|
|
|
|
The County of Sussex (also known as Sussex County) is the northernmost county in the State of New Jersey. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2000 Federal decennial census, 144,166 persons resided in Sussex County of which nearly 95% were white. Sussex County is the 91st wealthiest county in the United States with its per capita income being $26,992. The county was founded on 8 June 1753 from portions of Morris County.[1] The county seat of Sussex County is the Town of Newton[2].
HistoryOrigin of the county's nameSussex County was named by Royal Governor Jonathan Belcher (1689-1757) for Sussex in England which was the ancestral seat of His Grace, Thomas Pelham-Holles, first Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and first Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne (1693-1768), who at the time was the Secretary of State for the Northern Department, and later the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1754-1756, 1757-1762). Pelham-Holles, whose office oversaw British affairs in North America, was Governor Belcher's political superior. During his term as Governor of New Jersey (1747-1757), Belcher named many municipalities in honor of important British political figures, most of whom were superior to him in rank or precedence. It is believed that he did so in order to curry political favor and regain a level of standing that was diminished from his scandal which precipitated his removal from the Governorship of Massachusetts in 1741.[3][4] Sussex, in England, was notable historically as one of the seven kingdoms of the Heptarchy (A.D. 500–850), which were later unified under Egbert of Wessex (c. 770–839) into the Kingdom of England. The -sex suffix indicates the Saxon areas, of people from Saxony; Sus-sex for south saxon, Es-sex for east saxon, Wes-sex for west saxon, and Middle-sex, as opposed to the Anglia names, for the areas of the Angles, Anglos, who came from from Angle-land in what is now Denmark. Settlement of Sussex CountyIn the 1650s, Dutch explorers from New Amsterdam discovered green rocks above the delaware, an indication of copper ore, and started mines in Pahaqualong, Pahaquarry Township. The evidence for that is a letter mentioning the abandoned mine opening and that it was at that time overgrown with large trees (thus 50-100 years older). There have not been found any artifacts, works, or settlements from that early a date, but ore samples from 1657 are in Holland. [1] The Dutch built the Old Mine Road to transport copper ore over land to Esopus on the Hudson River (because the Delaware was impassable at the Trenton rocks).[5] Other sources indicate that first continuing settlement by European colonists began circa 1690-1710, by Dutch settlers from New York along the Delaware River, and in the decades subsequent, Germans via Philadelphia, and English colonists from New England, Long Island, Newark, and Salem County, New Jersey. [2] GovernmentBoard of Chosen FreeholdersThe County of Sussex is governed by a Board of Chosen Freeholders that consists of five members elected at-large to serve three-year terms. Seats are elected on a staggered basis over three years, with two seats available in the first year, two seats the following, and then one seat. All terms of office begin on January 1 and end on December 31. The Board of Chosen Freeholders is the center of legislative and administrative responsibility for the County of Sussex. It is responsible for writing and adopting a budget and overseeing the spending of funds appropriated by that budget. Many county services do overlap those provided by municipalities within the county, however, the Board of Chosen Freeholders is responsible for the following tasks:
As of 2008[update], members of the Sussex County Board of Chosen Freeholders are Freeholder Director Harold J. Wirths (R, term ends December 31, 2010; Wantage Township), Deputy Director Glen Vetrano (R, 2009; Hampton Township), Phillip R. Crabb (R, 2008; Franklin Borough), Jeffrey M. Parrott (R, 2010; Wantage Township) and Susan M. Zellman (R, 2009; Stanhope).[6] Constitutional OfficersAs with each county in New Jersey, three elected positions, known as "constitutional officers" are required by the New Jersey State Constitution. The office of County Clerk, a position which is elected for a term of five years, is currently occupied by Erma Gormley (R). The office of County Surrogate, elected also for at term of five years, is currently occupied by Nancy Fitzgibbons (R). The County Sheriff, a position which has a term of three years, is currently Robert Untig (R). Municipalities
The following are Sussex County's 24 incorporated municipalities:
PoliticsSussex County is a predominantly Republican area, as among registered voters, affiliations with the Republican Party outpace those of the Democratic Party by a ratio of three to one. All five members of the county board of Chosen Freeholders, all three county-wide constitutional officers, and all except a few of the 108 municipal offices among the county's 24 municipalities are held by Republicans. In the 2004 U.S. Presidential election, George W. Bush carried the county by a 29.6% margin over John Kerry, the largest margin for Bush in any county in New Jersey, with Kerry carrying the state by 6.7% over Bush.[7] In the 2008 U.S. Presidential election, John McCain carried the county by a 25.6% margin over Barack Obama, the largest margin for McCain in any county in New Jersey, with Obama winning statewide by 14.4%.[8] GeographyPhysical geographyAccording to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 536 square miles (1,388 km²), of which, 521 square miles (1,350 km²) of it is land and 15 square miles (38 km²) of it (2.75%) is water. High Point in this county is also the highest elevation in the state at 1,803 feet (549.5 m) above sea level. The county's lowest elevation is approximately 300 feet (90 m) above sea level along the Delaware River near Flatbrookville. Much of the county is hilly, as the part of New Jersey most solidly within the Appalachian Mountains. However, the Great Valley of the Appalachians takes in a good deal of the eastern half of the county, allowing for land more amenable to agriculture. Adjacent countiesGiven Sussex County's location at the top of the state, it is bordered by counties in New Jersey as well as in neighboring New York and Pennsylvania. This region is often collectively known as the Tri-State Area.[9] The following counties are adjacent and contiguous to Sussex County (in order starting with the northernmost and rotating clockwise):
