Hunterdon County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the western section of 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 so ...

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 ...

. At the 2020 census, the county was the state's 4th-least populous county,Table1. New Jersey Counties and Most Populous Cities and Townships: 2020 and 2010 Censuses

New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The New Jersey Civil Service Commission is an independent body within the New Jersey state government under the auspices of ...

. Accessed December 1, 2022. with a population of 128,947, an increase of 598 (+0.5%) from the 2010 census count of 128,349. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Flemington.New Jersey County Map

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 December 22, 2022. The county is part of the

Central Jersey Central Jersey, or Central New Jersey, is the middle region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The designation Central Jersey is a distinct administrative toponym. While New Jersey is often divided into North Jersey and South Jersey, many resi ...

region of the state. In 2015, the county had a per capita personal income of $80,759, the third-highest in New Jersey and ranked 33rd of 3,113 counties in the United States. The

Bureau of Economic Analysis The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) of the United States Department of Commerce is a U.S. government agency that provides official macroeconomic and industry statistics, most notably reports about the gross domestic product (GDP) of the United ...

ranked the county as having the 19th-highest

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 ...

of all 3,113 counties in the United States (and the highest in New Jersey) as of 2009. In 2011, Hunterdon County had the second-lowest level of child poverty of any county in the United States. Geographically, much of the county lies in the

Delaware Valley The Philadelphia metropolitan area, also known as Greater Philadelphia and informally called the Delaware Valley, the Philadelphia tri-state area, and locally and colloquially Philly–Jersey–Delaware, is a major metropolitan area in the Nor ...

. Local businesses and the Delaware Valley Regional High School carry the name. However, it is part of the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island metropolitan statistical area (MSA) and part of the larger New York-Newark Combined Statistical Area (CSA)."Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Combined Statistical Areas, and Guidance on Uses of the Delineations of These Areas", OMB Bulletin no. 18-04, The White House, Office of Management and Budget, September 4, 2018
/ref> Hunterdon County was established on March 11, 1714, separating from Burlington County, at which time it included all of present-day Morris,

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

, and Warren counties.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 153. Accessed May 30, 2012. The rolling hills and rich soils which produce bountiful agricultural crops drew Native American tribes and then Europeans to the area.

History

Etymology

Hunterdon County was named for Robert Hunter, a colonial governor of New Jersey. As language changes over time and location, so by the stemming of and a →

lenition In linguistics, lenition is a sound change that alters consonants, making them "weaker" in some way. The word ''lenition'' itself means "softening" or "weakening" (from Latin 'weak'). Lenition can happen both synchronically (within a language ...

of the name of his family seat of "Hunterston" in

Ayrshire Ayrshire (, ) is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration county, in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. The lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Ayrshire and Arran covers the entirety ...

, Scotland, the name "Hunterdon" was derived.

Paleo Indians and Native Americans

Paleo Indians moved into Hunterdon County between 12,000 BCE and 11,000 BCE. The area was warming due to climate change. The Wisconsin Glacier in Warren and Sussex County was retreating northward. The area was that of Taiga/Boreal forests. Paleo Indians traveled in small groups in search of game and edible plants. They used spears made of bone, jasper or black chert. Their camp sites are difficult to find as they are many feet below the present surface. Native Americans moved into the area but the time they arrived is unknown. Most have come from the Mississippi River area. Many tribes of the Delaware Nation lived in Hunterdon County especially along the Delaware River and in the Flemington area. These tribes were agricultural in nature, growing corn, beans and squash. Those that lived along the South Branch of the Raritan River fished and farmed. There was a Native American trail that went along the South Branch of the Raritan River (Philhower 1924).

