None of the families and 1.0% of the population were living below the

, including no under eighteens and 10.0% of those over 64. Most common first ancestries reported in Bethlehem Township were German (25.2%), Italian (14.7%), Irish (14.4%), Polish (9.2%), English (7.6%), United States or American (6.1%), French (except Basque) (3.3%).Bethlehem township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey

City-Data City-Data is an Illinois-based social networking and information website that presents data and information pertaining to United States cities, and offers public online forums for discussion. Data on site US cities, counties, zip codes, and ne ...

. Accessed November 14, 2012. The most common places of birth for the foreign-born residents were India (22%), Germany (18%), United Kingdom (12%), Austria (9%), Russia (7%), Poland (5%), Netherlands (4%).

Parks and recreation

Covering more than , Spruce Run State Park and Reservoir, part of the New Jersey State Park system, is located near Bethlehem Township in close by Clinton Township. It is possible to walk or bike to Spruce Run from Bethlehem Township.

Government

Local government

Bethlehem Township is governed under the

Township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

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. The Township Committee is comprised of five members, who are elected directly by the voters

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...

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.''2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book'',

Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy The Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy of Rutgers University (The Bloustein School) serves as a center for the theory and practice of urban planning, public policy and public health/health administration scholarship. The sc ...

, March 2013, p. 103. At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor and another as Deputy Mayor. , members of the Bethlehem Township Committee are

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Paul J. Muir ( R, term on committee ends December 31, 2023; term as mayor ends 2022),

Deputy Mayor The deputy mayor (also known as vice mayor, assistant mayor, or mayor ''pro tem'') is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many, but not all, local governments. Duties and functions Many elected dep ...

Judy Nelson (R, term on committee ends 2023; term as deputy mayor ends 2022), Steve Keefe (R, 2024), Paul Lenzi Jr. (R, 2024) and Arthur G. Randolph (R, 2022).Township Committee
Township of Bethlehem. Accessed May 13, 2022.

Hunterdon County, New Jersey Hunterdon County is a county located in the western section of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 128,947, making it the state's 18th-most populous county,''2022 County and Municipal Directory''

New Jersey Redistricting Commission The New Jersey Redistricting Commission is a constitutional body of the government of New Jersey tasked with redrawing the state's Congressional election districts after each decade's census. Like Arizona, Idaho, Hawaii, Montana, and Washington; t ...

, December 23, 2011. Accessed February 1, 2020. and is part of New Jersey's 23rd state legislative district.Municipalities Sorted by 2011-2020 Legislative District

New Jersey Department of State The secretary of state of New Jersey oversees the Department of State, which is one of the original state offices. The Secretary is responsible for overseeing artistic, cultural, and historical programs within the U.S. state of New Jersey, as we ...

. Accessed February 1, 2020.''2019 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''
New Jersey

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

. Accessed October 30, 2019.

Politics

As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 2,814 registered voters in Bethlehem Township, of which 514 (18.3%) were registered as Democrats, 1,113 (39.6%) were registered as Republicans and 1,186 (42.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There was one voter registered to another party. In the 2012 presidential election, Republican

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts f ...

received 61.2% of the vote (1,323 cast), ahead of Democrat

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

with 37.0% (800 votes), and other candidates with 1.8% (38 votes), among the 2,172 ballots cast by the township's 2,954 registered voters (11 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 73.5%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...

received 58.9% of the vote here (1,380 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 38.2% (896 votes) and other candidates with 2.2% (51 votes), among the 2,343 ballots cast by the township's 2,927 registered voters, for a turnout of 80.0%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

received 61.6% of the vote here (1,380 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party (Unite ...

with 37.1% (830 votes) and other candidates with 1.3% (36 votes), among the 2,239 ballots cast by the township's 2,692 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 83.2. In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican

Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, lobbyist, and former federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. Christie, who was born in Ne ...

received 73.8% of the vote (985 cast), ahead of Democrat

Barbara Buono Barbara A. Buono (born July 28, 1953) is an American politician who served in the New Jersey Senate from 2002 to 2014, where she represented the 18th Legislative District. She served from 2010 to 2012 as the Majority Leader in the Senate, succ ...

with 23.1% (309 votes), and other candidates with 3.1% (41 votes), among the 1,349 ballots cast by the township's 2,934 registered voters (14 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 46.0%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 66.4% of the vote here (1,130 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat

Jon Corzine Jon Stevens Corzine ( ; born January 1, 1947) is an American financial executive and retired politician who served as a United States Senator from New Jersey from 2001 to 2006 and the 54th governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. Corzine ran fo ...

with 21.9% (373 votes), Independent

Chris Daggett Christopher Jarvis Daggett (born March 7, 1950) is an American businessman who is the president and CEO of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, one of the largest foundations in New Jersey. A former regional administrator of the United States En ...

with 8.9% (151 votes) and other candidates with 1.2% (20 votes), among the 1,703 ballots cast by the township's 2,855 registered voters, yielding a 59.6% turnout.

Education

Students in public school for

pre-kindergarten Pre-kindergarten (also called Pre-K or PK) is a voluntary classroom-based preschool program for children below the age of five in the United States, Canada, Turkey and Greece (when kindergarten starts). It may be delivered through a preschool ...

through eighth grade attend the schools of the

Bethlehem Township School District The Bethlehem Township School District is a community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from Bethlehem Township, in Hunterdon County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2021–22 school y ...

.''2019-2020 Public School Directory''

Hunterdon County Hunterdon County is a county located in the western section of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 128,947, making it the state's 18th-most populous county,FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 8.0:1.District information for Bethlehem Township School District

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance ...

