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Bedminster, New Jersey
Township
Township of Bedminster
The Jacobus Vanderveer House is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Map of Bedminster Township in Somerset County. Inset: Location of Somerset County in New Jersey.
Map of Bedminster Township in Somerset County. Inset: Location of Somerset County in New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Bedminster Township, New Jersey
Census Bureau map of Bedminster Township, New Jersey
Country  United States
State  New Jersey
County Somerset
Royal charter April 4, 1749
Incorporated February 21, 1798
Named for Bedminster, Bristol
Government
 • Type Township
 • Body Township Committee
Area
 • Total 26.38 sq mi (68.31 km2)
 • Land 26.12 sq mi (67.66 km2)
 • Water 0.25 sq mi (0.66 km2)  0.96%
Area rank 100th of 565 in state
5th of 21 in county
Elevation
141 ft (43 m)
Population
 • Total 8,165
 • Estimate 
(2019)
7,968
 • Rank 283rd of 566 in state
12th of 21 in county
 • Density 313.1/sq mi (120.9/km2)
 • Density rank 476th of 566 in state
20th of 21 in county
Time zone UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code
Area code(s) 908
FIPS code 3403504450
GNIS feature ID 0882176
Website

Bedminster is a township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 8,165, reflecting a decline of 137 (−1.7%) from the 8,302 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 1,216 (+17.2%) from the 7,086 counted in the 1990 Census. It is located in the Raritan Valley region within the New York Metropolitan area.

Bedminster was settled in 1710 by Dutch, Germans, and Scots-Irish immigrants. It was named after Bedminster, then in Somerset, England, and now a district of Bristol. Bedminster Township was created by Royal charter on April 4, 1749, from portions of the Northern precinct. It was incorporated formally by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798. Portions of the township were taken on March 28, 1912, to form Peapack-Gladstone.

Formerly, Bedminster was the corporate headquarters of AT&T Corporation, prior to its merger with SBC Communications (the combined company is now known as AT&T Inc.). AT&T's Global Network Operations Center, which monitors traffic worldwide on AT&T's network, is currently located in Bedminster. It was also the corporate headquarters for Verizon Wireless before relocation to nearby Basking Ridge in 2006.

It is known for having one of the most historic Revolutionary War sites in the United States at what is known as the Pluckemin Continental Artillery Cantonment Site, which has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. General Henry Knox, chief of the Continental Army artillery, was the leader responsible for building what was the country's first military artillery training academy, the forerunner to the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 26.301 square miles (68.119 km2), including 26.080 square miles (67.547 km2) of land and 0.221 square miles (0.573 km2) of water (0.84%).

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Burnt Mills, Greater Cross Roads, Lamington, Pluckemin, Pottersville (split between Bedminster and Tewksbury Township in Hunterdon County), Union Grove and Vliettown.

The township borders Peapack-Gladstone and Far Hills to the northeast, Bernards Township to the east, and Bridgewater Township to the south in Somerset County, Readington Township to the southeast and Tewksbury Township to the west in Hunterdon County, and Chester Township to the north in Morris County.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1790 1,197
1810 1,312
1820 1,393 6.2%
1830 1,453 4.3%
1840 1,589 9.4%
1850 1,826 14.9%
1860 1,996 9.3%
1870 1,881 −5.8%
1880 1,813 −3.6%
1890 1,749 −3.5%
1900 1,925 10.1%
1910 2,375 23.4%
1920 1,088 −54.2%
1930 1,374 26.3%
1940 1,606 16.9%
1950 1,613 0.4%
1960 2,322 44.0%
1970 2,597 11.8%
1980 2,469 −4.9%
1990 7,086 187.0%
2000 8,302 17.2%
2010 8,165 −1.7%
2019 (est.) 7,968 −2.4%
Population sources:
1790-1920 1840 1850-1870
1850 1870 1880-1890
1890-1910 1910-1930
1930-1990 2000 2010
* = Lost territory in previous decade.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 8,165 people, 4,100 households, and 2,021 families residing in the township. The population density was 313.1 per square mile (120.9/km2). There were 4,349 housing units at an average density of 166.8 per square mile (64.4/km2)*. The racial makeup of the township was 86.41% (7,055) White, 2.06% (168) Black or African American, 0.02% (2) Native American, 8.68% (709) Asian, 0.01% (1) Pacific Islander, 1.03% (84) from other races, and 1.79% (146) from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.36% (519) of the population.

