Washington, New Jersey, United States

🇺🇸 Washington is a borough in Warren County, New Jersey, United States. The borough is located in the easternmost region of the Lehigh Valley. Washington was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 20, 1868, from portions of Washington Township. The borough was named for George Washington, one of more than ten communities statewide named for the first president. The Borough of Washington is surrounded by Washington Township, which is one of five municipalities in the state of New Jersey with the name "Washington Township". The borough had the 26th-highest property tax rate in New Jersey, with an equalized rate of 4.206% in 2020, compared to 2.967% in the county as a whole and a statewide average of 2.279%.

History Washington Borough separated from Washington Township as of February 20, 1868. The community grew during the 19th century as a result of the transportation routes that ran through or near the borough. The Morris Canal ran along the north end of town and two rail lines of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad crossed within the borough. Intersecting in the centre of the borough are two major roadways, which today are Route 31 and Route 57. The borough was ultimately named for the "Washington House", a tavern built by Revolutionary War Col. William McCullough in 1811 that was later destroyed by fire in 1869.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the borough became a mecca of musical instruments manufacturers, the manufacture of organs in particular. A bustling downtown developed around these businesses. Many of the Victorian style houses in the borough, as well as Taylor Street School and Warren Hills Middle School (formerly Washington High School) were built during this period.

The advent of the automobile brought Washington closer to both the Lehigh Valley and New York City. In the years following World War II, the population increased, and there were many new houses and apartment complexes built. A portion of the Downtown area was devastated by a major fire in 1962. Education at the Middle and High School level was regionalized in 1968, and a new elementary school was also built (Memorial School).

The 1990s saw a population boom in Warren County, which continues today, as high real estate prices and property taxes in New Jersey's north-eastern counties push buyers to look further west. Although the borough itself does not have much room to grow, it has benefited from the growth of the nearby townships. Efforts are underway to revitalize the downtown with new residential and retail properties.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 1.97 square miles (5.10 km²), including 1.97 square miles (5.09 km²) of land and <0.01 square miles (0.01 km²) of water (0.15%).

The borough of Washington is completely surrounded by Washington Township, making it part of 21 pairs of "doughnut towns" in the state, where one municipality entirely surrounds another.

Pohatcong Mountain is a ridge, approximately 6 mi (9.7 km) long, in the Appalachian Mountains that extends from west Phillipsburg north-east approximately to Washington. Upper Pohatcong Mountain extends north-east of Washington approximately 6 mi (9.7 km) to the vicinity of Hackettstown. The two ridges are sometimes called "Pohatcong Mountain" collectively.

Demographics The 2010 United States census counted 6,461 people, 2,623 households, and 1,668 families in the borough. The population density was 3,326.8 per square mile (1,284.5/km²). There were 2,897 housing units at an average density of 1,491.7 per square mile (575.9/km²). The racial makeup was 85.73% (5,539) White, 6.01% (388) Black or African American, 0.09% (6) Native American, 3.42% (221) Asian, 0.08% (5) Pacific Islander, 2.21% (143) from other races, and 2.46% (159) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.50% (549) of the population.

Of the 2,623 households, 30.9% had children under the age of 18; 46.3% were married couples living together; 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present and 36.4% were non-families. Of all households, 30.2% were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.09.

23.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.3 years. For every 100 females, the population had 95.9 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 92.6 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $57,468 (with a margin of error of +/− $7,449) and the median family income was $68,510 (+/− $11,488). Males had a median income of $53,654 (+/− $13,162) versus $41,755 (+/− $12,531) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $30,554 (+/− $5,374). About 8.1% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 14.0% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture Notable annual events include Washington Celebrates America, which takes place every July 4; Warren Arts and Craft Beer Festival, held every year in April; and Festival in the Borough, which takes place every September.

Education Students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade attend the schools of the Washington Borough Public Schools. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 481 students and 44.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.8:1. Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Taylor Street School with 188 students in grades Pre-K–2 and Memorial School with 293 students in grades 3–6.

Students in public school for seventh through twelfth grades attend the Warren Hills Regional School District, which serves students from Washington Borough, along with those from Franklin Township, Mansfield Township and Washington Township, as well as students from Oxford Township (for 9–12 only, attending on a tuition basis). Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Warren Hills Regional Middle School located in Washington Borough with 542 students in grades 7–8 and Warren Hills Regional High School located in Washington Township with 1,205 students in grades 9–12. Seats on the high school district's nine-member board of education are allocated to the constituent municipalities based on population, with two seats allocated to Washington Borough.

Students from the borough and from all of Warren County are eligible to attend Ridge and Valley Charter School in Frelinghuysen Township (for grades K–8) or Warren County Technical School in Washington borough (for 9–12), with special education services provided by local districts supplemented throughout the county by the Warren County Special Services School District in Oxford Township (for Pre-K–12).

Transport As of May 2010, the borough had a total of 27.03 miles (43.50 km) of roadways, of which 23.99 miles (38.61 km) were maintained by the municipality, 0.15 miles (0.24 km) by Warren County and 2.89 miles (4.65 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

The main highways serving Washington are New Jersey Route 31 and New Jersey Route 57. Route 31 travels north–south, while Route 57 is oriented east–west.