Sussex County, New Jersey

The County of Sussex (also known as Sussex County) is the northernmost county in the of. The county was founded on, by an order of  (1689-1757),  (1747-1757) and his council, from portions of. It originally contained all the land north and west of the, including the area of the present-day (created from the southwestern half of Sussex County on , ). At present, it is the fourth largest county in New Jersey by area. The of Sussex County is the.

Though lacking much historical evidence, local tradition asserts that in the 1650s, adventurers from  started mines in the now-defunct, building the  to transport  to  on the. Sources indicate that first settlement by European colonists began circa 1690-1710, by Dutch settlers from along the, and in the decades subsequent,   via , and English colonists from , , , and.

Early industry and commerce chiefly centered around, , shifting during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to focus on several factories and the of. Today, Sussex County features a mix of,  and  at the western extent of the. Though agriculture (chiefly ) is on the decline and because the county hosts little light industry, Sussex County is considered a "" as most residents commute to neighboring counties (, and ) or to  for work.

As of the, 144,166 persons resided in Sussex County of which nearly 95% were. Sussex County is the 91st richest county in the United States with its per capita income being $26,992.

Origin of the county's name
Sussex County was named by Royal Governor (1689-1757) for  in  which was the ancestral seat of His Grace,  (1693-1768), who at the time was the, and later the  of the  (1754-1756, 1757-1762). Pelham-Holles, whose office oversaw British affairs in, was Governor Belcher's political superior. During his term as Governor of New Jersey (1747-1757), Belcher named many in honor of important, most of whom were superior to him in  or. It is believed that he did so in order to curry political favor and regain a level of standing that was diminished from his scandal which precipitated his removal from the in 1741.

Sussex, in England, was notable historically as of the  (A.D. 500–850), which were later unified under  (c. 770–839) into the.

Establishment of Sussex County


Under the 1664 deed from to his brother the, and the subsequent deed that granted New Jersey to  and , New Jersey's northern border was drawn from a line at 41 degrees North Latitude on the  to a point at 41 40' North on the. This line which granted New Jersey a significant swath of land in present day and  in.

With the boundary between the Provinces of and  undefined, the land area that became Sussex County was first, briefly, under the auspices of  when it was established in. After the settling of the border with the (1687) and the subsequent  (1688), this area was under the control of the West Jersey Proprietors and given to  when it was established in. Burlington County ceded all the lands north of the to  in 1711. In 1739, Hunterdon County cede the land north of the &mdash;comprising the present-day Morris, Sussex and Warren Counties&mdash;to form.

In the years following the creation of Morris County, the area north and west of the grew in population to several hundred settlers. Given the lack of roads and the long, arduous journey to attend to the courts, government and other business at, the county's seat, the residents of this area petitioned the provincial government to erect a new county. On, Royal Governor Jonathan Belcher and his Council ordered the creation of the County of Sussex by the following boundaries:

"'That all and singular, the lands and upper parts of said Morris County northwest of Muskonetkong river, BEGINNING at the mouth of said river, where it empties itself into Delaware river, and running up said Muskonetkong river, to the head of the great pond; from thence to the line that divides the province of New-York and said New-Jersey; thence along the said line to Delaware river aforesaid; thence down the same to the mouth of Muskonetkong…”"

At this time, Sussex County consisted of four municipalities that were founded before the establishment of the county: (1731),  (1751),  (1751) and  (1738). These townships would, over the next two hundred years, be carved into the twenty-four municipalities that comprise present-day Sussex County, and the twenty-two in present-day Warren County.

The first county seat was established on the lands of Jonathan Pettit, a local justice-of-the-peace and tavernkeeper in present-day in, then part of. At the first meeting of the in 1754, monies were appropriated for the construction of a jail which was built from logs. This caused the village to be known as Log Gaol. Disputes between Pettit and the early county freeholders lead to the courts and county government to be held elsewhere in the subsequent years, including at the taverns of Thomas Woolverton (1719-1760) and Henry Hairlocker (1715-1777) in Newtown Township. In 1761, the Provincial Legislature and Royal Governor authorized the construction of a courthouse and jail on the Newton Township lands of Jonathan Hampton (1720-1777), a surveyor and merchant from, one half-mile (0.85 km) from the tavern of Henry Hairlocker. This site, which became known as Sussex Court House, is presently the.

In 1824, heeding the petitions of the southern residents of Sussex County, the State Legislature ordered a line drawn across the county from the mouth of the (where it enters the ) in, through the village of  in then  to a point on the county's eastern boundary, the. The lands south of this line were ceded on  to form, named for  hero, Doctor  (1741-1775) who died leading American troops at the  on.

