Basking Ridge, New Jersey Explained

Basking Ridge, New Jersey
Settlement Type:Census-designated place
Pushpin Map:USA New Jersey Somerset County#USA New Jersey#USA
Pushpin Label:Basking Ridge
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Somerset County##Location in New Jersey##Location in the United States
Pushpin Relief:yes
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Somerset
Subdivision Type3:Township
Subdivision Name3:Bernards
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Km2:17.60
Area Land Km2:17.48
Area Water Km2:0.12
Area Total Sq Mi:6.80
Area Land Sq Mi:6.75
Area Water Sq Mi:0.05
Population As Of:2020
Population Footnotes:[2]
Population Total:7196
Population Density Km2:411.60
Population Density Sq Mi:1066.07
Timezone:Eastern (EST)
Utc Offset:−05:00
Timezone Dst:Eastern (EDT)
Utc Offset Dst:−04:00
Elevation Footnotes:[3]
Elevation M:102
Elevation Ft:335
Coordinates:40.7062°N -74.5493°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP Code
Postal Code:07920, 07939[4] [5]
Area Code:908
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:[6]
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:2806230

Basking Ridge is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP)[7] located within Bernards Township in the Somerset Hills region of Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[8]

Settled during colonial times, Basking Ridge is in the Raritan Valley and is a commercial hub for northern-central New Jersey and is a commuter town of New York City.[9] It was home to the old AT&T Headquarters, now operated by Verizon. Basking Ridge is the current headquarters for Collabera, Verizon Wireless, Peraton Labs, Lawyer.com, and Barnes & Noble College Booksellers. The community also hosts a train station along the Gladstone Branch (one of the two branches of the Morris & Essex Lines), which connects to Hoboken Terminal and New York Penn Station.

The community of Basking Ridge is part of greater Bernards Township, which also includes the neighborhoods of Liberty Corner, Lyons and West Millington.

It was first listed as a CDP in the 2020 census with a population of 7,196.[10]

History

Basking Ridge was originally settled in the 1720s by British Presbyterians escaping religious persecution. The land was bought from the Lenape Native Americans.[11]

Bernards Township was officially chartered on May 21, 1760, granted by King George II and granted to Sir Francis Bernard, first governor of the noted section which includes Basking Ridge.

On the morning of December 13, 1776, General Charles Lee was captured by the British at Widow White's tavern. Lee had ranked next to Washington in command.[12]

A referendum to create an independent borough of Basking Ridge failed in June 1921.[13] Voters rejected the proposed borough by a more than 4–1 margin.[14]

The downtown area of Bernards Township known as Basking Ridge was added to the New Jersey and National Registries as a Historic District. on August 8, 1974.

Demographics

2020 census

Basking Ridge CDP, New Jersey - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
!Race / Ethnicity!Pop 2020[15] !% 2020
White alone (NH)5,66678.74%
Black or African American alone (NH)460.64%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)10.01%
Asian alone (NH)6719.32%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)00.00%
Other Race alone (NH)210.29%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)2723.78%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)5197.21%
Total7,196100.00%

Prior to 2020, demographic data was based on the United States Census Bureau figures for the ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) for the 07920 ZIP Code. As of the 2010 census, the population for the ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) 07920 was 26,747.[16]

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census[17] there were 24,600 people, 9,300 households, and 6,517 families residing in the ZCTA. The population density was 1137.1sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 9,537 housing units at an average density of 440.8sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the ZCTA was 89.2% Caucasian, 1.4% African American, 0.1% Native American, 7.8% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.4% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. 2.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.[18]

There were 9,300 households, out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.8% were married couples living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.15.[18]

In the ZCTA the population was spread out, with 27.3% under the age of 18, 3.2% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.3 years.[18]

The median income for a household in the ZCTA was $105,471, and the median income for a family was $131,618. Males had a median income of $93,436 versus $60,101 for females. The per capita income for the ZCTA was $54,753. 1.4% of the population and 0.6% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 1.2% of those under the age of 18 and 2.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.[18]

