Hackettstown is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Warren County, in the U.S. state of

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. It is perhaps best known as the home to the US headquarters of Mars, Inc.. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 10,248, an increase of 524 (+5.4%) from the 2010 census count of 9,724, which in turn reflected a decline of 679 (−6.5%) from the 10,403 counted in the 2000 census. Hackettstown was incorporated as a town 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 ...

on March 9, 1853, from portions of Independence Township. Portions of territory were exchanged with Mansfield Township in 1857, 1860, 1872 and 1875.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 246. Accessed July 6, 2012.

History

Founding

William Johnson (1817–1891) was a prime contributor to the incorporation of the town in 1853. He and his brother George (1815–1889) were successful merchants in the town beginning in 1839 when they began operating the W.L. & G.W Johnson dry good store. The two men were very active in community affairs. George was a member of First Presbyterian Church, a director of the Hackettstown National Bank, and a member of the Hackettstown Water Board. Both men were involved in the establishment of the Union Cemetery. Hackettstown was named after Samuel Hackett, an early settler and large landowner. Hackett is said to have "contributed liberally to the liquid refreshments on the christening of a new hotel, in order to secure the name which, before this, had been Helms' Mills or Musconetcong."

Tillie Smith murder case

In 1886, Tillie Smith, a 19-year-old kitchen worker from a poverty-stricken family, was raped, murdered and left lying in an open field near the campus of the Centenary Collegiate Institute, where she worked. James Titus, a janitor at the school, was tried and convicted of the rape and murder, based on circumstantial evidence and public opinion shaped by

yellow journalism In journalism, yellow journalism and the yellow press are American newspapers that use eye-catching headlines and sensationalized exaggerations for increased sales. This term is chiefly used in American English, whereas in the United Kingdom, ...

. Titus was sentenced to hang, but he signed a confession to avoid the death penalty and served 19 years of hard labor. He lived from 1904 to 1952 in Hackettstown among many of the same residents who championed his conviction, the validity of which remains controversial. The killing remains a popular local legend, inspiring several books,

Weird NJ ''Weird NJ'' (sometimes abbreviated ''WNJ'') is a semi-annual magazine that chronicles local legends, purported hauntings, ghost stories, folklore, unusual places or events, and other peculiarities in New Jersey. The magazine originated in 1989 ...

magazine articles, theatrical performances and dark tourism ghost tours.

20th century

The Hackettstown State Fish Hatchery, a popular tourist destination, was established in 1912. In 1925, a train wreck just outside of town killed about 50 people and injured about 50 others en route to

Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; ) is a City (New Jersey), city in Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Hoboken is part of the New York metropolitan area and is the site of Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub. As of the ...

, from

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. The derailment involved a Lackawanna Railroad train and occurred at the Hazen Road grade crossing near Rockport Road at approximately 3:30 am, as a result of debris washed downhill by a storm fouling the road crossing. The event made national headlines and stands as the deadliest event in Warren County history."Big Toll Taken In A New Jersey Wreck. Latest Report Shows At Least 27 Were Killed. Thunderstorm Clogged A Switch With Sand Causing A Derailment."
''Sterling Daily Gazette'', June 16, 1925. Accessed March 17, 2015. Fund-raising campaigns for a new hospital started as early as 1945, supported and organized by local civic and business groups including

Kiwanis Kiwanis International ( ) is an international service club founded in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, and is found in more than 80 nations and geographic areas. In 1987, the organization ...

, Unico International, PTA and others, a large donation by the Seventh Day Adventists and a grant from the

United States Public Health Service The United States Public Health Service (USPHS or PHS) is a collection of agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services which manages public health, containing nine out of the department's twelve operating divisions. The assistant s ...

, the 106-bed Hackettstown Community Hospital was established in 1973. In 1977, a

mass shooting A mass shooting is a violent crime in which one or more attackers use a firearm to Gun violence, kill or injure multiple individuals in rapid succession. There is no widely accepted specific definition, and different organizations tracking su ...

occurred in the town when Emil Pierre Benoist, a 20-year-old graduate of Hackettstown High School and former

U.S. Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

, took random shots at passing cars over the course of about four hours and shot and killed six people before turning his sniper rifle on himself. In 1994, a charity BBQ picnic organized by the "Tri-County Motorcycle Club" at the Elk's Lodge in Hackettstown was crashed by rival members of the outlaw

Pagan's Motorcycle Club Pagan's Motorcycle Club, or simply the Pagans, is an outlaw motorcycle club formed by Lou Dobkin in 1957 in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The club rapidly expanded and by 1959, the Pagans, originally clad in blue denim jackets a ...

. "An altercation started that escalated into knives and guns being used", according to the Warren County Prosecutor. Two Pagans were killed and three other bikers were injured.

21st century

Hackettstown was named #72 of the top 100 towns in the United States to Live and Work In by ''

Money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are: m ...

'' Magazine in 2005; it has not been included since. In 2011, the town council proclaimed a

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inte ...

relationship with Hacketstown, Ireland.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town had a total area of 3.71 square miles (9.61 km²), including 3.61 square miles (9.35 km²) of land and 0.10 square miles (0.26 km²) of water (2.67%). The town is located in a valley along the banks of 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 throug ...

. Upper Pohatcong Mountain extends northeast of Washington approximately . Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the town include Warren Furnace. Hackettstown borders the townships of Washington (Morris County) to the southeast,

Mansfield Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of the Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area and the second largest settlement in Nottinghamshire (following the city ...

to the southwest, Allamuchy to the north, Mount Olive to the northeast, and

Independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

to the west. Hackettstown is northeast of Allentown and northwest of New York City.

Climate

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 9,724 people, 3,575 households, and 2,256 families in the town. The population density was . There were 3,755 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 85.08% (8,273)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 2.46% (239) Black or African American, 0.24% (23) Native American, 4.97% (483) Asian, 0.05% (5)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 5.19% (505) from other races, and 2.02% (196) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.16% (1,474) of the population. Of the 3,575 households, 29.4% had children under the age of 18; 49.5% were married couples living together; 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present and 36.9% were non-families. Of all households, 30.0% were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.09. 20.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 14.5% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.3 years. For every 100 females, the population had 91.8 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 91.4 males. The Census Bureau's 2006–2010

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars)

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two 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 und ...

was $62,215 (with a margin of error of +/− $6,907) and the median family income was $82,216 (+/− $10,611). Males had a median income of $51,489 (+/− $5,850) versus $41,822 (+/− $5,248) for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the borough was $29,433 (+/− $2,122). About 4.4% of families and 7.7% 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 ...

, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census there were 10,403 people, 4,134 households, and 2,530 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 4,347 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 90.25%

, 2.18%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.12% Native American, 2.91% Asian, 0.06%

, 2.00% from other races, and 2.47% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 8.01% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Hackettstown town
,

. Accessed July 6, 2012.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Hackettstown town, New Jersey
,

. Accessed July 5, 2012. There were 4,134 households, out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.0% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.10. In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.7% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 33.9% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $51,955, and the median income for a family was $64,383. Males had a median income of $44,420 versus $31,110 for females. The

for the town was $24,742. About 2.3% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the

, including 4.9% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Hackettstown houses the US headquarters of Mars Wrigley Confectionery, a business segment of

Mars, Incorporated Mars, Incorporated (doing business as Mars Inc.) is an American multinational manufacturer of confectionery, pet food, and other food products and a provider of animal care services founded on June 23, 1911, headquartered in McLean, Virgini ...

, makers of

Milky Way The Milky Way or Milky Way Galaxy is the galaxy that includes the Solar System, with the name describing the #Appearance, galaxy's appearance from Earth: a hazy band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars in other arms of the galax ...

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...

, M&M's, Twix and

Snickers Snickers (stylized in all caps) is a chocolate bar consisting of nougat topped with Caramel#Candy, caramel and peanuts, all encased in milk chocolate. The bars are made by the American company Mars Inc. The annual global sales of Snickers is ...

Arts and culture

Musical groups from Hackettstown include The Semonski Sisters, a family musical act that appeared on television's '' The Lawrence Welk Show'' from 1975 to 1977.

Sports

* The Skyland Rollergirls were a roller derby team founded in 2008 that bouted out of Excel Roller Skating Center in Hackettstown until it closed in late 2011. *The Jersey Express, a team in the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. The upstart ABA operated in direct competition with the more established National Basketball Association thr ...

moved to Hackettstown in late 2012 and played in the gym at Centenary College. * Hackettstown High School sports teams are known as the Tigers and compete as part of the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference. * The Centenary University sports teams are known as the

Cyclones In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an ant ...

. * The Hackettstown Harleys ice hockey team was founded in 2008.

Government

Local government

Hackettstown operates under a mayor-council form of government that was created by a special charter adopted by the

and approved by the voters in 1970. The town is one of 11 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that operate under a special charter. The town's governing body is comprised of a strong mayor who serves a three-year term of office and six councilpersons who are elected at large to three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with two seats up for election each year.''2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book'',

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

Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, March 2013, p. 125. The mayor is the town's chief executive officer, overseeing its day-to-day operation and presenting an annual budget. The council is the town's legislative body. The mayor attends town council meetings, but may only vote in the event of a tie. The mayor may veto ordinances passed by the council, which can be overridden with the votes of four council members. , the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...

of Hackettstown is Republican Gerald DiMaio Jr. whose term of office ends December 31, 2023. Members of the Town Council are Jody Becker (R, 2024), Matthew Engelau (R, 2022), Leonard Kunz (R, 2023), James Lambo (R, 2022; elected to serve an unexpired term), Scott Sheldon (R, 2024) and Eric Tynan (R, 2023).Mayor and Town Council
Town of Hackettstown. Accessed March 1, 2022.Summary Results Report 2021 General Election November 2, 2021 Official Results
Warren County, New Jersey, updated November 18, 2021. Accessed January 1, 2022.Warren County 2020 General Election November 20, 2020 Official Results
Warren County, New Jersey, updated November 20, 2020. Accessed January 1, 2021.General Election November 5, 2019, Warren County Official Tally
Warren County, New Jersey, updated November 12, 2019. Accessed January 1, 2020. James Lambo was selected from a list of three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill a vacant seat. The seat, which expired in December 2018, was vacated by William Conforti in August 2016, after his announcement that he was moving out of the municipality. Lambo served on an interim basis until the November 2016 general election during which he was elected to serve the balance of the term of office.General Election November 8, 2016, Warren County Official Tally
, Warren County, New Jersey, updated November 16, 2016. Accessed January 30, 2017.

Federal, state, and county representation

Hackettstown is located in the 7th congressional district2022 Redistricting Plan

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 ...

, December 8, 2022. and is part of the 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 New Jersey State Council on the Arts, artistic, cultural, and New Jersey Historical Com ...

. Accessed February 1, 2020.''2019 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''
New Jersey League of Women Voters. Accessed October 30, 2019.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 5,410 registered voters in Hackettstown, of which 1,169 (21.6% vs. 21.5% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 1,764 (32.6% vs. 35.3%) were registered as Republicans and 2,468 (45.6% vs. 43.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 9 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.Voter Registration Summary - Warren

Division of Elections, March 23, 2011. Accessed June 5, 2013. Among the town's 2010 Census population, 55.6% (vs. 62.3% in Warren County) were registered to vote, including 69.8% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 81.5% countywide). In the 2012 presidential election, Republican

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...

received 1,973 votes (52.2% vs. 56.0% countywide), ahead of Democrat

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

with 1,661 votes (44.0% vs. 40.8%) and other candidates with 77 votes (2.0% vs. 1.7%), among the 3,777 ballots cast by the town's 5,516 registered voters, for a turnout of 68.5% (vs. 66.7% in Warren County). In the 2008 presidential election, Republican

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...

received 2,090 votes (52.7% vs. 55.2% countywide), ahead of Democrat

with 1,724 votes (43.4% vs. 41.4%) and other candidates with 64 votes (1.6% vs. 1.6%), among the 3,969 ballots cast by the town's 5,437 registered voters, for a turnout of 73.0% (vs. 73.4% in Warren County). In the 2004 presidential election, Republican

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

received 2,368 votes (60.3% vs. 61.0% countywide), ahead of Democrat

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...

with 1,492 votes (38.0% vs. 37.2%) and other candidates with 48 votes (1.2% vs. 1.3%), among the 3,928 ballots cast by the town's 5,241 registered voters, for a turnout of 74.9% (vs. 76.3% in the whole county). In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican

Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician and former United States Attorney, federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party (United States) ...

received 72.5% of the vote (1,543 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 25.6% (545 votes), and other candidates with 1.9% (41 votes), among the 2,166 ballots cast by the town's 5,608 registered voters (37 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 38.6%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 1,547 votes (61.1% vs. 61.3% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 662 votes (26.1% vs. 25.7%), Independent Chris Daggett with 250 votes (9.9% vs. 9.8%) and other candidates with 30 votes (1.2% vs. 1.5%), among the 2,533 ballots cast by the town's 5,321 registered voters, yielding a 47.6% turnout (vs. 49.6% in the county).

Education

The Hackettstown School District serves students in

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

twelfth grade Twelfth Grade (also known as Grade 12, Senior Year, Standard 12, 12th Standard, 12th Class, or Class 12th or Class 12) is the twelfth and final Educational stage, year of Formal education, formal or compulsory education. It is typically the final ...

. The district serves students in four schools: two elementary schools (covering K-4), a middle school (5–8), and a four-year high school (9–12). As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprised of four schools, had an enrollment of 2,003 students and 172.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

student–teacher ratio The student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio refers to the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers or staff in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that ...

of 11.6:1.District information for Hackettstown Public School District

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the principal federal agency responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data on education in the United States. Established under , it operates within the Institute of Education S ...

. Accessed December 1, 2022. Schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the

) are Hatchery Hill School with 275 students in grades PreK-1, Willow Grove School with 368 students in grades 2–4, Hackettstown Middle School with 475 students in grades 5-8 and Hackettstown High School with 869 students in grades 9–12. Students from the townships of Allamuchy,

, and

Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

, attend the district's high school as part of sending/receiving relationships. For the 2001–2002 school year, Hackettstown Middle School was recognized with the National Blue Ribbon Award of Excellence from the

United States Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a cabinet-level department of the United States government, originating in 1980. The department began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and ...

, the highest honor that an American school can achieve. Students from the town and from all of Warren County are eligible to attend Ridge and Valley Charter School in Frelinghuysen Township (for grades K–8) or Warren County Technical School in Washington borough (for 9–12), with special education services provided by local districts supplemented throughout the county by the Warren County Special Services School District in Oxford Township (for Pre-K–12). Centenary University, a private university affiliated with the

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was ...

, was founded in 1867 as a preparatory school and evolved into a junior college and later a four-year undergraduate college. In 2017 the college was granted University status by the

Middle States Commission on Higher Education The Middle States Commission on Higher Education, abbreviated as MSCHE and legally incorporated as the Mid-Atlantic Region Commission on Higher Education, is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit membership organization that performs peer evalua ...

.Centenary University is the only four-year post-secondary institution in Warren County.

Media

* WRNJ at 1510 AM and simulcast on FM Translators 92.7 FM 104.7 FM and 105.7 FM, is licensed to Hackettstown and locally owned and operated. * WXPJ at 91.9 FM – Originally Centenary University radio, the station was sold in 2015 and is owned and operated by the University of Pennsylvania. * Two regional Advance Digital publications serve the town, ''

The Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' was the largest circulation newspaper in New Jersey. It is based in Newark, New Jersey. The newspaper ceased print publication on February 2, 2025, but continues to publish a digital edition. In 2007, ''The Star-Ledger''s ...

'' of Newark, and '' The Express-Times'' of Easton, Pa. The company formerly kept a newsroom for the free weekly newspaper '' The Warren Reporter'' on East Moore Street, which has since been closed and folded into its digital products.

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the town had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Warren 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 transport ...

. Passing through Hackettstown are U.S. Route 46, Route 57, and County Route 517. Route 182 exists completely within the boundaries of Hackettstown. Interstate 80 runs to the north of the town.

Public transportation

The Hackettstown station is the western terminus of the NJ Transit Morristown Line and the Montclair-Boonton Line, which both provide service to Hoboken Terminal with connections to Pennsylvania Station in

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

via Midtown Direct trains. New Jersey Transit bus service used to be provided on the MCM5 and 973 local routes before they were discontinued. Warren County operates a shuttle along Route 57 to Washington Township that operates on an hourly loop on weekdays, with connections available to a shuttle to Phillipsburg.

Airports

Hackettstown is located from

Newark Liberty International Airport Newark Liberty International Airport is a major international airport serving the New York metropolitan area. The airport straddles the boundary between the cities of Newark, New Jersey, Newark in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and E ...

in Newark / Elizabeth. Lehigh Valley International Airport, near

Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in eastern Pennsylvania, United States. The county seat of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County, it is the List o ...

, is away. Hackettstown Airport, a small general aviation airport with the official database designation of is located in adjoining Mansfield Township, only a few hundred yards from the municipal border with Hackettstown proper.

Points of interest

* Union Cemetery, Mountain Avenue *Mars Wrigley US Headquarters File:HACKETTSTOWN HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM, WARREN COUNTY.jpg, Historical Society Museum File:206 West Moore Street, Hackettstown, NJ.jpg, Jacob C. Allen House, listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

File:291 Main Street, Hackettstown, NJ.jpg, First Presbyterian Church File:Old Presbyterian Burial Ground, Hackettstown, NJ.jpg, link=, Old Presbyterian Burial Ground File:Hackettstown Free Public Library at night.jpg, Hackettstown Free Public Library File:Hackettstown Community Center at Night.jpg, Hackettstown Community Center File:400 West Moore Street, Hackettstown, NJ.jpg, link=, 400 West Moore Street File:Hackettstown.Hospital.JPG, Hackettstown Medical Center

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Hackettstown include: * Abraham H. Albertson (1872–1964), one of

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

's most prominent architects of the first half of the 20th century *

Stevo Bednarsky Stevo Bednarsky (born August 8, 1998) is an American Association football, soccer player who plays for New York City FC II in the MLS Next Pro. Early life Bednarsky grew up in Hackettstown, New Jersey. His father was the boys soccer coach at G ...

(born 1998), soccer player * John D. Bulkeley (1911–1996), Vice Admiral in the United States Navy,

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

winner, PT boat skipper who evacuated General Douglas MacArthur from

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Bette Cooper Elizabeth Cooper-Moore (August 11, 1920 – December 10, 2017) won the Miss America 1937 pageant as Bertrand Island, New Jersey, Miss Bertrand Island, representing an amusement park on Lake Hopatcong in New Jersey. Early life She was born in Hac ...

(1920–2017),

Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 18 and 28. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is judged on competition segments with scoring percentages: ''Priva ...

1937 * Jim Courter (born 1941), former Member of Congress * Jonathan Townley Crane (1819–1880), clergyman, author, abolitionist, father of author Stephen Crane, founder of Centenary Collegiate Institute * Christina Desiderio (born 2000), artistic gymnast * John DiMaio (born 1955), member of the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

who served as mayor of Hackettstown from 1991 to 1999 *

Brian Fallon Brian Michael Fallon (born January 28, 1980) is an American musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and main lyricist of the rock band the Gaslight Anthem, with whom he has recorded six studio al ...

(born 1980), lead singer for The Gaslight Anthem / The Horrible Crowes * John Clifford Heed (1862–1908), composer and musician, best known for composing over 60 marches * Kenneth Hopper (1926–2019), engineer * Izetta Jewel (1883–1978), born Izetta Jewel Kenney, actress and women's rights activist * Ken Kelsch (1947–2023), cinematographer of films including '' Bad Lieutenant'' and '' Big Night'' * Cole Kimball (born 1985), pitcher who has played for the

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* William Logan (1914–2002),

cyclist Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world fo ...

who competed in the

tandem Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which two or more animals, machines, or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. ''Tandem'' can also be used more generally to refer to any group of persons or objects w ...

and

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events at the

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* Kristen Maloney (born 1981), former gymnastics Olympian *

Naked Cowboy Robert John Burck (born December 23, 1970), better known as the Naked Cowboy, is an American street performer, singer, songwriter, and occasional actor. He is best known for singing regularly in New York City's Times Square. Burck is also a reg ...

(stage name of Robert John Burck, born 1970), street performer and 2012 Presidential candidate * Louis F. Post (1849–1928), journalist, lawyer, author, former US Attorney, former Assistant United States Secretary of Labor during the Wilson administration * Jimmi Simpson (born 1975), Emmy nominated film and television actor * Joe Stanowicz (1921–1999), football player who attended the

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where he played at the guard position for the

Army Black Knights football The Army Black Knights football team, historically known as the Army Cadets, represents the United States Military Academy in college football. The Black Knights team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Ath ...

team * Anthony Veneziano (born 1997), Major League Baseball pitcher for the

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George Theodore Werts George Theodore Werts (March 24, 1846January 17, 1910) was an American attorney, judge, and Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party politician who served as the 28th governor of New Jersey from 1893 to 1896. His term in Governor coinc ...

(1846–1910), Governor of New Jersey (1893–1896)"New Jersey Governor George Theodore Werts"

National Governors Association The National Governors Association (NGA) is an American Politics of the United States, political organization founded in 1908. The association's members are the governors of the 55 U.S. state, states, Territories of the United States, territories ...

. Accessed September 10, 2017. "George T. Werts, the thirty-fifth governor of New Jersey, was born in Hackettstown, New Jersey on March 24, 1846."

References

External links

Official website

Hackettstown Historical Society

Chronological History of Hackettstown
(1712-1953)
Hackettstown Fire Department History

Hackettstown History
at

JSTOR JSTOR ( ; short for ''Journal Storage'') is a digital library of academic journals, books, and primary sources founded in 1994. Originally containing digitized back issues of academic journals, it now encompasses books and other primary source ...

{{Authority control 1853 establishments in New Jersey Populated places established in 1853 Special charters in New Jersey Towns in New Jersey Towns in Warren County, New Jersey