About Hackettstown, NJ

About Hackettstown, NJ

Hackettstown, NJ is also a frequent destination for many who call central or west Jersey home.

Also confused with Mansfield, NJ a lot of the time. One quick way to approximate which is which, is that the area north of the Home Depot center is Hackettstown, and south along Route 57 – all the way to Washington Township is Mansfield.

Hackettstown, New Jersey

Wider view of Hackettstown, NJ.

Hackettstown is a town in Warren County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town’s population was 9,724, reflecting a decline of 679 (-6.5%) from the 10,403 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 2,283 (+28.1%) from the 8,120 counted in the 1990 Census. The town is located in the easternmost region of the Lehigh Valley.

Hackettstown was incorporated as a town by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 9, 1853, from portions of Independence Township. Portions of territory were exchanged with Mansfield Township in 1857, 1860, 1872 and 1875.

Hackettstown houses the headquarters of Mars Chocolate USA, the American division of Mars, Incorporated, makers of Milky Way, Mars, M&M’s, Twix and Snickers candy bars, as well as pet foods (such as the well-known Whiskas and Pedigree brands), human foods (including Uncle Ben’s) and non-confectionery snack foods (including Combos).

It is believed that Hackettstown was named after Samuel Hackett, an early settler, and large landowner. Hackett is said to have “contributed liberally to the liquid refreshments on the christening of a new hotel, in order to secure the name which, before this, had been Helms’ Mills or Musconetcong”.

Hackettstown was named #72 of the top 100 towns in the United States to Live and Work In by some mainstream Magazine in 2005; it has not been included since.

History

Hackettstown Historical Society Museum

William Johnson (1817 – 1891) was a prime mover in getting the town incorporated in 1853. He and his brother George (1815 – 1889) were successful merchants in the town beginning in 1839 when they began operating the W.L. & G.W Johnson dry good store. The two men were very active in community affairs. George was a member of First Presbyterian Church, a director of the Hackettstown National Bank, and a member of the Hackettstown Water Board. Both men were involved in the establishment of the Union Cemetery.

In 1886, Tillie Smith, an 18-year-old kitchen worker from a poverty-stricken family, was raped, murdered and left lying in an open field on the campus of the Centenary Collegiate Institute, where she worked. A janitor at the school named James Titus was tried and convicted of the rape and murder, based on circumstantial evidence and public opinion shaped by yellow journalism. Titus was sentenced to hang, but he signed a confession and served 19 years of hard labor and lived from 1904 to 1952 in Hackettstown, among many of the same residents who championed his conviction.

In 1925, a train wreck in the town killed 45 people and injured about 50 others en route to New York City from Chicago. The derailment occurred on Rockport road in the early morning at approximately 3:30AM. The event made national headlines and stands as the deadliest event in Warren County history.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town had a total area of 3.712 square miles (9.613 km), including 3.607 square miles (9.341 km) of land and 0.105 square miles (0.272 km) of water (2.83%). The town is located in a valley along the banks of the Musconetcong River.

Upper Pohatcong Mountain extends northeast of Washington approximately 6 mi (9.7 km).

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the town include Warren Furnace.

Hackettstown borders the townships of Washington to the southeast, Mansfield to the southwest, Allamuchy to the north, Mount Olive to the northeast, and Independence to the west.

Demographics

Census 2010

At the 2010 United States Census, there were 9,724 people, 3,575 households, and 2,256 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,696.1 per square mile (1,041.0/km). There were 3,755 housing units at an average density of 1,041.1 per square mile (402.0/km). The racial makeup of the town was 85.08% (8,273) White, 2.46% (239) Black or African American, 0.24% (23) Native American, 4.97% (483) Asian, 0.05% (5) Pacific Islander, 5.19% (505) from other races, and 2.02% (196) from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 15.16% (1,474) of the population.

There were 3,575 households, of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the town, 20.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 14.5% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.3 years. For every 100 females there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males.

The Census Bureau’s 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $62,215 (with a margin of error of +/- $6,907) and the median family income was $82,216 (+/- $10,611). Males had a median income of $51,489 (+/- $5,850) versus $41,822 (+/- $5,248) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $29,433 (+/- $2,122). About 4.4% of families and 7.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.

Roads and highways

As of May 2010, the town had a total of 34.47 miles (55.47 km) of roadways, of which 28.83 miles (46.40 km) were maintained by the municipality, 2.96 miles (4.76 km) by Warren County and 2.68 miles (4.31 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Passing through Hackettstown are U.S. Route 46, Route 57, and County Route 517. Route 182 exists completely within the boundaries of Hackettstown.

Public transportation

The Hackettstown station is the western terminus of the New Jersey Transit Morristown Line and the Montclair-Boonton Line, which both provide service to Hoboken Terminal with connections to Pennsylvania Station in Midtown Manhattan via Midtown Direct trains. New Jersey Transit bus service used to be provided on the MCM5 and 973 local routes before they were discontinued.

Warren County operates a shuttle along Route 57 to Washington Township that operates on an hourly loop on weekdays, with connections available to a shuttle to Philipsburg.

Airports

Hackettstown is located 49.3 miles (79.3 km) from Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark / Elizabeth. Lehigh Valley International Airport, near Allentown, Pennsylvania, is 39.0 miles (62.8 km) away.

Hackettstown Airport, a small general aviation airport with the official database designation of (FAA LID: N05) is located in adjoining Mansfield Township, only a few hundred yards from the municipal border with Hackettstown proper.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Hackettstown include:

• Bette Cooper (born 1920), Miss America 1937.
• Jim Courter (born 1941), former Member of Congress.
• John DiMaio (born 1955), member of the New Jersey General Assembly who served as mayor of Hackettstown from 1991 to 1999.
• Brian Fallon (born 1980), lead singer for The Gaslight Anthem/The Horrible Crowes.
• Kenneth Hopper (born 1926), engineer.
• Izetta Jewel (1883-1978, born Izetta Jewel Kenney), actress and women’s rights activists.
• Cole Kimball (born 1985), pitcher who has played for the Washington Nationals.
• Kristen Maloney (born 1981), former gymnastics Olympian.
• Jimmi Simpson (born 1975), actor.
• George Theodore Werts, Governor of New Jersey (1893-1896).