Readington Township, New Jersey



Readington Township is a Township located in the easternmost portion of Hunterdon County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 16,126. Nationwide, Readington Township ranks 87th among the Highest-income places in the United States with a population of at least 10,000.

Whitehouse Station is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Readington Township.

Created by Royal Charter of King George II, "Reading" Township was formed July 15, 1730 from portions of Amwell Township. It was the first new township created after Hunterdon became a county. The Township was incorporated as Readingtown Township, one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships, on February 21, 1798. Portions of the township were annexed by Tewksbury Township in 1832 and 1861.

Containing almost forty-eight square miles, it remains the largest township in the County. Over 8000 acre of land have been preserved. Readington Township is bounded on the north by the Lamington River and Rockaway Creek; to the east by Somerset County, which existed as the boundary between East and West Jersey from 1688–1695; to the south, the South Branch of the Raritan River; and to the west by the old West Jersey Society's line which crosses the Cushetunk Mountains.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 47.8 sqmi, of which, 47.7 sqmi of it is land and 0.1 sqmi of it (0.25%) is water.

Readington Township borders Raritan Township, Clinton Township, and Tewksbury Township. Readington Township also borders Branchburg in Somerset County.

Cushetunk Mountain is a ring-shaped mountain located in Readington Township and Clinton Township. Once an active volcano, the diabase mountain was formed a hundred and sixty million years ago. The Lenape called the mountain "Cushetunk" meaning "place of hogs" after the wild hogs found there. In the 1960s, the valley was filled with water to create Round Valley Reservoir.

Villages

 * Readington Village- the oldest settled village in the township, along Holland Brook
 * Whitehouse Station- a village in the western section of Readington near Cushetunk Mountain and the location of the township's railroad station
 * Three Bridges, small community that once had a passenger rail station
 * Centerville, a hamlet that was located on the halfway point on the Swift Sure Stage route between New York City and Philadelphia
 * Stanton, a small village near Round Mountain that has carried the names of Mount Pleasant, Housel's Hill, Waggoner's Hill and Stanton
 * Whitehouse- a village on the old Jersey Turnpike, north of Whitehouse Station
 * Mechanicsville the eastern section of Whitehouse Village on the Jersey Turnpike
 * Potterstown, a small village at the western edge of the township
 * Pleasant Run, a small village along Pleasant Run (formerly Campbell's Brook)
 * Dart's Mill, a hamlet centered around a former mill complex on the South Branch Raritan River
 * Dreahook, a former village near Readington Road and Main Street that was taken from the Dutch word for triangle because of the configuration of the roads at the time
 * Stilwells, a hamlet one and a half miles south of Whitehouse Station named after the Stilwell family
 * Rowland's Mills, a deserted village on the South Branch Raritan River
 * Barley Sheaf, a former hamlet within Readington Township, also known as Campbellsville and Farmersville
 * Holcomb Mills, was a village along the South Branch Raritan River
 * Cushetunk, was a village near Cushetunk Mountain and the railroad line
 * New Bromley, was a small village on the Rockaway Creek that was once home to William Paterson

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 15,803 people, 5,676 households, and 4,410 families residing in the township. The population density was 331.4 people per square mile (127.9/km²). There were 5,794 housing units at an average density of 121.5 per square mile (46.9/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 95.14% White, 0.76% African American, 0.06% Native American, 2.56% Asian, 0.53% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.05% of the population.

There were 5,676 households out of which 37.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.3% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.3% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the township the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $95,356, and the median income for a family was $106,343. Males had a median income of $66,778 versus $48,385 for females. The per capita income for the township was $41,000. About 0.7% of families and 1.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.4% of those under age 18 and 1.8% of those age 65 or over.

Local government
Readington Township is governed under the Township form of government with a five-member Township Committee. The Township Committee is elected directly by the voters in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with one or two seats coming up for election each year. At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor. The Mayor serves as chair of the Township Committee and has the powers vested in the mayor's office by general law.

, members of the Readington Township Committee are Mayor Frank L. Gatti (2011), Deputy Mayor Thomas S. Auriemma (2012), Julia C. Allen (2011), Beatrice Muir (2012), Donna Simon (2013).

