The Somerset Hills is known as the northern region of Somerset County located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

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 ...

and includes the municipalities of Bedminster,

Bernardsville Bernardsville () is a borough in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The borough is nestled in the heart of the Raritan Valley region. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 7,707,

, Bernards Township, Far Hills, Peapack & Gladstone. The Morris County communities of the Chesters (

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

and

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 ...

) and the Mendhams (

and

) are often considered part of the Somerset Hills. The Somerset Hills is in the northern section of Somerset County that was created on May 14, 1688, from portions of Middlesex County.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 221. Accessed October 30, 2012. The term was coined in the early 1800s and references the 2nd Watchung Mountain which crosses Bedminster as well as the Bernardsville Mountain that is the highest mountain in the region.

Geography

The high point in the Somerset Hills is on Mine Mountain in Bernardsville, at approximately above sea level.

Adjacent municipalities

Somerset Hills contains the following townships/boroughs: *

Peapack, New Jersey Peapack-Gladstone (also written as Peapack and Gladstone) is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, Somerset County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the United States Census, 2010, 2010 Census, the borough's popul ...

– north *

Gladstone, New Jersey Gladstone is an unincorporated community located within Peapack-Gladstone in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP Code 07934.Bernards Township, New Jersey Bernards Township () is a township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. The township is a bedroom suburb of New York City in the much larger New York metropolitan area, located within the Raritan Valley region. As of the 2020 Uni ...

– east (Includes towns of Basking Ridge, Liberty Corner, W. Millington, Lyons) *

Bernardsville, New Jersey Bernardsville () is a borough in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The borough is nestled in the heart of the Raritan Valley region. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 7,707,

– central *

Bedminster, New Jersey Bedminster is a township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the township's population was 8,165, reflecting a decline of 137 (−1.7%) from the 8,302 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in t ...

– west (Includes towns of Lamington, Pottersville, Pluckemin, Larger Cross, Lesser Cross *

Far Hills, New Jersey Far Hills is a borough in Somerset County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, the population was 919,Morris County – north * Union County – east *

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,humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

which is hot-summer (''Dfa'') except on Mine Mountain west of Bernardsville where it is warm-summer (''Dfb'').

History

The Somerset Hills is the northern section of Somerset County, New Jersey and is part of one of America's oldest counties and is named after the English county of

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

. Most of the early residents were Dutch, Scottish and German.

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

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 ...

and his troops marched through the area on several occasions and slept in many of the homes located throughout the area. For much of its history, the Somerset Hills area was primarily an agricultural county. In the late 19th century, the Somerset Hills area became a popular country home location for wealthy industrialists. The area is still the home of wealthy pharmaceutical industrialists. In the 1960s, townships that were once exclusively agricultural were quickly transformed into suburban communities. This growth was aided by the development of the county's very strong pharmaceutical and technology presence. More recently, there has been an influx of New York City commuters who use NJ Transit's

Gladstone Branch The Gladstone Branch (also known as the Gladstone Line) is a commuter rail line operated by NJ Transit from Gladstone station, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, to either Hoboken Terminal or New York Penn Station. It is one of two branches of th ...

or use

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 ...

Historic events

The Somerset Hills played host to a number of events that changed the course of history in the United States. The area hosted three winter encampments for the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. The first was in 1776 in nearby Bernardsville and Morristown, and the other two were winter encampments in nearby Middlebrook. During the winter of 1778-1779 General Henry Knox and over 1000 artillery troops spent the winter in

Pluckemin, New Jersey Pluckemin is an unincorporated community located within Bedminster Township, in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. It was also known historically as Pluckamin. It was the site of several historic events during the American Revolutionary ...

at what is now known as America's First Military Academy, created 28 years before the founding of the

US Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

at West Point. Another notable events was the capture of General Charles Lee at th
Widow White's
tavern in Basking Ridge on December 13, 1776. If it were not for this capture, Lee might have been selected the "father of our country." In 1779, General Washington wrote General William Alexander, the Earl of Stirling to construct a series of signal beacons to warn the continental army if there was detected movement of the British troops moving west from New York City and Staten Island. Thi
chain of beacons
proved effective during the battle of Springfield. These Rev War beacons were remembered during the 225th anniversary of the British Evacuation day on November 25, 2008.

