Hardwick Township is a township in Warren County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 1,598, a decrease of 98 (−5.8%) from the 2010 census count of 1,696, which in turn reflected an increase of 232 (+15.8%) from the 1,464 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.
History Hardwick Township was created around 1713 through a royal patent.Snell, James P. (1881) History of Sussex and Warren Counties, New Jersey, With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers. (Centennial ed., Harmony, NJ: Harmony Press, 1981) p. 619 The township was created by Royal charter on January 22, 1750, from Greenwich Township when the area was part of Morris County. It became part of the newly created Sussex County on June 8, 1753. Parts of Hardwick Township were taken on November 11, 1782, to form Independence Township. Hardwick Township was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798. On November 20, 1824, most of Hardwick Township was transferred to form part of Warren County, with the remainder staying in Sussex County as parts of Green Township and Stillwater Township, which were both created as of December 27, 1824. Frelinghuysen Township was created March 7, 1848, from portions of the township.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 246. Accessed May 28, 2024. The township was named for Philip Yorke, 1st Earl of Hardwicke.Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed August 31, 2015.
Hardwick Township's unusual geographic footprint is due to its absorption of Pahaquarry Township, which was dissolved on July 2, 1997. Pahaquarry Township had been created on March 14, 1825, and received its name from the word "Pahaquarra", which was a derivation of the Native American word Pahaqualong used by the Lenape meaning "termination of two mountains" (describing the mountain or mountainous area that was the area's southern border) or "the place between the mountains beside the waters".Staff. Bulletin Volumes 194-203, p. 200. United States Geological Survey, United States Government Printing Office, 1902. Accessed June 5, 2013. "Pahaquarry; township in Warren County, New Jersey. An Indian word meaning 'termination of two mountains.'"Bewley, Joel. "Lost to merger, a town vanished Tiny Pahaquarry Township gave up in 1997.", The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 23, 2006. Accessed December 11, 2012. "Pahaquarry, a Lenni-Lenape word that means 'the place between the mountains beside the waters,' rested between the Delaware River and the Kittatinny Ridge."
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 38.94 square miles (100.85 km2), including 37.53 square miles (97.19 km2) of land and 1.42 square miles (3.66 km2) of water (3.63%). The part of the township east of the Kittatinny Ridge (the part excluding the now defunct Pahaquarry Township) is located in the Kittatinny Valley which is a section of the Great Appalachian Valley that stretches for from Canada to Alabama. The defunct Pahaquarry section of the Township which borders the Delaware River is located in the Minisink Valley that extends from the Delaware Water Gap north to Port Jervis, New York.
Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Bass Lake, Franklin Grove, Hardwick, Hardwick Center, Millbrook, Newbakers Corner, Sand Pond, Squares Corner and White Pond.Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed March 18, 2015.
Sunfish Pond is a glacial lake surrounded by a hardwood forest located on the Kittatinny Ridge within Worthington State Forest, adjacent to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. The Appalachian Trail runs alongside the western and northern edges of the lake, which was created by the Wisconsin Glacier during the last ice age. The lake was declared a National Natural Landmark in January 1970.Sunfish Pond , National Park Service. Accessed July 6, 2015.
Camp Ralph S. Mason is a YMCA, established in 1900, that covers adjacent to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area that serves approximately 800 campers in its summer camp programs and 7,000 participants at its outdoor center.Abot, YMCA Camp Mason. Accessed July 6, 2015.
The Pahaquarry Copper Mine is an abandoned copper mine. Active mining was attempted for brief periods during the mid-eighteenth, mid-nineteenth, and early twentieth centuries but was never successful. The site is administered by the National Park Service."Pahaquarry Copper Mine: Cultural Landscape Report, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, National Park Service" , National Park Service. Accessed July 6, 2015.
Hardwick Township borders the municipalities of Blairstown, Frelinghuysen Township, and Knowlton Township in Warren County; and Stillwater Township and Walpack Township in Sussex County.Municipal Directory, Warren County, New Jersey. Accessed July 30, 2023.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.
Demographics
The township's economic data, like all of Warren County, is included by the U.S. Census Bureau as part of the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ Metropolitan Statistical Area.Karp, Gregory. "Lehigh Valley, Warren County reunited as a metro area ** Economies, social patterns similar, federal office says.", The Morning Call, June 22, 2003. Accessed February 15, 2022. "This time, new rules for defining MSAs determined that because the Phillipsburg area was the biggest cluster of people in Warren County, the whole county should be lumped with the nearby Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton metro area."
2010 census The 2010 United States census counted 1,696 people, 573 households, and 453 families in the township. The population density was . There were 619 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 96.99% (1,645) White, 0.94% (16) Black or African American, 0.00% (0) Native American, 0.65% (11) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 0.71% (12) from other races, and 0.71% (12) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.95% (67) of the population.
Of the 573 households, 33.9% had children under the age of 18; 67.9% were married couples living together; 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present and 20.9% were non-families. Of all households, 16.2% were made up of individuals and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.19.
24.8% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 19.3% from 25 to 44, 35.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.8 years. For every 100 females, the population had 95.6 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 92.3 males.
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $96,094 (with a margin of error of +/− $6,827) and the median family income was $105,469 (+/− $14,654). Males had a median income of $77,045 (+/− $8,432) versus $46,667 (+/− $3,953) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $38,377 (+/− $5,353). About 3.0% of families and 3.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics from the 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates for Hardwick township, Warren County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed June 5, 2013.
2000 census As of the 2000 United States census there were 1,464 people, 502 households, and 410 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 530 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 97.06% White, 0.61% African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.89% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.32% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Hardwick township, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed June 5, 2013.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Hardwick township, Warren County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed June 5, 2013.
There were 502 households, out of which 38.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.3% were married couples living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.3% were non-families. 13.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the township the population was spread out, with 26.6% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $72,167, and the median income for a family was $76,111. Males had a median income of $56,000 versus $31,875 for females. The per capita income for the township was $30,038. About 0.5% of families and 2.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.5% of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those age 65 or over.
Government Local government Hardwick Township is governed under the Township form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 141 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form, the second-most commonly used form of government in the state.Inventory of Municipal Forms of Government in New Jersey , Rutgers University Center for Government Studies, July 1, 2011. Accessed June 1, 2023. The governing body is comprised of a three-member Township Committee, whose members are elected directly by the voters at-large in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with one seat coming up for election each year as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle.2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, March 2013, p. 103."Forms of Municipal Government in New Jersey" , p. 7. Rutgers University Center for Government Studies. Accessed June 1, 2023.Cerra, Michael F. "Forms of Government: Everything You've Always Wanted to Know, But Were Afraid to Ask", New Jersey State League of Municipalities, March 2007. Accessed January 1, 2025. At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor and another as Deputy Mayor.Departments, Hardwick Township. Accessed July 3, 2025. "The Township Committee is comprised of three Committee members who are elected at large for staggered terms of office. Each year voters elect one of the members to a three (3) year term on the Township Committee. In January, the Committee reorganizes selecting one of its members to serve as the Mayor and a second member to serve as the Deputy Mayor."