Short Hills, New Jersey

Short Hills is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Millburn Township, in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. It is a popular commuter town for residents who work in New York City.

It is notable for being an affluent community. The median listing price of its homes was $1.75 million in February 2012, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal, citing data from Zillow. In 2014, Time magazine named it the "Richest Town in America" with seven in ten household incomes above $150,000 per year, the highest percentage in the United States. In 2018 Bloomberg positioned Short Hills at fifth in the country in its 100 Richest places ranking, with an average household income of $354,479. As of the 2010 United States Census, the CDP's population was 13,165.

Beginnings
Originally, the area that would become Short Hills was part of Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey, and its eponymous hills are thought to have played a role in the movement of the Continental Army under George Washington during the Battle of Springfield. While troops may have been present in the area, the Battle of Short Hills (June 26, 1777) took place in Scotch Plains and Metuchen New Jersey.

Short Hills began as a planned community, when Stewart Hartshorn (who became wealthy from developing, perfecting and manufacturing the self-acting shade roller) purchased 13 acre of land in Millburn Township, near the present Hobart Avenue, Parsonage Hill Road, and Chatham Road. Hartshorn's purpose was to create "a harmonious community for people who appreciated nature," and "where natural beauty would not be destroyed by real estate developments, and where people of congenial tastes could dwell together." He later increased his land holdings to 56 acre for himself and 1552 acre for the whole village, with each plot not owned by Hartshorn being no larger than 1/2 acre.

Hartshorn chose the name "Short Hills" because it reflected the topography of the region, and also because the local Lenape Native Americans used that same name to describe the region. One local resident suggested that he call his village "Hartshornville," but he refused, quietly content with Short Hills sharing his initials.

Railroad and postal connections
Hartshorn situated his "ideal town" near enough to a railroad to allow for an easy commute to Hoboken and, from there, to New York City. Hence, his decision in 1879 to build, at his own expense, a railroad station along the original Morris and Essex Railroad line. He also persuaded the United States Post Office to open a branch in his new railroad station in 1880, and in fact, the Post Office has always had a presence in Short Hills from that day and its own ZIP Code, 07078.

Buffer zones
Hartshorn deliberately preserved strips of land along the railroad right-of-way from any development west of Old Short Hills Road. These strips separate Hobart Avenue to the north, and Chatham Road to the south, from the railway line. The only structure that has ever stood directly adjacent to the line is the railroad station. In 1944, the Hartshorn family also donated Crescent Park to Millburn Township, directly across from the station, with the stipulation that the park always remain open to the public.

Common elements
After seventeen houses were erected, Hartshorn turned his attention to other "common elements." These included a Music Hall, which later became the Short Hills Racquets Club. However, Short Hills remains a relatively quiet place.

Stewart Hartshorn died in 1937 at the age of 97. His daughter Cora survived him, wrote her own history of the hamlet, and helped establish the Arboretum that bears her name.

Later events
In 1968 Temple B'nai Jeshurun relocated from Newark, NJ, to a 21 acres site in Short Hills. It is the oldest Reform Jewish congregation in New Jersey and, with 1,100 member families, one of the largest Jewish congregations in the state at the time of the move. Most of the property was purchased from Congressman Robert Kean, father of future New Jersey governor Thomas Kean. The land had been given to Kean's family by King George III of the United Kingdom.

In 1975 the Millburn-Short Hills Historical Society formed in conjunction with the American Bicentennial celebrations.

In 2001 the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center opened in Short Hills.

In 2002 local residents planted a memorial tree on the grounds of the railroad station, to honor those of their neighbors who died in the attacks on September 11, 2001.

In 2011 the historic Greenwood Gardens opened to the public. It is one of sixteen garden preservation projects in the United States overseen by the Garden Conservancy.

Present day
The opening of the Kearny Connection in 1996, establishing direct rail service to Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan, has enhanced real-estate values immensely.

The median family income was over $200,000 in the 2010 census. Dun & Bradstreet has its headquarters in Short Hills.

Short Hills has four K-5 elementary schools. Three are part of the Millburn Township Public Schools: Deerfield Elementary School, Glenwood Elementary School, and Hartshorn Elementary School. The fourth is The Pingry School Lower Campus. Students move on to complete their public school education at Millburn Middle School for grades 6–8 and Millburn High School for grades 9–12. Short Hills is also home to the Far Brook School, a private day school serving students in nursery through eighth grade.