European settlement

Land purchases from Native Americans occurred from 1688 to 1758. Large land purchases from Native Americans occurred in 1703, 1709 and 1710. Over were bought with metal knives and pots, clothing, blankets, barrels of rum or hard cider, guns, powder and shot allowing for European settlers to enter into Hunterdon County in the early 18th century. After 1760, nearly all Native Americans left New Jersey and relocated to eastern Canada or the Mississippi River area. The first European settlers were Col. John Reading who settled in Reading Township in 1704 they called him Sir Reading of Readington and John Holcombe who settled in Lambertville in 1705.Fun Facts
, Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Accessed October 5, 2013. Hunterdon County was separated from Burlington County on March 11, 1714. At that time Hunterdon County was large, going from Assunpink Creek near Trenton to the New York State line which at that time was about north of Port Jervis, New York. On March 15, 1739, Morris County (which at the time included what would later become Sussex County and Warren County) was separated from Hunterdon County. The boundary between Hunterdon and

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

counties is evidence of the old Keith Line which separated the provinces of

West Jersey West Jersey and East Jersey were two distinct parts of the Province of New Jersey. The political division existed for 28 years, between 1674 and 1702. Determination of an exact location for a border between West Jersey and East Jersey was often ...

and

East Jersey The Province of East Jersey, along with the Province of West Jersey, between 1674 and 1702 in accordance with the Quintipartite Deed, were two distinct political divisions of the Province of New Jersey, which became the U.S. state of New Jersey. ...

. Hunterdon County was reduced in area on February 22, 1838, with the formation of Mercer County from portions of Burlington County, Hunterdon County and Middlesex County. In February 1839, the remaining portion of Hopewell Township was annexed to Mercer County. On March 13, 1844, Hopewell Township returned to Hunterdon County while Tewksbury Township was annexed by Somerset County but in February 1845 both of these changes were repealed. Since then, the county boundaries have remained the same. Hunterdon County was being affected by industrialization in the state and nation, mining speculation in northwest New Jersey, and competitors constructing

railroads Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of land transport, next to road ...

. The Elizabethtown and Somerville Railroad leased a section to

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

just south of Tewksbury Township in 1848.

20th Century to Present

In 1935, Hunterdon County and its county seat, Flemington, became the center of worldwide attention as the site of the infamous

Lindbergh kidnapping On March 1, 1932, Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr. (born June 22, 1930), the 20-month-old son of Col. Charles Lindbergh and his wife, aviator and author Anne Morrow Lindbergh, was murdered after being abducted from his crib in the upper floor of t ...

trial, in which Bruno Hauptmann was convicted and sentenced to death of the kidnapping and murder of aviator

Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, and author. On May 20–21, 1927, he made the first nonstop flight from New York (state), New York to Paris, a distance of . His aircra ...

's son, Charles Lindbergh Jr. The trial, which lasted five weeks, received sensational media coverage, saw thousands of spectators in attendance, including over 700 reporters and hundreds of communications technicians. This led to many observers calling it the " Trial of the Century" for its era. In the 1950s, The first sections of Interstate 78 opened up in the western portions of the county. By 1968, the interstate would be completed through the county, enabling commuters easy access to the metropolitan regions of Northern and Central Jersey via Interstate 287. With real estate values soaring along the 78 corridor, multiple companies began relocating into Hunterdon in search of a more tranquil corporate atmosphere, including

Merck & Co Merck & Co., Inc. is an American Multinational corporation, multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey. The company does business as Merck Sharp & Dohme or MSD outside the United States and Canada. It is one of the ...

ExxonMobil Exxon Mobil Corporation ( ) is an American multinational List of oil exploration and production companies, oil and gas corporation headquartered in Spring, Texas, a suburb of Houston. Founded as the Successors of Standard Oil, largest direct s ...

, New York Life, Chubb, and others. With growing towns and shopping areas, as well as relaxing rural areas, Hunterdon County is a far stretch from the urban areas stereotypically associated with New Jersey. Due to the presence of natural habitats with many homes in wooded settings, Hunterdon County was recently found to have the third highest case rate of Lyme disease out of all counties in the United States.

Geography and geology

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of the 2020 Census, the county had a total area of , of which was land (97.8%) and was water (2.2%).2020 Census Gazetteer File for Counties in New Jersey

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 ...

