Washington Township is a township in Warren County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 6,492, a decrease of 159 (−2.4%) from the 2010 census count of 6,651, which in turn reflected an increase of 403 (+6.5%) from the 6,248 counted in the 2000 census. The township is one of six municipalities in New Jersey under the name Washington (one of which is a borough, five of which are townships). Washington Township, Warren County completely surrounds the borough of Washington. Mansfield Township, also in Warren County, borders both this municipality and another Washington Township in Morris County. Washington Township was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 9, 1849, from portions of Mansfield Township. Portions of the township were taken on February 20, 1868, to create Washington Borough. The township was named for George Washington, one of more than ten communities statewide named for the first president. It is one of five municipalities in the state of New Jersey with the name "Washington Township". Another municipality, Washington Borough, is completely surrounded by Washington Township.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 18.05 square miles (46.75 km2), including 17.96 square miles (46.52 km2) of land and 0.09 square miles (0.23 km2) of water (0.49%). Brass Castle (with a 2010 Census population of 1,555 ) and Port Colden (2010 population of 122 ) are unincorporated communities and census-designated places (CDPs) located within the township. Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Bowerstown, Butlers Park, Changewater, Fort Golden, Imlaydale, and Pleasant Valley. Washington Township borders the municipalities of Franklin Township, Mansfield Township, Oxford Township and White Township in Warren County; and Bethlehem Township, Hampton and Lebanon Township in Hunterdon County. The borough of Washington is completely surrounded by Washington Township, making it part of 21 pairs of "doughnut towns" in the state, where one municipality entirely surrounds another.

Demographics

The township's economic data (as is all of Warren County) is calculated by the US Census Bureau as part of the Lehigh Valley / Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ Metropolitan Statistical Area.

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 6,651 people, 2,380 households, and 1,899 families in the township. The population density was 376.6 per square mile (145.4/km2). There were 2,493 housing units at an average density of 141.1 per square mile (54.5/km2). The racial makeup was 93.46% (6,216) White, 2.50% (166) Black or African American, 0.24% (16) Native American, 1.91% (127) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 0.65% (43) from other races, and 1.25% (83) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.39% (292) of the population. Of the 2,380 households, 35.0% had children under the age of 18; 69.0% were married couples living together; 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present and 20.2% were non-families. Of all households, 16.5% were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.14. 24.8% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 22.5% from 25 to 44, 32.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.2 years. For every 100 females, the population had 94.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 93.2 males. The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $91,893 (with a margin of error of +/− $5,743) and the median family income was $99,332 (+/− $12,641). Males had a median income of $78,417 (+/− $14,664) versus $51,186 (+/− $17,904) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $39,873 (+/− $3,286). About 2.9% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

As of the 2000 United States census there were 6,248 people, 2,099 households, and 1,740 families residing in the township. The population density was 355.5 PD/sqmi. There were 2,174 housing units at an average density of 123.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the township was 95.98% White, 1.71% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.94% Asian, 0.50% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.16% of the population. There were 2,099 households, out of which 43.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.7% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.1% were non-families. 14.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.26. In the township the population was spread out, with 30.0% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.6 males. The median income for a household in the township was $77,458, and the median income for a family was $84,348. Males had a median income of $54,321 versus $35,056 for females. The per capita income for the township was $29,141. About 3.0% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.2% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

Washington Township is governed under the township form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 141 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form, the second-most commonly used form of government in the state. The Township Committee is comprised of five members, who are elected directly by the voters at-large in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle. At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor and another to serve as Deputy Mayor. , members of the Washington Township Committee are Mayor Robert J. Klingel (R, term on committee and as mayor ends December 31, 2022), Deputy mayor Mark Rossi (R, term on committee and as deputy mayor ends 2022), Ralph P. Fiore Jr. (R, 2024), Michael A. Kovacs (R, 2023) and George J. Willan (R, 2024). In February 2016, the Township Committee unanimously selected George Willian from a list of three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2018 that had been vacated by Nancy Andreson when she resigned for personal reasons shortly after taking office; Willan served on an interim basis until the November 2016 general election, when he was elected to serve the two years remaining on the term of office. In December 2013, the Township Council chose Theresa Iacobucci from among three candidates offered by the Republican municipal committee to fill the vacant seat of John A. Horensky following his resignation. Iacobucci served on an interim basis until the November 2014 general election, when she was elected to serve the balance of the term through December 2015

