Boonton Township () is a township in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 4,380, an increase of 117 (2.7%) from the 2010 census count of 4,263, which in turn reflected a decline of 24 (−0.6%) from 4,287 in the 2000 census.
Boonton Township was incorporated by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 11, 1867, from portions of Pequannock Township. The borough of Mountain Lakes was formed from portions of the township on March 3, 1924. The settlement was originally called "Boone-Towne" in 1761 in honor of the Colonial Governor Thomas Boone.
New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Boonton Township as the 4th best place to live in the state in its rankings of the "New Jersey's Top Towns 2011–2012.
History
Boonton Township's recorded history began about 1710 when William Penn, the Quaker land speculator, located in the northern valley his Lot No. 48, which contained of fields and woodlands. James Bollen, whose bordering "plantation" stretching south toward the Tourne was described as "situate on the fork of Rockaway with an Indian plantation in it," mapped his 1,507 acres (6 km2) in 1715. In 1765 David Ogden purchased from Burnet and Skinner the Great Boonton Tract. When the Township of Boonton was created as of April 11, 1867 by "An Act to Divide the Township of Pequannoc in the County of Morris" most of Penn's Lot No. 48 and parts of the Bollen and Great Boonton Tracts fell within Boonton's boundary.
The first settler of proper record was Frederick DeMouth of French Huguenot extraction. By 1758, his Rockaway Valley plantation within the Penn Lot covered , and it was on this land that the large Stickle, Bott and Kincaid farms were to prosper in the far distant future. Frederick Miller of German Palatine birth bought extensive land (later day Dixon acres) within the Bollen piece at 13 shillings per acre. These founding families were closely followed by the Hoplers, Van Winkles, Cooks, Scotts, Peers, Stickles and Kanouses.
McCaffrey Lane, the oldest recorded thoroughfare in the area, was built in 1767 by Samuel Ogden of the Great Boonton Tract. In 1822, North Main Street was "cut" along the proposed Morris Canal route. In 1824, the Morris Canal and Banking Company was chartered with John Scott of Powerville, an important commissioner. Lock Numbers 9, 10 and 11 were constructed in newly named Powerville. The Powerville Hotel, still standing, was built near Lock Number 11 to accommodate both canal and transient trade. It later gained fame as a pre-American Civil War Underground Railroad station.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 8.50 square miles (22.01 km2), including 8.12 square miles (21.04 km2) of land and 0.38 square miles (0.97 km2) of water (4.41%).
Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Deer Pond, Dixons Pond, Powerville, Rockaway Valley and Sheep Hill.
The township borders the Morris County municipalities of Boonton, Denville Township, Kinnelon, Montville, Mountain Lakes and Rockaway Township.
Demographics
Census 2010
The 2010 United States census counted 4,263 people, 1,575 households, and 1,150 families in the township. The population density was 517.2 per square mile (199.7/km2). There were 1,647 housing units at an average density of 199.8 per square mile (77.1/km2). The racial makeup was 92.35% (3,937) White, 1.55% (66) Black or African American, 0.12% (5) Native American, 3.99% (170) Asian, 0.05% (2) Pacific Islander, 0.54% (23) from other races, and 1.41% (60) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.18% (178) of the population.
Of the 1,575 households, 33.8% had children under the age of 18; 63.1% were married couples living together; 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present and 27.0% were non-families. Of all households, 23.9% were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.17.
24.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 16.2% from 25 to 44, 35.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.5 years. For every 100 females, the population had 97.1 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 92.4 males.