National protected areas
Economy and other factorsEarly industry and commerce chiefly centered around agriculture, iron mining, shifting during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to focus on several factories and the mining of zinc. Today, Sussex County features a mix of rural farmland, forests and suburban development. Though agriculture (chiefly dairy farming) is on the decline and because the county hosts little industry, Sussex County is considered a "bedroom community" as most residents commute to neighboring counties (Bergen, Essex and Morris Counties) or to New York City for work. TaxesProperty taxes in Sussex County have always been historically lower than its neighboring counties. Taxes on an acre of land, depending on the condition and size of the house, could be as low as $1500 a year. Typical property taxes in the county are in the $3000-$5000 a year range. This is due to low local spending, regional schools, modest Police Departments, and many municipalities have a volunteer Fire Department. Taxes on comparable property in neighboring counties, could be as high as $7000 a year or more. TransportationSussex County is served by a number of roads connecting it to the rest of the state and to both Pennsylvania and New York. Interstate 80 passes through the extreme southern tip of Sussex County. Interstate 84 passes just yards north of Sussex County, but never enters New Jersey. New Jersey's Route 15, Route 23,Route 94, Route 181, Route 183, and Route 284 pass through the County, as does U.S. Route 206 Commuter Rail available from Netcong, New Jersey on the Morris & Essex Lines of New Jersey Transit. New Jersey Transit also aims to open up the Lackawanna Cutoff, which passes through Andover and Green Townships to commuter traffic, connecting Scranton, Pennsylvania with Hoboken, New Jersey and New York City. Sussex County has four public-use airports, all privately owned and catering to recreational pilots. They are Sussex Airport, in Wantage Township, which has a runway of 3,499 feet, Newton Airport in Andover Township, Andover Aeroflex Airport also in Andover Township, and Trinca Airport in Green Township, which has a 1,900-foot grass runway. Television and Radio BroadcastingClear Channel Radio owns a cluster of 4 stations in the area.
FST Broadcasting Corp. owns WTBQ, just north of Vernon, NJ.
The radio station WNTI, 91.9 FM, is broadcast from Centenary College in Hackettstown (Warren County). It is a commercial free, public station playing progressive music. It can be heard throughout most of Sussex County. Calvary Chapel of Howell, NJ broadcasts WRDR The Bridge FM with towers in Northern New Jersey and Southern New York.
CrimeHeroin use has been on the rise and shows no signs of improvement despite efforts of law enforcement and community groups working to fight the problem.[10]. Demographics
As of the census[14] of 2000, there were 144,166 people, 50,831 households, and 38,784 families residing in the county. The population density was 277 people per square mile (107/km²). There were 56,528 housing units at an average density of 108 per square mile (42/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.70% White, 1.0% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 1.20% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.74% from other races, and 1.14% from two or more races. 3.30% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 20.4% were of Italian, 18.1% Irish, 16.0% German, 7.2% English, 5.9% Polish and 5.2% American ancestry according to Census 2000. By 2006, 90.3% of the county population was non-Hispanic whites. The percentage of African-Americans was up to 1.7%. Asians were now 1.9% of the population. 5.3% of the population was Latino. In 2000 There were 50,831 households out of which 39.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.00% were married couples living together, 8.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.70% were non-families. 18.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.24. In the county the population was spread out with 27.90% under the age of 18, 6.20% from 18 to 24, 31.50% from 25 to 44, 25.30% from 45 to 64, and 9.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $67,266, and the median income for a family was $73,335. Males had a median income of $50,395 versus $33,750 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,992. About 2.80% of families and 4.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.10% of those under age 18 and 5.40% of those age 65 or over. Education
The Sussex County Interscholastic League, or SCIL, is the high school athletic league for most high schools in the county. Tourism and RecreationState and Federal parks
Recreational Activities
Sussex County Chamber of Commerce 120 Hampton House Road Newton, NJ 07860 973-579-1811 www.sussexcountychamber.org Sports FranchisesAugusta is the site of Skylands Park, a minor league baseball stadium, home of the Sussex Skyhawks. The Skyhawks play in the Can-Am League. Skylands Park was the former home of the New Jersey Cardinals (from 1994-2005), but the Cardinals moved to State College, Pennsylvania making room for the Skyhawks. Notable people in or from Sussex CountyPolitics, military and public service
Arts, Letters, and Entertainment
Science, technology and medicine
Business
Sports
Miscellaneous
References and other resourcesNotes and citations
Books and printed materials
Maps and atlases
External links
CommentsNo comments have been added. |
Switch Language
Popular PagesEmail this PageSyndicate
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
