Independence Township, New Jersey
Encyclopedia
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 5,603 people, 2,146 households, and 1,489 families residing in the township. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 282.4 people per square mile (109.0/km²). There were 2,210 housing units at an average density of 111.4 per square mile (43.0/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 94.98% White, 1.16% African American, 0.05% Native American, 1.73% Asian, 0.79% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.77% of the population.
There were 2,146 households out of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the township the population was spread out with 26.8% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 34.9% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 8.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $67,247, and the median income for a family was $79,819. Males had a median income of $59,688 versus $37,643 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the township was $30,555. About 1.2% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.0% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.
Local government
Independence Township is governed under the TownshipTownship (New Jersey)
A township, in the context of New Jersey local government, refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government. As a political entity, a township is a full-fledged municipality, on par with any town, city, borough, or village, collecting property taxes and providing...
form of government with a five-member Township Committee. The Township Committee is elected directly by the voters in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with one or two seats coming up for election each year. At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor.
The Independence Township Committee consists of Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
Robert Giordano (R
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, term ends December 31, 2012), Deputy Mayor
Deputy Mayor
Deputy mayor is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official in many local governments. Many elected deputy mayors are members of the city council who are given the title and serve as acting mayor in the mayor's absence...
John Cummins (R, 2011), Bonnie Kelsey (R, 2013), Richard A. Wall (R, 2012) and Glenn Williams (R, 2013).
Federal, state and county representation
Independence Township is in the 5th Congressional district.Independence Township is in the
History
The Township of Independence was established by an act of the New Jersey LegislatureNew Jersey Legislature
The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the Senate...
in 1782. This occurred through the division of Hardwick Township
Hardwick Township, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,464 people, 502 households, and 410 families residing in the township. The population density was 40.1 people per square mile . There were 530 housing units at an average density of 14.5 per square mile...
which at that time made it a section of Sussex County
Sussex County, New Jersey
The County of Sussex is the northernmost county in the State of New Jersey. It is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 Federal decennial census, 149,265 persons resided in Sussex County...
. Next through another act of the State Legislature in 1825, it was one of the seven large southerly townships, formerly in Sussex County, which together comprised the area that became Warren County. As the seven townships gradually were subdivided, Independence was reduced to half its original size through the loss of Hackettstown
Hackettstown, New Jersey
Hackettstown is a town in Warren County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 9,724. The town is located in the eastern most region of the Lehigh Valley....
in 1853 and Allamuchy Township
Allamuchy Township, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 3,877 people, 1,692 households, and 1,133 families residing in the township. The population density was 188.8 people per square mile . There were 1,774 housing units at an average density of 86.4 per square mile...
in 1873. The population thereby decreased to around one thousand, having the boundaries that it has today. It is roughly eight miles long from the northwest to the southeast corners, about six miles (10 km) across its widest point and covers an area of 20.4 square miles (52.8 km²).
Through the Township the major brooks and the Great Meadows drain into the Pequest River
Pequest River
The Pequest River is a tributary of the Delaware River in the Skylands Region in northwestern New Jersey in the United States.The Pequest, Native American for "open land", drains an area of across Sussex and Warren counties, consisting of ten municipalities....
which winds slowly from northeast to southwest to flow on through the County and eventually into the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
at Belvidere. Part of the eastern land drains under the Morris Canal
Morris Canal
The Morris Canal was an anthracite-carrying canal that incorporated a series of water-driven inclined planes in its course across northern New Jersey in the United States. It was in use for about a century — from the late 1820s to the 1920s....
bed and south into the Musconetcong River
Musconetcong River
The Musconetcong River is a tributary of the Delaware River in northwestern New Jersey in the United States. It flows through the rural mountainous country of northwestern New Jersey. Part of it is a National Wild and Scenic River....
just below the boundary with Mansfield Township
Mansfield Township, Warren County, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 6,653 people, 2,334 households, and 1,750 families residing in the township. The population density was 222.3 people per square mile . There were 2,415 housing units at an average density of 80.7 per square mile...
. The hillsides are steep, layered with rock and limestone while the valleys still hold soil deposited here from the receding glaciers. Mastodon bones and a few relics of the early Indian dwellers still occasionally can be found as well as coveys of game birds, some while tail deer, and small game.
This area at first was settled and cleared as farmland for growing hay and grain or as pastureland. Here timber was cut for lumber, grain was milled into flour, and some iron ore was mined from the Jenny Jump Mountain area during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. The mining of iron ore which attracted the early settlers, the later iron foundries, and many of the early industries have disappeared as has the Morris Canal and the railroads as the major means of shipping freight. After many attempts the Great Meadow was drained with the water channeled to permit successful development of commercial vegetable production. Shipping over the years has been by wagon, small trucks, rail freight, and then by large trailer trucks.
Education
Public school students in grades K through 8 attend the Great Meadows Regional School DistrictGreat Meadows Regional School District
The Great Meadows Regional School District is a regional public school district in Warren County, New Jersey. The district serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade from Independence and Liberty townships....
, together with students from Liberty Township
Liberty Township, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,765 people, 980 households, and 750 families residing in the township. The population density was 234.3 people per square mile . There were 1,088 housing units at an average density of 92.2 per square mile...
. Schools in the district (with 2008-09 school year enrollment from the National Center for Education Statistics
National Center for Education Statistics
The National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...
) are
Independence Central School (393 students in K-5),
Liberty School (240 students in K-5) and Great Meadows Middle School (326 students in 6-8).
Students attending public school for grades 9-12 attend Hackettstown High School
Hackettstown High School
Hackettstown High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Hackettstown in Warren County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Hackettstown School District...
which serves students from Hackettstown
Hackettstown, New Jersey
Hackettstown is a town in Warren County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 9,724. The town is located in the eastern most region of the Lehigh Valley....
, as well as students from the townships of Allamuchy
Allamuchy Township, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 3,877 people, 1,692 households, and 1,133 families residing in the township. The population density was 188.8 people per square mile . There were 1,774 housing units at an average density of 86.4 per square mile...
, Independence and Liberty
Liberty Township, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,765 people, 980 households, and 750 families residing in the township. The population density was 234.3 people per square mile . There were 1,088 housing units at an average density of 92.2 per square mile...
, as part of a sending/receiving relationship
Sending/receiving relationship
A sending/receiving relationship is one in which a public school district sends some or all of its students to attend the schools of another district. This is often done to achieve costs savings in smaller districts or continues after districts have grown as part of a historical relationship...
with the Hackettstown School District
Hackettstown School District
The Hackettstown School District is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in Hackettstown, in Warren County, New Jersey, United States...
.
Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Independence Township include:- Chuck HaytaianChuck HaytaianGarabed "Chuck" Haytaian is an American Republican Party politician, who was the Speaker of the New Jersey State Assembly during the 'tax revolt' of the James Florio – Christine Todd Whitman era. He is of Armenian descent....
, former speaker of the New Jersey General AssemblyNew Jersey General AssemblyThe New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.Since the election of 1967 , the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for a term of two years, each representing districts with average...
.
External links
- Independence Township website
- Warren County page for Independence Township
- Great Meadows Regional School District
- Data for the Great Meadows Regional School District, National Center for Education StatisticsNational Center for Education StatisticsThe National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...
- Hackettstown High School