Morris County, New Jersey

Morris County
County
Morris County Courthouse
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of New Jersey
New Jersey's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 40°52′N 74°33′W / 40.87°N 74.55°W / 40.87; -74.55Coordinates: 40°52′N 74°33′W / 40.87°N 74.55°W / 40.87; -74.55
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
Founded	March 15, 1739[1]
Named for	Colonial governor Lewis Morris
Seat	Morristown
Largest city	Parsippany-Troy Hills Township (population) Rockaway Township (area)
Government
• Freeholder director	Deborah Smith (R, term ends December 31, 2020)
Area
• Total	481.62 sq mi (1,247.4 km2)
• Land	460.18 sq mi (1,191.9 km2)
• Water	21.45 sq mi (55.6 km2)  4.45%
Population  (2010)
• Total	492,276
• Estimate  (2019)	491,845
• Density	1,000/sq mi (390/km2)
Congressional districts	7th, 11th
Website	www.co.morris.nj.us

Morris County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, about 30 mi (48 km) west of New York City. According to the 2010 census, the population was 492,276,^[2] up from the 470,212 at the 2000 Census,^[3][4][5] As of the 2019 Census estimate, the county's population was 491,845, making it the state's 10th-most populous county, and marking a 1.5% increase from 2010.^[6][7][8] The county is part of the New York metropolitan area and is divided into 39 municipalities, but has no large cities. Its county seat is Morristown.^[9] The most populous place was Parsippany-Troy Hills Township, with 53,238 residents at the time of the 2010 Census, while Rockaway Township covered 45.55 square miles (118.0 km²), the largest total area of any municipality.^[5]

In 2015, the county had a per capita personal income of $86,582, the highest in New Jersey and ranked 24th of 3,113 counties in the United States.^[10][11] Morris County, as of the 2000 Census, was the sixth-wealthiest county in the United States by median household income at $77,340 (second in New Jersey behind Hunterdon County at $79,888), sixth in median family income at $89,773 (third in New Jersey behind Hunterdon County at $91,050 and Somerset County at $90,605) and ranked tenth by per capita income at $36,964 (second in New Jersey behind Somerset County at $37,970).^[12]

The Bureau of Economic Analysis ranked the county as having the 16th-highest per capita income of all 3,113 counties in the United States (and the second highest in New Jersey) as of 2009.^[13] The county ranked third in the New York metropolitan area in terms of median income.^[14] Morris County was recently ranked number 2 of 21 NJ counties as one of the healthiest counties in New Jersey, according to an annual report by County Health Rankings and Roadmaps.^[15]

History[]

Etymology[]

Morris County was named after Colonel Lewis Morris, governor of New Jersey in 1738/9, the year the county was named.^[16]

Paleo Indians and Native Americans[]

The Wisconsin Glacier covered the northern section of Morris County from about 23,000 B.C. to 13,000 B.C.

After the Wisconsin Glacier melted around 13,000 B.C., Paleo Indians moved into the area from the south in search of big and small game as well as plants. The area was first tundra with grasses growing. Rabbits and fox moved into the area from the south.

Around the year 1000, the area of Morris County was inhabited by the Lenape Native Americans prior to the arrival of European settlers. They came from the Mississippi River area. They lived along the rivers and hunted game, fished, collected plants and nuts.

Henry Hudson explored the Hudson River area in 1609, and later the Dutch did surveys of the area.

From 1611 to 1614, the Dutch established the colony of New Netherland, which claimed territory between the 40th and 45th parallel north, a zone which included northern New Jersey. Dutch forts were established along the Hudson River beginning in 1613. As the years went by, more forts were established to trade with Native Americans.

The Native Americans traded furs and food with the Dutch for various goods. In return the Dutch gave the Native Americans metal pots, knives, guns, axes, and blankets. Trading with the Native Americans occurred until 1643 when a series of wars broke out between the Dutch and Native Americans.

There were hostile relations between the Dutch and Native Americans between 1643 and 1660. This prevented colonization by the Dutch of the Morris County region which was technically included in their claimed "New Netherland".

On August 27, 1664, three English ships approached Fort Amsterdam and the fort was surrendered to the English. The English now controlled New Netherland and Morris County was now under control of the colony of New York. Relations with the Native Americans improved for a while.

There was a war with the Dutch ten years later. The Dutch re-took control of New Amsterdam but after a year returned it to the English. Relations with the Native Americans and English improved for a while.^[17]

European settlements began in the early 18th century while the area was known as Hunterdon County. Native Americans were still in the area at that time. Land was purchased from the Native Americans for various things such as blankets, shirts, rum, guns, knives, pots and gunpowder. European colonization occurred along the Atlantic coast and moved inland.

The first European settlement in the area today known as Morris County occurred in Pompton Plains by the Dutch in 1695.^[18] From 1710 to 1730, various iron mines and forges were established. The first was in Whippany in 1710 and then in Succasunna in 1713.

By 1750, nearly all Native Americans had left New Jersey. This was due to land purchases from the Native Americans, diseases that the Native Americans contracted from Europeans, and due to starvation from the Little Ice Age, during which Native American corn crops failed and rivers froze, preventing fishing. Snow storms sent game into semi-hibernation or made them difficult to find. Nut crops such as oak, hickory, beech, walnut, chestnut and butternut failed some years due to late frosts in spring. Many of the Morris County Native Americans went to eastern Canada and others went to the Ohio Valley. The Walking Purchase in September 1737, prevented Native Americans from going to eastern Pennsylvania. At that time, European settlement grew swiftly as there was now land to be farmed and settled.

Morris County was originally part of Burlington County which had been established in 1694. It then became part of Hunterdon County, which separated from Burlington County in 1714.^[1]

Morris County was created on March 15, 1739, from portions of Hunterdon County.^[1] The county was named for the Governor of the Province of New Jersey, Colonel Lewis Morris.^[19] In later years Sussex County (on June 8, 1753) and, after the revolution, Warren County (on November 20, 1824, from portions of Sussex County) were carved out of what had been the original area of Morris County under English rule.^[1]

The county was the site of the winter camp of the Continental Army after the Battles of Trenton and Princeton during the winter of 1777, as well as another winter camp at Jockey Hollow during an extremely cold winter of 1779–80.^[20]

In the 1880s, Dover was the centre of iron ore mining with the 132 mines producing 700,000 tons of ore annually. The mines were mostly worked by Cornish miners, with the bulk of the population in Dover and Port Oram of Cornish extraction. At that time the Cornish had kept their customs and dialect, were deeply religious and predominantly Methodists.^[21]

Geography[]

According to the 2010 Census, the county had a total area of 481.62 square miles (1,247.4 km²), including 460.18 square miles (1,191.9 km²) of land (95.5%) and 21.45 square miles (55.6 km²) of water (4.5%).^[5][22]

The county rises in elevation and relief from east to west, with only the more developed eastern suburbs in the Passaic River valley being relatively level. The highest point is at 1,395 feet (425 m) above sea level on a mountain south of Pine Swamp in western Jefferson Township.^[23] The second-highest point is on a mountain just north of Riker Lake at 1,358 feet (414 m). The lowest point is about 160 feet (49 m) in elevation, at Two Bridges, the confluence of the Passaic and Pompton rivers.

The county is drained by several rivers. The Rockaway River drains 125 square miles (320 km²), of the northern section of the county. The Whippany River drains 69 square miles (180 km²) of the middle of the county. The South Branch of the Raritan River and the Black River drain the western area.

Most of the county's borders are rivers. The Pequannock River drains the northern boundary area. The Pompton River drains the eastern section. The Passaic River also drains the eastern border area. The western border is drained by the Musconetcong River.

There are several large lakes in Morris County; among them are Lake Hopatcong, Budd Lake, Lake Parsippany, and the Boonton Reservoir (also known as the Jersey City Reservoir).

Adjacent counties[]

• Sussex County – north
• Passaic County – northeast
• Essex County – east
• Union County – southeast
• Somerset County – south
• Hunterdon County – southwest
• Warren County – west

Climate[]

Morris has a humid continental climate (Dfa/Dfb) and the hardiness zones are 6a and 6b.

Geology[]

Around 500 million years ago, a chain of volcanic islands shaped like an arc collided with proto North America. The islands rode over top of the North American plate. This created the highlands in western Morris County and the eastern section of Morris County.^[25]

Around 400 million years ago, a small continent long and narrow collided with proto North America. This created folding and faulting, as compression occurred. Then around 350 million years ago, the African plate collided with North America creating the folding and faulting in the Appalachians. But when the African plate pulled away from North America, an aborted rift valley was created. This half graben, starts east of Boonton and goes through the middle of Parsippany, south to Morristown, to the south end of Great Swamp. From Parsippany and the Boonton area the half graben goes east to the western side of Paterson, where there was another fault by the lava flows. East of the Ramapo Fault is where there is this aborted rift valley.^[25] The Ramapo fault goes through the county on a northeast–southwest axis. The fault separates the Highlands from the Piedmont, also known as the Newark Basin. This is an active fault. The last major earthquake occurred in 1884, with a strength measured at 5.3 on the Richter scale.^[26]