Demographic Basking
Ridge
United
States
Population 21,424 308,745,538[19]
Median Age 37.13 years 37.2 years
Median Household Income $183,611 $51,144[20]
% of Single Households 37.39% 30.22%
% of Married Households 62.61% 69.78%
% Families 70.72% 69.40%
Avg. Household Size 2.42 people 2.58 people
% College or Higher 59.76% 26.46%
% White Collar 82.53% 55.54%
Homes Owner Occupied 79.84% 57.72%
Avg. Dwelling Size 6 rooms 4.5 rooms

Arts and culture

Cultural events

Basking Ridge has an annual event in May called Charter Day. Many rides are set up in the Oak Street field—a bounce house, inflatable race tracks, and spinning rides. Also, in the center of the town hundreds of stands are set up mostly promoting school sports, but there are also many kettle corn stands, which is a traditional food children eat during Charter Day. At night, the traditional Battle of the Bands takes place, which many teenagers sign up for to play their favorite songs.

Historic sites

National Register of Historic Places

Basking Ridge has several properties on the National Register of Historic Places.[31]

Parks and recreation

There are several parks within Basking Ridge. Four are county parks: Lord Stirling Park, Rebel Hill, Southard, and Harry Dunham. The fifth is Pleasant Valley Park which contains the town pool and miles of woodchip trails.[32]

Education

Bernards High School was founded by the Bernards Township Board of Education in 1924. When Bernardsville separated from Bernards Township, the schools still remained one system until 1947 when the original high school became the property of Bernardsville. From 1948, however, township students continued attending Bernards High School as tuition students.[33] In 1960 a contract was issued for the construction of a new Ridge High School and Cedar Hill School which were built on approximately of land.

William Annin Middle School was originally named after a colonial patriot who settled in Basking Ridge in 1722. Construction started in 1968 and the school was dedicated on September 28, 1969, as William Annin Junior High School and contained grades 6 through 8. The following year it shifted to grades 7 through 9. It became a middle school in 1982. It currently contains grades 6 through 8.[34] The school is one of the few in the United States to have a seismograph.[35] [36]

There are four elementary schools in Basking Ridge.

Transportation

Trains

NJ Transit's Gladstone Branch runs through Basking Ridge. There are two stations that residents can use to get to New York City and Hoboken Terminal:[42]

Built in 1912 by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, it serves downtown and north Basking Ridge.[43]

Built in 1931 by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, it serves the Hills, and south Basking Ridge in addition to Liberty Corner.[44] Lyons gets more passengers than Basking Ridge.

Buses

Lakeland Bus Lines (Route 78) provides service to and from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan during peak commuting hours.[45]

Roads and highways

Two Interstates are located near Basking Ridge:

Travel west towards Pennsylvania or east towards New York City and Newark

Travel north towards upstate New York or south towards Edison.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Basking Ridge include:

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: ArcGIS REST Services Directory. United States Census Bureau. October 11, 2022. February 13, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230213081535/https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/5/query?where=STATE%3D%2734%27&outFields=NAME%2CSTATE%2CPLACE%2CAREALAND%2CAREAWATER%2CLSADC%2CCENTLAT%2CCENTLON&orderByFields=PLACE&returnGeometry=false&returnTrueCurves=false&f=json. live.
  2. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/baskingridgecdpnewjersey/ QuickFacts Basking Ridge CDP, New Jersey
  3. , Geographic Names Information System. Accessed July 3, 2012.
  4. http://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupResultsAction!input.action?resultMode=0&city=Basking%20Ridge&state=NJ Look Up a ZIP Code for Basking Ridge, NJ
  5. http://www.state.nj.us/infobank/njzips.htm Zip Codes
  6. https://mcdc.missouri.edu/applications/geocodes/?state=34 Geographic Codes Lookup for New Jersey
  7. https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/tigerwebmain/Files/tab20/tigerweb_tab20_cdp_2020_nj.html State of New Jersey Census Designated Places - BVP20 - Data as of January 1, 2020
  8. http://www.state.nj.us/infobank/localnames.txt Locality Search
  9. Capuzzo, Jill P., "Living in Basking Ridge, N.J.: A Polished Past and Polite People", New York Times, Published April 2, 2013. Accessed July 24, 2023.
  10. Web site: Basking Ridge CDP, New Jersey. United States Census Bureau. May 20, 2023. May 20, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230520181430/https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=160XX00US3403340. live.
  11. Cheslow, Jerry. "If You're Thinking of Living In: Basking Ridge, N.J.;A Rich Hamlet That Gobbled Up a Town", The New York Times, November 19, 1995. Accessed October 11, 2015. "The recorded history of Basking Ridge goes back to 1717, when John Harrison, an agent of King James III, bought most of what is now Bernards Township from Chief Nowenok of the Leni Lenape Indians for the equivalent of $50. According to Mrs. Kennedy, the first settlers were English and Scottish Presbyterians escaping religious persecution."
  12. Staff. "December 13 - This Day in History; 1776 -General Charles Lee leaves his troops for Widow White's tavern", History (U.S. TV channel). Accessed October 11, 2015. "On this day in 1776, American General Charles Lee leaves his army, riding in search of female sociability at Widow White's Tavern in Basking Ridge, New Jersey.... Lee rode to Widow White's tavern with a minimal guard and it was there that Banastre Tarleton and the 16th Queen's Light Dragoons captured him on the morning of December 15."
  13. Thomson, W. Barry. "New Municipal Proposals of 100 Years Ago", Inside the Brick Academy, June 2021. Accessed July 7, 2023. "Over the years a number of efforts have been made to alter municipal boundaries and create new municipalities in the Somerset Hills region, with the goal of making local governments more responsive to the changing needs of residents.... After bills authorizing these new boroughs passed the New Jersey Legislature, local referenda were held in June 1921 allowing residents in each of the affected areas to vote on the proposals. The vote to create the Borough of Far Hills passed, while votes to form the separate boroughs of Bernardsville and Basking Ridge were defeated."
  14. https://www.newspapers.com/article/bernardsville-news-basking-ridge-voters/128457824/ "Ridge Defeats Borough Act"
  15. Web site: P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Basking Ridge CDP, New Jersey. United States Census Bureau. May 20, 2023. May 20, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230520181019/https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US3403340&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2. live.
  16. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/8600000US07920 DP-1 - Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 from 2010 Demographic Profile Data for ZCTA5 07920
  17. https://www.census.gov U.S. Census website
  18. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/00_SF1/DP1/8600000US07920 DP-1 - Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 from Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for ZCTA5 07920
  19. Web site: 2010 Census Briefs: Age and Sex Composition . December 7, 2017 . January 16, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210116205037/https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-03.pdf . live .
  20. Web site: Household Income for States . 2017-12-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140528184959/http://www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/acsbr11-02.pdf . 2014-05-28 . dead .
