Washington Township, Warren County, New Jersey

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%). 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. 2020 census As of the 2000 United States census 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 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 2023–24 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 407 students and 41.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.8:1. Schools in the district (with 2023–24 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Port Colden School with 158 students in grades 1–3 and Brass Castle School with 247 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 2023–24 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Warren Hills Regional Middle School located in Washington Borough with 480 students in grades 7–8 and Warren Hills Regional High School located in Washington Township with 1,066 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==

northbound in Washington Township , the township had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Warren County and 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: • Michael J. Doherty (born 1963), Surrogate of Warren County, New Jersey who served in the New Jersey Senate from 2009 to 2022 • Jared Isaacman (born 1983), businessman, Commercial astronaut, and 15th Administrator of NASA. • Jean Shepherd (1921–1999), radio personality, humorist, narrator of the popular holiday film A Christmas Story • Mark Thomson (1739 –1803), United States representative from New Jersey, who served from 1795 to 1799 • Sung J. Woo (born 1971), Korean American writer who wrote the novel Everything Asian ==Wineries==

• Vacchiano Farm ==Surrounding communities==

Also, the township completely surrounds the borough of Washington. == References ==