There were 4,100 households out of which 19.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.0% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.7% were non-families. 44.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.97 and the average family size was 2.76.

In the township, the population was spread out with 17.7% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 33.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.3 years. For every 100 females there were 80.9 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and old there were 79.5 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $93,103 (with a margin of error of +/- $11,367) and the median family income was $124,057 (+/- $14,892). Males had a median income of $76,047 (+/- $23,293) versus $61,650 (+/- $7,236) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $66,422 (+/- $8,900). About 0.9% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.4% of those under age 18 and 2.9% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

2021-06-23 14 00 18 View east along Interstate 78 (Phillipsburg-Newark Expressway) from the overpass for Bunn Road in Bedminster Township, Somerset County, New Jersey
Interstate 78 eastbound in Bedminster

Roads and highways

As of May 2010, the township had a total of 68.04 miles (109.50 km) of roadways, of which 38.67 miles (62.23 km) were maintained by the municipality, 16.01 miles (25.77 km) by Somerset County and 13.36 miles (21.50 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Bedminster is traversed by Interstate 287, which runs through the eastern section, while Interstate 78 runs mostly through the center of the township. U.S. Route 202 and U.S. Route 206 also pass through running parallel to I-287 from the Bridgewater area to Pluckemin.

Major county roads that pass through include CR 512 and CR 523.

Public transportation

The closest NJ Transit service offered is at the Far Hills station on the Morris & Essex Lines.

Somserset County operates bus service along Route 206, connecting to nearby areas including Bridgewater, Somerville, Raritan, and Hillsborough.

Lakeland Bus Lines provides Route 78 rush-hour service from Bedminster to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan.

Points of interest

  • Natirar - estate spanning Peapack-Gladstone, Far Hills, and Bedminster that was sold by Hassan II of Morocco to Somerset County and is now administered by the Somerset County Park Commission, with 40 acres (16 ha) of the estate's 404 acres (163 ha) located in the township.
  • Historic Vanderveer-Knox House & Museum - a refurbished home used by General Henry Knox during the Revolutionary War with its earliest portions dating to the 1770s, the house was purchased by the township in 1989, and listed on the New Jersey and National Register of Historic Places in 1995.
  • Pluckemin Continental Artillery Cantonment Site, also known as the Continental Artillery Military Cantonment Historic Site or Pluckemin Artillery Park - where General Henry Knox created America's first artillery training academy during the winter of 1778-1779, known as the "precursor to the United States Military Academy" at West Point.
  • Donald Trump has proposed a 1.5 acres (0.61 ha), 500-grave cemetery to be located next to the Trump National Golf Course, with plots sold for upwards of $20,000.

Sports

Trump National Golf Course: owned by Donald Trump, the course features 36 holes designed by Tom Fazio, with fees to join of over $150,000.

The Sky Blue Soccer Organization was based in Bedminster.

Education

The Bedminster Township School District serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade at Bedminster Township Public School. As of the 2017–18 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 526 students and 54.9 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.6:1.

Public school students in ninth through twelfth grades attend Bernards High School, as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Somerset Hills Regional School District, a K - 12 district that also serves students from Bernardsville, Far Hills and Peapack-Gladstone. As of the 2017–18 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 852 students and 67.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.6:1.

Notable people

See also (related category): People from Bedminster, New Jersey

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

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Municipio de Bedminster (Nueva Jersey) para niños

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