The colonial period: 1690–1800
Native Americans, exploration, settlement,, Iron mining and forges, American revolution, French and Indian war,

Rise of Industry: 1870-1950
Zinc Mining, Merriam Shoe Factory, Paper Mill, Wheatsworth, Iron Mining

More cows than people
Agriculture and developments. Hay forks, Lusscroft and artificial bovine insemination,

Board of Chosen Freeholders
The County of Sussex is governed by a that consists of five members elected at-large to serve three-year terms. Seats are elected on a staggered basis over three years, with two seats available in the first year, two seats the following, and then one seat. All terms of office begin on and end on. The Board of Chosen Freeholders is the center of legislative and administrative responsibility for the County of Sussex. It is responsible for writing and adopting a budget and overseeing the spending of funds appropriated by that budget.

Many county services do overlap those provided by municipalities within the county, however, the Board of Chosen Freeholders is responsible for the following tasks:


 * "Public Safety and Emergency Management, Community College and Technical School, the County Library System, Social Services, Youth Services, Community Service, Mental Health, Division of Senior Services, [The County] Nursing Home [formerly the Alms House], Environmental and Public Health Services, Mosquito Control, the Medical Examiner’s Office, the County Jail and Detention Center, Farmland and Open Space Preservation, Economic Development, Road and Bridge Maintenance and Repair, the Para Transit System and Transportation Planning, Solid Waste Planning, the County Master Plan, including Water Resource Planning."

As of 2006, Sussex County's are Freeholder Director Gary R. Chiusano (term ends, ), Freeholder Deputy Director Harold J. Wirths (2007), Steven V. Oroho (2007), Glen Vetrano (2009) and Susan M. Zellman (2009).

Constitutional Officers
As with each county in New Jersey, three elected positions, known as "constitutional officers" are required by the.

The office of, a position which is elected for a term of five years, is currently occupied by Erma Gormley (R). The office of, elected also for at term of five years, is currently occupied by Nancy Fitzgibbons (R). The, a position which has a term of three years, is currently Robert Untig (R).

Municipalities
The following are Sussex County's 24 incorporated municipalities:
 * (township)
 * (borough)
 * (borough)
 * (township)
 * (township)
 * (borough)
 * (township)
 * (township)
 * (borough)
 * (township)
 * (township)
 * (borough)
 * (township)
 * (township)
 * (town)
 * (borough)
 * (township)
 * (township)
 * (borough)
 * (township)
 * (borough)
 * (township)
 * (township)
 * (township)

Politics
Sussex County is a predominantly Republican area, as among registered voters, affiliations with the outpace those of the  by a ratio of three to one. All five members of the county board of Chosen Freeholders, all three county-wide constitutional officers, and all except a few of the 108 municipal offices among the county's 24 municipalities are held by Republicans.

Physical geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 1,388 (536 ). 1,350 km² (521 sq mi) of it is land and 38 km² (15 sq mi) of it (2.75%) is water. in this county is also the highest elevation in the state at 1,803 feet (549.5 m) above sea level. The county's lowest elevation is approximately 300 feet (90 m) above sea level along the near Flatbrookville.

Much of the county is hilly, as the part of New Jersey most solidly within the. However, the Great Valley of the Appalachians takes in a good deal of the eastern half of the county, allowing for land more amenable to.

Adjacent Counties
Given Sussex County's location at the top of the state, it is bordered by counties in New Jersey as well as in neighboring New York and Pennsylvania. This region is often collectively known as the Tri-State Area. The following counties are adjacent and contiguous to Sussex County (in order starting with the northernmost and rotating clockwise):


 * - northeast
 * - east
 * - south
 * - southwest
 * - west
 * - northwest

Taxes
Property taxes in Sussex County have always been historically lower than its neighboring counties. Taxes on an acre of land, depending on the condition and size of the house, could be as low as $1500 a year. Typical property taxes in the county are in the $3000-$5000 a year range. This is due to low local spending, regional schools, modest Police Departments, and many municipalities have a volunteer Fire Department. Taxes on comparable property in neighboring counties, could be as high as $7000 a year or more.

Transportation
Sussex County is served by a number of roads connecting it to the rest of the state and to both and. passes through the extreme southern tip of Sussex County. passes just yards north of Sussex County, but never enters New Jersey.

