Kinnelon (Melisurgo, Len. "Here's the right way to pronounce 25 N.J. town names everyone botches", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, June 23, 2017. Accessed June 22, 2023. "Kinnelon (Morris County) Nope, it’s not ki-NEL-on. It’s actually pronounced KIN-a-lon.") is a borough in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located approximately west of New York City. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 9,966, a decrease of 282 (−2.8%) from the 2010 census count of 10,248, which in turn reflected an increase of 883 (+9.4%) from the 9,365 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. It is a low-density, suburban community, with many parks and trails.
Once known as Charlotteburg, Kinnelon was formed as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 20, 1922, from portions of Pequannock Township, based on the results of a referendum passed on March 21, 1922.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606–1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 193. Accessed May 29, 2024.Staff. Acts of the One Hundred and Forty-Sixth Legislature of the State of New Jersey, pp. 19–22. New Jersey Secretary of State, 1922. Accessed October 17, 2015. "An Act to incorporate the borough of Kinnelon, in the county of Morris"Historical Timeline of Morris County Boundaries , Morris County Library. Accessed December 24, 2016. "1922, March 21.Kinnelon Borough is established from Pequannock. This area was earlier known as Charlotteburg." The borough's name comes from Francis S. Kinney, who purchased of land in the 1880s for an estate that included Lake Kinnelon, and built St. Hubert's Chapel in 1886 on an island in the lake.Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed September 2, 2015.
Kinnelon is home to Smoke Rise, a private gated community that describes itself as one of the oldest gated communities in the United States. It includes more than 900 unique homes located on in addition to Lake Kinnelon and Kitty Ann Mountain.Cheslow, Jerry. "If You're Thinking of Living In/Kinnelon, N.J.; Residential Life Amid Natural Beauty", The New York Times, June 1, 2003. Accessed February 15, 2020. "Ms. Dunner Parker knew the area through a brother who lived in Kinnelon's Smoke Rise section, a 3,500-acre, 900-home gated community that describes itself in its promotional literature as 'one of America's most prestigious club communities' and 'elite, yet affordable.' Covering the borough's northwestern quadrant, Smoke Rise's lots are heavily wooded and range in area from 1 to 10 acres, with the most valuable properties fronting on the 19-acre Lake Kinnelon."
In 2012, Forbes.com listed Kinnelon as 462nd in its listing of "America's Most Expensive ZIP Codes", with a median home price of $630,414.Brennan, Morgan. "America's Most Expensive ZIP Codes 2012", Forbes, October 16, 2012. Accessed February 18, 2020.
The borough is one of the state's highest-income communities.Cervenka, Susanne. "Rich in New Jersey: Here are the 50 wealthiest towns in the state. Is yours one of them?", Asbury Park Press, July 1, 2019. Accessed August 20, 2020. "37. Kinnelon; County: Morris County; Median household income: $147,267; Percent making more than $200,000: 33.9%" Based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) for 2014–2018, Kinnelon residents had a median household income of $156,048, almost double the statewide median of $79,363.QuickFacts for Kinnelon borough, New Jersey; Morris County, New Jersey; New Jersey from Population estimates, July 1, 2019, (V2019), United States Census Bureau. Accessed May 21, 2020.Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Minor Civil Divisions in New Jersey: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2019, United States Census Bureau. Accessed May 21, 2020.Census Estimates for New Jersey April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2019, United States Census Bureau. Accessed May 21, 2020.
History Then still part of Pequannock Township and known as Charlotteburg (named after Charlotte, wife of King George III of Great Britain), early settlements in the Kinnelon area date back to the late 17th century when iron forges and furnaces were first established. Mining and forest cropping were major occupations of the earliest settlers. The construction of the Morris Canal in the early 1820s led to a significant decline in the mining industry, after which the land was sold over time.Master Plan, Borough of Kinnelon. Accessed September 24, 2024.
During the early part of the 20th century, like much of Morris County at the time, the area became a haven for the wealthy who were attracted by the isolation and natural beauty.Mueller Atlas of 1910: Gilded Age Estates, Part 1, Morris County Historical Society. Accessed September 24, 2024.Mueller Atlas of 1910: Gilded Age Estates, Part II, Morris County Historical Society. Accessed September 24, 2024. The most notable example of this was Francis S. Kinney, a 19th-century industrialist who founded Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company and built an estate that dates back to 1883.Municipal Overview: The Borough Of Kinnelon, Morris County, New Jersey. Accessed September 24, 2024.
One of the largest private holdings in Morris County at any time, Kinney purchased upwards of of land and built a large "summer cottage" known as Smoke Rise, which is a translation of the Pequannock Native American name for the mountainous area, where a heavy mist often rises at sunset. Francis Kinney referred to the estate as "Kinney Lawn"; when the borough was formed in 1922, residents adopted "Kinnelon" as a modified form of that name. His son, Morris Kinney, lived most of his life on the estate.Morris County Historic Site Survey, Morris County Heritage Commission, 1986/1987. Accessed September 24, 2024.
