Vernon Township is a township in Sussex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located about a one-hour drive from New York City and is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 22,358, a decrease of 1,585 (−6.6%) from the 2010 census count of 23,943, which in turn reflected a decline of 743 (−3.0%) from the 24,686 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 both the most populous municipality and the largest in area in the county.

Vernon is home to Mountain Creek (formerly Great Gorge and Vernon Valley), a ski resort and water park as well as the Crystal Springs Resort's Minerals Hotel and Elements Spa. The Hidden Valley ski resort, which opened in 1976 and occupied a property that included one of New Jersey's three remaining downhill skiing facilities, closed at the end of the 2013 season and could find no buyers at an auction held that year;De Poto, Tom. "Hidden Valley Ski Resort fails to sell at auction", The Star-Ledger, October 1, 2013. Accessed December 14, 2014. "Hidden Valley Ski Resort, which was on the auction block this morning, is still in search of a new owner.... The 140-acre resort in Vernon closed at the end of last season after 36 years of operation. It is one of only three down hill ski slopes in New Jersey." it has since reopened as the National Winter Activity Center. The Great Gorge Playboy Club was located in the Vernon community of McAfee, but was sold and turned into a hotel called the Legends Resort & Country Club. Opened in 1972 at a cost of $20 million (equivalent to $ million in ), featuring 700 rooms and 27 holes of golf, the hotel was sold to Americana in 1982 and later was resold to Metairie Corp. which branded the property as the Legends Resort and Country Club. In 2017, the township started eviction proceedings against low-income residents who had been living in the defunct resort on a permanent basis.Genader, Ann. "Remembering Hugh Hefner's Great Gorge Playboy Club", The Record, August 30, 2017. Accessed November 5, 2017. "The hotel was sold to the Americana chain in 1982. Reports at the time said the resort had been losing money for years. Later, sold again it was turned into the Seasons Hotel. Still later Seasons was sold to Metairie Corp. which turned into the Legends Resort and Country Club. The hotel has been derelict and permanently closed to public operations for many years. In February 2017 Vernon Township began to evict low-income full-time residents of the hotel. Township officials said the owner rented rooms out illegally and that health and safety issues had to be addressed."

History The independent township of Vernon was established on April 8, 1793, from portions of Hardyston Township, and the township was formally incorporated on February 21, 1798.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 232. Accessed May 30, 2024. The which marked the town's borders over 200 years ago have not changed since. However, the population of Vernon, which was 1,548 people as recently as 1950, has steadily grown since the 1960s, when the ski industry was introduced to the area. Additional growth has come as home prices have soared in the inner suburbs of New York City and property buyers seek the better values available from real estate developments in the area.

Iron mining in the town of Vernon was prevalent during the mid-to-late 19th century. Mines such as the Canistear Mine, Williams Mine, and the Pochuk Mine created industry which spawned local businesses, and brought rail travel to the town.

It is not known how Vernon Township got its name, but a number of theories have been offered by author Ronald J. Dupont Jr.:

Admiral Edward Vernon. Dupont writes that this is very possible because of two things: 1. the township was created in 1792, the year that George Washington was reelected as president, and 2. because Vernon Township's first Masonic Lodge in 1820 was named Mount Vernon (Washington was also a Freemason during his life), likely after Washington's Virginia residence. The residence, in turn, got its name because Washington's brother Lawrence Washington served with Admiral Vernon.Dupont Jr., Ronald J. Vernon 200--A Bicentennial History of the Township of Vernon, New Jersey: 1792-1992. (The Friends of the Dorothy E. Henry Library, McAfee, NJ, 1992) pg. 53Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed October 18, 2015. A family named Vernon. Not likely, Dupont says, although he notes that a Nathaniel Vernon was a licensed tavernkeeper in Sussex County in 1756. However, the tavern was likely elsewhere, and not in what is now Vernon. The Latin root "Vernus." One form of "vernus" is "vernal", as in vernal equinox ("spring"), and so Vernon "had connotations of spring: green, lush, fresh, fertile, etc., and hence was an attractive name for a place."

Dupont Jr. also writes that in the late 19th century two places named Vernon existed, one in Sussex County and another in Essex County. When the Essex County community was granted a post office, they found out that another Vernon existed, and so they eventually named the community Verona.Verona New Jersey Historical Photographs and History , First Baptist Church of Bloomfield. Accessed June 13, 2006.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 69.96 square miles (181.19 km2), including 67.60 square miles (175.07 km2) of land and 2.36 square miles (6.12 km2) of water (3.38%).

Highland Lakes (2020 Census population of 4,816), Upper Greenwood Lake (3,687), Vernon Center (1,743), and Vernon Valley (1,491) are unincorporated communities and census-designated places (CDPs) located entirely or partially within Vernon Township.

