Basking Ridge is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Bernards Township in the Somerset Hills region of Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Settled during colonial times, Basking Ridge is in the Raritan Valley and is a commercial hub for northern-central New Jersey and is a commuter town of New York City. It was home to the old AT&T Headquarters, now operated by Verizon. Basking Ridge is the current headquarters for Collabera, Verizon Wireless, Peraton Labs, Lawyer.com, and Barnes & Noble College Booksellers. The community also hosts a train station along the Gladstone Branch (one of the two branches of the Morris & Essex Lines), which connects to Hoboken Terminal and New York Penn Station. The community of Basking Ridge is part of greater Bernards Township, which also includes the neighborhoods of Liberty Corner, Lyons and West Millington. It was first listed as a CDP in the 2020 census with a population of 7,196.

History

Basking Ridge was originally settled in the 1720s by British Presbyterians escaping religious persecution. The land was bought from the Lenape Native Americans. Bernards Township was officially chartered on May 21, 1760, granted by King George II and granted to Sir Francis Bernard, first governor of the noted section which includes Basking Ridge. On the morning of December 13, 1776, General Charles Lee was captured by the British at Widow White's tavern. Lee had ranked next to Washington in command. A referendum to create an independent borough of Basking Ridge failed in June 1921. Voters rejected the proposed borough by a more than 4–1 margin. The downtown area of Bernards Township known as Basking Ridge was added to the New Jersey and National Registries as a Historic District. on August 8, 1974.

Demographics

Basking Ridge first appeared as a census designated place in the 2020 U.S. Census.

2020 census

Prior to 2020, demographic data was based on the United States Census Bureau figures for the ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) for the 07920 ZIP Code. As of the 2010 census, the population for the ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) 07920 was 26,747.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census there were 24,600 people, 9,300 households, and 6,517 families residing in the ZCTA. The population density was 1,137.1 PD/sqmi. There were 9,537 housing units at an average density of 440.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the ZCTA was 89.2% Caucasian, 1.4% African American, 0.1% Native American, 7.8% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.4% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. 2.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 9,300 households, out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.8% were married couples living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.15. In the ZCTA the population was spread out, with 27.3% under the age of 18, 3.2% from 18 to 24 , 31.2% from 25 to 44 , 25.4% from 45 to 64 , and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.3 years. The median income for a household in the ZCTA was $105,471, and the median income for a family was $131,618. Males had a median income of $93,436 versus $60,101 for females. The per capita income for the ZCTA was $54,753. 1.4% of the population and 0.6% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 1.2% of those under the age of 18 and 2.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Arts and culture

Cultural events

Basking Ridge has an annual event in May called Charter Day. Many rides are set up in the Oak Street field—a bounce house, inflatable race tracks, and spinning rides. Also, in the center of the town hundreds of stands are set up mostly promoting school sports, but there are also many kettle corn stands, which is a traditional food children eat during Charter Day. At night, the traditional Battle of the Bands takes place, which many teenagers sign up for to play their favorite songs.

Historic sites

National Register of Historic Places

Basking Ridge has several properties on the National Register of Historic Places.

Parks and recreation

There are several parks within Basking Ridge. Four are county parks: Lord Stirling Park, Rebel Hill, Southard, and Harry Dunham. The fifth is Pleasant Valley Park which contains the town pool and miles of woodchip trails.

Education

Bernards High School was founded by the Bernards Township Board of Education in 1924. When Bernardsville separated from Bernards Township, the schools still remained one system until 1947 when the original high school became the property of Bernardsville. From 1948, however, township students continued attending Bernards High School as tuition students. In 1960, a contract was issued for the construction of a new Ridge High School and Cedar Hill School which were built on approximately 60 acre of land. William Annin Middle School was originally named after a colonial patriot who settled in Basking Ridge in 1722. Construction started in 1968 and the school was dedicated on September 28, 1969, as William Annin Junior High School and contained grades 6 through 8. The following year it shifted to grades 7 through 9. It became a middle school in 1982. It currently contains grades 6 through 8. The school is one of the few in the United States to have a seismograph. There are four elementary schools in Basking Ridge. Saint James School is a parochial elementary school for students in preschool through eighth grade that operates under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen. In 2024, the school was one of 11 statewide that was recognized as a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the United States Department of Education.

Transportation

Trains

NJ Transit's Gladstone Branch runs through Basking Ridge. There are two stations that residents can use to get to New York City and Hoboken Terminal:

Buses

Lakeland Bus Lines (Route 78) provides service to and from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan during peak commuting hours.

Roads and highways

Two Interstates are located near Basking Ridge:

Notable people

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