Hunterdon County, New Jersey
Hunterdon County is a county located in the western section of the U.S. state of New Jersey. At the 2020 census, the county was the state's 4th-least populous county, with a population of 128,947, an increase of 598 from the 2010 census count of 128,349. Its county seat is Flemington. The county is part of the Central Jersey 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 ranked the county as having the 19th-highest per capita income of all 3,113 counties in the United States 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. 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 and part of the larger New York-Newark Combined Statistical Area.
Hunterdon County was established on March 11, 1714, separating from Burlington County, at which time, aside from itself, it included all of present-day Morris, Sussex, and Warren counties. 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 of the name of his family seat of "Hunterston" in Ayrshire, 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.
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.
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 was separated from Hunterdon County. The boundary between Hunterdon and Somerset counties is evidence of the old Keith Line which separated the provinces of West Jersey and East 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. The Elizabethtown and Somerville Railroad leased a section to White House 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 trial, in which Bruno Hauptmann was convicted and sentenced to death of the kidnapping and murder of aviator Charles Lindbergh'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, ExxonMobil, 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 and was water.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, approximately 50 feet 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 Delaware River 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 which is hot-summer except in some higher northern areas where it is warm-summer. The hardiness zone 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.
File:Canal in Lambertville.JPG|thumb|The Delaware and Raritan Canal in Lambertville
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 128,947. The median age was 46.8 years. 19.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.9 males age 18 and over.The racial makeup of the county was 82.8% White, 2.5% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 4.4% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.2% from some other race, and 6.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 8.5% of the population.
41.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 58.3% lived in rural areas.
There were 48,978 households in the county, of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 60.0% were married-couple households, 14.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 20.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 51,687 housing units, of which 5.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 82.4% were owner-occupied and 17.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.2%.