Bethlehem Township, New Jersey


Bethlehem Township is a township in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 3,979, reflecting an increase of 159 from the 3,820 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 716 from the 3,104 counted in the 1990 Census.

History

Bethlehem was first mentioned in official records dating back to 1730, though details of its formation are uncertain. Bethlehem was incorporated as one of New Jersey's initial 104 townships by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798. Portions of the township were taken to form Kingwood Township, Alexandria Township, Union Township, Junction borough, Bloomsbury and Glen Gardner.
The township was named for the city of Bethlehem.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 20.828 square miles, including 20.711 square miles of land and 0.117 square miles of water.
The township is an exurb of New York City, lying on the western fringe of the New York metropolitan area, as part of the Newark-Union, NJ-PA Metropolitan Division, which is in turn a part of the New York City Metropolitan Area.
The Musconetcong River forms the township's northern border with Warren County. The northern half of the Township consists of the Musconetcong Valley while the southern half is covered by the Musconetcong Mountains. The southwest corner of the township lies on what is known as the Hunterdon Plateau. The landscape is mainly rural in nature, featuring farms and forests, scattered with newer housing developments and older farm homes.
Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Charlestown, Jugtown, Ludlow, Polktown, Swinesburg, Valley and West Portal.
The township borders the municipalities of Alexandria Township, Bloomsbury, Glen Gardner, Hampton, Holland Township, Lebanon Township, Union Township in Hunterdon County; and Franklin Township, Pohatcong Township and Washington Township in Warren County.

Mailing addresses

Residents and businesses in Bethlehem Township have mailing addresses to nearby towns including Bloomsbury, Clinton, Glen Gardner, Hampton, and even Asbury, as "Bethlehem Township" itself is not a mailing address.

Climate

Bethlehem Township falls under the "Northern New Jersey" climate zone. According to the Office of the New Jersey State Climatologist at Rutgers University, the Northern climate zone covers about one-quarter of New Jersey and consists mainly of elevated highlands and valleys which are part of the Appalachian Uplands. Surrounded by land, this region can be characterized as having a continental climate with minimal influence from the Atlantic Ocean, except when the winds contain an easterly component. Prevailing winds are from the southwest in summer and from the northwest in winter. Being in the northernmost portion of the state, and with small mountains up to 1,800 feet in elevation, the Northern Zone normally exhibits a colder temperature regime than other climate regions of the State of New Jersey. This difference is most dramatic in winter when average temperatures in the Northern Zone can be more than ten degrees Fahrenheit cooler than in the Coastal Zone. Annual snowfall averages 40 to 50 inches in the northern zone as compared with an average of 10-15 inches in the extreme south.
Bethlehem Township falls under the USDA 6a Plant Hardiness zone.

Wildlife and ecosystem

Various animals are native to central-western New Jersey, including red fox, black bear, groundhogs, wild turkeys, deer, squirrels, chipmunks, a variety of birds, and a plethora of insects and vegetation. There are also some fish in the streams of the county.
Trees include deciduous varieties and evergreen varieties.
Black bears are the largest land mammals in New Jersey and are known to be most abundant in the northern-western regions of the state, including Bethlehem Township.

Demographics

Census 2010

The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that median household income was $127,540 and the median family income was $130,580. Males had a median income of $95,694 versus $70,069 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $44,477. About 0.6% of families and 1.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.1% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Census 2000

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 3,820 people, 1,266 households, and 1,092 families residing in the township. The population density was 183.3 people per square mile. There were 1,303 housing units at an average density of 62.5 per square mile. The racial makeup of the township was 97.51% White, 0.86% African American, 0.10% Native American, 1.02% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.03% from other races, and 0.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.62% of the population.
There were 1,266 households out of which 43.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 80.3% were married couples living together, 3.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 13.7% were non-families. 10.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.02 and the average family size was 3.26.
In the township the population was spread out with 29.5% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 6.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.9 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $88,048, and the median income for a family was $92,768. Males had a median income of $69,063 versus $41,806 for females. The per capita income for the township was $35,298. None of the families and 1.0% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 10.0% of those over 64.
Most common first ancestries reported in Bethlehem Township were German, Italian, Irish, Polish, English, United States or American, French .
Most common places of birth for the foreign-born residents were India, Germany, United Kingdom, Austria, Russia, Poland, Netherlands.

