Vernon Township, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vernon Township, New Jersey
Township
Along CR 517 and NJ 94
Seal
Map of Vernon Township in Sussex County. Inset: Location of Sussex County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Vernon Township, New Jersey
Vernon Township, New Jersey Location in Sussex County, New Jersey Show map of Sussex County, New Jersey Vernon Township, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Vernon Township, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Sussex
Established	April 8, 1793
Incorporated	February 21, 1798
Government
• Type	Faulkner Act (mayor–council)
• Body	Township Council
Area
• Total	69.96 sq mi (181.19 km2)
• Land	67.60 sq mi (175.07 km2)
• Water	2.36 sq mi (6.12 km2)  3.38%
Area rank	15th of 565 in state 1st of 24 in county
Elevation	571 ft (174 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	22,358
• Estimate  (2023)	22,711
• Rank	124th of 565 in state 1st of 24 in county
• Density	330.8/sq mi (127.7/km2)
• Density rank	469th of 565 in state 12th of 24 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	07462 (Vernon) 07422 (Highland Lakes) 07418 (Glenwood) 07428 (McAfee)
Area code(s)	973
FIPS code	3403775740
GNIS feature ID	0882258

Vernon Township is a township in Sussex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located about a one hour drive from New York City and is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 22,358, a decrease of 1,585 (−6.6%) from the 2010 census count of 23,943, which in turn reflected a decline of 743 (−3.0%) from the 24,686 counted in the 2000 census. It is both the most populous municipality and the largest in area in the county.

Vernon is home to Mountain Creek (formerly Great Gorge and Vernon Valley), a ski resort and water park as well as the Crystal Springs Resort's Minerals Hotel and Elements Spa. The Hidden Valley ski resort, which opened in 1976 and occupied a 140-acre (57 ha) property that included one of New Jersey's three remaining downhill skiing facilities, closed at the end of the 2013 season and could find no buyers at an auction held that year; it has since reopened as the National Winter Activity Center. A hotel called the Legends Resort & Country Club opened in 1972 at a cost of $20 million (equivalent to $139.9 million in 2022), featuring 700 rooms and 27 holes of golf, the hotel was sold to Americana in 1982 and later was resold to Metairie Cor, which branded the property as the Legends Resort and Country Club. In 2017, the township started eviction proceedings against low-income residents who had been living in the defunct resort on a permanent basis.

History

The independent township of Vernon was established on April 8, 1793, from portions of Hardyston Township, and the township was formally incorporated on February 21, 1798. The 68 square miles (180 km²) which marked the town's borders over 200 years ago have not changed since. However, the population of Vernon, which was 1,548 people as recently as 1950, has steadily grown since the 1960s, when the ski industry was introduced to the area. Additional growth has come as home prices have soared in the inner suburbs of New York City and property buyers seek the better values available from real estate developments in the area.

Iron mining in the town of Vernon was prevalent during the mid-to-late 19th century. Mines such as the Canistear Mine, Williams Mine, and the Pochuk Mine created industry which spawned local businesses, and brought rail travel to the town.

It is not known how Vernon Township got its name, but a number of theories have been offered by author Ronald J. Dupont Jr.:

• Admiral Edward Vernon. Dupont writes that this is very possible because of two things: 1. the township was created in 1792, the year that George Washington was reelected as president, and 2. because Vernon Township's first Masonic Lodge in 1820 was named Mount Vernon (Washington was also a Freemason during his life), likely after Washington's Virginia residence. The residence, in turn, got its name because Washington's brother Lawrence Washington served with Admiral Vernon.
• A family named Vernon. Not likely, Dupont says, although he notes that a Nathaniel Vernon was a licensed tavernkeeper in Sussex County in 1756. However, the tavern was likely elsewhere, and not in what is now Vernon.
• The Latin root "Vernus." One form of "vernus" is "vernal," as in vernal equinox ("spring"), and so Vernon "had connotations of spring: green, lush, fresh, fertile, etc., and hence was an attractive name for a place."

Dupont Jr. also writes that in the late 19th century two places named Vernon existed, one in Sussex County and another in Essex County. When the Essex County community was granted a post office, they found out that another Vernon existed, and so they eventually named the community Verona.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 69.96 square miles (181.19 km²), including 67.60 square miles (175.07 km²) of land and 2.36 square miles (6.12 km²) of water (3.38%).

Highland Lakes (2010 Census population of 4,933), Vernon Center (2010 Census population of 1,713) and Vernon Valley (1,626 as of 2010) are unincorporated communities and census-designated places (CDPs) located within Vernon Township.

The township is bordered by the municipalities of Hardyston Township and Wantage Township in Sussex County; West Milford Township in Passaic County; and the Town of Warwick in Orange County.

Elevation varies greatly due to the valleys, rolling hills, and mountains. The United States Geological Survey places Glenwood at 580 feet (180 m), McAfee at 435 feet (133 m), and Highland Lakes at 1,260 feet (380 m).

The township is located in the Kittatinny Valley which is a section of the Great Appalachian Valley that stretches 700 miles (1,100 km) from Canada to Alabama.

The City of Newark in Essex County owns 5,400 acres (2,200 ha) of land in the township that are part of their Pequannock River Watershed, which provides water to the city from a total area of 35,000 acres (14,000 ha) that also includes portions of Hardyston Township, Jefferson Township, Kinnelon, Rockaway Township and West Milford.

