About Union Township, NJ
Union Township is a fairly large NJ city with not a whole heck of a lot going on per se. Route 173 (aka “old Route 22”) runs parallel to Route 78 / Route 22 through the entire township. We’ll see what we can find in these parts!
Below is the “encyclopedia” entry:
Union Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey
Union Township is a township in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township’s population was 5,908, reflecting a decline of 252 (-4.1%) from the 6,160 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 1,082 (+21.3%) from the 5,078 counted in the 1990 Census. The southwest half of the township lies on what is known as the Hunterdon Plateau, the northwest corner consists of the Musconetcong Ridge and the northeast section is part of the lower-lying Newark Basin around Spruce Run Reservoir.
Union was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 17, 1853, from portions of Bethlehem Township. Clinton Town was formed on April 5, 1865, within portions of the township, and became an independent municipality in 1895. The township was named for Union Furnace, which was producing iron from 1742 until the 1780s. The name “Union” was chosen over the alternative “Rockhill”, which was a community at the southern end of the township.
Union Furnace and its forge produced cannonballs for the Revolutionary War and shoes for horses and oxen, as well as farm implements. Forests gave way to farm fields as trees were cut down to stoke the furnace. A farm community developed, together with basket making and tanning industries.
A local news-rag “ranked” Union Township as its 21st best place to live in its 2008 rankings of the “Best Places To Live” in New Jersey.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 20.609 square miles (53.378 km), including 18.737 square miles (48.528 km) of land and 1.872 square miles (4.850 km) of water (9.09%).
Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Coles Mills, Grandin, Hensfoot, Jutland, Kingtown, Mechlings Corner, Mount Salem, Norton, Pattenburg, Perryville, Polktown and Van Syckel.
Pittstown is an unincorporated community that is also spread across Alexandria Township and Franklin Township.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 1,217 | — | |
| 1870 | 1,051 | −13.6% | |
| 1880 | 1,167 | 11.0% | |
| 1890 | 1,134 | −2.8% | |
| 1900 | 918 | −19.0% | |
| 1910 | 930 | 1.3% | |
| 1920 | 834 | −10.3% | |
| 1930 | 1,152 | 38.1% | |
| 1940 | 1,303 | 13.1% | |
| 1950 | 1,557 | 19.5% | |
| 1960 | 1,717 | 10.3% | |
| 1970 | 2,351 | 36.9% | |
| 1980 | 3,971 | 68.9% | |
| 1990 | 5,078 | 27.9% | |
| 2000 | 6,160 | 21.3% | |
| 2010 | 5,908 | −4.1% | |
| Est. 2014 | 5,765 | −2.4% | |
2010 Census
At the 2010 United States Census, there were 5,908 people, 1,752 households, and 1,221 families residing in the township. The population density was 315.3 per square mile (121.7/km). There were 1,830 housing units at an average density of 97.7 per square mile (37.7/km). The racial makeup of the township was 83.21% (4,916) White, 9.06% (535) Black or African American, 0.15% (9) Native American, 4.13% (244) Asian, 0.05% (3) Pacific Islander, 1.61% (95) from other races, and 1.79% (106) from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 6.08% (359) of the population.
There were 1,752 households, of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.6% were married couples living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.3% were non-families. 24.8% of all households 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 2.57 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the township, 18.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 37.6% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.7 years. For every 100 females there were 77.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.2 males.
The Census Bureau’s 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $103,304 (with a margin of error of +/- $11,761) and the median family income was $126,157 (+/- $23,039). Males had a median income of $97,548 (+/- $31,580) versus $62,130 (+/- $7,607) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $33,753 (+/- $7,431). About 0.0% of families and 12.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.0% of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
As of May 2010, the township had a total of 64.00 miles (103.00 km) of roadways, of which 43.08 miles (69.33 km) were maintained by the municipality, 11.51 miles (18.52 km) by Hunterdon County and 9.41 miles (15.14 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
Union is accessible by a variety of roads. CR 513 runs along the southeastern border while CR 579 goes along the southwestern border. Route 173 passes through the center and eventually merges briefly with both Interstate 78 and U.S. 22 which also run through the center.
Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Union Township include:
- Scott Bradlee (born 1981), musician, pianist, composer, and arranger best known for his viral videos on YouTube, including his work under the moniker Postmodern Jukebox.
- John Penn (1729-1795), last colonial governor of Pennsylvania.
- Charles Rinehart (1875-1933), football player, engineer and businessman who was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1964.
- Lloyd Wescott (1907-1990), agriculturalist, civil servant, and philanthropist.
- Glenway Wescott (1911-1987), novelist during the 1920s and 1930s and a figure in the American expatriate literary community in Paris during the 1920s.
(SOURCE: Infogalactic)