Around 21,000 B.C., the Wisconsin Glacier covered about half of Morris County. The terminal moraine went from Hackettstown east to north of Budd Lake, east to Rockaway and Denville, then southeast to Morristown then south to the south end of Great Swamp. When the glacier melted around 13,000 B.C. the melt water created Glacial Lake Passaic. The lake extended from what is now Pompton Lakes through Parsippany south to the south end of Great Swamp. From Parsippany the lake went east to the lava flows of western Paterson. This lake was thirty miles long and ten miles wide (36 km by 12 km). The depth was about 200 feet (61 m). When the Wisconsin glacier cover Morris County the ice sheet was about 300 metres (980 ft) deep. Due to debris from the glacier, the lake was unable to drain through the Watchung Mountains near Short Hills. Instead, it drained through Moggy Hollow at the southwestern end of the lake. But when the glacier melted and receded to the New York State line, the lake drained though the Little Falls area, as this was lower in elevation than Moggy Hollow. And thus the Passaic River formed.

The swamps of the Great Piece Meadows, Hatfield Swamp, Troy Meadows, Lee Meadows and Great Swamp were all under the Lake Passaic until it drained, and then these areas were created.^[27]

National protected areas[]

• Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Morristown National Historical Park
• Troy Meadows

Demographics[]

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1790	16,216		—
1800	17,750		9.5%
1810	21,828		23.0%
1820	21,368		−2.1%
1830	23,666		10.8%
1840	25,844		9.2%
1850	30,158		16.7%
1860	34,677		15.0%
1870	43,137		24.4%
1880	50,861		17.9%
1890	54,101		6.4%
1900	65,156		20.4%
1910	74,704		14.7%
1920	82,694		10.7%
1930	110,445		33.6%
1940	125,732		13.8%
1950	164,371		30.7%
1960	261,620		59.2%
1970	383,454		46.6%
1980	407,630		6.3%
1990	421,353		3.4%
2000	470,212		11.6%
2010	492,276		4.7%
2020 (est.)	491,087	[28]	−0.2%
Historical sources: 1790–1990[29] 1970–2010[5] 2000[3] 2010[2] 2000–2010[30] 2010–2019[6]

In 2009, Forbes magazine ranked the county sixth-best place in the nation to raise a family, the best of any county in the state. The ranking was mainly due to the high graduation rate of 98.4% and employment possibilities from area industry.^[31]

2010 Census[]

The 2010 United States census counted 492,276 people, 180,534 households, and 129,262 families in the county. The population density was 1,069.8 per square mile (413.1/km²). There were 189,842 housing units at an average density of 412.5 per square mile (159.3/km²). The racial makeup was 82.61% (406,683) White, 3.12% (15,360) Black or African American, 0.16% (805) Native American, 8.95% (44,069) Asian, 0.02% (106) Pacific Islander, 3.03% (14,910) from other races, and 2.10% (10,343) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.47% (56,482) of the population.^[2]

Of the 180,534 households, 33.9% had children under the age of 18; 59.6% were married couples living together; 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present and 28.4% were non-families. Of all households, 23.5% were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.19.^[2]

23.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 30% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.3 years. For every 100 females, the population had 95.9 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 93.2 males.^[2]

2000 Census[]

At the 2000 United States Census,^[32] there were 470,212 people, 169,711 households and 124,907 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,003 per square mile (387/km²). There were 174,379 housing units at an average density of 372 per square mile (144/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.20% White, 2.80% Black or African American, 0.12% Native American, 6.26% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.01% from other races, and 1.56% from two or more races. 7.79% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.^[3][33] Among those responding for first ancestry, 22.8% were of Italian, 19.9% Irish, 16.3% German, 8.6% English and 7.5% Polish ancestry according to Census 2000.

In 2000, there were 169,711 households, of which 35.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.80% were married couples living together, 7.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.40% were non-families. 21.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.18.^[3]

Age distribution was 24.80% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 31.90% from 25 to 44, 25.30% from 45 to 64, and 11.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.70 males.^[3]

Hispanics constituted a majority of the population in Dover and over a quarter of the people in Morristown; over 18% of Americans in Parsippany-Troy Hills are Asian Americans. There are fairly equal numbers of Irish American and German American residents. The Jewish community is strong in specific areas, such as Randolph, Rockaway, and Morristown. Lincoln Park (26.7%), Montville (26.8%), East Hanover (41.8%), Pequannock Township (29.2%), and Riverdale (33.5%) have significant Italian American populations, along with other northern and eastern communities, while the rest of the county is more mixed with populations of Irish and German ancestries. Wharton (20.8%), Denville (25.1%), and Mine Hill (23.5%) are Irish American.