New Jersey's, ,, , , and pass through the County, as does

Commuter Rail available from on the  of. New Jersey Transit also aims to open up the, which passes through Andover and Green Townships to commuter traffic, connecting Scranton, Pennsylvania with Hoboken, New Jersey and New York City.

Sussex County has three airports, all privately owned and catering to avocational pilots. , in Wantage Township, New Jersey, has a runway of 3,499 feet, Newton Airport, in Andover Township, New Jersey and Aeroflex Airport also in Andover Township.

Television and Radio Broadcasting
Clear Channel Radio owns a cluster of 4 stations in the area.
 * 102.3 - Franklin. Format: Adult Contemporary
 * 103.7 - Newton. Format: Classic Rock
 * 1360 - Newton. Format: Oldies
 * 106.3 - Franklin. Format: Hot Adult Contemporary

FST Broadcasting Corp. owns WTBQ, just north of Vernon, NJ.
 * 1110 - Warwick, New York (can be heard throughout Northern Sussex County). Format: NewsTalk and Sports

The radio station WNTI, 91.9 FM, is broadcast from Centenary College in Hackettstown (Warren County). It is a commercial free, public station playing progressive music. It can be heard throughout most of Sussex County.

Calvary Chapel of Howell, NJ broadcasts WRDR The Bridge FM with towers in Northern New Jersey and Southern New York. The Bridge FM, 6550 Rt. 9 South, Howell, NJ 07731
 * 103.1 Northern NJ and New York City. Format: Religious
 * 99.7 Sullivan and Orange Counties, NY. Format: Religious
 * 89.7 Monmouth and Ocean Counties, NJ. Format: Religious
 * 94.3 Pamona, NY and parts of Rockland County, NY. Format: Religious

Crime
use has been on the rise and shows no signs of improvement despite efforts of law enforcement and community groups working to fight the problem. .

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 144,166 people, 50,831 households, and 38,784 families residing in the county. The was 107/km² (277/sq mi). There were 56,528 housing units at an average density of 42/km² (108/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 93.97%, 2.24% or , 0.11% , 1.71% , 0.02% , 0.74% from , and 1.14% from two or more races. 4.84% of the population were or  of any race. 20.4% were of, 18.1% , 16.0% , 7.2% , 5.9% and 5.2%  ancestry according to.

By 2005 90.9% of the county population was non-Hispanic whites. The percentage of African-Americans was down to 1.6%, which contrasted with the growth of the African-American percentage in most counties in the New York metropolitan area. Asians were still 1.7% of the population. 5.1% of the population was Latino.

In 2000 There were 50,831 households out of which 39.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.00% were living together, 8.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.70% were non-families. 18.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.24.

In the county the population was spread out with 27.90% under the age of 18, 6.20% from 18 to 24, 31.50% from 25 to 44, 25.30% from 45 to 64, and 9.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $67,266, and the median income for a family was $73,335. Males had a median income of $50,395 versus $33,750 for females. The for the county was $26,992. About 2.80% of families and 4.00% of the population were below the, including 4.10% of those under age 18 and 5.40% of those age 65 or over.

Education

 * is a two-year community college located at the intersection of and Plotts Road in . Founded in 1981, SCCC currently offers 37 associate degrees and 11 certificate programs.
 * is a county-wide technical in . It is the home of the McNeice Auditorium and the Fighting Mustangs. The school's official colors are hunter green and gold.

The, or SCIL, is the high school athletic league for most high schools in the county.

Recreational Activities
Sussex County Chamber of Commerce 120 Hampton House Road Newton, NJ 07860 973-579-1811 www.sussexcountychamber.org

Sports Franchises
Augusta is the site of, a stadium, home of the. The Skyhawks play in the. Skylands Park was the former home of the (from 1994-2005), but the Cardinals moved to  making room for the Skyhawks.

Politics, military and public service

 * &mdash; United States Navy officer during the Barbary Wars (1803-1805).
 * &mdash;, politician, New Jersey General Assembly, U.S. House of Representatives.
 * &mdash; Governor of New Jersey.
 * &mdash; Governor of New Jersey.
 * &mdash; general, diplomat.
 * &mdash; Mayor of New York City.
 * &mdash; New Jersey State Senator.
 * &mdash; abolitionist and writer.
 * &mdash; New Jersey General Assembly.
 * &mdash; Canadian politician.
 * &mdash; Governor of New Jersey.
 * &mdash; United States Senator (1791-1799).
 * &mdash; Revolutionary War officer and politician.

