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.
WWW Official Site

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 Mercer County, New Jersey|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.

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%.

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 128,349 people, 47,169 households, and 34,339 families in the county. The population density was 300 per square mile. There were 49,487 housing units at an average density of 115.7 per square mile. The racial makeup was 91.36% White, 2.69% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 3.26% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.22% from other races, and 1.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.24% 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 Bureau of Economic Analysis calculated that the county's gross domestic product 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 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 and Fairfax County in Virginia, and Howard County, Maryland.

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 and by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission.
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. 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/New York Penn Station is provided to High Bridge, Annandale, Lebanon and Whitehouse Station by NJ Transit's Raritan Valley Line.
The Norfolk Southern Railway's Lehigh Line, 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 in Midtown Manhattan, as well as several locations to the west in Pennsylvania, with Stops including 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 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., Hunterdon County's Commissioners are :
CommissionerParty, Residence, Term
Director Jeff KuhlR; Raritan Township, 2027
Deputy Director Susan SolowayR; Franklin Township, 2027
John E. LanzaR; Raritan Township, 2025
Zachary T. RichR; Amwell Township, New Jersey|West Amwell Township], 2025
Shaun C. Van DorenR; Tewksbury Township, 2026

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 and County Surrogate and the County Sheriff. Constitutional officers elected on a countywide basis are:
TitleRepresentative
County ClerkMary H. Melfi,
SheriffFredrick W. Brown
SurrogateHeidi Rohrbach.

The Hunterdon County Prosecutor is Renée M. Robeson, who was nominated by Governor of New Jersey Phil Murphy in 2021. Hunterdon County is a part of Vicinage 13 of the New Jersey Superior Court, 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.
DistrictSenatorAssemblyMunicipalities
15thShirley Turner (D)Verlina Reynolds-Jackson
Anthony Verrelli 		Delaware Township, East Amwell Township, Frenchtown, Kingwood Township, Lambertville, Stockton, and West Amwell Township. The remainder of this district covers portions of Mercer County.
16thAndrew Zwicker Mitchelle Drulis
Roy Freiman 		Clinton Town, Clinton Township, Flemington, High Bridge, Lebanon Borough, Raritan Township, and Readington Township. The remainder of this district covers portions of Mercer County, Middlesex County and Somerset County.
23rdDoug Steinhardt John DiMaio
Erik Peterson 		Alexandria Township, Bethlehem Township, Bloomsbury, Califon, Franklin Township, Glen Gardner, Hampton Borough, Holland Township, Lebanon Township, Milford Borough, Tewksbury, and Union Township. The remainder of this district covers portions of Somerset County and Warren County.

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. 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, in the national Democratic landslides of 1936 and 1964.
However, in 2016, the margin of victory for Republican presidential candidates decreased from 17.8 percent in 2012 to 13.7 percent, despite the Democrats' national popular vote margin shrinking from 3.9 points to 2.1 points. In 2020, Joe Biden came closer than any Democratic nominee to carrying the county since Lyndon B. Johnson’s win in 1964, losing by 4.4 percent to Donald Trump.
In 2024, despite winning New Jersey by only 6%, Democratic nominee Kamala Harris became the second Democratic nominee to win over 45% of the vote in the county since 1964. The county had the smallest swing to the right of any county in New Jersey from 2020 to 2024, swinging right by 2%, compared to the state swinging right by 10%. In the 2025 New Jersey gubernatorial election, Democrat Mikie Sherrill won 47.4% of the vote in the county and lost it by just 4.6%, the closest a Democrat has come to winning the county in a gubernatorial election since 1977.
As of October 1, 2021, there were a total of 107,101 registered voters in Hunterdon County, of whom 29,256 were registered as Democrats, 41,836 were registered as Republicans and 35,077 were registered as unaffiliated. There were 932 voters registered to other parties.