The median income for a household in the county was $77,340, and the median income for a family was $89,773. Males had a median income of $60,165 versus $40,065 for females. The per capita income for the county was $36,964. About 2.4% of families and 3.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.7% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.^[33][34]

Housing Expense[]

By national standards, housing is expensive in Morris County. In 2018, the median house price in Morris County was $469,900, the 2nd highest in the state behind Bergen County (with a median home price of $476,200).^[35]

In the Forbes magazine 2012 ranking of the Most Expensive ZIP Codes in the United States, New Vernon (located within Harding Township) was ranked as the 32nd most expensive in the country, with a median home sale price of $2,701,885. There were a total of 6 Morris county zip codes listed in the top 500, which were Mountain Lakes (No. 288; $909,474), Mendham (includes both Mendham Borough and Mendham Township) (No. 356; $800,672), Chatham (includes both Chatham Borough and Chatham Township) (No. 375; $776,703), Florham Park (No. 440; $675,107), and Kinnelon (No. 462; $630,414).^[36]

In the magazine's 2006 listing, New Vernon (Harding Township) was ranked as the 23rd most expensive in the country, with its median home sale price in 2005 of $1,596,587 ranking as the state's 2nd highest behind Alpine located Bergen County. In all, 5 Morris County zip codes were represented on the list in addition to New Vernon, including Mendham (includes both Mendham Borough and Mendham Township) (ranked No. 209; median sale price of $835,000), Mountain Lakes (No. 217; $826,250), Green Village (located within portions of both Harding Township and Chatham Township) (No. 282; $777,465), and Chester (includes both Chester Borough and Chester Township) (No. 288; $775,000).^[37]

Government[]

Morris County is governed by a seven-member Board of County Commissioners, who are elected at-large to three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two or three seats up for election each year. The Commissioner Board sets policies for the operation of six super-departments, more than 30 divisions plus authorities, commissions, boards and study committees.^[38] Actual day-to-day operation of departments is supervised by County Administrator, John Bonanni.^[39] In 2016, freeholders were paid $24,375 and the freeholder director was paid an annual salary of $25,350.^[40]

As of 2021, Morris County's Commissioners are:^[41]

• Commissioner Director Stephen H. Shaw (R, Mountain Lakes, term as commissioner ends December 31, 2021; term as commissioner director ends December 31, 2021)^[42]
• Commissioner Deputy Director Deborah Smith (R, Denville, term as commissioner ends December 31, 2021; term as commissioner deputy director ends December 31, 2021)^[43]
• Douglas R. Cabana (R, Boonton Township, 2022)^[44]
• Kathryn A. DeFillippo (R, Roxbury, 2022)^[45]
• John Krickus (R, Washington Township, 2021)^[46]
• Thomas J. Mastrangelo (R, Montville, 2022)^[47]
• Tayfun Selen (R, Chatham Township, 2023)^[48]

Former freeholders[]

Former county freeholders include:^[49]

• 2018–2020: Heather Darling (R)
• 2013–2019: John Cesaro (R)
• 2012–2018: Hank Lyon (R)
• 2013–2015: David Scapicchio (R)
• 2007–2012: Eugene Feyl (R)
• 1999–2012: Margaret Nordstrom (R)
• 2006–2012: William Chegwidden (R)
• 1998–2012: John Murphy (R)
• 1999–2010: Jack Schrier (R)
• 2007–2010: James Murray (R)
• 2001–2007: John Inglesino (R)
• 1992–2006: Cecilia Laureys (R)
• 1984, 1992–2006: Frank Dreutzler (R)
• 1995–1997: Chris Christie (R)
• 1975–1978: Douglas Romaine (D)

Other officers[]

Pursuant to Article VII Section II of the New Jersey State Constitution, each county in New Jersey is required to have three elected administrative officials known as "constitutional officers". These officers are the County Clerk and County Surrogate (both elected for five-year terms of office) and the County Sheriff (elected for a three-year term).^[50] Morris County's constitutional officers are:^[51]

• County Clerk Ann F. Grossi (Parsippany, 2023)^[52][53]
• Sheriff James M. Gannon (Boonton, 2022)^[54][55]
• Surrogate Heather Darling (Roxbury, 2024)^[56][57]

The Acting County Prosecutor is Robert J. Carroll of Roseland, who was sworn into the position in October 2020 following the retirement of Frederic M. Knapp.^[58]

The Morris Automated Information Network, which supplies Internet service to area libraries, turned down $10,000 per year in federal funding, starting in 2004. Acceptance of the grants would have required the network to install anti-porn content filters to comply with the Children's Internet Protection Act. As these filters excluded legitimate information—such as pages with the word "breast" in online searches regarding "breast cancer"—the network declined to accept these grants.^[59]

Another organization having the power to affect the county budget without county governmental control is the Morris County Board of Taxation,^[60] (also called the Morris County Tax Board). "[T]he freeholders, and county government in general, do not have control over tax board spending. ... [T]he tax board is an entity of state government, even though it submits expense vouchers to county government."^[61]

Morris County is a part of Vicinage 10 of the New Jersey Superior Court (along with Sussex County), which is seated at the Morris County Courthouse in Morristown; the Assignment Judge for Vicinage 10 is Stuart A. Minkowitz.^[62] Law enforcement at the county level includes the Morris County Park Police and the Morris County Sheriff. The County law enforcement organization includes the Morris County Prosecutor's Office.

