Mount Salem

Union Township is a township in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 5,908, reflecting a decline of 252 (−4.1%) from the 6,160 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 1,082 (+21.3%) from the 5,078 counted in the 1990 Census. The southwest half of the township lies on what is known as the Hunterdon Plateau, the northwest corner consists of the Musconetcong Ridge and the northeast section is part of the lower-lying Newark Basin around Spruce Run Reservoir.

Union was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 17, 1853, from portions of Bethlehem Township. Clinton Town was formed on April 5, 1865, within portions of the township, and became an independent municipality in 1895.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 157. Accessed October 25, 2012. The township was named for Union Furnace, which was producing iron from 1742 until the 1780s.
Township of Union. Accessed October 15, 2015. "The Union Furnace, from which the Township got its name, was built in 1742 on Spruce Run, and was an iron slitting and rolling mill." The name "Union" was chosen over the alternative "Rockhill", which was a community at the southern end of the township.

Union Furnace and its forge produced cannonballs for the Revolutionary War and shoes for horses and oxen, as well as farm implements. Farms and fields were established in areas where trees were felled to provide fuel for the furnace. A farm community developed, together with basket making and tanning industries.

''New Jersey Monthly'' magazine ranked Union Township as its 21st best place to live in its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, township had a total area of 20.63 square miles (53.43 km²), including 18.77 square miles (48.60 km²) of land and 1.86 square miles (4.83 km²) of water (9.03%).

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Coles Mills, Grandin, Hensfoot, Jutland, Kingtown, Mechlings Corner, Mount Salem, Norton, Pattenburg, Perryville, Polktown and Van Syckel.

Pittstown is an unincorporated community that is also spread across Alexandria Township and Franklin Township.

The township borders the Hunterdon County municipalities of Alexandria Township, Bethlehem Township, Clinton, Clinton Township, Franklin Township and Lebanon Township.

Demographics

Two large state facilities in the township, the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women (with 650 inmates in 2018) and Hunterdon Developmental Center (which had 480 residents as of 2017), account for almost 20% of the residents counted by the Census Bureau. Their inclusion skews the township's demographic characteristics. The unusual ratio of 100 females there vs. 77.5 males and the presence of 12.5% of residents but no families being below the poverty linen is largely due to the nature of the residents of these two facilities.

2010 Census

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $103,304 (with a margin of error of +/− $11,761) and the median family income was $126,157 (+/− $23,039). Males had a median income of $97,548 (+/− $31,580) versus $62,130 (+/− $7,607) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $33,753 (+/− $7,431). About none of families and 12.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over.

2000 Census

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 6,160 people, 1,666 households, and 1,162 families residing in the township. The population density was 324.8 people per square mile (125.4/km²). There were 1,725 housing units at an average density of 90.9 per square mile (35.1/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 81.83% White, 13.36% African American, 0.18% Native American, 1.59% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.59% from other races, and 1.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.13% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Union township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey
, United States Census Bureau. Accessed November 15, 2012.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Union township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey
, United States Census Bureau. Accessed November 15, 2012.

There were 1,666 households, out of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.4% were married couples living together, 4.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the township the population was spread out, with 19.2% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 43.4% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 6.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 71.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 65.2 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $81,089, and the median income for a family was $102,146. Males had a median income of $64,375 versus $41,795 for females. The per capita income for the township was $29,535. About 0.4% of families and 1.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.3% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

Union Township is governed under the Township 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 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'', Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, 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 Union Township Committee are Mayor David DeGiralamo ( R, term on committee ends December 31, 2024; term as mayor ends 2022), Deputy Mayor Page Stiger (R, term on committee and as deputy mayor ends 2022), Bruce R. Hirt (R, 2023), Richard Lordi (R, 2024) and Frank T. Mazza (R, 2023).Township Committee
Township of Union. Accessed April 12, 2022. "The Township of Union governing body is a Committee form of government chartered by the State of New Jersey under NJSA 40A:63-1.... Under the current township government laws as they apply to Union Township, five Committee members are elected at-large in partisan elections to serve staggered three-year terms. The Mayor is elected by the Committee and serves a one-year term as does the Deputy Mayor."
Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Accessed April 12, 2022.''2022 County and Municipal Directory''
Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Accessed April 12, 2022.November 2, 2021 District Report Hunterdon County Official Results
Hunterdon County, New Jersey, updated November 12, 2021. Accessed January 1, 2022.November 3, 2020 District Report Hunterdon County Official Results
Hunterdon County, New Jersey, updated November 20, 2020. Accessed January 1, 2021.Hunterdon County District Canvass November 5, 2019, General Election
Hunterdon County, New Jersey, updated November 14, 2019. Accessed January 1, 2020.