Federal, state and county representation
Readington Township is in the 7th Congressional district and is part of New Jersey's 23rd state legislative district. The township was relocated to the 16th state legislative district by the New Jersey Apportionment Commission based on the results of the 2010 Census. The new district is in effect for the June 2011 primary and the November 2011 general election, with the state senator and assembly members elected taking office in the new district as of January 2012.

Politics
Like most towns in Hunterdon County, Readington Township leans very strongly towards Republican Party on the national and state levels. In the 2008 Presidential Election, Republican John McCain received 61% of the vote, defeating Democrat Barack Obama, who received around 37%. In the 2009 Gubernatorial Election, Republican Chris Christie received 70% of the vote, defeating Democrat Jon Corzine, who received around 21%.

Education
The Readington Township Public Schools serve students in grades kindergarten through grade eight. Schools in the district (with 2008-09 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are Three Bridges School (PreK-3; 414 students), Whitehouse School (K-3; 450), Holland Brook School (4-5; 503) and Readington Middle School (6-8; 771).

Students in public school for grade 9 - 12 attend the Hunterdon Central High School, part of the Hunterdon Central Regional High School District, which serves students in central Hunterdon County. Students from Delaware Township, East Amwell Township, Flemington Borough, Raritan Township and Readington Township attend Hunterdon Central High School.

Business
Readington Township is home to the global headquarters of Merck & Co., one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the country. It is also home to the personal and commercial lines of insurance of Chubb Corporation, and the Quick Chek Corporation, which operates over 100 convenience stores throughout New Jersey and New York.

Readington's business climate benefits from its proximity to major highways, Princeton, Bridgewater Township and other centers of business in central New Jersey.

Emergency services
Readington Township is served by a full-time Police Department, two ambulances staffed by the Whitehouse Rescue Squad (primarily paid staff), and four volunteer Fire Companies.

EMS & Rescue Services

 * The Whitehouse First Aid & Rescue Squad Station 22 Rescue was formed in 1950 and provides the lead EMS & Rescue coordination for the Township under the leadership of Chief Jeff Herzog. They are a blended department, with over 40 EMTs and 25 career. The squad has a rescue services division led by volunteers for rescue operations such as automobile extrication, confined space, water rescue, etc. 22 Rescue has two stations.  One at the Three Bridges Fire Department, and one in Whitehouse Station.

Fire Departments
The following volunteer fire departments serve the Township:
 * East Whitehouse Volunteer Fire Co. (Station 31 Fire)
 * Readington Volunteer Fire Co. (Station 32 Fire)
 * Three Bridges Volunteer Fire Co. (Station 33 Fire)
 * Whitehouse Station Volunteer Fire Co. #1 (Station 22 Fire)

Transportation
Interstate 78, U.S. Route 202, Route 22 and Route 31 all pass through the township. The township is also served by the New Jersey Transit in White House, offering service on the Raritan Valley Line to Newark Penn Station and Hoboken Terminal, with connecting service to Penn Station New York in Midtown Manhattan.

Community
The Quick Chek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2007. The event held at Solberg-Hunterdon Airport is the largest summertime hot air balloon festival in North America.

FBI Shootout
On April 5, 2007, a shootout near a PNC Bank branch on U.S. Route 22 in Readington resulted in the death of an FBI agent. FBI Agent Barry Lee Bush, assigned to the Newark FBI Office, was investigating a string of bank robberies in Central New Jersey, was airlifted to a New Brunswick hospital where he was pronounced dead. All three suspects were caught.

Museums
Readington is home to several museums and offers many programs for adults and children. The Bouman-Stickney Homestead is located off of Dreahook Road in the hamlet of Stanton. Coldbrook School, the site of living history programs for the township's elementary school children is in the northern section of town, and the Eversole-Hall House is located on Route 523, next to the Municipal building. Taylor's Mill was built around 1760 by John Taylor. The township plans to make Taylor's Mill a fourth township museum because it is the only remaining pre-revolutionary mill in the town and of its role of providing troops with food during the Revolutionary War.

Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Readington Township include:
 * Jack Cust (born 1979), a professional baseball player with the Oakland Athletics, currently resides in Readington Township.
 * Jonathan Jennings (1784–1834), first Governor of Indiana, serving from 1816 to 1822.
 * Robyn Kenney (born 1979), field hockey player.
 * William Marchant (1923–1995), playwright and screenwriter, best known for writing the play that served as the basis for the 1957 Walter Lang movie, The Desk Set.