. Accessed April 1, 2023. Much of the county is hilly, with several hills rising to in elevation. The highest points are two areas in Lebanon Township, one on the Morris County line, both reaching approximately above sea level. The first is at Smith on the Morris County line and the second is north of the area called Little Brook. This area is known as the Highlands of New Jersey. The lowest elevation is where the Mercer County line reaches the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

, approximately 50 feet (15 m) above sea level. The county is drained by the Musconetcong River in the north. The river flows in a southwest direction. The Lamington River drains the county in the east. The central portion of the county is drained by the South Branch of the Raritan River. The

drains the western side of the county.

Geology

Around 500 million years ago, a chain of volcanic islands shaped like an arch collided with proto North America and rode over the top of the North American plate. The rock from the islands created the highlands of Hunterdon County as there was a shallow sea where Hunterdon County is now located. Then around four hundred million years ago, a small continent that was long and thin, collided with proto North America. This collision created compression, which caused heat. The Paleozoic sediment of shale and sandstone folded and faulted. The heat allowed the igneous rock to bend, thus Hunterdon County was born. The African plate which later collided with North America created more folding and faulting, especially in the southern Appalachians. Then the African and North America plates tore and drifted away from each other. The Wisconsin glacier that entered into New Jersey around 21,000 BCE and then melted around 13,000 BCE did not reach Hunterdon County. However, there are glacial outwash deposits from streams and rivers that flowed from the glacier southward depositing rock and sediment. Hunterdon County has two geophysical provinces. The first is the Highlands which is the western section of the county. The other is the Piedmont which is the eastern and southern section of the county. The Highlands account for one-third of the area and Piedmont accounts for two-thirds of the county. The Highlands are part of the Reading Prong. Limestone and shale over igneous rock comprise the Highlands. Piedmont includes the Hunterdon Plateau and the Raritan Valley Lowlands which are above sea level. Piedmont is made up of shale and sandstone.

Climate

Hunterdon has a

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 cold ...

which is hot-summer (''Dfa'') except in some higher northern areas where it is warm-summer (''Dfb''). The

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

is mainly 6b except for some 6a in higher northern areas and 7a along the Delaware River in West Amwell Township. Average monthly temperatures in Clinton range from 29.0 °F in January to 74.0 °F in July, while in Flemington they range from 30.0 °F in January to 74.8 °F in July and in Lambertville they range from 31.1 °F in January to 75.7 °F in July

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Flemington have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1984 and a record high of was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in July. Canal in Lambertville

Demographics

2020 census

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 128,349 people, 47,169 households, and 34,339 families in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was 300 per square mile (120/km²). There were 49,487 housing units at an average density of 115.7 per square mile (44.7/km²). The racial makeup was 91.36% (117,264)

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 ...

, 2.69% (3,451) Black or African American, 0.13% (167) Native American, 3.26% (4,181) Asian, 0.03% (37)

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 ...

, 1.22% (1,570) from other races, and 1.31% (1,679) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.24% (6,722) of the population. Of the 47,169 households, 33.4% had children under the age of 18; 62.8% were married couples living together; 7% had a female householder with no husband present and 27.2% were non-families. Of all households, 22% were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.1. 23.5% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 22.2% from 25 to 44, 34.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.5 years. For every 100 females, the population had 99.8 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 98.1 males.

Economy

The

calculated that the county's

gross domestic product Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the total market value of all the final goods and services produced and rendered in a specific time period by a country or countries. GDP is often used to measure the economic performanc ...

was $7.1 billion in 2021, which was ranked 16th in the state and was a 5.3% increase from the prior year. Hunterdon County ranked as the 19th among the

highest-income counties in the United States There are 3,144 County (United States), counties and county-equivalents in the United States. The source of the data is the U.S. Census Bureau and the data is current as of the indicated year. Independent city (United States), Independent cities ...

with a 2010 per capita income of $67,053. It ranks fourth among U.S. counties for household income according to the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Hunterdon County's median household income was $105,186, behind only

Loudoun County Loudoun County () is in the northern part of the Virginia, Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. In 2020, the census returned a population of 420,959, making it Virginia's third-most populous county. The county seat is Leesburg, Virgi ...

and Fairfax County in Virginia, and

Howard County, Maryland Howard County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population is 334,529. Since there are no incorporated municipalities, there is no incorporated coun ...