The township is bordered by the municipalities of Hardyston Township and Wantage Township in Sussex County; West Milford in Passaic County; and Warwick in Orange County.Sussex County Map, Sussex County, New Jersey. Accessed March 10, 2020.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.

Elevation varies greatly due to the valleys, rolling hills, and mountains. The United States Geological Survey places Glenwood at , McAfee at , and Highland Lakes at .

The township is located in the Kittatinny Valley which is a section of the Great Appalachian Valley that stretches from Canada to Alabama.

The City of Newark in Essex County owns of land in the township that are part of their Pequannock River Watershed, which provides water to the city from a total area of that also includes portions of Hardyston Township, Jefferson Township, Kinnelon, Rockaway Township and West Milford.Primerano, Jane. "Newark appealing watershed taxes against Jefferson", AIM Jefferson, May 8, 2015. Accessed July 2, 2015. "Besides West Milford and Jefferson, Newark owns watershed land in Hardyston, Vernon, and Rockaway Townships and Kinnelon Borough, Leach said."City of Newark v. Vernon Tp., Leagle from Tax Court of New Jersey, April 1, 1980. Accessed July 2, 2015. "The City of Newark appeals the denial of the Sussex County Tax Board of its claim for a reduction of assessments of 5,424 acres of vacant watershed land in the Township of Vernon for the years 1973, 1974 and 1976.... Generally, the lands are part of the 35,000-acre Pequannock Watershed (approximately two times the size of Newark), which was purchased by Newark at the turn of the century to provide a water supply. The watershed, which contains five major bodies of water, is located in Vernon and Hardyston in Sussex County, Jefferson, Rockaway and Kinnelon in Morris County, and West Milford in Passaic County."

Communities and neighborhoods Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include:Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed May 21, 2015.About Vernon, Vernon Township. Accessed December 6, 2025. "Communities within the township include Glenwood, Highland Lakes, McAfee, Vernon Valley, Barry Lakes and Lake Wallkill." Barry Lakes Canistear Reservoir Cedar Ridge Cliffwood Lake DeKays Glenwood Great Gorge High Breeze Highland Lakes Independence Corners Kampe P.O. Lake Conway Lake Panorama Lake Pochung Lake Wanda Lake Wallkill Lake Wilderwood Maple Grange McAfee Mud Pond Owens Pleasant Valley Lake Prices Switch Scenic Lake Vernon Village "Town Center" Vernon Valley a.k.a. "The Valley" Vernon Valley Lake Wawayanda Wawayanda Lake

Glenwood and McAfee are located in the western portion of the township, McAfee to the South and Glenwood to the North. Highland Lakes is in the Eastern portion of the township. Pleasant Valley Lake is in the southwest portion of the township. Four of these sections have a post office. Vernon also has many developments.

Vernon is home to many lake communities, including Highland Lakes, Barry Lakes, Cliffwood Lake, High Breeze, Lake Conway, Lake Wanda, Laurel Lake, Lake Wildwood, Lake Panorama, Lake Pochung, Lake Wallkill, Pleasant Valley Lake, Scenic Lakes, and Vernon Valley Lake.

The township's largest housing complex is Great Gorge Village. Originally built as a slope-side vacation housing development with 1,356 units, the village is no longer affiliated with the ski resort and is operated by real estate investor Andrew Mulvihill. Village residents, who pay $5.5 million in condominium fees to cover services, have argued that Mulvihill and affiliated businesses have used their control of the community's board of directors to direct contracts to affiliated vendors.Obernauer, Eric. "Great Gorge Village residents air complaints" , New Jersey Herald, June 25, 2017. Accessed November 5, 2017. "With residents of the 1,356-unit Great Gorge Village in an uprising against resort and real estate magnate Andrew Mulvihill and his associates, who together hold a majority of seats on the condominium community's board of directors, a showdown could be looming when the board — known as the master council — holds its next meeting on July 12 at 7 p.m., located at Minerals Sports Club. Residents of the village, which collects nearly $5.5 million in dues from condo owners each year for management and upkeep, are openly complaining of bid-rigging and backroom deals with vendors controlled by Mulvihill."

Demographics

2010 census The 2010 United States census counted 23,943 people, 8,622 households, and 6,596 families in the township. The population density was . There were 10,958 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 95.18% (22,790) White, 1.39% (332) Black or African American, 0.17% (40) Native American, 0.78% (186) Asian, 0.03% (8) Pacific Islander, 1.10% (263) from other races, and 1.35% (324) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.41% (1,534) of the population.

Of the 8,622 households, 35.6% had children under the age of 18; 63.0% were married couples living together; 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present and 23.5% were non-families. Of all households, 19.0% were made up of individuals and 4.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.18.

24.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 34.0% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.5 years. For every 100 females, the population had 102.9 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 101.2 males.