Municipalities

The following 26 municipalities are located in Hunterdon County :
Municipality
Municipal
type		PopulationHousing
Units		Total
Area		Water
Area		Land
Area		Pop.
Density		Housing
Density		School DistrictCommunities
Alexandria11township4,8091,86527.640.2227.42180.168.0Delaware Valley
Alexandria Township 		Everittstown
Little York
Mechlings Corner
Mount Pleasant
Mount Salem
Pittstown
Swinesburg
Bethlehem Township16township3,7451,38620.830.1220.71192.166.9North Hunterdon-Voorhees
Bethlehem Township 		Charlestown
Polktown
Swinesburg
West Portal
Bloomsbury15borough7923580.910.030.88991.9408.1Phillipsburg
Bloomsbury
Califon25borough1,0054190.970.020.951,133.3441.3North Hunterdon-Voorhees
Califon 		Lower Valley
Clinton Town18town2,7731,0981.420.081.342,032.6820.8North Hunterdon-Voorhees
Clinton-Glen Gardner
Clinton Township19township13,5054,73733.823.9529.88451.1158.6North Hunterdon-Voorhees
Clinton Township 		Annandale CDP
Cedar Heights
Cokesbury
Hamden
Mariannes Corner
Potterstown
Readingsburg
Sunnyside
Delaware Township4township4,5601,92737.020.3936.64124.552.6Hunterdon Central
Delaware Township 		Bowne
Brookville
Dilts Corner
Headquarters
Locktown
Prallsville
Raven Rock
Rosemont
Sand Brook
Sandy Ridge
Sergeantsville
East Amwell Township3township3,9171,58028.560.1028.46141.055.5Hunterdon Central
East Amwell Township 		Amwell
Boss Road
Bowne
Buttonwood Corners
Cloverhill
Furmans Corner
Larisons Corners
Linvale
Reaville
Rileyville
Ringoes CDP
Rocktown
Snydertown
Unionville
Vanlieu Corners
Wertsville
Flemington8borough4,8761,9261.080.001.084,252.21,787.8Hunterdon Central
Flemington-Raritan
Franklin Township10township3,2671,20423.000.2022.80140.152.8North Hunterdon-Voorhees
Franklin Township 		Allens Corner
Alvater Corner
Cherryville
Grandin
Kingtown
Lansdowne
Littletown
Oak Grove
Pittstown
Quakertown
Sidney
Sunnyside
Frenchtown12borough1,3706561.360.101.261,087.2519.4Delaware Valley
Frenchtown
Glen Gardner22borough1,6828251.520.001.521,117.8541.2North Hunterdon-Voorhees
Clinton-Glen Gardner 		Bells Crossing
Clarksville
Hampton23borough1,4386121.540.011.53915.1399.7North Hunterdon-Voorhees
Lebanon Township
Hampton 		Hampton Junction
High Bridge21borough3,5461,4812.430.042.391,526.9619.9North Hunterdon-Voorhees
High Bridge 		Pierce Heights
Holland Township14township5,1772,06624.020.5123.51225.087.9Delaware Valley
Holland Township 		Amsterdam
Hughesville
Little York
Mount Joy
Riegel Ridge
Spring Mills
Kingwood6township3,8021,56935.770.6235.16109.444.6Delaware Valley
Kingwood Township 		Baptistown
Barbertown
Byram
Idell
Milltown
Point Breeze
Tumble Falls
Lambertville1city4,1392,0791.300.141.153,386.11,798.8South Hunterdon
Lebanon Borough20borough1,6656640.890.000.891,532.0749.1North Hunterdon-Voorhees
Clinton Township
Lebanon Borough
Lebanon Township24township6,1952,43931.700.2431.46209.477.5North Hunterdon-Voorhees
Lebanon Township 		Anthony
Bunnvale
Hampton Junction
Hoffmans
Little Brook
Lower Valley
Lebanon, New Jersey|Mount Lebanon]
Hampton, New Jersey|New Hampton]
Newport
Penwell
Red Mill
Scrappy Corner
Spruce Run
Woodglen
Milford13borough1,2325521.230.081.151,073.4480.5Delaware Valley
Milford Borough
Raritan Township7township23,4478,28437.690.1637.53591.2220.9Hunterdon Central
Flemington-Raritan 		Bartles Corners
Cloverhill
Copper Hill
Croton
Flemington Junction
Gary Corner
Klinesville
Larisons Corners
Muirhead
Reaville
Rockefellows Mills
Thachers Hill
Voorhees Corner
Readington Township9township16,1286,19148.040.3047.74337.8129.7Hunterdon Central
Readington Township 		Barley Sheaf
Centerville
Cushetunk
Darts Mills
Dreahook
Holcomb Mills
McCrea Mills
Mechanicsville
Neshanic Station CDP
Pleasant Run
Potterstown
Readington Village
Riverside
Rowland's Mills
Stanton
Three Bridges CDP
Whitehouse
Whitehouse Station CDP
Stockton5borough4952590.610.080.541,005.6484.1South Hunterdon
Tewksbury26township5,8702,32331.700.1731.53190.173.7North Hunterdon-Voorhees
Tewksbury Township 		Bissell
Cokesbury
Fairmount
Farmersville
Laurel Farms
Lower Fairmount
Mountainville
Oldwick CDP
Pottersville CDP
Sutton
Vernoy
Union Township17township6,5071,83020.611.8718.74315.397.7North Hunterdon-Voorhees
Union Township 		Coles Mills
Grandin
Hensfoot
Jutland
Kingtown
Mechlings Corner
Mount Salem
Norton
Pattenburg
Perryville
Pittstown
Polktown
Van Syckel
West Amwell Township2township3,0051,15721.780.1921.58177.953.6South HunterdonAlexauken
Bowne
Linvale
Mount Airy
Rocktown
Hunterdon Countycounty128,94749,487437.449.62427.82300.0115.7--

Notable people

Public Service

Businesspeople

Actors

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Athletics

Education

School districts

School districts include:
;K-12:
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High schools

Higher education

Points of interest

Hunterdon County is considered the premier place to hunt white tailed deer 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.