On February 20, 1922, with only 400 full-time residents, Kinnelon was formed as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature from portions of Pequannock Township, based on the results of a referendum passed on March 21, 1922.
After the First World War, some residential development occurred in the borough. In 1925, Frank Fay Jr., a real estate developer, along with his son Frank Fay III, purchased 240 acres of farmland that boasted a small pond, later known as West Lake, to create a summer lake community called Fayson Lakes. The Fays advertised Fayson Lakes widely with ads being placed in The New York Times and New Jersey newspapers; heavily promoting its accessibility and proximity to New York City.
In 1931, an adjoining property featuring a small lake, later known as East Lake, was incorporated into the community. By 1938, an additional parcel of land was purchased and eventually dammed to create a third lake, known as South Lake, in the 1950s. Most homes in the community remained summer residences until the Second World War. Fayson Lakes remains Kinnelon's highest density area.
Upon Morris Kinney's death in 1945, he left the estate to longtime friend John Talbot Sr., former mayor of the borough, and a founder of the Chilton Memorial Hospital, Pompton Plains (John Talbot Sr. was a real estate developer in New York City and a patron of the arts and was credited with the revival of ballet as a major art form in the United States in the 1930s), as a tribute to their lifetime friendship and mutually shared love of Smoke Rise.
Following the Second World War, the need for suburban housing became evident, John Talbot Sr. went on to create The Smoke Rise Club, one of the earliest community club plans in the United States. Unlike many developers, he insisted that the land be kept in its natural state as far as possible.Home Page, Smoke Rise Club. Accessed September 24, 2024. When friends asked to purchase land on the estate to build homes, Talbot decided to develop a planned community designed primarily to serve New York corporation executives. The Smoke Rise Club was the result in November 1946.History, Smoke Rise Club. Accessed September 24, 2024.
Talbot's intention was to develop the property as a residential club community akin to Tuxedo Park in nearby Orange County, New York; envisioning a community of architect-designed houses suitable for ideal country living. By October 1951, more than 100 families were living in Smoke Rise and community services at St. Hubert’s Chapel were revived for the first time since 1923, when it was used as a private chapel.DePalma, Anthony. "Exclusive Tract Gets A Second Chance", The New York Times, August 21, 1983. Accessed September 24, 2024."Smoke Rise Project Has Busiest Season", The New York Times, October 7, 1951. Accessed September 24, 2024. "Realty activity at Smoke Rise, club community of 5,000 acres in Kinnelon, near Butler, N.J., has been running one-third heavier this year than in 1950, which was the previous peak period, according to J. Alden Talbot, president of the Smoke Rise Company." The development of Smoke Rise largely spurred much of the borough's growth and rising home values in the 1950s; enhancing Kinnelon's standing as a residential suburb.
Since the inception of Smoke Rise, there has been nearly double-digit growth in the borough which today consists of three primary sections, Kinnelon proper, Fayson Lakes, and Smoke Rise. In 2005, it was estimated that Fayson Lakes and Smoke Rise accounted for about 42% of all borough households.Open Space and Recreation Plan 2005, Borough of Kinnelon, March 2005. Accessed September 24, 2024. "Kinnelon continues to be one of New Jersey’s most desirable communities, and as of 2000 it had the highest home ownership rate in the state. (Morris County, 2000 Census Profiles)"DMA 2000 Hazard Mitigation Plan Update, Morris County, New Jersey, July 2020. Accessed September 24, 2024. "Kinnelon Borough is made up of three primary sections. They are Kinnelon Proper, Fayson Lakes and Smoke Rise (a gated Community but under the jurisdiction of Kinnelon Borough)."
In 2000, Kinnelon had the highest home ownership rate in the state.
In 2012, Forbes.com listed Kinnelon as 462nd in its listing of "America's Most Expensive ZIP Codes", with a median home price of $630,414.
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 19.24 square miles (49.82 km2), including 18.03 square miles (46.70 km2) of land and 1.21 square miles (3.13 km2) of water (6.27%).
The borough is home to Silas Condict County Park, which covers and was dedicated in 1964.Silas Condict County Park, Morris County, New Jersey Park Commission. Accessed February 25, 2020. Tripod Rock is located in Kinnelon's Pyramid Mountain Natural Historical Area, portions of which are located in the borough.Pyramid Mountain Natural Historic Area, Morris County, New Jersey Park Commission. Accessed February 25, 2020. Its largest lake is Lake Kinnelon, which is within Smoke Rise, a private gated community of 900 homes located on .
Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Bald Hill, Brook Valley, Charlottesburg, Fayson Lakes, Ideal Lake, Jacksonville, Saw Mill Pond, Smoke Rise, Stickle Pond, Sun Tan Lake, Surprise Lake and Untermeyer Lake.Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed May 21, 2015.
Splitrock Reservoir is of wilderness, located on the borders of Kinnelon and Rockaway Township.Open Space and Recreation Plan Update – 2012, Borough of Kinnelon. Accessed August 4, 2013.