Transportation

Roads and highways

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

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

and by the

Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC) is a bistate, public agency that maintains and operates river crossings connecting the U.S. states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The agency's jurisdiction stretches roughly along the D ...

. Many important roads pass through the county. They include state routes, such as Route 12, Route 29, Route 31, Route 173 and Route 179. Two U.S. Routes pass through the county, which are U.S. Route 22 and

U.S. Route 202 U.S. Route 202 (US 202) is a spur route of U.S. Route 2, US 2. It follows a northeasterly and southwesterly direction stretching from Delaware in the south to Maine in the north and traveling through the states of Pennsylvania, N ...

. The only limited access road that passes through is Interstate 78.

Public transportation

Limited rail service to the northern part of the county from Newark Penn Station/ Pennsylvania Station is provided to High Bridge, Annandale,

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

and Whitehouse Station by NJ Transit's Raritan Valley Line. The

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...

's Lehigh Line (formerly the mainline of the

Lehigh Valley Railroad The Lehigh Valley Railroad was a railroad in the Northeastern United States built predominantly to haul anthracite, anthracite coal from the Coal Region in Northeastern Pennsylvania to major consumer markets in Philadelphia, New York City, and ...

), runs through Hunterdon County. In addition, The Hunterdon County LINK operates demand-response service across the county, as well as fixed-route service in Flemington. Trans-Bridge Lines also provides 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 ab ...

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 ...

, as well as several towns/cities west in Pennsylvania. Stops include Clinton, Flemington, Lambertville, and Frenchtown.

Government

County government

Hunterdon County is governed by a Board of County Commissioners composed of five members who serve three-year terms of office

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 tha ...

on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats up for election each year on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. At an annual reorganization meeting held each January, the Commissioners select one member to serve as the board's director and another to serve as deputy director. The Commissioner Board is the center of legislative and administrative responsibility and, as such, performs a dual role. As legislators, they draw up and adopt a budget, and in the role of administrators they are responsible for spending the funds they have appropriated.Elected and Appointed Officials
Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Accessed March 1, 2023. , Hunterdon County's Commissioners are (with terms for director and deputy director ending every December 31): Pursuant to Article VII Section II of the New Jersey State Constitution, each county in New Jersey is required to have three elected administrative officials known as "constitutional officers." These officers are the

County Clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts record keeping as well as general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keepin ...

and County Surrogate (both elected for five-year terms of office) and the County Sheriff (elected for a three-year term). Constitutional officers elected on a countywide basis are: The Hunterdon County Prosecutor is Renée M. Robeson, who was nominated by Governor of New Jersey

Phil Murphy Philip Dunton Murphy (born August 16, 1957) is an American politician, diplomat, and financier serving as the 56th governor of New Jersey since 2018. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was elected governor i ...

in 2021. Hunterdon County is a part of Vicinage 13 of the

New Jersey Superior Court The Superior Court is the state court in the U.S. state of New Jersey, with statewide trial and appellate jurisdiction. The New Jersey Constitution of 1947 establishes the power of the New Jersey courts: under Article Six of the State Consti ...

(along with Somerset County and Warren County), which is seated at the Somerset County Courthouse in Somerville, the county seat of Somerset County; the Assignment Judge for Vicinage 15 is Yolanda Ciccone. The Hunterdon County Courthouse is in Flemington. In June 2022, the commissioners appointed Jeff Kuhl to fill the seat expiring in December 2024 that had been held by Mike Holt until he resigned from office. Kuhl will serve on an interim basis until the November 2022 general election, when voters will choose a candidate to serve the balance of the term of office. Democrats have not won a countywide office in Hunterdon County since 1982.

Federal representatives

Hunterdon County falls entirely within the 7th congressional district.

State representatives

The 26 municipalities of Hunterdon County are represented by three Legislative Districts.