Federal Representation[]

The 7th and 11th Congressional Districts cover the county.^[63][64] For the 117th United States Congress. New Jersey's Seventh Congressional District is represented by Tom Malinowski (D, East Amwell Township).^[65] For the 117th United States Congress, New Jersey's Eleventh Congressional District is represented by Mikie Sherrill (D, Montclair).^[66]

State Representatives[]

The 39 municipalities of Morris County are represented by six separate legislative districts.^[67][68]

District	Senator[69]	Assembly[69]	Municipalties
21th	Thomas Kean Jr (R)	Jon Bramnick (R) Nancy Munoz (R)	Chatham Borough (8,635)[70] and Long Hill (8,590).[71] The remainder of this district covers portions of Somerset County and Union County.
24th	Steve Oroho (R)	Parker Space (R) Harold J Wirths (R)	Mount Olive (28,915).[72] The remainder of this district covers all of Sussex County and portions of Warren County.
25th	Tony Bucco (R)	Brian Bergen (R) Aura K. Dunn (R)	Boonton Town (8,398),[73] Boonton Township (4,292),[74] Chester Borough (1,653),[75] Chester Township (7,783),[76] Denville (16,606),[77] Dover (17,977),[78] Mendham Borough (4,917),[79] Mendham Township (5,755),[80] Mine Hill (3,530),[81] Morris Township (22,268),[82] Morristown Town (18,909),[83] Mount Arlington (5,637),[84] Mountain Lakes (4,270),[85] Netcong (3,177),[86] Randolph (25,549),[87] Rockaway Borough (6,384),[88] Roxbury Township (22,956),[89] Victory Gardens (1,505),[90] Washington Township (18,429)[91] and Wharton (6,474).[92] The remainder of this district covers a portion of Somerset County.
26th	Joesph Pennacchio (R)	BettyLou DeCrose (R) Jay Webber (R)	Butler (7,679),[93] Jefferson Township (21,035),[94] Kinnelon (10,054),[95] Lincoln Park (10,262),[96] Montville (21,371),[97] Morris Plains (5,748)[98] and Parsippany- Troy Hills (52,407)[99] and Rockaway Township (25,069).[100] The remainder of this district covers portions of Essex County and Passaic County.
27th	Richard Codey (D)	John F. McKeon (D) Mila Jasey (D)	Chatham Township (10,299),[101] East Hanover (11,072),[102] Florham Park (11,623),[103] Hanover Township (14,399),[104] Harding Township (3,806)[105] and Madison (16,377).[106] The remainder of this district covers portions of Essex County.
40th	Kristin Corrado (R)	Kevin J. Rooney (R) Christopher DePhillips (R)	Pequannock Township (15,191)[107] and Riverdale (4,197).[108] The remainder of this district covers portions of Bergen County, Essex County and Passaic County.

Politics[]

Though New Jersey is mainly a Democratic state, Morris County has generally leaned towards the Republican Party. The GOP has carried the county in all but three presidential elections since 1896, in 1912, 1964, and in 2020. Republicans hold every countywide elected office and the majority of the county's seats in the state legislature. The last Democrat to win a county office was Freeholder Douglas Romaine in 1973.^[109]

As of January 1, 2021, there were a total of 392,471 registered voters in Morris County, of which 134,408 (34.2%) were registered as Republicans, 113,629 (29%) were registered as Democrats, and 140,623 (35.8%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 3,811 (1%) voters registered to other parties.^[110]

In 2016, Hillary Clinton came closer than any Democrat to carrying the county since Lyndon Johnson's win in 1964, finishing just 4.2 percent behind Donald Trump. In 2020, Joe Biden accomplished that feat, carrying Morris County by 4.2 percent. Also in 2020, Cory Booker became the first Democrat to win Morris County in a Senate election since Bill Bradley in 1984.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 70% of the vote here (98,888 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 28.2% (39,824 votes), and other candidates with 1.8% (2,560 votes), among the 143,745 ballots cast by the county's 324,817 registered voters, yielding a 44.25% turnout.^[112] In the 2017 gubernatorial election, Republican Kim Guadagno received 53.08% of the vote (77,203 ballots cast), head of Democrat Phil Murphy with 45.04% (65,507 votes), and other candidates with 1.88% (2,742 votes).^[113]

Taxation[]

