Kingwood 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, located on 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 ...

. 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 3,845, reflecting an increase of 63 (+1.7%) from the 3,782 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 457 (+13.7%) from the 3,325 counted in the 1990 Census.

History

Kingwood Township is one of the westernmost townships of Hunterdon County. Kingwood was originally established around 1746 when it was created from Bethlehem Township, though the exact details are uncertain. Kingwood was incorporated by 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, as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships. Portions of the township were taken to form Franklin Township on April 7, 1845. Frenchtown borough acquired portions of the township in 1876.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 156. Accessed October 26, 2012. Kingwood Township was the home of Daniel Bray, the local captain who rounded up the boats for

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

's crossing of the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...

during the Revolutionary War.Farnham, Barbara Alexander
Kingwood History - Excerpt from ''Kingwood Township of Yesteryear''
Kingwood Township. Accessed November 19, 2019. The portion of Route 29 that runs through the township along its western edge is named for him.Route 29 Straight Line Diagram

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 ...

, updated July 2014. Accessed November 19, 2019. In late 1981, Dick Siano became the first

Libertarian Party Active parties by country Defunct parties by country Organizations associated with Libertarian parties See also * Liberal parties by country * List of libertarian organizations * Lists of political parties Lists of political part ...

candidate to win a partisan election outside of

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

by winning a committee seat in the township. In the November election, he and the Democratic tied in the

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

placing the incumbent Republican mayor in third place. Siano won the runoff election held on December 22."Libertarian victory"
''

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the All ...

'', December 31, 1981. Accessed November 19, 2019.

Geography

According to the

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 ...

, the township had a total area of 35.62 square miles (92.24 km²), including 35.01 square miles (90.66 km²) of land and 0.61 square miles (1.58 km²) of water (1.71%). The township borders the municipalities of Alexandria Township, Delaware Township, Franklin Township and Frenchtown in Hunterdon County; and the communities of Plumstead Township and Tinicum Township in

Bucks County Bucks County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the fourth-most populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Doylestown. The county is named after the English ...

, across the

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, ...

. Most of the township lies on the Hunterdon Plateau, a geologic

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ha ...

averaging in elevation though approaching the Delaware River, the elevation drops sharply to about at the banks of the river.Hordon, Robert M
''Ground Water Study of the Argillite Formation in Kingwood Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey''
pp. 2-3. Kingwood Township, November 5, 1985. Accessed November 19, 2019. Exposed rock can be seen on portions of Route 29 in the township between the River and the plateau.

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 Baptistown, Barbertown, Byram, Idell, Milltown, Point Breeze, Treasure Island, Tumble and Tumble Falls.

Frenchtown Solar Frenchtown Solar is a group of three photvoltaic arrays, or solar farms, in Kingwood Township, about 3 miles east of namesake Frenchtown, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. Two arrays are located just outside the village of Bapt ...

is a group of three

photovoltaic arrays A photovoltaic system, also PV system or solar power system, is an electric power system designed to supply usable solar power by means of photovoltaics. It consists of an arrangement of several components, including solar panels to absorb and c ...

owned by

Consolidated Edison Consolidated Edison, Inc., commonly known as Con Edison (stylized as conEdison) or ConEd, is one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the United States, with approximately $12 billion in annual revenues as of 2017, and over $62 b ...

that forms one of the largest

solar farm Solar may refer to: Astronomy * Of or relating to the Sun ** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun ** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. "solar panels") ** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indicate t ...

s in the state, covering with a total of 68,500 solar panels and a 20.1 megawatt generating capacity. Two arrays are located just outside Baptistown on Route 12. The third and largest is to the south off County Route 519.

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 In economics, nominal value is measured in terms of money, whereas real value is measured against goods or services. A real value is one which has been adjusted for inflation, enabling comparison of quantities as if the prices of goods had not c ...

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 $94,951 (with a margin of error of +/− $8,656) and the median family income was $101,722 (+/− $3,508). Males had a median income of $62,636 (+/− $11,644) versus $39,704 (+/− $5,890) 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 $38,977 (+/− $4,174). About 2.7% of families and 3.2% 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 6.1% 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 3,782 people, 1,340 households, and 1,042 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 107.4 people per square mile (41.4/km²). There were 1,422 housing units at an average density of 40.4 per square mile (15.6/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 97.62%

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 ...

, 0.61%

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 ...

, 0.08% Native American, 0.77%

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 ...

, 0.19% 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 0.74% 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 1.85% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Kingwood township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey
,

. Accessed November 14, 2012.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Kingwood township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey
,

. Accessed November 14, 2012. There were 1,340 households, out of which 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.2% were non-families. 17.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.21. In the township the population was spread out, with 27.3% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.3 males. The median income for a household in the township was $71,551, and the median income for a family was $81,642. Males had a median income of $54,107 versus $31,326 for females. The

for the township was $30,219. About 2.3% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the

, including 4.1% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

Kingwood Township operates 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 Township Committee is comprised of three 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 one seat 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'',

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 ...

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. The Mayor is elected by the Committee from among its members and serves a one-year term, as does the Deputy Mayor. The Mayor serves as the Chairperson of the Committee and votes as an equal member, but has no other special powers. , members of the Kingwood 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 ...

Maureen Syrnick ( R, term on committee ends December 31, 2023; term as mayor ends 2022), Deputy Mayor Thomas Ciacciarelli (R, term on committee and as deputy mayor ends 2022) and Andrew Russano Jr. (R, 2024).Township Committee
Kingwood Township. Accessed August 14, 2022.