In February 2019, the Township Committee selected Page Stiger from a list of three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2019 that was vacated by Michael Sroka when he resigned from office the previous month.

In 2010, the Township's Environmental Commission earned Union Township the distinction of becoming the first community in Hunterdon County to achieve certification under the Sustainable Jersey program, which works to help communities reduce waste, cut greenhouse gas emissions and improve environmental equity.

Federal, state and county representation

Union Township is located in the 7th Congressional DistrictPlan Components Report
New Jersey Redistricting Commission, 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. Accessed February 1, 2020.''2019 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''
New Jersey League of Women Voters. Accessed October 30, 2019.

Two state facilities, the New Jersey Department of Corrections Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women (with 650 inmates in 2018),Sullivan, S. P
"This is how sex abuse at N.J.'s women's prison goes undetected"
NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, May 2018. Accessed November 21, 2019. "Edna Mahan, a small prison with a population of about 650 inmates in Hunterdon County, has seen seven of its staff members criminally accused of sexually abusing inmates since 2015.... Edna Mahan is a small prison on a rolling campus in Union Township and inmates testified that while some things can happen beyond the scope of a camera lens, word often travels fast." and the New Jersey Department of Human Services Hunterdon Developmental Center (which had 480 residents as of 2017),Hunterdon Developmental Center
New Jersey Department of Human Services. Accessed November 21, 2019. "Hunterdon Developmental Center (HDC), located on 102 acres in Clinton, Hunterdon County, opened in 1969. HDC provides a broad spectrum of behavioral, medical and habilitation services to women and men with intellectual and developmental disabilities..... As of March 2017, HDC has a census of 480 residents." are located in Union Township."Social deviation: when tables and maps say more than our eyes."
American Dirt, March 15, 2015. Accessed November 21, 2019. "The purple ring reveals that they sit at the eastern edge of Union Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Thus, Union Township must consider the inmates at Edna Mahan and the clients at the Hunterdon Developmental Center as part of its constituency. Obviously. They live within the township's boundaries."

Politics

As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 3,226 registered voters in Union Township, of which 1,335 (41.4%) were registered as Republicans, 574 (17.8%) were registered as Democrats, and 1,312 (40.7%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were five voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.

In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 60.8% of the vote (1,545 cast), ahead of Democrat Obama with 37.6% (955 votes), and other candidates with 1.7% (42 votes), among the 2,560 ballots cast by the township's 3,416 registered voters (18 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 74.9%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 58.9% of the vote here (1,568 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 38.7% (1,030 votes) and other candidates with 1.3% (35 votes), among the 2,662 ballots cast by the township's 3,265 registered voters, for a turnout of 81.5%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 64.3% of the vote here (1,566 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry with 35.3% (860 votes) and other candidates with 1.1% (34 votes), among the 2,437 ballots cast by the township's 2,992 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 81.5.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 77.2% of the vote (1,179 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 21.0% (321 votes), and other candidates with 1.8% (28 votes), among the 1,549 ballots cast by the township's 3,409 registered voters (21 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 45.4%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 70.9% of the vote here (1,303 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 19.9% (366 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 7.6% (139 votes) and other candidates with 0.4% (7 votes), among the 1,837 ballots cast by the township's 3,214 registered voters, yielding a 57.2% turnout.

Education

The Union Township School District serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.''2019-2020 Public School Directory''
Hunterdon County Department of Education. Accessed November 17, 2019. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 436 students and 44.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.7:1.District information for Union Township School District
National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 1, 2020. Schools in the district (with 2018–2019 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are
Union Township Elementary School with 207 students in grades K–4 and
Union Township Middle School with 225 students in grades 5–8.

Public school students in ninth through twelfth grades attend North Hunterdon High School in Annandale, which also serves students from Bethlehem Township, Clinton Town, Clinton Township, Franklin Township and Lebanon Borough. As of the 2018–19 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, which also includes students from Califon

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