Historic landmarks

The northern section of Somerset County in the Somerset Hills is rich in history dating back prior to the Revolutionary War. *Bedminster **Hamilton Farm Stable Complex **

Jacobus Vanderveer House The Jacobus Vanderveer House, also known as Knox House, is a U.S. Federal style house located just north of the community of Pluckemin in Bedminster Township, Somerset County, New Jersey at the junction of US 202 and 206 north of River Road. ...

**Lamington Historic District **McDonald's-Kline's Mill **Pluckemin Continental Artillery Cantonment Site **Pluckemin Village Historic District **Pottersville Village Historic District *Bernards Township **Alward Farmhouse **Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church ** Brick Academy ** Basking Ridge Historic District **Coffee House **Franklin Corners Historic District **Kennedy Martin Stelle Farmstead - Bernards Township ** Liberty Corner Historic District (Annin's Corner) **Lord Stirling Manor Site **Lyons Veterans Administration Hospital Historic District ** Lyons Train Station - Lyons section of Bernards Township **Boudinout, Southard, Ross Farmstead - Basking Ridge Section of Bernards Township *Bernardsville ** Bernardsville Train Station - Bernardsville **John Parker Tavern **Olcott Historic District **Reynolds-Scherman House **St. Bernard's Church and Parish House *Far Hills ** Far Hills Train Station *Peapack ** Peapack Train Station *Gladstone ** Gladstone Train Station

Parks and recreation

Somerset County parks include

Lord Stirling Park Lord Stirling Park is a 925/950 acreSomerset County Parks Commission: Parks, Programs % People, Fall 2008 Edition, page 3 park operated by the Somerset County Park Commission and located in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, and separated from the Great ...

(part of the

Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge The Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is located in Morris County, New Jersey. Established in 1960, it now is among what has grown to be more than 550 refuges in the United States National Wildlife Refuge System. The initial portion of the ...

), the Environmental Education Commission and the region is one of the largest equestrian areas in the United States. Home to the

United States Equestrian Team Foundation The United States Equestrian Team (USET) refers to the American national teams in Olympic and non-Olympic disciplines of horse sport. US Equestrian, the governing body of horse sport in the United States, selects, trains and funds the teams. The O ...

next to th
Hamilton Farm Golf Club
the area has one of the oldest fox hunting organizations, the Essex Hunt Club in Peapack, New Jersey. Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster is an exclusive golf club owned by

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

. The facility has also served as th
45th President's Summer Whitehouse
Two other golf clubs are th
Somerset Hills Country Club
in Bernardsville, and Fiddlers Elbow Country Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. The United States Golfing Association (USGA) and museum is also located in Bernards Township, New Jersey. One of the largest equestrian events in the United States is the Far Hills Race Meeting held annually in

Far Hills, New Jersey Far Hills is a borough in Somerset County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, the population was 919,

Government

While part of Somerset County, each of the Somerset Hills townships are governed by their own separate government bodies. However, there are a number of shared government services that are shared between townships in the Somerset Hills. Somerset County is governed by a five-member

Board of Chosen Freeholders In New Jersey, a Board of County Commissioners (until 2020 named the Board of Chosen Freeholders) is the elected county-wide government board in each of the state's 21 counties. In the five counties that have an elected county executive, the b ...

, whose members are elected

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 ...

to three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with one or two seats coming up for election each year. At the federal level, the towns are all located within

New Jersey's 7th congressional district New Jersey's 7th congressional district includes all of Hunterdon and Warren Counties; and parts of Morris, Somerset, Sussex, and Union Counties. The district is represented by Republican Thomas Kean Jr., who was first elected in 2022, defe ...

Businesses

With access to routes 287 and 78, NJT rails service via the Gladstone Line, the area has shown a viable rural employment area. Companies that call the Somerset Hills home include: * Bernards Township ** Affinity Credit Union ** Collabera ** Daiichi Sankyo *
Everest Reinsurance
*
Fedway Associates
(Distributor) ** Optum ** United Health Group ** Verizon Wireless * Bedminster ** AT&T ** Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals * Peapack/Gladstone ** Pfizer Pharma ** Matheny Medical & Educational Center

Education

Townships within the Somerset Hills are overseen by individual public schools for elementary thru middle school. The Somerset Hills area is home to two public high schools: * Ridge High School, Bernards Township * Somerset Hills Regional High School. Bernardsville supports public school students from Bedminster, Bernardsville, Far Hills, Peapack & Gladstone Private education facilities: * Somerset Hills Learning Institute, founded in 1998 and now located in Bedminster Township, is a state-of-the-art program dedicated to educating children on the autism spectrum by utilizing the principles of

applied behavior analysis Applied behavior analysis (ABA), also called behavioral engineering, is a psychological intervention that applies empirical approaches based upon the principles of respondent and operant conditioning to change behavior of social significance. ...

