Hanover Township, New Jersey

Hanover Township is a township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 13,712, reflecting an increase of 814 (+6.3%) from the 12,898 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 1,360 (+11.8%) from the 11,538 counted in the 1990 Census. The township comprises the unincorporated communities of Whippany and Cedar Knolls.

Located just north of the historic town of Morristown (separated by a thin strip of Morris Township) and adjacent to the regional Morristown Municipal Airport, Hanover Township offers many public attractions including the Whippany Railway Museum, the Frelinghuysen Arboretum and the Morris County Library. Patriots' Path, a wilderness walkway and bike trail that stretches for , also passes through the township along the Whippany River.

History

Hanover Township is the site of the first settlement in northwest New Jersey. New Englanders established a settlement along the Whippany River in 1685 near the current location of the old Whippany Cemetery on Route 10.

Once the Province of West Jersey purchased the land from the local Lenape Native Americans, the original County of Morris was created and comprised all of what is now Morris, Sussex and Warren Counties. The counties were partitioned into townships. Morris' original township was 'Whippenny' which itself comprised all of what is now Morris County.

The name "Hanover" was taken from the House of Hanover in Germany. This namesake was given to the Township of Hanover on December 7, 1720, as a sign of respect to George I of Great Britain who was of the House of Hanover and who ruled over the American colonies in the eighteenth century. Its size has been considerably decreased as the population of the area has increased since the creation of Hanover Township in 1720 and its incorporation on March 25, 1740, with the formation of Morris County. Originally encompassing all of Morris County and parts of Sussex and Warren County, Hanover Township became too unwieldy for a single local government to maintain. The Township was subdivided into smaller municipalities that could provide more responsive local control despite placing greater demands on the local tax base to support new facilities for each.

Portions of the township were taken to form Mendham Township on March 29, 1749. Hanover Township was established by the Township Act of 1798 of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798. Additional portions of the township were taken to form Chatham Township (February 12, 1806), Rockaway Township (April 8, 1844), Boonton Town (March 16, 1866), Mountain Lakes (April 29, 1924), Morris Plains (April 15, 1926), East Hanover Township and Parsippany-Troy Hills Township (which both split off on May 9, 1928).Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 193. Accessed October 26, 2012.

During the Revolutionary War, George Washington and his troops often camped in, and marched through, Hanover Township.

The name Whippany is adapted from the Native American word ''Whippanong'' which means “place of the arrow wood".

The old settlements of Monroe and Malapardis were consumed by development and what remains are two communities—Whippany and Cedar Knolls—which are roughly separated by Interstate 287.

The Malapardis area of Cedar Knolls is primarily located around Malapardis Road. A section of Malapardis, even though it is in Hanover Township's borders, has a Morris Plains mailing zip code. Another section of Cedar Knolls is called Trailwood which has a section of its land in a Morris Plains ZIP code, the area closest to American Way.

The Monroe area of Whippany is located around Whippany Road and Cedar Knolls Road, marked by a building in the intersection named Monroe Hall.

Until the post-World War II suburbanization of New Jersey, Hanover Township was a sparsely populated industrial town known for its iron works and paper mills. This industry was driven by the ever-present power of the Whippany River. Over the second half of the twentieth century, the Township became thoroughly suburban.

Lucent Technologies had a large facility in Whippany. The first demonstration of long distance television transmission in the United States took place in 1927, with a transmission that went via wire from Washington, D.C., to New York, and from Whippany to New York using radio.

The Seeing Eye, the first guide dog school for the blind in the United States, was located in Whippany between 1931 and 1966, before moving to its current campus in nearby Morris Township.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 10.75 square miles (27.83 km²), including 10.52 square miles (27.23 km²) of land and 0.23 square miles (0.59 km²) of water (2.14%).

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Balls Mills, Black Meadows, Cedar Knolls, Eden Mill, Horse Hill, Jefferson, Lee Meadows, Malapardis, Monroe and Whippany.

Hanove Township borders the Morris County municipalities of East Hanover Township, Florham Park, Morris Plains, Morris Township and Parsippany-Troy Hills Township.

Demographics

Census 2010

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $100,962 (with a margin of error of +/− $6,654) and the median family income was $115,341 (+/− $10,572). Males had a median income of $76,766 (+/− $2,263) versus $61,441 (+/− $5,321) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $44,123 (+/− $2,675). About 1.5% of families and 2.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.5% of those under age 18 and 1.9% of those age 65 or over.

Census 2000

At the 2000 United States Census there were 12,898 people, 4,745 households and 3,620 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,209.6 per square mile (467.2/km²). There were 4,818 housing units at an average density of 451.8 per square mile (174.5/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 88.79% White, 1.09% African American, 0.05% Native American, 8.71% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.59% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.50% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Hanover township, New Jersey
, United States Census Bureau. Accessed October 31, 2016.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Hanover township, Morris County, New Jersey
, United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 18, 2012.

There were 4,745 households, of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.8% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.7% were non-families. 19.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.13.

Age distribution was 22.8% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.

The median household income was $84,115, and the median family income was $93,937. Males had a median income of $59,278 versus $40,799 for females. The per capita income for the township was $37,661. About 0.7% of families and 1.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.0% of those under age 18 and 1.4% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

The township is home to the Whippany-based Hanover Wind Symphony, which was established in 1985.

Sports

Home of the 2017 Junior Pee Wee Division Youth Football National Champions sponsored by the NFL Hall of Fame.

Parks and recreation

Municipal parks and recreational facilities include:
*Bee Meadow Park / Brickyard Field
*Bee Meadow Pool
*Blackbrook Park
*Central Park
*Malapardis Park
*Monroe Hall and Park
*Township Community Center
* New York Red Bulls training facility

Government

Local government

Hanover 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.''2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book'', Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, March 2013, p. 121. A Mayor and Deputy Mayor are selected at the annual reorganization meeting by the committeemen from among the members of the Township Committee.

, members of the Township Committee are Mayor John L. Ferramosca ( R, term on committee ends December 31, 2024; term as mayor ends 2022), Deputy Mayor Thomas A. "Ace" Gallagher (R, term on committee and as deputy mayor ends 2022), Brian J. Cahill (R, 2023), Ronald F. Francioli (R, 2022), Michael A. Mihalko (R, 2023).Township Committee
Township of Hanover. Accessed June 24, 2022.''Morris County Manual 2022''
Morris County, New Jersey