READINGTON TOWNSHIP, NEW JERSEY

'Readington Township' is a Township located in the easternmost portion of Hunterdon County, New Jersey. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 15,803. Nationwide, Readington Township ranks 87th among the Highest-income places in the United States with a population of at least 10,000.
White House Station is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Readington Township.
Created by Royal Charter of King George II, "Reading" Township was formed July 15, 1730 from portions of Amwell Township. It was the first new township created after Hunterdon became a county. The Township was incorporated as Readingtown Township, one of New jersey's initial group of 104 townships, on February 21, 1798. Portions of the township were annexed by Tewksbury Township in 1832 and 1861.^[1]
Containing almost forty-eight square miles, it remains the largest township in the County. Readington Township is bounded on the north by the Lamington River and Rockaway Creek; to the east by Somerset County; to the south, the South Branch of the Raritan River; and to the west by the old West Jersey Society's line which crosses the Cushetunk Mountains.

Contents

Geography

Demographics

Government

Local government

Federal, state and county representation

Education

Business

Transportation

Community

FBI Shootout

Notable residents

References

External links

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 123.9 km² (47.8 mi²). 123.5 km² (47.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.25%) is water.
Readington Township borders Raritan Township, Clinton Township, and Tewksbury Township. Readington Township also borders Somerset County.
Cushetunk Mountain is a ring-shaped mountain located in Readington Township and Clinton Township. Once an active volcano, the diabase mountain was formed a hundred and sixty million years ago.^[2] The Lenape called the mountain "Cushetunk" meaning "place of hogs" after the wild hogs found there.^[3] In the 1960's, the valley was filled with water to create Round Valley Reservoir.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 15,803 people, 5,676 households, and 4,410 families residing in the township. The population density was 127.9/km² (331.4/mi²). There were 5,794 housing units at an average density of 46.9/km² (121.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 95.14% White, 0.76% African American, 0.06% Native American, 2.56% Asian, 0.53% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.05% of the population.
There were 5,676 households out of which 37.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.3% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.3% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the township the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $95,356, and the median income for a family was $106,343. Males had a median income of $66,778 versus $48,385 for females. The per capita income for the township was $41,000. About 0.7% of families and 1.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.4% of those under age 18 and 1.8% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

Readington Township uses the Township form of government which is one of the oldest forms of government in New Jersey. The original Township Act of 1798 incorporated 104 townships. The Township Act of 1899 established governance by a township committee with all municipal powers. This act, with a handful of amendments, served until it was repealed by the Township Act of 1989, which cleared up many ambiguities of the previous law.
Under the current township government laws, the township committee remains the backbone of the municipality's government. Voters elect, at-large, the township committee comprising of five members. The elections are partisan and the committee members serve staggered three-year terms. The Township Committee elects the mayor and deputy mayor each January from its members for a one-year term. The Mayor serves as chair of the Township Committee and has the powers vested in the mayor's office by general law.^[4]
Members of the Readington Township Committee are Mayor Gerard J. Shamey (term as Mayor ends December 31, 2007), Deputy Mayor Thomas Auriemma (2007), Julia C. Allen (2008), Frank L. Gatti (2007) and Beatrice Muir (2007).^[5]

Federal, state and county representation

Readington Township is in the Seventh Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 23rd Legislative District.^[6]

Education

The Readington Township Public Schools serve students in grades kindergarten through grade eight. Schools in the district are Whitehouse School (K-3), Three Bridges School (K-3), Holland Brook School (4-5) and Readington Middle School (6-8).
Students in public school for grades 9 - 12 attend the Hunterdon Central Regional High School, which serves over 3,000 students in central Hunterdon County. Students from Delaware Township, East Amwell Township, Flemington Borough, Raritan Township and Readington Township attend the high school.

Business

Readington Township is home to the global headquarters of Merck & Co., one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the country. It is also home to the personal and commercial lines of insurance of Chubb Corporation, and the Quick Chek Corporation, which operates over 100 convenience stores throughout New Jersey and New York.
Readington's business climate benefits from its proximity to major highways, Princeton, Bridgewater Township and other centers of business in central New Jersey.

Transportation

Interstate 78, U.S. Route 202, Route 22 and Route 31 all pass through the township. The township is also served by the New Jersey Transit in White House, offering service on the Raritan Valley Line to Newark Penn Station and Hoboken Terminal, with connecting service to Penn Station New York in Midtown Manhattan.

Community

The Quick Chek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2007.^[7] The event held at Solberg-Hunterdon Airport is the largest summertime hot air balloon festival in North America.^[8]

FBI Shootout

On April 5, 2007, a shootout near a PNC Bank branch on U.S. Route 22 in Readington resulted in the death of an FBI agent. FBI Agent Barry Lee Bush, assigned to the Newark FBI Office, was investigating a string of bank robberies in Central New Jersey, was airlifted to a New Brunswick hospital where he was pronounced dead. All three suspects were caught.^[9]

Notable residents

★ Jack Cust, a professional baseball player with the Oakland Athletics, currently resides in Readington Township.

★ Jonathan Jennings, born in 1784 in Readington Township, was the first Governor of Indiana, serving from 1816 to 1822.

References

1. "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 157
2. Round Valley
3. Cushetunk Mountain
4. Local Form of Government, Readington Township. Accessed March 31, 2006.
5. Readington Township Committee, Readington Township. Accessed March 18, 2007.
6. 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters,p. 63, accessed August 30, 2006.
7. Seidel, Bobbi. "Up, up and away", ''Asbury Park Press'', June 13, 2007. Accessed June 15, 2007. "The Quick Chek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning, in association with PNC Bank, is offering the free balloon ride and a bottle of champagne as part of the festival's celebration of its 25th birthday."
8. "Quick Chek Festival of Ballooning celebrates 25th year with three days of family entertainment", ''Independent Press'', May 23, 2007. Accessed June 15, 2007. "Today, the Quick Chek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning in association with PNC Bank is the largest summertime hot air balloon and music festival in North America, attracting upwards of 175,000 people over the three-day weekend."
9. FBI Agent Killed In New Jersey Shootout: Agent May Have Been Shot Accidentally By Colleague During Bank Robbery Stakeout, ''CBS News'', April 5, 2007.

External links

★ Readington Township website

★ Readington Township Public Schools

★

★ National Center for Education Statistics data for the Readington Township Public Schools

★ Hunterdon Central Regional High School District

★

★ National Center for Education Statistics data for the Hunterdon Central Regional High School

★ Hunterdon Land Trust Alliance