.
The Bonnie Brae School
- Bernards Township, New Jersey
The Matheny School - Peapack, New Jersey

The Lord Stirling School
- Bernards Township, New Jersey *

The Pingry School The Pingry School is a coeducational, independent school, independent, University-preparatory school, college preparatory country day school in New Jersey, with a Lower School (K–5) campus in the Short Hills, New Jersey, Short Hills neighbo ...

- Bernards Township, New Jersey *Gill St. Bernards School - Gladstone, New Jersey
The Albrook School
- Bernards Township, New Jersey *

Far Hills Country Day School Far Hills Country Day School (FHCDS) is a private, co-educational Preschool-Grade 8 school located in Far Hills, New Jersey. The school is situated on 54 acres that include learning gardens, computer labs, media centers, a performing arts cente ...

- Far Hills, New Jersey
Somerset Hills Montessori School
- Bernards Township, New Jersey
The Willow School
- Gladstone, New Jersey

Municipalities

Municipalities in the Somerset Hills (with 2010 Census data for population, housing units and area) are listed below.

Transportation

Roads and highways

The Somerset Hills area is served by a number of different routes. U.S. Routes include

U.S. Route 202 U.S. Route 202 (US 202) is a spur route of US 2. It follows a northeasterly and southwesterly direction stretching from Delaware to Maine, also traveling through the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massa ...

and U.S. Route 206. The two Interstates that pass through are

and

Interstate 287 Interstate 287 (I-287) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the US states of New Jersey and New York. It is a partial beltway around New York City, serving the northern half of New Jersey and the counties of Rockland and Westchester in N ...

Public transportation

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 ...

provides train service on the

Public bus transportation is provided by several transit agencies. NJ Transit provides bus service to the

Port Authority Bus Terminal The Port Authority Bus Terminal (colloquially known as the Port Authority and by its acronym PABT) is a bus station, bus terminal located in Manhattan in New York City. It is the busiest bus terminal in the world by volume of traffic, serving abo ...

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan and serves as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Buildin ...

, as well as service to major cities in New Jersey and within Somerset County. Ridewise provides three SCOOT shuttles as well as DASH buses and CAT buses.CAT
Ridewise. Accessed January 19, 2015.

Airports

There three closest airports are the Somerset Airport (small plane) in Bedminster,

Morristown Airport Morristown Airport is in Morris County, New Jersey, United States, three miles east of downtown Morristown and 27 miles west of Manhattan, New York City. Operated by DM AIRPORTS, LTD, it is in the Whippany section of Hanover. The National Plan ...

(Mid) and

Newark Liberty International Airport Newark Liberty International Airport , originally Newark Metropolitan Airport and later Newark International Airport, is an international airport straddling the boundary between the cities of Newark in Essex County and Elizabeth in Union Count ...

in Newark, New Jersey

Attractions

AAUW of the Somerset HillsMr Local History Research Non-Profit ProjectCharter Day, Basking Ridge
*Far Hills Race Meeting
Hills Development
*

Leonard J. Buck Garden The Leonard J. Buck Garden is a public botanical garden and woodland garden operated by the Somerset County Park Commission, and located at 11 Layton Road, Far Hills, New Jersey, United States. The garden is one of the nation's premier rock ga ...

s
Lord Stirling Stables
(Riding Lessons/Rentals) * Natarir County Park and estate *

National Register of Historic Places listings in Somerset County, New Jersey List of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Somerset County, New Jersey __NOTOC__ This is intended to be a complete list of properties and districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Somerset County, New J ...

Ross Farm Music Series
* Raptor Trust Bird Sanctuary
Somerset Hills YMCASomerset Hills Country ClubTrilogy Repertory Community Theater
* Trump National Golf Club of Bedminster
VNA Rummage Sale

References

External links

Mr Local History Research Non-Profit ProjectIn the Somerset Hills Vol1 & Vol2In the Somerset Hills - The Landed GentryHistory of the Somerset Hills Country ClubSomerset County websiteSomerset County Parks CommissionHills List is a local informational website for the Bedminster and Basking Ridge areasTale of Two Bedminsters (New Jersey and England)
- NY Times

- NY Times {{Authority control Somerset County, New Jersey 1688 establishments in New Jersey Central Jersey Counties in the New York metropolitan area Populated places established in 1688