Berkeley Heights is a township in Union County, New Jersey, United States, on a ridge in north central New Jersey, Berkeley Heights is a commuter town of New York City, in the Raritan Valley region and also bordering both Morris and Somerset counties in the Passaic Valley region.Caldwell, Dave. "Living in Berkeley Heights, N.J.; Suburbia, but Not the Cookie-Cutter Kind", The New York Times, June 17, 2011. Accessed May 21, 2023. As of the 2020 United States census the township's population was 13,285, an increase of 102 (+0.8%) from the 2010 census count of 13,183, which in turn reflected a decline of 224 (−1.7%) from the 13,407 counted in the 2000 census.Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023.
The township was originally incorporated as New Providence Township by the New Jersey Legislature on November 8, 1809, from portions of Springfield Township, while the area was still part of Essex County. New Providence Township became part of the newly formed Union County at its creation on March 19, 1857. Portions of the township were taken on March 23, 1869, to create Summit, and on March 14, 1899, to form the borough of New Providence. On November 6, 1951, the name of the township was changed to Berkeley Heights, based on the results of a referendum held that day.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 237. Accessed May 1, 2026. The township was named for John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton, one of the founders of the Province of New Jersey.Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed August 27, 2015.
The township has been ranked as one of the state's highest-income communities. Based on data from the American Community Survey for 2013–2017, township residents had a median household income of $147,614, ranked 15th in the state among municipalities with more than 10,000 residents, almost double the statewide median of $76,475.Raychaudhuri, Disha. "The wealthiest towns in N.J., ranked", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, June 7, 2019. Accessed November 4, 2019. "The median household income in N.J. is $76,475, recent Census data shows.... A note about the data: The data comes from 2013-2017 American Community Survey conducted by U.S. Census Bureau. Smaller towns with less than 10,000 residents were excluded from the list.... 15. Berkeley Heights, Union County Median income: $147,614"
The township was listed as the fifth safest place in New JerseyEdwards, Rebecca. New Jersey’s 50 Safest Cities of 2022, SafeWise, September 29, 2022. Accessed February 3, 2023. as well as the ninth safest municipality in the nation according to a 2022 crime statistic compilation from Safewise.com.Edwards, Rebecca. 100 Safest Cities in the US, SafeWise, March 30, 2022. Accessed February 3, 2023.
History The Lenape Native Americans were known to inhabit the region, including the area now known as Berkeley Heights, dating back to the 1524 voyage of Giovanni da Verrazzano to what is now Lower New York Bay.
The earliest construction in Berkeley Heights began in an area that is now part of the Watchung Reservation, a Union County park that includes of the township.Watchung Reservation, United States Geological Survey. Accessed May 7, 2012.
The first European settler was Peter Willcox, who received a land grant in 1720 from the Elizabethtown Associates. This group bought much of northern New Jersey from the Lenape in the late 17th century. Willcox built a grist and lumber mill across Green Brook.
In 1793, a regional government was formed. It encompassed the area from present-day Springfield Township, Summit, New Providence, and Berkeley Heights, and was called Springfield Township. Growth continued in the area, and by 1809, Springfield Township divided into Springfield Township and New Providence Township, which included present day Summit, New Providence, and Berkeley Heights.
In 1845, Willcox's heirs sold the mill to David Felt, a paper manufacturer from New York. Felt built a small village around the mill aptly named Feltville. It included homes for workers and their families, dormitories, orchards, a post office and a general store with a second floor church.
In 1860, Feltville was sold to sarsaparilla makers. Other manufacturing operations continued until Feltville went into bankruptcy in 1882. When residents moved away, the area became known as Deserted Village. Village remains consist of seven houses, a store, the mill and a barn. Deserted Village is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is undergoing restoration by the Union County Parks Department. Restoration grants of almost $2 million were received from various state agencies.Friedman, Alexi. "Union County approves $1.4M in renovations for historic barn", The Star-Ledger, July 31, 2009. Accessed July 3, 2011. "Union County Freeholders approved a $1.4 million contract to renovate a historic but dilapidated barn in the Watchung Reservation in an area known as the Deserted Village of Feltville/Glenside Park." Deserted Village, in the Watchung Reservation, is open daily for unguided walking tours during daylight hours.Deserted Village, Union County, New Jersey. Accessed December 25, 2023. "The grounds of the Deserted Village are open every day, dawn to dusk. The Visitor Center is open Saturdays and Sundays (and most holidays) from noon to 5pm."
On March 23, 1869, Summit Township (now the City of Summit) seceded from New Providence Township. On March 14, 1899, the Borough of New Providence seceded from New Providence Township. Present day Berkeley Heights remained as New Providence Township. Many of the townships and regional areas in New Jersey were separating into small, locally governed communities at that time due to acts of the New Jersey Legislature that made it economically advantageous for the communities to do so.
Due to confusion between the adjacent municipalities of the Borough of New Providence and the Township of New Providence, the township conducted a referendum in 1952 and voted to change the name to Berkeley Heights Township. The origin of the township's name has never been fully established, but is believed to have been taken from an area of town that was referred to by this moniker, which itself was assumed to be derived from Lord John Berkeley, who was co-proprietor of New Jersey from 1664 to 1674.Hangout: A Short History of New Jersey - Colonial Times, State of New Jersey. Accessed July 3, 2011.
Early life in Berkeley Heights is documented in the Littell-Lord Farmhouse Museum & Farmstead (31 Horseshoe Road in Berkeley Heights), an museum surrounding two houses, one of which was built and the other near the start of the 19th century.Littell-Lord Farmhouse, Township of Berkeley Heights. Accessed July 18, 2022. "The Littel-Lord Farmstead, located in Berkeley Heights, Union County, New Jersey, United States, is a pastoral site reminiscent of Union County's agricultural past. It was built around 1760 and added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 7, 1979." Among the exhibits are a Victorian master bedroom and a Victorian children's room, furnished with period antiques. The children's room also has reproductions of antique toys, which visitors can play with. The museum, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, also includes an outbuilding that was used as a summer kitchen, a corn crib dating to the 19th century and a spring house built around a spring and used for refrigeration.NEW JERSEY - Union County, National Register of Historic Places. Accessed July 3, 2011. The museum is open 2–4 p.m. on the third Sunday of each month from April through December, or by appointment.Littell-Lord Farmhouse Museum, VisitNJ.com. Accessed December 25, 2023.
The township owes its rural character to its late development. Until 1941, when the American Telephone and Telegraph Company built the AT&T Bell Laboratories research facility in the township, it was a sleepy farming and resort community.
Berkeley Heights is host to a traditional religious procession and feast carried out by members of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Society. The feast is capped by one of the largest fireworks shows in the state. The Feast of Mt. Carmel has been a town tradition since 1909.Ness, Tracy. "Feast of Mt. Carmel this week in Berkeley Heights", Independent Press, July 12, 2010. Accessed June 17, 2015. "Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Society was founded in 1909 in Berkeley Heights and celebrates annually on July 16, the Saint's day. 2009 celebrates 100 years of tradition."
In 1958, part of a Nike missile battery (NY-73) was installed in Berkeley Heights. The missiles were located in nearby Mountainside, while the radar station was installed in Berkeley Heights. It remained in operation until 1963, and remnants of the site are located adjacent to Governor Livingston High School.Harpster, Frank. "Missiles in Mountainside — Nike Battery NY-73" , from The Hetfield House of the Mountainside Historic Preservation Committee, November 2009. Accessed June 17, 2015. "Nike NY-73 had two parts. The launcher was in Mountainside at the entrance from Summit Lane.... The second part was located in Berkeley Heights on the hilltop next to Governor Livingston High School – this was the Missile Tracking Radar Station."
In 1960, the town’s seal was created via a contest in which local students could enter a design, and the best of these was officially named the seal, through an announcement on June 17, at Columbia Middle School. Patricia Jean Taylor created the winning design, which was chosen from a pool of 150 entries.
Free Acres Another early Berkeley Heights community of note is the Free Acres, established in 1910 by Bolton Hall, a New York entrepreneur and reformer who believed in the idea of Henry George, the economist, of single taxation, under which residents pay tax to the community, which, in turn, pays a lump sum to the municipality. Among the early residents of Free Acres were the actor James Cagney and his wife, Billie.
Residents of Free Acres pay tax to their association, which maintains its streets and swimming pool, approves architectural changes to homes and pays a lump sum in taxes to the municipality.
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 6.26 square miles (16.21 km2), including 6.22 square miles (16.11 km2) of land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) of water (0.59%). Certain portions of Berkeley Heights are located in various flood zones.
The township is located partially on the crest of the Second Watchung Mountain and in the Passaic River Valley, aptly named as the Passaic River forms the township's northern border. The township is also located partially in the Raritan Valley region, in which the Green Brook (a tributary of the Raritan River) forms the township's eastern border near the Watchung Reservation. Berkeley Heights is located in northwestern Union County, at the confluence of Union, Morris, and Somerset Counties. Berkeley Heights is bordered by New Providence, Mountainside and Summit to the east, Scotch Plains to the southeast, Chatham to the north, Watchung to the south, and Warren Township and Long Hill Township to the west.Areas touching Berkeley Heights, MapIt. Accessed March 19, 2020.Union County Municipal Profiles, Union County, New Jersey. Accessed March 19, 2020.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.
Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Benders Corners, Glenside Park, Stony Hill and Union Village.Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed May 22, 2015.
Downtown