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. Prior to the 2010 Census, Kingwood Township had been part of the , a change made by the

that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections.''2011 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''
, p. 59, New Jersey

. Accessed May 22, 2015.

Politics

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 62.5% of the vote (1,282 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 36.1% (741 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (27 votes), among the 2,066 ballots cast by the township's 2,797 registered voters (16 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 73.9%. 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 77.9% of the vote (1,006 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 19.3% (250 votes), and other candidates with 2.8% (36 votes), among the 1,313 ballots cast by the township's 2,751 registered voters (21 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 47.7%.

Education

The

Kingwood Township School District The Kingwood Township School District is a community public school district that serves students ranging from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from Kingwood Township, in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States.

serves public school students ranging from

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 Eighth grade (or grade eight in some regions) is the eighth post-kindergarten year of formal education in the US. The eighth grade is the ninth school year, the second, third, fourth, or final year of middle school, or the second and/or final ye ...

at Kingwood Township School.''2019-2020 Public School Directory''

student–teacher ratio Student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio is the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that there are 10 students ...

of 9.9:1.District information for Kingwood 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. Students in public school for

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

Delaware Valley Regional High School Delaware Valley Regional High School is a regional, four-year public high school and school district, that serves students in western Hunterdon County, New Jersey. The high school is located in Alexandria Township. Students hail from the townsh ...

, together with students from Alexandria Township, Frenchtown, Holland Township and Milford borough. As of the 2018–19 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 721 students and 68.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

of 10.5:1. Seats on the high school district's nine-member board of education are allocated based on the population of the constituent municipalities, with two seats assigned to Kingwood Township. 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

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

. The two state routes that pass through are Route 12 and Route 29. The only major county road that goes through is CR 519. No limited access roads traverse Kingwood; the closest one is

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 Tunn ...

in neighboring Franklin Township.

Points of interest

The Old Stone Church was built in 1837 and is now owned by the First

Unitarian Universalist Unitarian or Unitarianism may refer to: Christian and Christian-derived theologies A Unitarian is a follower of, or a member of an organisation that follows, any of several theologies referred to as Unitarianism: * Unitarianism (1565–present) ...

Fellowship of Hunterdon County. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2018.NRHP Nomination for Old Stone Presbyterian Church in Kingwood (Draft)

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

. Accessed November 20, 2019. The Oak Summit Cemetery, across Oak Summit Road from the Old Stone Church, was established in 1754 and is now owned by the Prospect Hill Cemetery Association.Kingwood Township History

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, The Oak Summit School, a one-room schoolhouse, was established in 1849 and used until 1953. It is located next to the Old Stone Church. The Thatcher House, built in 1765, featuring patterned brickwork, was added to the NRHP in 2020. With accompanying 30 photos The Devil's Tea Table, is a prominent landmark near Warsaw Road on Route 29. It is the focal point of a series of bluffs that contain several geological features of interest, such as the type localities for van Houghton cycles, as well as the type sections for units of the Locatong and Passaic Formations of the Triassic. These bluffs are a regional scenic attraction and are admired by many tourists who float by on the adjacent Delaware River.

Notable people

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

George Opdyke George Opdyke (December 7, 1805 – June 12, 1880) was an entrepreneur and the 76th Mayor of New York City (1862 to 1864) during the American Civil War. The New York City draft riots occurred during his tenure. Early life Opdyke was born on Dec ...

(1805–1880), Mayor of New York City *

John Runk John Runk (July 3, 1791 – September 22, 1872) was an American Whig Party politician, who represented New Jersey's 3rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1845 to 1847. Runk was born in Milltown (later, Id ...

(1791–1872), represented 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 1845–1847 *

Kurt Wiese Kurt Wiese (April 22, 1887 – May 27, 1974) was a German-born book illustrator, who wrote and illustrated 20 children's books and illustrated another 300 for other authors. Background Kurt Wiese was born on April 22, 1887, in Minden, Germ ...

(1887–1974), author and children's book illustrator, including ''

The Five Chinese Brothers ''The Five Chinese Brothers'' is an American children's book written by Claire Huchet Bishop and illustrated by Kurt Wiese. It was originally published in 1938 by Coward-McCann. The book is a retelling of a Chinese folk tale, '' Ten Brothers''. ...

'' and the English translation of ''

Bambi, A Life in the Woods ''Bambi, a Life in the Woods'' (German title: ''Bambi: Eine Lebensgeschichte aus dem Walde'') is a 1923 Austrian coming-of-age novel written by Felix Salten and originally published in Berlin by Ullstein Verlag. The novel traces the life of Bambi ...

'', the novel upon which the film ''

Bambi ''Bambi'' is a 1942 American animated drama film directed by David Hand (supervising a team of sequence directors), produced by Walt Disney and based on the 1923 book ''Bambi, a Life in the Woods'' by Austrian author and hunter Felix Salten. ...

'' was basedStaff
"Kurt Wiese"
''

Hunterdon County Democrat The ''Hunterdon County Democrat'' is a weekly newspaper that serves Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Currently owned by Penn Jersey Advance, Inc., its offices are in Raritan Township. It is one of the largest paid weekly newspapers in New Jersey, ...

'', March 9, 2011. Accessed September 12, 2013. "The murals were painted by two Kingwood men, Carl Ritz, assisted by his friend Kurt Wiese, an illustrator of international repute who lived in Kingwood from 1930 until his death in 1974."

References

External links

Kingwood Township website
{{authority control 1746 establishments in New Jersey Populated places established in 1746 Township form of New Jersey government Townships in Hunterdon County, New Jersey New Jersey populated places on the Delaware River