  21. Hickey, Magee. "Basking Ridge rallies behind 600-year-old white oak tree", WPIX, June 29, 2016. Accessed July 2, 2016.
  22. http://www.bernardslibrary.org/pdf/WalkingTour.pdf A Walking Tour of Historic Basking Ridge Village
  23. [James Barron (journalist)|Barron, James]
  24. https://books.google.com/books?id=XAtJAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA245&lpg=PA245 "Basking Ridge in Revolutionary Days"
  25. Risch, Erna. Supplying Washington's Army, p. 375. United States Army Center of Military History, 1981. Accessed March 22, 2020.
  26. http://www.historicalsocietyofsomersethills.org/brick_academy.php The Brick Academy
  27. Siegel, Alan A. Somerset County in Vintage Postcards, p. 14. Arcadia Publishing, 1999. . Accessed November 20, 2017. "Van Dorn's Mill, Basking Ridge, N, J. VAN DORN'S MILL, C. 1910. One of New Jersey's finest stone buildings, with foundations that extend 20 feet below ground and basement walls 4 feet thick, the mill was completed in 1843. Thousands of stone loads were hauled from farm hedgerows on Hardscrabble Road."
  28. https://brpc.org/who-we-are/church-history/ History
  29. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6kUfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fNEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1685%2C1426147 "Warren Kinney Obituary"
  30. http://weirdnj.com/stories/devils-tree/ "The Devil's Tree"
  31. http://www.nj.gov/dep/hpo/1identify/nrsr_lists/Somerset.pdf New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Somerset County
  32. http://www.bernards.org/green team/Document/2011/ASSET_MAPPING_SUSTAINABLE_NJ.pdf Bernards Township Bikeway and Pedestrian Map
  33. http://www1.bernardsboe.com/RidgeHighSchool/History.aspx Ridge High School
  34. http://www1.bernardsboe.com/WilliamAnninMiddleSchool/school_history.aspx William Annin Middle School History
  35. http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/LCSN/intro.php Cooperative Seismographic Network
  36. Hayes, Edward. "School in Bernards tracks earthquakes", Courier News, January 21, 201. Accessed October 17, 2012. "There are several colleges and universities that maintain seismology equipment for studying, tracking and monitoring earthquakes. And along with them is William Annin Middle School, which maintains its own seismograph for Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University in New York."
  37. http://www1.bernardsboe.com/LibertyCornerElementarySchool/School_His.aspx Liberty Corner Elementary School History
  38. http://www1.bernardsboe.com/OakStreetElementarySchool/School.aspx Oak Street Elementary School
  39. http://www.bernardsboe.com/CedarHillElementarySchool/School_History.aspx Cedar Hill Elementary School History
  40. http://www.bernardsboe.com/MountProspectElementarySchool/School_History.aspx Mount Prospect Elementary School
  41. http://www.bernardslibrary.org/content/history-library-page-5 History of the Library (Page 5)
  42. http://www.njtransit.com/rg/rg_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=LineDetailsTo&selLine=MNEG Gladstone Branch
  43. http://www.njtransit.com/rg/rg_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=TrainStationLookupFrom&selStation=12 Basking Ridge
  44. http://www.njtransit.com/rg/rg_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=TrainStationLookupFrom&selStation=76 Lyons
  45. http://www.lakelandbus.com/m/bus_schedule.php?route=route-78-eastbound-to-new-york Route 78 - Eastbound to New York
  46. Elstein, Aaron. "Capturing Wall Street on the silver screen; One reason Margin Call expertly captures how investment bankers and traders look, sound and see the world is that its writer and director, J.C. Chandor, is a son of Wall Street. He was also inspired by other movies about business.", Crain's New York Business, November 6, 2011. Accessed June 19, 2013. "As a youth growing up in Basking Ridge, N.J., Mr. Chandor hung out on the Merrill Lynch's trading floor in lower Manhattan while his father, an investment banker, worked the phones making deals."
  47. Nutt, Amy Ellis. "Chris Daggett, ever the policy wonk, concentrates on the details", The Star-Ledger, October 11, 2009. Accessed May 15, 2011. "As an independent, Daggett straddles more than just political parties. He's a child of the free-thinking, authority-mocking 1960s — and a buttoned-down, plow-ahead grinder. The life-long Basking Ridge resident graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he says his college thesis was 'something out of the '60s, like the study of personhood.'"
  48. https://umassathletics.com/sports/mens-ice-hockey/roster/marc-del-gaizo/12305 Marc Del Gaizo