. Accessed April 1, 2020. Schools in the district (with 2018–2019 enrollment data from the

) are Thomas B. Conley Elementary School with 233 students in grades Pre-K–5 and Ethel Hoppock Middle School with 121 students in grades 6–8. File:EHMSdiploma.jpg, Ethel Hoppock Middle School diploma cover File: ThomasBConleyElementarySchool.jpg, Thomas B. Conley Elementary School Public school students in

ninth In music, a ninth is a compound interval consisting of an octave plus a second. Like the second, the interval of a ninth is classified as a dissonance in common practice tonality. Since a ninth is an octave larger than a second, its ...

through

twelfth grade Twelfth grade, 12th grade, senior year, or grade 12 is the final year of secondary school in most of North America. In other regions, it may also be referred to as class 12 or Year 13. In most countries, students are usually between the ages of 17 ...

s attend

North Hunterdon High School North Hunterdon High School is a four-year regional public high school serving students from six municipalities in northern Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States, as one of two high schools in the North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional High Sch ...

in Annandale, which also serves students from Clinton Town, Clinton Township, Franklin Township, Lebanon Borough and Union Township. As of the 2018–2019 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 1,584 students and 123.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.9:1. The school is part of the

North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional High School District The North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional High School District is a regional, four-year public high school district, that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from twelve municipalities in northern Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United St ...

, which also includes students from Califon, Glen Gardner,

, High Bridge, Lebanon Township and Tewksbury Township, who attend

Voorhees High School Voorhees High School is a four-year public high school located in Lebanon Township, named for Foster McGowan Voorhees, the 30th Governor of New Jersey. It is one of two high schools in the North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional High School District ...

. 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 The Hunterdon County Vocational School District is a technical and vocational public school district serving students in ninth through twelfth grades and adult learners, located in Flemington, and serving the entire Hunterdon County, New Jersey ...

, 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.

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the township had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Hunterdon County and by the

New Jersey Department of Transportation The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey, including maintaining and operating the state's highway and public road system, planning and developing transportat ...

. Bethlehem Township is well-connected to major metropolitan areas and cities (such as the

Lehigh Valley The Lehigh Valley (), known colloquially as The Valley, is a geographic region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County and Northampton County in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a component valley of the Great Appalachian Valley bound to the no ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

and

) via

Interstate 78 Interstate 78 (I-78) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Northeastern United States, running from I-81 northeast of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, through Allentown to western and northern New Jersey and terminating at the Holland T ...

/ U.S. 22 and Route 173. While I-78/US 22 pass through without any interchanges, the nearest exit is just outside the township in bordering

(Exit 7) and Union Township (Exit 11). Anderson Road, located within Bethlehem Township, begins in neighboring Union Township and ends in Bethlehem Township as a dead-end, or cul-de-sac. Consequently, Anderson Road cannot be accessed internally through Bethlehem Township; it can only be accessed through Union Township.

Public transportation

Public transportation is limited to The LINK, a public bus service which serves Hunterdon County. Fares range from about $2.00 to $10.00. Funding for operation of the Hunterdon County LINK System is provided by Hunterdon County,

NJ Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit, and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey, along with portions of New York State and Pennsylvania. It operates bu ...

and the

Federal Transit Administration The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is an agency within the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) that provides financial and technical assistance to local public transportation systems. The FTA is one of ten modal administration ...

Rail / Lehigh Line

The

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31 ...

's Lehigh Line (formerly the mainline of the

Lehigh Valley Railroad The Lehigh Valley Railroad was a railroad built in the Northeastern United States to haul anthracite coal from the Coal Region in Pennsylvania. The railroad was authorized on April 21, 1846 for freight and transportation of passengers, goods, w ...

), runs through Bethlehem Township on its way to

Phillipsburg, New Jersey Phillipsburg is a town located along the Delaware River in Warren County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located across the river directly east from Easton, Pennsylvania. Phillipsburg is the most populous municipality in Warren County w ...

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Bethlehem Township include:Kreis, Anthony M
"By perseverance and fortitude: A Brief History of People and Events of the Township of Bethlehem"
Township of Bethlehem. Accessed November 13, 2013. * John T. Bird (1829–1911), member of the United States House of Representatives from 1869 to 1873 *

Johnston Cornish Johnston Cornish (June 13, 1858 – June 26, 1920) was an American Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party politician who represented in the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for one term from 1893 to 1895. E ...

(1858–1920), represented

New Jersey's 4th congressional district New Jersey's 4th congressional district is a congressional district that stretches along the New Jersey Shore. It has been represented by Republican Chris Smith since 1981, the second-longest currently serving member of the US House of Represe ...

in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from 1893 to 1895 * Anne Marie Letko (born 1969), two-time Olympian, in 1996 and 2000 * Daniel Morgan (1736–1802), Revolutionary War general and a United States Representative from the State of Virginia * James Parker (1776–1868), member of the House of Representatives from New Jersey * Bennet Van Syckel (1830–1921), Associate Justice of the

New Jersey Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases challenging the ...

from 1869 to 1904Sackett, William Edgar; and Scannell, John James
''Scannell's New Jersey First Citizens: Biographies and Portraits of the Notable Living Men and Women of New Jersey with Informing Glimpses Into the State's History and Affairs, Volume 1''
p. 511. J. J. Scannell, 1917. Accessed July 13, 2016. "Bennet Van Syckel— Trenton.— Jurist. Born in Bethlehem, Hunterdon Co., April 17, 1830."

References

External links

Official Municipal WebsiteBethlehem Township School District
*
School Data for the Bethlehem Township School District

North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional High School DistrictHunterdon Land Trust Alliance
{{Hunterdon County, New Jersey 1798 establishments in New Jersey Populated places established in 1798 Township form of New Jersey government Townships in Hunterdon County, New Jersey