Communities and neighborhoods

Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include:

• Barry Lakes
• Canistear Reservoir
• Cedar Ridge
• Cliffwood Lake
• DeKays
• Glenwood
• Great Gorge
• High Breeze
• Highland Lakes
• Independence Corners
• Kampe P.O.
• Lake Conway
• Lake Panorama
• Lake Pochung
• Lake Wanda
• Lake Wallkill
• Lake Wilderwood
• Maple Grange
• McAfee
• Mud Pond
• Owens
• Pleasant Valley Lake
• Prices Switch
• Scenic Lake
• Vernon Village "Town Center"
• Vernon Valley a.k.a. "The Valley"
• Vernon Valley Lake
• Wawayanda
• Wawayanda Lake

Glenwood and McAfee are located in the western portion of the township, McAfee to the South and Glenwood to the North. Highland Lakes is in the Eastern portion of the township. Pleasant Valley Lake is in the southwest portion of the township. Four of these sections have a post office. Vernon also has many developments.

Vernon is home to many lake communities, including Highland Lakes, Barry Lakes, Cliffwood Lake, High Breeze, Lake Conway, Lake Wanda, Laurel Lake, Lake Wildwood, Lake Panorama, Lake Pochung, Lake Wallkill, Pleasant Valley Lake, Scenic Lakes, and Vernon Valley Lake.

The township's largest housing complex is Great Gorge Village. Originally built as a slope-side vacation housing development with 1,356 units, the village is no longer affiliated with the ski resort and is operated by real estate investor Andrew Mulvihill. Village residents, who pay $5.5 million in condominium fees to cover services, have argued that Mulvihill and affiliated businesses have used their control of the community's board of directors to direct contracts to affiliated vendors.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 23,943 people, 8,622 households, and 6,596 families in the township. The population density was 350.9 per square mile (135.5/km²). There were 10,958 housing units at an average density of 160.6 per square mile (62.0/km²). The racial makeup was 95.18% (22,790) White, 1.39% (332) Black or African American, 0.17% (40) Native American, 0.78% (186) Asian, 0.03% (8) Pacific Islander, 1.10% (263) from other races, and 1.35% (324) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.41% (1,534) of the population.

Of the 8,622 households, 35.6% had children under the age of 18; 63.0% were married couples living together; 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present and 23.5% were non-families. Of all households, 19.0% were made up of individuals and 4.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.18.

24.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 34.0% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.5 years. For every 100 females, the population had 102.9 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 101.2 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $81,129 (with a margin of error of +/− $5,949) and the median family income was $87,215 (+/− $4,152). Males had a median income of $62,462 (+/− $3,163) versus $41,917 (+/− $2,121) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $32,649 (+/− $1,365). About 3.2% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.4% of those under age 18 and 2.5% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The primary satellite uplink earth terminal facility for Sirius XM Radio is located in Vernon, as is the Vernon Valley uplink facility for SES Worldcom.

Parks and recreation

• Appalachian National Scenic Trail
• Mountain Creek Ski Resort and Mountain Creek Waterpark
• Hidden Valley Resort – Since January 2016, the area has been repurposed as the National Winter Activity Center, which provides education and ski / snowboard instruction to groups that might not have access to winter sports.

Education

The Vernon Township School District serves public school students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of six schools, had an enrollment of 3,012 students and 296.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.2:1. Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Walnut Ridge School with 96 students in Pre-K, Cedar Mountain Primary School with 374 students in grades K–1, Rolling Hills Elementary School with 429 students in grades 2–3, Lounsberry Hollow School with 410 students in grades 4–5, Glen Meadow Middle School with 680 students in grades 6–8 and Vernon Township High School with 995 students in grades 9–12.

Transportation

Roads and highways

Route 94 southbound in Vernon Township

As of May 2010^[update], the township had a total of 126.12 miles (202.97 km) of roadways, of which 85.21 miles (137.13 km) were maintained by the municipality, 32.31 miles (52.00 km) by Sussex County and 8.60 miles (13.84 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

The main highway serving Vernon Township is New Jersey Route 94. Other significant roads passing through Vernon Township include County Route 515, County Route 517 and County Route 565. County Route 644 and County Route 641 also pass through the township. In addition, direct access to Interstate 80 is offered via Route 94, and County Route 565 to Route 23 to Interstate 84 in New York.

Vernon is the site of a wrong-way concurrency at the intersection of NJ 94 and CR 517 in McAfee.

Public transportation

The New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway passes through Vernon, but only freight service is offered.

Notable people

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

• Rebekah Bruesehoff (born 2007), LGBTQ rights activist, social media influencer, and author
• Bobby Ellsworth (born 1959), lead singer of thrash metal band Overkill
• Helena Rutherfurd Ely (1858–1920), author, garden writer and creator of Vernon's Meadowburn Farm
• Nicolas de Gunzburg (1904–1981), editor in chief of Town & Country and fashion editor at Vogue and Harper's Bazaar
• Daniel Haines (1801–1877), attorney, jurist, and politician who served as the 14th Governor of New Jersey in nonconsecutive terms in office from 1843 to 1845 and 1848 to 1851.
• Brett Hearn (born 1958), modified stock car driver
• Katie Henry, blues rock singer, guitarist, pianist and songwriter
• Ryan Izzo (born 1995), football tight end for the Houston Roughnecks
• Danny Kass (born 1982), professional snowboarder who won a silver medal in men's halfpipe in Snowboarding at the 2002 Winter Olympics
• Brad Leone (born 1985), chef for Bon Appétit star of show It's Alive
• John Winans (1831–1907), U.S. Representative from Wisconsin
• Ross Winans (1796–1877), inventor, mechanic, and builder of locomotives and railroad machinery

See also

In Spanish: Municipio de Vernon (Nueva Jersey) para niños