Mine Hill Township, New Jersey


Mine Hill Township is a township in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a residential community located just west of the center of Morris County, and northwest of the county seat Morristown.
Mine Hill was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 2, 1923, from portions of Randolph, based on the results of a referendum held on May 8, 1923.
The township's name comes from the history of mines in the area. Mining in Mine Hill dates back to the early 18th century and the township had some of the richest sources of iron ore in the country. The family of Mahlon Dickerson, who was New Jersey's 7th Governor, owned the Dickerson Mine, which was the largest ore mine in the area, supplying much of the iron ore used during the American Revolutionary War. The last mine in the township closed in the late 1960s.
As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 4,015, an increase of 364 from the 2010 census count of 3,651, which in turn reflected a decline of 28 from the 3,679 counted in the 2000 census.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 3.00 square miles, including 2.94 square miles of land and 0.06 square miles of water. The township is at an elevation of 863 feet above sea level for the administrative center.
The township borders the Morris County municipalities of Dover, Randolph, Roxbury and Wharton.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 3,651 people, 1,329 households, and 977 families in the township. The population density was. There were 1,380 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup was 80.69% White, 4.60% Black or African American, 0.41% Native American, 4.96% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 5.78% from other races, and 3.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.01% of the population.
Of the 1,329 households, 31.8% had children under the age of 18; 57.7% were married couples living together; 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present and 26.5% were non-families. Of all households, 20.3% were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.16.
22.6% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 30.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.3 years. For every 100 females, the population had 97.0 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 96.3 males.
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that median household income was $91,667 and the median family income was $103,532. Males had a median income of $61,875 versus $42,201 for females. The per capita income for the township was $36,706. About 2.4% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

At the 2000 United States census, there were 3,679 people, 1,365 households and 1,041 families residing in the township. The population density was. There were 1,388 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the township was 90.41% White, 3.42% African American, 0.11% Native American, 2.50% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 1.79% from other races, and 1.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.67% of the population.
There were 1,365 households, of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.2% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.7% were non-families. 19.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.08.
24.5% of the population were under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 34.3% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.3 males.
The median household income was $64,643 and the median family income was $67,467. Males had a median income of $47,813 versus $37,250 for females. The per capita income for the township was $27,119. About 4.7% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.7% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

Mine Hill Township is governed within the Faulkner Act system of New Jersey municipal government, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under Mayor-Council, enacted as of January 1, 1980, based on the recommendations of a Charter Study Commission. The township is one of 71 municipalities statewide that use this form of government. The Mine Hill Township Council is comprised of five elected members, each chosen at-large by the voters of Mine Hill in partisan elections for a four-year term on a staggered basis as part of the November general election, with either two or three seats coming up for election in odd-numbered years, and the mayoral seat up at the same time that two council seats are up for vote. At the Council's organizational meeting each January, one member is elected to serve as Mayor for a twelve-month term and another is chosen to serve as Deputy Mayor.
, the Mayor of Mine Hill Township is Republican Sam Morris, whose term of office ends December 31, 2027. Members of the Mine Hill Township Council are Council President Gary Colucci, Bret Coranato, Dina Cuccarro, Adam Trematore, and Fred Willis.
Dover serves as the lead agency operating a joint municipal court that also serves the neighboring municipalities of Mine Hill Township, Mount Arlington, Victory Gardens and Wharton. Established in 2009, the joint municipal court was forecast to offer annual savings in excess of $250,000 over the 10-year life of the agreement.

Federal, state, and county representation

Mine Hill Township is located in the 7th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 25th state legislative district. Prior to the 2010 Census, Mine Hill Township had been part of the, a change made by the New Jersey Redistricting Commission that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections.

Politics

Education

The Mine Hill School District serves students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade at Canfield Avenue School. As of the 2023–24 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 371 students and 33.0 classroom teachers, for a student–teacher ratio of 11.2:1.
During the 1991–92 school year, Canfield Avenue School was recognized with the National Blue Ribbon School Award from the United States Department of Education, the highest honor that an American school can achieve.
For seventh through twelfth grades, public school students attend the schools of the Dover School District in Dover as part of a sending/receiving relationship. The district also serves students from Victory Gardens, which has been fully consolidated into the Dover School District since 2010. The high school was recognized with the National Blue Ribbon School Award in 2013. Schools in the Dover School District attended by Mine Hill students are
Dover Middle School with 511 students in grade 7–8 and
Dover High School with 983 students in grades 9–12.

Library services

The Mine Hill Township Library services are provided through the Morris County Library with Mobile library services provided at Town Hall. Residents may also use either the County College of Morris Library in Randolph or the Morris County Library in Morris Plains. Residents of Mine Hill cannot use any other local library in Morris County, because the township does not belong to the Morris County Library System.

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the township had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Morris County and by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
U.S. Route 46 is the main highway serving Mine Hill Township. Interstate 80 and New Jersey Route 10 are accessible in adjacent municipalities.

Public transportation

provides Midtown Direct service at the Dover train station on the Montclair-Boonton Line and the Morristown Line to Newark Broad Street station, Secaucus Junction, New York Penn Station and Hoboken Terminal.
NJ Transit offered local bus service on the MCM5 route, which was eliminated in 2010 when subsidies to the local provider were eliminated as part of budget cuts.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Mine Hill Township include: