Randolph Township, New Jersey, United States

🇺🇸 Randolph is a township in south-western Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Randolph was the 3rd most-populous municipality in Morris County and its 21 square miles (54 km²) land area was the eighth-largest in the county. The New Jersey State Planning Commission designates Randolph as half rural, half suburban. The community maintains a diverse population of nearly 26,000 residents.

In 2013, in the Coldwell Banker edition of “Best Places to Live in New Jersey for Booming Suburbs,” Randolph was the number one ranked town in Morris County and fourth overall in the state citing "job growth, high percentage of home ownership, good schools, access to local shopping and community safety". Niche.com ranked Randolph amongst the Top 50 in its 2019 rankings of the "Best Places to Live" in New Jersey.

Established in 1968, the County College of Morris is located on more than 220 acres (89 ha) in the northern part of the township along Route 10.

History The earliest known inhabitants of what is now Randolph were the Lenni Lenape Native Americans. The earliest European settlers of what is now Randolph were Quakers and one of the pioneering landowners was Hartshorne Fitz-Randolph, who purchased 1,000 acres (4.0 km²) of what would become the township in the Mine Hill area in 1753, later becoming the namesake of the township. New Jersey's first iron mine was established in Randolph in 1713, and for hundreds of years the mines fostered the development of the township, providing the raw materials for weapons used by the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. During the war, the area was a supply point for George Washington's army during their winter encampment in nearby Jockey Hollow.

Randolph was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on January 1, 1806, from portions of Mendham Township. Portions of the township were taken on April 1, 1869, to create Dover Town within the township, which became an independent municipality as of March 5, 1896. Other portions of the township were taken to create Port Oram (June 26, 1895, now Wharton), Mine Hill Township (March 2, 1923) and Victory Gardens (June 20, 1951). The creation of Victory Gardens created a small triangular exclave of the township, surrounded by Victory Gardens to the south-east and Dover to the northwest.

Randolph became a vacation haven in the early part of the 20th century, known for its woods, ponds, lakes and air. Through the 1950s, farms, large hotels and bungalow colonies dotted the community. Performers such as Phil Silvers, and Frank Sinatra appeared at the hotels. Boxers Max Baer, Floyd Patterson, James J. Braddock and Rocky Marciano trained or fought at the Saltz Hotel.

Landmarks Randolph's township historical landmarks include the 1869 Bryant Distillery (famed for its applejack) and the 1924 Millbrook School, now rehabilitated and in use as offices. The Liberty Tree (which dated back to 1720) was also one of the town landmarks until its removal due to deterioration on August 31, 2018.

The Randolph Historical Society has preserved the township's historical heritage in the Museum of Old Randolph. One of Randolph's oldest streets, Gristmill Road, is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Combs Hollow Historic District was added to the NRHP in 1996 for its significance in industry from c. 1735 to 1927.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 21.16 square miles (54.81 km²), including 20.91 square miles (54.14 km²) of land and 0.26 square miles (0.67 km²) of water (1.22%).

Land in Randolph ranges from 551 feet (168 m) to 1,120 feet (340 m) above sea level. Randolph Township has been designated half rural, half suburban by the New Jersey State Planning Commission.

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Black River Pond, Calais, Center Grove, Fernbrook, Ironia, Mill Brook, Mount Fern, Mount Freedom, Shongum and Youngstown.

Situated upstream of the Black River, the South Branch of the Raritan River, the Whippany River and the Rockaway River, the hills of Randolph attracted settlers and its streams provided power for industry.

The township is a suburb of New York City. Randolph borders the Morris County municipalities of Mine Hill, Dover, Rockaway Township and Victory Gardens to the north, Mendham Township to the south, Denville Township and Morris Township to the east, Chester Township to the south-west and Roxbury to the west.

Geology The township is located within the New Jersey Highlands, one of New Jersey's four major physiographic provinces. Part of the Appalachian Mountains, the Highlands are characterized by alternating flat-topped ridges and deep-striking valleys.

Demographics The 2010 United States census counted 25,734 people, 9,013 households, and 7,075 families in the township. The population density was 1,235.9 per square mile (477.2/km²). There were 9,343 housing units at an average density of 448.7 per square mile (173.2/km²). The racial makeup was 82.44% (21,215) White, 2.68% (690) Black or African American, 0.11% (28) Native American, 10.46% (2,691) Asian, 0.01% (3) Pacific Islander, 2.27% (584) from other races, and 2.03% (523) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.17% (2,616) of the population.

Of the 9,013 households, 42.3% had children under the age of 18; 68.6% were married couples living together; 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present and 21.5% were non-families. Of all households, 17.8% were made up of individuals and 5.8% 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 3.26.