Based on IRS data for the 2004 tax year, Morris County had the tenth-highest average federal income tax liability per return in the country. Average tax liability was $15,296, representing 16.3% of Adjusted Gross Income.^[114] Mountain Lakes ranked among the highest annual property tax bills in New Jersey, and highest in Morris County, in 2018 of $20,471, compared to a statewide average of $8,767.^[115]

Economy[]

Morris County has the third-highest median household income in the United States ($77,340).^[116]

Based on data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Morris County had a gross domestic product (GDP) of $52.5 billion in 2018, which was ranked 3rd in the state behind Bergen and Middlesex counties and represented an increase of 1.7% from the previous year.^[117]

Business[]

Morris County is home to 33 Fortune 500 businesses that have headquarters, offices or a major facility in Morris County. These include AT&T, Honeywell, Colgate-Palmolive, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, ExxonMobil, Novartis, BASF, Verizon, and Bayer, among others.^[118] Major industries include finance, insurance, real estate, pharmaceuticals, health services, research and development, and technology. There are 13,000 acres (20 sq mi) set aside for 28 county parks. Four county golf courses and 16 public and private courses are in Morris.

Major employers in the county include:^[18]

#	Employer	# of employees
1	Novartis	5,000+
2	Atlantic Health System	2,500–4,999
3	Louis Berger Group	2,500–4,999
4	Picatinny Arsenal	2,500–4,999
5	Saint Clare's Hospital Inc.	2,500–4,999
6	UPS Logistics	1,000–2,499
7	Avis Budget Group	1,000–2,499
8	BASF Chemicals	1,000–2,499
9	ADP Services	1,000–2,499
10	AT&T Info Tech	1,000–2,499

Education[]

As of 2018, 56.1 percent of Morris County residents were college graduates, the 2nd highest percentage in the state behind neighboring Somerset County with 58.0 percent.^[35]

• The County College of Morris is a two-year public community college serving students from Morris County, with its main campus in Randolph and was founded in 1965.^[119]
• The Assumption College for Sisters is another two-year college, the private Roman Catholic women's college located in Mendham.^[120]

The Florham Park–Madison–Convent Station (Morris Township) area is also the home of three universities.

• The Florham Campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University, is located on the border of these three municipalities.^[121]
• Drew University is a small, private university in Madison.
• The College of Saint Elizabeth is a private Roman Catholic, four-year, liberal arts college located in Convent Station that has been coeducational starting in September 2016, after being women-only since it opened in 1899.^[122]

Arts and Culture[]

• Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) is a former Walter Reade movie theater originally constructed in 1937 that has been converted into a 1,302-seat performing arts center.^[123]
• Morris Museum – formally incorporated in 1943. The museum's permanent displays include rocks, minerals, fossils, animal mounts, a model railroad, and Native American crafts, pottery, carving, basketry and textiles.^[124]
• Morristown National Historical Park — Four historic sites around Morristown associated with the American Revolutionary War, including Jockey Hollow, a park that includes a visitor center, the Revolution-era Wick farm, encampment site of George Washington's Continental Army, and around 25 miles of hiking trails, and the Washington's Headquarters & Ford Mansion, a Revolution-era Georgian-style mansion used by George Washington as his headquarters during the Jockey Hollow encampment.
• Morristown Green – Park at the center of town which was the old town "common" or "green". It is the site of several Revolutionary War and Civil war monuments, and is surrounded by historic churches, the colonial county-courthouse, and a shopping and restaurant district.
• St. Peter's Episcopal Church — Large McKim Mead and White church with bell tower, fine stained glass and medieval furnishings.
• Acorn Hall – 1853 Victorian Italianate mansion and home to the Morris County Historical Society. Donated to the historical society in 1971 by Mary Crane Hone, the mansion retained much of its original furnishings and accouterments as it remained in the same family for over a century. It is currently operated as a museum and is the headquarters of the Morris County Historical Society.^[125]
• Speedwell Ironworks is a National Historic Landmark and museum at the site where the electric telegraph was first presented to the public, on January 11, 1838.^[126]
• Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, located in Madison is one of 25 professional theatres in the state. Serving 100,000 adults and children annually, it is New Jersey's only professional theatre company dedicated to Shakespeare's canon and other classic masterworks.^[127] The F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, the company's main stage, is a short walk from Madison's downtown shopping district.^[128]

Sports[]

The United States Equestrian Team, the international equestrian team for the United States, was founded in 1950 at the Coates estate on van Beuren Road in Morristown.^{[citation needed]}

Morristown has a cricketing club, the first in North America.^[129]

The Morristown 1776 Association Football Club is a soccer club that competes in the North Jersey Soccer League and MCSSA.

Parks[]

The County boasts 13,000 acres that encompass 28 parks making it the largest county park system in New Jersey based on acreage.^[130][131] Notably, Morristown National Historical Park became the country's first National Historical Park in 1933.^[132]

Other points of interest[]

• Morris County Golf Club, founded in 1894, was unique at the time in that it was established and operated by women. Two of the club's presidents have served as United States Golf Association presidents, which the club joined in 1895. The current course was designed in 1916 by architect Seth Raynor. The current clubhouse was built in 1919.
• Rockaway Townsquare located in Rockaway Township is a super-regional mall anchored by Macy's, Lord & Taylor, J. C. Penney, & Sears with a gross leasable area of 1,248,000 square feet (115,900 m²),^[133] placing it in the top ten among the largest shopping malls in New Jersey.

Municipalities[]

Municipalities in Morris County (with 2010 Census data for population, housing units and area) are:^[134]

Municipality (with map key)		Municipal type	Population	Housing Units	Total Area	Water Area	Land Area	Pop. Density	Housing Density	Communities[135]
Boonton	15	town	8,347	3,398	2.51	0.17	2.34	3,574.6	1,455.2
Boonton Township	22	township	4,263	1,647	8.63	0.39	8.24	517.2	199.8
Butler	18	borough	7,539	3,169	2.09	0.05	2.04	3,703.2	1,556.6
Chatham Borough	1	borough	8,962	3,210	2.42	0.05	2.37	3,776.1	1,352.5
Chatham Township	38	township	10,452	4,128	9.36	0.38	8.98	1,164.2	459.8	Green Village
Chester Borough	7	borough	1,649	647	1.60	0.00	1.59	1,034.8	406.0
Chester Township	29	township	7,838	2,697	29.46	0.09	29.38	266.8	91.8
Denville Township	31	township	16,635	6,734	12.64	0.77	11.87	1,401.8	567.4	Cedar Lake Estling Lake Indian Lake Lake Arrowhead Union Hill
Dover	11	town	18,157	5,783	2.73	0.05	2.68	6,765.5	2,154.8
East Hanover Township	33	township	11,157	3,976	8.14	0.24	7.89	1,413.7	503.8
Florham Park	3	borough	11,696	4,201	7.54	0.25	7.29	1,604.9	576.4
Hanover Township	34	township	13,712	5,526	10.73	0.20	10.52	1,302.8	525.0	Cedar Knolls Whippany
Harding Township	37	township	3,838	1,610	20.44	0.53	19.92	192.7	80.8	Green Village New Vernon
Jefferson Township	24	township	21,314	8,597	43.11	3.98	39.13	544.7	219.7	Picatinny Arsenal Russia
Kinnelon	17	borough	10,248	3,600	19.19	1.20	17.99	569.7	200.1	Smoke Rise
Lincoln Park	16	borough	10,521	4,145	6.91	0.53	6.38	1,649.0	649.7
Long Hill Township	39	township	8,702	3,226	12.14	0.29	11.85	734.3	272.2	Gillette Millington Stirling
Madison	2	borough	15,845	5,775	4.22	0.01	4.21	3,767.9	1,373.3
Mendham Borough	6	borough	4,981	1,798	6.00	0.05	5.95	837.1	302.2
Mendham Township	36	township	5,869	2,062	18.10	0.23	17.87	328.4	115.4	Brookside
Mine Hill Township	25	township	3,651	1,380	3.03	0.09	2.94	1,241.6	469.3
Montville	21	township	21,528	7,823	19.06	0.58	18.48	1,165.0	423.3	Pine Brook Towaco
Morris Plains	5	borough	5,532	2,197	2.59	0.04	2.56	2,163.5	859.2
Morris Township	35	township	22,306	8,502	15.76	0.14	15.62	1,428.3	544.4	Convent Station Washington Valley
Morristown	4	town	18,411	8,172	3.03	0.10	2.93	6,284.9	2,789.6
Mount Arlington	9	borough	5,050	2,545	2.92	0.75	2.17	2,325.2	1,171.8
Mount Olive Township	27	township	28,117	11,244	31.08	1.67	29.41	956.1	382.4	Budd Lake CDP (8,968) Flanders
Mountain Lakes	14	borough	4,160	1,363	2.89	0.27	2.62	1,590.3	521.1
Netcong	8	borough	3,232	1,449	0.92	0.07	0.84	3,828.4	1,716.4
Parsippany-Troy Hills Township	32	township	53,238	21,274	25.39	1.83	23.56	2,259.3	902.8	Greystone Park Lake Hiawatha
Pequannock Township	20	township	15,540	6,794	7.17	0.42	6.75	2,302.7	1,006.7	Pompton Plains
Randolph	30	township	25,734	9,343	21.07	0.25	20.82	1,235.9	448.7	Ironia Mount Freedom Shongum
Riverdale	19	borough	3,559	1,657	2.09	0.07	2.01	1,766.5	822.5
Rockaway Borough	13	borough	6,438	2,521	2.12	0.05	2.07	3,106.7	1,216.5
Rockaway Township	23	township	24,156	9,587	45.55	4.14	41.40	583.4	231.6	Green Pond Hibernia Lake Telemark CDP (1,255) Picatinny Arsenal White Meadow Lake CDP (8,836)
Roxbury Township	26	township	23,324	8,582	21.89	1.06	20.83	1,119.9	412.1	Flanders Kenvil CDP (3,009) Landing Ledgewood Port Morris Succasunna CDP (9,152)
Victory Gardens	12	borough	1,520	566	0.15	0.00	0.15	10,419.2	3,879.8
Washington Township	28	township	18,533	6,488	44.77	0.38	44.39	417.5	146.2	Long Valley CDP (1,879) Middle Valley Pottersville Schooley's Mountain Scrappy Corner
Wharton	10	borough	6,522	2,426	2.22	0.07	2.15	3,039.0	1,130.4
Morris		county	492,276	189,842	481.62	21.45	460.18	1,069.8	412.5