Arts, Letters, and Entertainment

 * &mdash; television news host
 * &mdash; musician.
 * &mdash; fashion critic, magazine editor (Vogue, Harpers), actor.
 * &mdash; actress, activist.
 * &mdash; television news host on FoxNews.
 * &mdash; actor.
 * &mdash; poet, wife of.
 * &mdash; classical double bassist, New York Philharmonic.
 * &mdash; television news commentator on FoxNews.
 * &mdash; actor.
 * &mdash; poet, academic.
 * &mdash; musicians

Science, technology and medicine

 * &mdash; inventor of the.
 * &mdash; inventor, scientist, munitions manufacturer.
 * &mdash; inventor, entrepreneur.

Business

 * &mdash; entrepreneur, founder of.

Sports

 * &mdash; NFL and college football player.
 * &mdash; Olympic and champion snowboarder.
 * &mdash; NBA and college basketball player.
 * &mdash; Major League Baseball player.
 * &mdash; NFL and college football player.
 * &mdash; NBA Player and Coach.

Miscellaneous

 * &mdash; minister, third president of.
 * &mdash; famous New York City criminal.
 * &mdash; mistress of President.
 * &mdash; circus sideshow with P.T. Barnum.

Books and printed materials

 * Armstrong, William C. Pioneer Families of Northwestern New Jersey (Lambertville, New Jersey: Hunterdon House, 1979).
 * Cawley, James S. and Cawley, Margaret. Exploring the Little Rivers of New Jersey (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1942, 1961, 1971, 1993). ISBN 0813506840
 * Chambers, Theodore Frelinghuysen. ''The Early Germans of New Jersey: Their History, Churches, and Genealogies (Dover, New Jersey, Dover Printing Company, 1895), passim.
 * Cummings, Warren D. Sussex County: A History (Newton, New Jersey: Newton Rotary Club, 1964). NO ISBN
 * Cunningham, John T. Railroad Wonder: The Lackawanna Cut-Off (Newark, New Jersey: Newark Sunday News, 1961). NO ISBN
 * Documents Relating to the Colonial, Revolutionary and Post-Revolutionary History of the State of New Jersey [Title Varies]. Archives of the State of New Jersey, 1st-2nd series. 47 volumes. (Newark, New Jersey: 1880-1949). NO ISBN
 * Honeyman, A. Van Doren (ed.). Northwestern New Jersey--A History of Somerset, Morris, Hunterdon, Warren, and Sussex Counties Volume 1. (Lewis Historical Publishing Co., New York, 1927).
 * McCabe, Wayne T. Sussex County (Images of America) (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2003).
 * Schaeffer, Casper M.D. (and Johnson, William M.). Memoirs and Reminiscences: Together with Sketches of the Early History of Sussex County, New Jersey. (Hackensack, New Jersey: Privately Printed, 1907). NO ISBN
 * Schrabisch, Max. Indian habitations in Sussex County, New Jersey Geological Survey of New Jersey, Bulletin No. 13. (Union Hill, New Jersey: Dispatch Printing Company, 1915). NO ISBN
 * Schrabisch, Max. Archaeology of Warren and Hunterdon counties Geological Survey of New Jersey, Bulletin No. 18. (Trenton, N.J., MacCrellish and Quigley co., state printers, 1917). NO ISBN
 * Snell, James P. History of Sussex and Warren Counties, New Jersey, With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers. (Philadelphia: Everts & Peck, 1881). NO ISBN
 * Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries 1606-1968 (Trenton, New Jersey: Bureau of Geology and Topography, 1969). No ISBN
 * Stickney, Charles E. Old Sussex County families of the Minisink Region from articles in the Wantage Recorder (compiled by Virginia Alleman Brown) (Washington, New Jersey: Genealogical Researchers, 1988)

Maps and atlases

 * Map of Jonathan Hampton (1758) in the collection of the New Jersey Historical Society, Newark, New Jersey.
 * Hopkins, Griffith Morgan. Map of Sussex County, New Jersey. (1860) [Reprinted by the Sussex County Historical Society: Netcong, New Jersey: Esposito (Jostens), 2004.]
 * Beers, Frederick W. County Atlas of Warren, New Jersey: From actual surveys by and under the direction of F. W. Beers (New York: F.W. Beers & Co. 1874). [Reprinted by Warren County Historical Society: Harmony, New Jersey: Harmony Press, 1994].
 * Hagstrom Morris/Sussex/Warren counties atlas (Maspeth, New York: Hagstrom Map Company, Inc. 2004).