28.0% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 31.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.1 years. For every 100 females, the population had 97.0 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 95.3 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $123,041 (with a margin of error of +/− $7,800) and the median family income was $144,069 (+/− $7,473). Males had a median income of $100,895 (+/− $2,256) versus $65,011 (+/− $5,834) for females. The per capita income for the township was $56,879 (+/− $3,318). About 1.8% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.9% of those under age 18 and 2.7% of those age 65 or over.

Parks and recreation The Brundage Park Recreation Complex covers 232 acres (94 ha). Facilities include six lighted tennis courts, four lighted softball fields, two lighted basketball courts, a tennis practice wall, a 4 miles (6.4 km) paved walking and jogging trail, Brundage Park Playhouse, a playground, a picnic pavilion, a lacrosse/soccer field, a pond (for fishing or ice skating), a softball field, and a multipurpose area for soccer and other field sports.

Freedom Park covers 172 acres (70 ha). Facilities include (all lighted): a football field, a lacrosse field (complete with two defibrillators, after a player was hit with a lacrosse ball in the heart), a Little League field, a Babe Ruth baseball field, a multipurpose area, a softball field, a picnic pavilion, a sand volleyball court, and a playground area.

Randolph Park covers 41 acres (17 ha). It has a beach. Other facilities include a beach house with a changing room, a refreshment stand, a picnic facilities, a playground area, a permanent docks for lap swimming, a volleyball court and a basketball court.

Heistein Park covers 44 acres (18 ha). Facilities include 6 soccer fields, 4 Little League/softball fields, a picnic pavilion, restrooms, a refreshment stand, and a lake for fishing and ice skating. Soccer tournaments are held here for travel team soccer.

Stonybrook Park covers 30 acres (12 ha). This park is used as a day camp during the summer months (June - August) and is divided by a local street to create east and west sections. Facilities include a field in the western portion, while the eastern portion hosts the day camp with a swimming pool, a small tot-lot, and various buildings for camp activities.

Kiwanis Park contains 1.8 acres (0.73 ha). Facilities include a playground, an open play area and picnic tables.

Rosenfarb Park facilities include a half-court basketball court and a picnic area.

Hidden Valley Park contains 51 acres (21 ha) of rolling hills, a pond and natural walking trails. The township's walking and biking trail cross the site.

Cohen Farm Park consists of an undeveloped 111 acres (45 ha). The township's 16-mile (26 km) trail system cuts through the park, connecting to Brundage Park and Freedom Park.

Education The Randolph Township Schools educate children in public school for pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade, as well as special-needs preschoolers. As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of six schools, had an enrollment of 4,314 students and 382.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.3:1. Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Center Grove Elementary School with 466 students in grades Pre-K–5, Fernbrook Elementary School with 498 students in grades K–5, Ironia Elementary School with 436 students in grades K–5, Shongum Elementary School with 416 students in grades K–5, Randolph Middle School with 1,009 students in grades 6–8 and Randolph High School with 1,475 students in grades 9–12.

Established in 1968, the main campus of the County College of Morris is located on a 218-acre (88 ha) campus in Randolph Township. Rutgers University has a partnership with County College of Morris that allows students who have earned an associate degree to complete a bachelor's degree through the off-campus Rutgers courses taken at the County College of Morris campus in Randolph.

The Gottesman RTW Academy (Formerly Hebrew Academy of Morris County) is a coeducational Jewish day school for students in preschool through eighth grade, serving approximately 225 children. The school has been recognised as a recipient of the National Blue Ribbon School Award by the United States Department of Education.

Transport: Road As of May 2010, the township had a total of 144.95 miles (233.27 km) of roadways, of which 119.53 miles (192.36 km) were maintained by the municipality, 19.62 miles (31.58 km) by Morris County and 5.80 miles (9.33 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Route 10, Dover-Chester Road (County Route 513), and Sussex Turnpike (County Route 617) pass through township lines.

Transport: Public The NJ Transit 875 route serves the township.

NJ Transit offered local bus service on the MCM2 and MCM7 routes which were eliminated due to budget constraints.

Community Randolph has organized events, including high school sports, senior citizen gatherings, and various group activities. The public library schedules reading groups and other programs. Games and socials are held at the Senior Citizen Center at the Brundage Park Playhouse, which presents plays and musicals with youth and adult performers.

Recreation programs are available for children, teenagers and adults.

Summer camps are available for Kindergarteners – Grade 12 in various locations. Organizations are as follows: Grades K–2: Budding stars theatre camp (Brundage Park Playhouse) Grades K–5: Summer day camp Grades 6–8: Teen travel camp Ages 8–14: Summer stages (Brundage Park Playhouse) Grades 7–11: Advanced performance workshop (Brundage Park Playhouse) Grades K–12: Artworks studio summer camp.