Transportation[]

Roads and highways[]

As of 2010, the county had a total of 2,527.39 miles (4,067.44 km) of roadways, of which 2,070.57 miles (3,332.26 km) are maintained by the local municipality, 295.54 miles (475.63 km) by Morris County and 161.28 miles (259.56 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.^[136]

Morris County is served by several major roadways including:

• Interstate 80
• Interstate 280
• Interstate 287
• U.S. Route 46
• U.S. Route 202
• U.S. Route 206
• Route 10
• Route 15
• Route 23
• Route 159 (Only in Montville)
• Route 181 (Only in Jefferson Township)
• Route 24
• Route 124
• County Route 513
• County Route 517 (Only in Washington Township)
• County Route 510

Public transportation[]

NJ Transit also provides rail service with Morris County via its Morris & Essex Lines and Montclair-Boonton Line to Hoboken Terminal and to New York City via its Midtown Direct service. Rail stations are located in the county providing electrified train service seven days a week from: Chatham, Madison, Convent Station, Morristown, Morris Plains, Denville, and Dover on NJ Transit's Morris & Essex Lines; electrified train service seven days a week from Gillette, Millington and Stirling on the Gladstone Branch; and diesel train service (weekdays only) from Mount Arlington, Lake Hopatcong, Netcong, Mount Olive, Mountain Lakes, Boonton, Towaco (Montville) and Lincoln Park.^{[137][138][139]}

Bus transportation is also offered by several carriers including Lakeland Bus Company and NJ Transit.^[140]

Air[]

Morristown Municipal Airport is a general aviation reliever airport located 3 miles (4.8 km) east of downtown Morristown. Operated by DM Airports, Ltd, it is in the Whippany section of Hanover Township.^[141]

Local media[]

• WMTR is an AM radio station at 1250 kHz is licensed to Morristown and features an oldies format.^[142]
• WDHA is an FM radio station (105.5 FM) broadcasting from Dover with their main studios in Cedar Knolls, featuring a rock format.^[143]
• WJSV radio and television (90.5 FM) is also in Morristown,^[144] the non-profit radio station of Morristown High School, which also has a television show which is shown on cable television, Colonial Corner.
• The Morristown Daily Record and The Star-Ledger and New Jersey Hills Media are published locally.
• Hometown Tales, a Public-access television cable TV show and podcast chronicling stories and urban legends from around the world, is loosely based in Morristown.

Climate and weather[]

Morristown, New Jersey
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     4.5     38 18     3.1     41 19     4.4     50 27     4.6     61 36     5.1     71 46     4.4     80 54     5.3     85 59     4.4     83 58     5.3     75 51     4.2     65 39     4.4     54 32     4.1     43 23 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches Source: The Weather Channel[145]
showMetric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     114     3 −8     79     5 −7     112     10 −3     118     16 2     129     22 8     112     27 12     134     29 15     111     28 14     135     24 11     106     18 4     111     12 0     104     6 −5 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Morristown have ranged from a low of 18 to 23 °F (−8 to −5 °C) in January to a high of 83 to 85 °F (28 to 29 °C) in July, although a record low of −26 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in February 1934 and a record high of 104 °F (40 °C) was recorded in August 2001. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 3.12 inches (79 mm) in February to 5.33 inches (135 mm) in September.^[145]

See also[]

• Fire departments of Morris County, New Jersey
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Morris County, New Jersey
• Sheep Hill Observatory
• Whippany River Watershed Action Committee

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Morris County, New Jersey.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Morris County.

• Morris County Home Page Archived 2015-11-27 at the Wayback Machine
• Morris County Economic Development Corporation
• Morris County Visitors Center
• History of Morris County, New Jersey
• Morris County Library
• Morris County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC)