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Bernards Township, New Jersey
Township
Map of Bernards Township in Somerset County
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Somerset
Incorporated	February 21, 1798
Government
• Type	Township (New Jersey)
• Mayor	John Carpenter
• Deputy Mayor	Carolyn Kelly
Area
• Total	24.0 sq mi (62.2 km)
• Land	24.0 sq mi (62.2 km)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km)
Elevation	308 ft (94 m)
Population
• Total	27,140
• Density	1,023.8/sq mi (395.3/km)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	07920 (Basking Ridge) 07938 (Liberty Corner) 07939 (Lyons) 07931 (Far Hills)
Area code	908
FIPS code	34-05560Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	0882174Template:GR
Website	http://www.bernards.org

Bernards Township is a Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 24,575.

What is now Bernards Township was originally formed by Royal Charter as Bernardston Township from remaining portions of Northern precinct. It was incorporated as Bernards Township as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798. Portions of the township were taken to form Warren Township (March 5, 1806), Far Hills (April 7, 1921) and Bernardsville (March 6, 1924).

Basking Ridge, Liberty Corner, Lyons and West Millington are ZIP codes and unincorporated areas located within Bernards Township. Martinsville is an unincorporated area split between Bernards Township and Bridgewater Township.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 24.0 square miles (62.2 km²), of which, 24.0 square miles (62.2 km²) of it is land and 0.04% is water.

It is roughly bounded by the Second Watchung Mountain in the southwest, the Dead River swamp on the south, the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Passaic River, and Millington Gorge in the East.

History

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 24,575 people, 9,242 households, and 6,487 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,023.8 people per square mile (395.4/km²). There were 9,485 housing units at an average density of 395.1/sq mi (152.6/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 89.20% White, 1.44% African American, 0.05% Native American, 7.85% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.63% of the population.

There were 9,242 households out of which 37.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.0% were married couples living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the township the population was spread out with 27.7% under the age of 18, 3.2% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $107,204, and the median income for a family was $135,806. Males had a median income of $95,758 versus $60,865 for females. The per capita income for the township was $56,521. About 0.6% of families and 1.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.2% of those under age 18 and 2.9% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

The Bernards Township Committee consists of five members, elected by the public for three-year terms of office. In the Township Committee form of government, all legislative and executive powers of the Township are the responsibility of the Township Committee, except in matters of health. The Mayor is elected by the committee from among its members at the annual Reorganization meeting held in January. In the Township Committee form of government, all members have equal power and may vote on all issues.

Members of the Township Committee are Mayor John Carpenter, Deputy Mayor Carolyn Kelly, John Malay, Mary Pavlini, and Scott Spitzer.

Federal, state and county representation

Bernards Township is in the Eleventh Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 16th Legislative District.

For the 119th United States Congress, New Jersey's 11th congressional district is represented by Mikie Sherrill (D, Montclair). New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Democrats Cory Booker (Newark, term ends 2027) and Andy Kim (Moorestown, term ends 2031).

For the 2024-2025 session, the 16th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the New Jersey Senate by Andrew Zwicker (D, South Brunswick) and in the General Assembly by Mitchelle Drulis (D, East Amwell Township) and Roy Freiman (D, Hillsborough Township). Template:NJ Governor

Template:NJ Somerset County Freeholders

The Partnership with Terrebonne Parish

In 2005, after Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, which had a devastating effect on the area, locals from the Bernards Township sent supplies to Houma, Louisiana, to help recooperate, the following year, in 2006, the Bernards High School Marching Band was invited by the Terrebonne Parish Chamber of Commerce to march in it's annual Mardi Gras Parades, and experienced the hurricanes' wrath for themselves. They were greeted by thank you signs by the by-standers and the party goers of the festival time, and the relationship between the two areas has grown ever since.

In the Christmas season of 2007, Terrebonne Parish returned the favor by sending The Terrebonne High School Sound Of Pride Marching band on a 26 hour bus ride to the Bernards township area to march in their annual Christmas parade, and perform a Christmas concert for the public at a local church, this was Most of the students' first time going north of Louisiana, and were treated exetremly well, this greatly increased the bond between the two chambers, and invite each other back every year, unfortunately due to the cost of travel, the two will only be able to go every-so-often, both of the trips were experiences they will never forget.

Education

Students in Kindergarten through twelfth grade are educated by the Bernards Township School District. The schools in the district (with 2003-04 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) include four K-5 elementary schools — Cedar Hill Elementary School, with 624 students; Liberty Corner Elementary School, with 608 students; Mount Prospect Elementary School, with 628 students; and Oak Street Elementary School, with 608 students (including pre-K) — William Annin Middle School, with 1,198 students in grades 6 - 8; and Ridge High School, with 1,335 students in grades 9 - 12. Cedar Hill Elementary currently houses a state of the art public program for children on the autism spectrum, utilizing the principles of ABA.

The high school mascot is the Ridge Red Devil. Ridge High School was listed in 102nd place, the second highest ranked school in New Jersey, in Newsweek's 2007 listing of America's Top Public High Schools. The school was ranked as Number 116 in 2006 and Number 91 in 2005. Ridge High School was the 11th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 316 schools statewide, in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2006 cover story on the state's Top Public High Schools.

Pingry School, a private coeducational college preparatory day school, has its upper campus, for grades 7 to 12, located in Martinsville.

Points of Interest

• The Devil's Tree - A solitary, somewhat sickly-looking oak tree in a field off Mountain Road in the southern corner of the township that has been subject of several stories in Weird NJ magazine.

• The township houses the corporation headquarters of Fedders.

Fellowship Deaconry

Was started by Carl F. Blazejewski in October of 1899 in Prussia. In October of 1929 two deaconesses sailed to the United States to Warminster, Pennsylvania. They were Emilie Stede and Toni Radmer. In December of 1930 they sent a deaconess to Orange, New Jersey. In February of 1933 they moved to Liberty Corner, New Jersey.

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Bernards Township include:

• Patricia Lee Gauch, author of over 30 works of children's literature who was inducted into the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame in 1993.
• Robert E. Mulcahy III, athletic director at Rutgers University.
• Samuel Lewis Southard (1787-1842), served as U.S. Senator, Secretary of the Navy, and the 10th Governor of New Jersey.

References

1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Township of Bernards, Geographic Names Information System, accessed January 4, 2008.
2. ^ Census data for Bernards township, United States Census Bureau, accessed July 29, 2007.
3. "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 222.
4. Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.
5. Bernards Township Committee, Bernards Township. Accessed January 20, 2008.
6. 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 54. Accessed August 30, 2006.
7. Directory of Representatives: New Jersey, United States House of Representatives. Accessed January 3, 2019.
8. U.S. Sen. Cory Booker cruises past Republican challenger Rik Mehta in New Jersey, PhillyVoice. Accessed April 30, 2021. "He now owns a home and lives in Newark's Central Ward community."
9. https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/andy-kim-new-jersey-senate/
10. Legislative Roster for District 16, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 18, 2024.
11. Newsweek, America's Top Public High Schools
12. ibid
13. Top Public High Schools in New Jersey, New Jersey Monthly, September 2006
14. "Fellowship Deaconry". Fellowship Deaconry. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
15. "German culture takes center stage at festival". Asbury Park Press. April 25, 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-26. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameters: |coauthors= and |quoteThe Goschenhoppen Strolling Fiddlers, representing Pennsylvania-German folk culture, Bernie's Orchestra from Piscataway, and the sisters from the Fellowship Deaconry, established in 1933 in the Liberty Corner section of Bernards Township, will be saying "how do you do" in the Meet the Germans tent.= (help)
16. Horner, Shirley. "ABOUT BOOKS", The New York Times, October 3, 1993. Accessed December 19, 2007. "The other inductees are Patricia Lee Gauch of Basking Ridge, who has written more than 30 children's books"
17. Caldwell, Dave. "IN PERSON; Renaissance Man", The New York Times, December 4, 2005. Accessed January 24, 2008. "The taciturn Mulcahy, who graduated from Millburn High School and lives in Basking Ridge, did much of the groundwork that let Schiano, after a few tough seasons, become a success in his home state -- their home state."
18. Samuel Lewis Southard profile, United States Congress. Accessed July 29, 2007.

External links

• Bernards Township official web site
• Bernards Township School District
• The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills
• School Performance Reports for the Bernards Township School District, New Jersey Department of Education
• National Center for Education Statistics data for the Bernards Township School District

v t e Municipalities and communities of Somerset County, New Jersey, United States
County seat: Somerville
Boroughs	Bernardsville Bound Brook Far Hills Manville Millstone North Plainfield Peapack-Gladstone Raritan Rocky Hill Somerville South Bound Brook Watchung
Townships	Bedminster Bernards Branchburg Bridgewater Franklin Green Brook Hillsborough Montgomery Warren
CDPs	Basking Ridge Bedminster Belle Mead Blackwells Mills Blawenburg Bradley Gardens Bridgewater Center Clyde East Franklin East Millstone East Rocky Hill Finderne Flagtown Franklin Center Franklin Park Green Knoll Griggstown Harlingen Hillsborough Kingston Lamington Liberty Corner Lyons Martinsville Middlebush Neshanic Neshanic Station‡ Pleasant Plains Pluckemin Pottersville‡ Six Mile Run Skillman Somerset Ten Mile Run The Hills Voorhees Weston Zarephath
Other communities	Amwell Cloverhill Dutchtown Franklin Corners Free Acres Gladstone Little Rocky Hill Middlebrook North Branch Rockingham South Branch Stoutsburg Zion
Footnotes	‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
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40°40′22″N 74°33′31″W / 40.67278°N 74.55861°W / 40.67278; -74.55861

• Somerset County, New Jersey
• Townships in New Jersey