Though Short Hills has its own railroad station and post-office branch, it does not have an independent government. It remains today a part of the Township of Millburn, as it has been since its inception. Short Hills has a "downtown" business area that is smaller than downtown Millburn. Located along Chatham Road near the Short Hills railroad station, it includes the post office, a pharmacy, small eateries and specialty shops. The train station waiting room operates as a bar and grill during the evening hours and a newsstand and ticket agent are present from early morning hours until noon.

Short Hills is also home to the Short Hills Club, Racquets Club of Short Hills, and the main portion of Canoe Brook Country Club.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP had a total area of 5.211 square miles (13.497 km2), including 5.196 square miles (13.459 km2) of land and 0.015 square miles (0.039 km2) of water (0.29%).

Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Short Hills has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics
According to an analysis in Time magazine in 2014, Short Hills is the wealthiest community in the United States in terms of having the highest percentage of households (69%) with incomes above $150,000 per year. According to Forbes magazine, the median income in Short Hills is $229,222.

Census 2010
The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $211,989 (with a margin of error of +/- $13,467) and the median family income was $227,262 (+/- $22,938). Males had a median income of $192,625 (+/- $33,436) versus $98,214 (+/- $12,561) for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $100,875 (+/- $7,868). About 0.6% of families and 0.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.7% of those under age 18 and 0.0% of those age 65 or over.

Media references
Philip Roth's first book, Goodbye, Columbus, is mostly set in Short Hills, the home of the girlfriend of the character Neil Klugman and her family.

Millburn/Short hills is also covered by HomeTowne TV of Summit NJ who provides local programming and highlights the community.

The area is also serviced by The Item of Millburn and Short Hills (local newspaper), TAPinto Millburn/Short Hills, The Millburn Patch, and The Star Ledger along with most New York Metro Sources.

Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Short Hills include:
 * Lee Bickmore (1908–1986), chairman of the board and CEO of Nabisco.
 * Ralph Cicerone (1943-2016) atmospheric scientist and administrator, who served as president of the National Academy of Sciences.
 * Richard Coogan (1914–2014), actor best known for playing the lead role in Captain Video and His Video Rangers.
 * Leon G. Cooperman (born 1943), businessman, investor and philanthropist who is chairman and CEO of Omega Advisors, Inc.
 * Joseph P. Day, early land auctioneer and real-estate broker.
 * Ina Drew, former Chief Investment Officer at JP Morgan Chase who resigned following the 2012 JPMorgan Chase trading loss that resulted in billions in losses to the bank.
 * John Ferolito, founder and owner of Arizona Beverage Company.
 * Anne Hathaway (born 1982), actress.
 * Herbert G. Hopwood (1898–1966) four-star admiral in the United States Navy.
 * Ariel Horn, novelist and teacher.
 * Dara Horn (born 1977), novelist and professor of literature.
 * Peter Kellogg (born 1943), director of the Wall Street investment firm Spear, Leeds & Kellogg.
 * Joe Kernen (born 1956), CNBC news anchor and host of Squawk Box.
 * Igor Larionov (born 1960), center who played for the New Jersey Devils.
 * Robert D. Marcus, CEO of Time Warner Cable.
 * Billy McFarland (born 1991), entrepreneur and founder of the Fyre Festival.
 * John C. McGinley (born 1959), actor known for his role playing Dr. Perry Cox on Scrubs.
 * Belva Plain (1919–2010), author.
 * Brian Rolston (born 1973), professional hockey player for the New Jersey Devils.
 * Alex Rosenberg (born 1991), basketball player who plays for Hapoel Afula B.C. of the Israeli National League.
 * Cory Schneider (born 1986), goalie for the New Jersey Devils.
 * Patti Stanger (born 1961), matchmaker and producer of Millionaire Matchmaker.
 * Peter Van Sant (born 1953), reporter 48 Hours.
 * Wang Yung-ching (1917–2008), former CEO and co-founder of Formosa Plastics Group.
 * Thomas Watson Jr. (1914-1993), second President of IBM and United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union.
 * Zygi Wilf (born 1950), owner of the Minnesota Vikings.
 * Rachel Zoe (born 1971), fashion stylist.
 * Alan Zweibel (born 1950), producer and writer for stage and television productions such as Saturday Night Live.

Points of interest

 * Cora Hartshorn Arboretum and Bird Sanctuary
 * Greenwood Gardens
 * The Mall at Short Hills – a high-end mall with a gross leasable area of 1,342,000 ft² (120,780 m²), placing it among the ten largest shopping malls in New Jersey. The mall is anchored by Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom.
 * Paper Mill Playhouse
 * Old Short Hills Park
 * Gero Park – Swimming, Baseball, Municipal Golf Course