  49. Powers, Phil. "Scott Style: Adventure Student Makes Good", The Leader of the National Outdoor Leadership School, Winter 1992. Accessed May 15, 2011. "Fischer's mountaineering background began at the young age of 14 when he took a NOLS Adventure Course. His father was an outdoor enthusiast who called Scott in to watch a television program one night at their home in Basking Ridge, New Jersey."
  50. Horner, Shirley. "About Books", The New York Times, October 3, 1993. Accessed December 19, 2007. "The other inductees are Patricia Lee Gauch of Basking Ridge, who has written more than 30 children's books"
  51. Grace, Jeff. "Tribeca Film Festival 2016 Diary: Director Jeff Grace of Folk Hero & Funny Guy", MovieMaker, April 22, 2016. Accessed May 19, 2016. "I grew up outside the city in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, so NYC was the stomping grounds of my teen years."
  52. Spelling, Ian. "The Disco Biscuits will play the Nokia Theatre in Manhattan", The Record, December 23, 2009. Accessed December 4, 2011. "Gutwillig – who grew up in Morristown/Basking Ridge — and the boys are actually several bands."
  53. Giase, Frank. "Basking Ridge native Tobin Heath selected No. 1 overall in WPS Draft", The Star-Ledger, January 15, 2010. Accessed December 4, 2011. "Basking Ridge native Tobin Heath was selected with the first pick in the Women's Professional Soccer Draft today at the Philadelphia Convention Center."
  54. https://www.newjerseyhills.com/col-vincent-kramer-decorated-marine-veteran/article_c581325c-b0a1-5f4f-b92d-4f4467460326.html "Col. Vincent Kramer, decorated Marine veteran"
  55. Staff. "Peter H. Kuhn, accomplished race car driver", Hunterdon County Democrat, June 29, 2009. Accessed August 15, 2016. "Born in Summit, April 14, 1955, he was a son of Jean Henry and Elizabeth 'Lib' Dowd Kuhn. Mr. Kuhn had resided in Franklin Township since 1995, having formerly lived in Basking Ridge and Chatham Township."
  56. Harwell, Sara. Philip Lindsley", Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Accessed October 11, 2015. "Philip Lindsley, an educator, Presbyterian minister, and classical scholar, was born in Basking Ridge, New Jersey."
  57. http://www.legacyrecordings.com/Page-McConnell.aspx Page McConnell
  58. Caldwell, Dave. "In Person; Renaissance Man", The New York Times, December 4, 2005. Accessed January 24, 2008. "The taciturn Mulcahy, who graduated from Millburn High School and lives in Basking Ridge, did much of the groundwork that let Schiano, after a few tough seasons, become a success in his home state -- their home state."
  59. Cerasaro, Ashley J. "Ice Road Trekker For this Basking Ridge resident, a 342-mile trek on skis across Greenland's enormous ice cap is just a walk in the park.", New Jersey Monthly, January 16, 2012. Accessed September 13, 2018. "'I want to experience a bit of everything because each experience presents its own challenges and forces you to face different fears,' says Nanavati, a native of India who moved to Basking Ridge with his wife, Shruthi, just over a year ago to be near her family."
  60. https://books.google.com/books?id=AdMwAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA212 History of Hunterdon and Somerset Counties, New Jersey: With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers
  61. https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/97143713/ "Urban Skills Project Helps Ease Trauma Of The Past"
  62. https://www.newspapers.com/article/bernardsville-news-lt-perry-scott-of-ba/125889200/ "Lt. L. P. Scott is Honored Again; Basking Ridge Young Man Receives Third Oak Leaf Cluster To His Air Medal."
  63. http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=S000689 Samuel Lewis Southard
  64. Web site: Kuperinsky . Amy . Meryl Streep, at home in N.J., says she empathizes with Trump (who called her overrated) . NJ.com . December 6, 2018 . 22 July 2019 . July 22, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190722031533/https://expo.nj.com/life-and-culture/erry-2018/12/1de3c5fe8c9126/meryl-streep-at-home-in-nj-say.html . live .
  65. Bishop, Greg. "Tomlinson Relishes New Home, and New Opportunity", The New York Times, June 8, 2010. Accessed January 24, 2015.
  66. Mehta, Manish. "New York Jets running back LaDainian Tomlinson reborn with birth of son Daylen Oliver", New York Daily News, August 8, 2010. Accessed January 24, 2015.
  67. Rockland, Kate. "The Band They All Ache To Become", The New York Times, December 5, 2004. Accessed January 24, 2015. "The Bouncing Souls are true sons of New Jersey and have the tattoos to prove it.... And on a dark, foggy November night straight out of a Goth girl's dream, the boys, who grew up in Basking Ridge, were back home."