Parks and recreation

Covering more than, Spruce Run State Park and Reservoir, part of the New Jersey State Park system, is located near Bethlehem Township in close by Clinton Township. It is possible to walk or bike to Spruce Run from Bethlehem Township.

Government

Local government

Bethlehem Township is governed under the Township form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 141 of 565 municipalities 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 as Deputy Mayor.
, members of the Bethlehem Township Committee are Mayor Walter F. Baumgarten, Deputy Mayor Arthur G. Randolph, Steve Keefe and Jose Medeiros and Paul J. Muir.
At a special meeting in July 2015, The Township Committee selected Jose Medeiros to fill the seat expiring in December 2017 that was vacated earlier that month following the resignation of John Graefe, who was moving out of the township.
Bethlehem Township's municipal buildings are located on Mine Road.

Federal, state and county representation

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

Politics

As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 2,814 registered voters in Bethlehem Township, of which 514 were registered as Democrats, 1,113 were registered as Republicans and 1,186 were registered as Unaffiliated. There was one voter registered to another party.
In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 61.2% of the vote, ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 37.0%, and other candidates with 1.8%, among the 2,172 ballots cast by the township's 2,954 registered voters, for a turnout of 73.5%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 58.9% of the vote here, ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 38.2% and other candidates with 2.2%, among the 2,343 ballots cast by the township's 2,927 registered voters, for a turnout of 80.0%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 61.6% of the vote here, outpolling Democrat John Kerry with 37.1% and other candidates with 1.3%, among the 2,239 ballots cast by the township's 2,692 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 83.2.
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 73.8% of the vote, ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 23.1%, and other candidates with 3.1%, among the 1,349 ballots cast by the township's 2,934 registered voters, for a turnout of 46.0%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 66.4% of the vote here, ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 21.9%, Independent Chris Daggett with 8.9% and other candidates with 1.2%, among the 1,703 ballots cast by the township's 2,855 registered voters, yielding a 59.6% turnout.

Education

Students in public school for pre-kindergarten through eighth grade attend the schools of the Bethlehem Township School District. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 358 students and 45.0 classroom teachers, for a student–teacher ratio of 8.0:1. Schools in the district are
Thomas B. Conley Elementary School with 233 students in grades PreK-5 and
Ethel Hoppock Middle School with 121 students in grades 6–8.
Public school students in ninth through twelfth grades attend North Hunterdon High School in Annandale, which also serves students from Clinton Town, Clinton Township, Franklin Township, Lebanon Borough and Union Township. As of the 2018–19 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 1,584 students and 123.2 classroom teachers, for a student–teacher ratio of 12.9:1. The school is part of the North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional High School District, which also includes students from Califon, Glen Gardner, Hampton, High Bridge, Lebanon Township and Tewksbury Township, who attend Voorhees High School.
Eighth grade students from all of Hunterdon County are eligible to apply to attend the high school programs offered by the Hunterdon County Vocational School District, a county-wide vocational school district that offers career and technical education at its campuses in Raritan Township and at programs sited at local high schools, with no tuition charged to students for attendance.

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the township had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Hunterdon County and by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
Bethlehem Township is well-connected to major metropolitan areas and cities via Interstate 78 / U.S. 22 and Route 173. While I-78/US 22 pass through without any interchanges, the nearest exit is just outside the township in bordering Bloomsbury and Union Township.
Anderson Road, located within Bethlehem Township, begins in neighboring Union Township and ends in Bethlehem Township as a dead-end, or cul-de-sac. Consequently, Anderson Road cannot be accessed internally through Bethlehem Township; it can only be accessed through Union Township.

Public transportation

Public transportation is limited to The LINK, a public bus service which serves Hunterdon County. Fares range from about $2.00 to $10.00. Funding for operation of the Hunterdon County LINK System is provided by Hunterdon County, NJ Transit and the Federal Transit Administration.

Rail / Lehigh Line

The Norfolk Southern Railway's Lehigh Line, runs through Bethlehem Township on its way to Phillipsburg, New Jersey.

Notable people

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