Federal, state, and county representation

Washington Township is located in the 7th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 23rd state legislative district.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 3,790 registered voters in Washington, of which 736 (19.4% vs. 21.5% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 1,136 (30.0% vs. 35.3%) were registered as Republicans and 1,917 (50.6% vs. 43.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There was one voter registered to another party. Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 58.7% (vs. 62.3% in Warren County) were registered to vote, including 77.1% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 81.5% countywide). In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 63.1% of the vote (2,001 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 35.3% (1,118 votes), and other candidates with 1.6% (51 votes), among the 3,217 ballots cast by the township's 4,640 registered voters (47 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 69.3%. In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 1,160 votes here (48.5% vs. 56.0% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 1,158 votes (48.4% vs. 40.8%) and other candidates with 41 votes (1.7% vs. 1.7%), among the 2,391 ballots cast by the borough's 3,863 registered voters, for a turnout of 61.9% (vs. 66.7% in Warren County). In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 1,256 votes here (48.1% vs. 41.4% countywide), ahead of Republican John McCain with 1,249 votes (47.9% vs. 55.2%) and other candidates with 43 votes (1.6% vs. 1.6%), among the 2,609 ballots cast by the borough's 3,730 registered voters, for a turnout of 69.9% (vs. 73.4% in Warren County). In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 1,477 votes here (58.1% vs. 61.0% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 1,021 votes (40.2% vs. 37.2%) and other candidates with 29 votes (1.1% vs. 1.3%), among the 2,540 ballots cast by the borough's 3,518 registered voters, for a turnout of 72.2% (vs. 76.3% in the whole county). In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 76.2% of the vote (1,432 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 21.2% (398 votes), and other candidates with 2.7% (50 votes), among the 1,924 ballots cast by the township's 4,652 registered voters (44 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 41.4%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 960 votes here (57.6% vs. 61.3% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 482 votes (28.9% vs. 25.7%), Independent Chris Daggett with 167 votes (10.0% vs. 9.8%) and other candidates with 22 votes (1.3% vs. 1.5%), among the 1,666 ballots cast by the borough's 3,646 registered voters, yielding a 45.7% turnout (vs. 49.6% in the county).

Education

Students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade attend public school in the Washington Township School District. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 422 students and 46.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.2:1. Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are Port Colden School with 163 students in grades 1–3 and Brass Castle School with 258 students in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and grades 4–6. Public school students in seventh through twelfth grades attend the schools of the Warren Hills Regional School District, which also serves students from the municipalities of Franklin Township, Mansfield Township and Washington Borough, along with those from Oxford Township who attend for grades 9–12 only. Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are Warren Hills Regional Middle School located in Washington Borough with 542 students in grades 7–8 and Warren Hills Regional High School located in Washington Township with 1,205 students in grades 9–12. Seats on the high school district's nine-member board of education are allocated to the constituent municipalities based on population, with three seats allocated to Washington Township. Students from the township and from all of Warren County are eligible to attend Ridge and Valley Charter School in Frelinghuysen Township (for grades K–8) or Warren County Technical School in Washington borough (for 9–12), with special education services provided by local districts supplemented throughout the county by the Warren County Special Services School District in Oxford Township (for PreK–12).

Transportation

, the township had a total of 65.77 mi of roadways, of which 35.61 mi were maintained by the municipality, 22.92 mi by Warren County and 7.24 mi by the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Public transportation is available along Route 31 and Route 57, which are the main highways serving the township. The Route 57 shuttle runs between Washington and Philipsburg Monday-Saturday, and between Washington and Hackettstown Monday-Friday. The Route 31 shuttle operates between the Clinton Park & Ride on the southern end and Oxford Township on the northern end Monday-Friday.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Washington Township include:

Wineries

Surrounding communities

Also, the township completely surrounds the borough of Washington.