Law enforcement

The Hunterdon County Sheriff's Office includes about 43 sworn officers. The current sheriff is Frederick Brown, who was reelected to a second three-year term in 2013. He was preceded by Republican Deborah Trout who served one term starting in November 2007. On December 22, 2008, state investigators seized computers and other records related to Sheriff Deborah Trout's hiring of undersheriffs and other personnel without the usual background checks and qualifications. In 2010, a grand jury indicted then-sheriff Deborah Trout and two under-sheriffs on 43 counts of official misconduct and other charges. The indictment was later suppressed when new state officials were appointed by incoming Governor

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) ...

. The propriety of the investigation, the indictment and its aftermath are the subject of a number of legal actions.

Politics

Hunterdon County is considered a Republican stronghold and has traditionally elected some of the most conservative members of the New Jersey legislature. All five County Commissioners are Republicans, as are all countywide elected officers and the majority of township committee and borough council members. The county has only gone Democratic in a presidential election twice since

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen in Finland, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its ow ...

, in the national Democratic landslides of

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...

and

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

. However, in

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, the margin of victory for Republican presidential candidates decreased from 17.8 percent in

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

to 13.7 percent, despite the Democrats' national popular vote margin shrinking from 3.9 points to 2.1 points. In

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

came closer than any Democratic nominee to carrying the county since

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

’s win in 1964, losing by 4.4 percent to

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

. As of October 1, 2021, there were a total of 107,101 registered voters in Hunterdon County, of whom 29,256 (27.3%) were registered as Democrats, 41,836 (39.1%) were registered as Republicans and 35,077 (32.8%) were registered as unaffiliated. There were 932 voters (0.9%) registered to other parties.

Municipalities

The following 26 municipalities are located in Hunterdon County (with 2010 Census data for population, housing units and area):

Notable people

Public Service

* John T. Bird (1829-1911), U.S. House of Representatives (1869-1873). *

James Buchanan James Buchanan Jr. ( ; April 23, 1791June 1, 1868) was the 15th president of the United States, serving from 1857 to 1861. He also served as the United States Secretary of State, secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and represented Pennsylvan ...

(1839-1900), U.S. House of Representatives (1885-1893). * Bradley M. Campbell (born 1961), commissioner,

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) is a government agency in the U.S. state of New Jersey that is responsible for managing the state's natural resources and addressing issues related to pollution. NJDEP now has a staf ...

(2002-2006) * Alvah A. Clark (1840-1912), U.S. House of Representatives (1877-1881). * Johnston Cornish (1858-1920), U.S. House of Representatives (1893-1895). * Thomas W. Greelish (1939-1991), United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey (1985-1987). * George Holcombe (1786–1828), member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from New Jersey's at-large congressional district * William Kirkpatrick (1769–1832), United States Congressman * Leonard Lance (born 1952), United States Congressman * Andrew Maguire (born 1939), U.S. House of Representatives (1975-1981). * Tom Malinowski (born 1965), U.S. House of Representatives (2019–2023). * David S. Manners (1808-1884), 9th Mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey (1852-1857). *

Mallory McMorrow Mallory Ann McMorrow (born August 23, 1986) is an American politician who has served in the Michigan Senate since January 2019. She became senate majority whip on January 1, 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she represents the 8th distr ...

(born 1986), Member of the

Michigan Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ado ...

(2019-Present). *

Daniel Morgan Daniel Morgan (c. 1736 – July 6, 1802) was an American pioneer, soldier, and politician from Virginia. One of the most respected battlefield tacticians of the American Revolutionary War of 1775–1783, he later commanded troops during the sup ...

(1736-1802), Revolutionary War general, U.S. House of Representatives (1797-1799). * James Parker (1776-1868), U.S. House of Representatives (1833-1837), Mayor of Perth Amboy, New Jersey (1815-1816, 1850-1851). * James N. Pidcock (1836-1899), New Jersey General Assembly, U.S. House of Representatives (1885-1889). * Horace Griggs Prall (1881-1951), Member of the New Jersey Senate, Acting Governor of New Jersey. * Collin McKinney, Texas independence leader * Donna Simon (born 1960), New Jersey General Assembly (2012-2016). * Bennet Van Syckel (1830-1921), Associate Justice of the

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

(1869-1904). *

Christine Todd Whitman Christine Temple Whitman (; born September 26, 1946) is an American politician and author who served as the 50th governor of New Jersey from 1994 to 2001 and as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under President George W. Bush ...

(born 1946), 50th Governor of New Jersey

Businesspeople

* Robert Greifeld (born 1957), former CEO and chairman of

Nasdaq, Inc. Nasdaq, Inc. is an American multinational financial services corporation that owns and operates three stock exchanges in the United States: the namesake Nasdaq stock exchange (on which it is also listed), the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, and ...

* Gary Vaynerchuk (born 1975), entrepreneur and internet personality

Actors

* John Amos (1939-2024) * Emma Bell (born 1986) * Anne Elstner (1899–1981) *

James Gandolfini James John Gandolfini (; September 18, 1961June 19, 2013) was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Tony Soprano, the Italian-American American Mafia, Mafia crime boss in HBO's television series ''The Sopranos'' (1999–2007 ...

(1961-2013) * Taissa Farmiga (born 1994) * Vera Farmiga (born 1973) * Alison Haislip (born 1981) * Charlie Murphy (1959-2017) *

Peter Ostrum Peter Gardner Ostrum ( ; born November 1, 1957) is an American retired veterinarian and former child actor, whose only film role was as Charlie Bucket in the 1971 motion picture ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory''. Ostrum was 12 years old ...

(born 1957) * Joe Piscopo (born 1951) * Alex Shaffer (born 1993) *

Dorothy Stickney Dorothy Stickney (June 21, 1896 – June 2, 1998) was an American film, stage, and television actress, best known for appearing in the long-running Broadway hit '' Life with Father''. Early years Stickney was born in Dickinson, North Dakota, b ...

(1896-1998) * Jessica Vosk (born 1983)

Musicians

* Aruna (born 1975), electronic music vocalist * Scott Bradlee (born 1981), creator of Postmodern Jukebox *

Danny Federici Daniel Paul Federici (January 23, 1950 – April 17, 2008) was an American musician, best known as a founding member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, where he was its organist, accordionist and glockenspiel player. Federici appeared on ten ...

(1950–2008), organ and keyboard player for the

E Street Band The E Street Band is an American rock band that has been the primary backing band for rock musician Bruce Springsteen since 1972. In 2014, the E Street Band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For the bulk of Springsteen's recordin ...

* Kyp Malone (born 1973), multi-instrumentalist, member of the band

TV on the Radio TV on the Radio (TVOTR) is an American rock music, rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2001. The band consists of Tunde Adebimpe (vocals, loops), Dave Sitek (guitars, keyboards, loops), Kyp Malone (vocals, guitars, bass, loops), and ...

* Sharon Van Etten (born 1981), singer-songwriter *

Frederica Von Stade Frederica von Stade (born 1 June 1945) is a semi-retired American classical singer. Best known for her work in opera, she was also a recitalist and concert artist, and she recorded more than a hundred albums and videos. She is especially associa ...

(born 1945), opera singer * James Valenti (born 1977), operatic tenor * Gene Ween (born 1970), founding member of Ween * George David Weiss (1921-2010), songwriter and arranger

Athletics

* Brad Benson (born 1955), offensive lineman who played for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

* Jason Cabinda (born 1996),

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

for the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

* Jack Cust (born 1979), professional baseball designated hitter and outfielder * Garrett LeRose (born 1985), head coach, Washington and Lee Generals football team * Jayson Williams (born 1968), former NBA player

Education

School districts

School districts include:New Jersey School Directory for Hunterdon County

New Jersey Department of Education The New Jersey Department of Education (NJ DOE) administers state and federal aid programs affecting more than 1.4 million public and non-public elementary and secondary school children in the state of New Jersey. The department is headquartered ...

High schools

* Delaware Valley Regional High School, in Alexandria Township, serves the townships of Alexandria, Holland and Kingwood and the boroughs of Frenchtown and Milford. * Hunterdon Central Regional High School, located in Raritan Township, serves students from Delaware Township, East Amwell Township, Flemington Borough, Raritan Township and Readington Township. * North Hunterdon High School, located in Clinton Township, hosts the students of Bethlehem Township, Clinton Town, Clinton Township, Franklin Township, Lebanon Borough and Union Township. * Phillipsburg High School, located in Phillipsburg in neighboring Warren County, educates the students of Bloomsbury, though a proposal is currently on the table to send the borough's students to Delaware Valley Regional High school instead. * South Hunterdon Regional High School, located in West Amwell Township, serves students from Lambertville, Stockton and West Amwell Township. * Voorhees High School, in Lebanon Township, serves the students of Califon Borough, Glen Gardner Borough, Hampton Borough, High Bridge Borough, Lebanon Township, Tewksbury Township.

Higher education

* Raritan Valley Community College is the two-year community college for both Hunterdon and Somerset County, one of a network of 19 county colleges statewide. Founded in 1965, the school's main campus is located in North Branch, in Somerset County. *

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 ...

has a partnership with Raritan Valley Community College which offers bachelor's degree completion programs at the North Branch campus.

Points of interest

Hunterdon County is considered the premier place to hunt

white tailed deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known Common name, commonly as the whitetail and the Virginia deer, is a medium-sized species of deer native to North America, North, Central America, Central and South America. It is the ...

in New Jersey. More deer are harvested each year than any other county according to New Jersey Fish and Game records. The premier fishing streams are the Musconetcong in the north and the Lamington River. The NJ Fish and Game stocks thousands of rainbow, brown, and brook trout in these streams as well as other streams such as the South Branch of the Raritan River. Round Valley Reservoir and Spruce Run Reservoir are manmade reservoirs that provide boating and fishing opportunities for patrons. Covering and the state's largest reservoir with of water, Round Valley is one of New Jersey's trophy trout lakes, and holds the state records for smallmouth bass, brown trout, lake trout, and American eel. Spruce Run, the state's third-largest reservoir, held the state record for Northern Pike for nearly 30 years, and offers a large variety of species for anglers to pursue. New Jersey Fish and Game has nine Wildlife Management Areas for hunting ducks, deer, pheasants, quail, rabbits, squirrels and bears. The Hunterdon County Department of Parks and Recreation manages these parks. * Point Mountain Section * Mountain Farm/Teetertown Preserve * Tower Hill Park * Charlestown Reserve * Union Furnace Nature Preserve * Columbia Trail Section * Cold Brook Reserve * Musconetcong Gorge Section * Schick Reserve * Hoffman Park * South Branch Reservation * Landsdown Trail Section * Cushetunk Mountain Nature Preserve *

Arboretum An arboretum (: arboreta) is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees and shrubs of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, many modern arbor ...

* Deer Path Park and Round Mountain Section * Uplands Reserve * Clover Hill Park * Heron Glen Golf Course * Wescott Nature Preserve * South County Park * Future Park * Laport Reserve * Sourland Mountain Nature Preserve * Jugtown Mountain Nature Preserve * Finn Road Park * Beneduce Vineyards * Hunterdon County Arboretum * Hunterdon Art Museum * Hunterdon County Courthouse * Hunterdon Medical Center * Mount Salem Vineyards * Old York Cellars * The Red Mill (in

Clinton, New Jersey Clinton is a town in Hunterdon County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located on the South Branch of the Raritan River in the Raritan Valley region. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 2,773, an increase ...

)The Red Mill in Operation: 1810 - 1928
, Red Mill Museum Village. Accessed October 27, 2017. * Solitude Dam/TISCO Headquarters 1742 in High Bridge, New Jersey * The Solitude House Museum in High Bridge, New Jersey * The Taylor Steelworkers Historic Greenway in High Bridge, New Jersey * Unionville Vineyards

References

External links

Hunterdon County Official Website

Map of Hunterdon County

Hunterdon Land Trust Alliance

HunterdonCountry.com

River Ballet Company

Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce Website

NY-NJTC: Teetertown Ravine Nature Preserve Trail Details and Info

Hunterdon County Library

Hunterdon County Alive - Community Website

Hunterdon Happening Magazine
{{authority control 1714 establishments in New Jersey Counties in the New York metropolitan area Populated places established in 1714