Location of Lopatcong Township in Warren County highlighted in yellow (right). Inset map: Location of Warren County in New Jersey highlighted in black (left).
Census Bureau map of Lopatcong Township, New Jersey
What is now Lopatcong Township was created as Phillipsburg Township on March 7, 1851, by an act approved by the New Jersey Legislature from portions of Greenwich Township and Harmony Township. After Phillipsburg was incorporated as an independent municipality on March 8, 1861, the township changed its name to Lopatcong as of March 18, 1863, after the Lopatcong Creek in the area.[20][21]
The name of the creek and township, Lopatcong, has its origin in four words of the LenapeNative Americans, "Lowan peek achtu onk," which means "winter watering place for deer".[22][23]
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 7.38 square miles (19.10 km2), including 7.32 square miles (18.95 km2) of land and 0.06 square miles (0.16 km2) of water (0.81%).[1][2]
Of the 3,136 households, 30.0% had children under the age of 18; 55.7% were married couples living together; 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present and 33.4% were non-families. Of all households, 29.3% were made up of individuals and 13.3% 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.[17]
23.1% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 27.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.3 years. For every 100 females, the population had 88.3 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 82.6 males.[17]
The Census Bureau's 2006โ2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $77,320 (with a margin of error of +/โ $4,889) and the median family income was $89,317 (+/โ $6,056). Males had a median income of $61,771 (+/โ $6,980) versus $49,338 (+/โ $4,584) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $33,633 (+/โ $2,586). About 0.7% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.0% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.[40]
2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census,[14] there were 5,765 people, 2,143 households, and 1,523 families residing in the township. The population density was 814.6 inhabitants per square mile (314.5/km2). There were 2,429 housing units at an average density of 343.2 per square mile (132.5/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 96.27% White, 1.13% African American, 0.07% Native American, 1.63% Asian, 0.49% from other races, and 0.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.99% of the population.[37][38]
There were 2,143 households, out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.5% were married couples living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.09.[37][38]
In the township, the population was spread out, with 24.5% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 22.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.3 males.[37][38]
The median income for a household in the township was $50,918, and the median income for a family was $65,545. Males had a median income of $52,540 versus $30,967 for females. The per capita income for the township was $24,333. About 4.7% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.2% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.[37][38]
Government
Local government
Lopatcong Township is governed by the Small Municipality form of government, which is available under the terms of the Faulkner Act only for those municipalities with a population below 12,000 at the time of adoption. The township is one of 18 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form of government.[41] The governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the four-member Township Council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. The Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a three-year term of office. Council members are elected to serve a term of three years on a staggered basis, so that two seats come up for election in the two years that the mayor is not up for election.[6][42]
As of 2022[update], members of the Lopatcong Township Council are Mayor James Mengucci (R, term on committee and as mayor ends December 31, 2020), Council President William D. Wright (R, 2022), Louis Belcaro (R, 2024), Richard McQuade (R, 2024) and James Palitto (R, 2022).[3][43][44][45][46]
In June 2016, the Township Council unanimously selected Yvonne Reitemeyer from a list of three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2016 that became vacant following the resignation of Donna Schneider.[47][48]
In the November 2012 general election, Lori Ciesla, who ran as part of the independent slate of Responsible Lopatcong Leadership, won election, as did Maureen McCabe who won an unexpired one-year term when she defeated Republican incumbent Andrew Horun who had been appointed earlier in the year to fill the vacant seat of H. Matthew Curry.[49]
Federal, state and county representation
Lopatcong Township is located in the 7th Congressional District[50] and is part of New Jersey's 23rd state legislative district.[51][52][53] Prior to the 2010 Census, Lopatcong Township had been part of the 5th Congressional District, a change made by the New Jersey Redistricting Commission that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections.[54]
Warren County is governed by a three-member Board of County Commissioners, who are chosen at-large on a staggered basis in partisan elections with one seat coming up for election each year as part of the November general election. At an annual reorganization meeting held in the beginning of January, the board selects one of its members to serve as Commissioner Director and other as Deputy Director.[60] As of 2024[update], Warren County's Commissioners are:
As of March 2011, there were a total of 5,153 registered voters in Lopatcong Township, of which 1,391 (27.0% vs. 21.5% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 1,470 (28.5% vs. 35.3%) were registered as Republicans and 2,288 (44.4% vs. 43.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 4 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.[72] Among the township's 2010 Census population, 64.3% (vs. 62.3% in Warren County) were registered to vote, including 83.6% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 81.5% countywide).[72][73]
In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 1,964 votes (52.8% vs. 56.0% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 1,638 votes (44.0% vs. 40.8%) and other candidates with 51 votes (1.4% vs. 1.7%), among the 3,720 ballots cast by the township's 5,386 registered voters, for a turnout of 69.1% (vs. 66.7% in Warren County).[74][75] In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 1,985 votes (51.9% vs. 55.2% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 1,730 votes (45.2% vs. 41.4%) and other candidates with 46 votes (1.2% vs. 1.6%), among the 3,827 ballots cast by the township's 5,090 registered voters, for a turnout of 75.2% (vs. 73.4% in Warren County).[76] In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 1,994 votes (57.5% vs. 61.0% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 1,419 votes (40.9% vs. 37.2%) and other candidates with 30 votes (0.9% vs. 1.3%), among the 3,467 ballots cast by the township's 4,536 registered voters, for a turnout of 76.4% (vs. 76.3% in the whole county).[77]
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 70.4% of the vote (1,615 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 27.6% (634 votes), and other candidates with 2.0% (45 votes), among the 2,345 ballots cast by the township's 5,506 registered voters (51 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 42.6%.[78][79] In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 1,455 votes (58.6% vs. 61.3% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 736 votes (29.6% vs. 25.7%), Independent Chris Daggett with 228 votes (9.2% vs. 9.8%) and other candidates with 35 votes (1.4% vs. 1.5%), among the 2,484 ballots cast by the township's 4,981 registered voters, yielding a 49.9% turnout (vs. 49.6% in the county).[80]
Education
The Lopatcong Township School District serves public school students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.[81] As of the 2021โ22 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 707 students and 58.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a studentโteacher ratio of 12.2:1.[82] Schools in the district (with 2021โ22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[83]) are
Lopatcong Elementary School with 350 students in grades PreK-4 and
Lopatcong Middle School with 355 students in grades 5-8.[84][85][86][87] Before the middle school opened in 2003, students would attend the elementary school through eighth grade; The middle school was constructed in the wake of increasing enrollment, which climbed more than 50% from just over 500 in 1995 to more than 750 by 2001.[88]
Lopatcong Township was featured in a 2003 article in The New York Times, which addressed problems of public school financing in suburban communities and various strategies that Lopatcong and other such communities were adopting to deal with the problem.[88]
As of May 2010[update], the township had a total of 45.59 miles (73.37 km) of roadways, of which 35.19 miles (56.63 km) were maintained by the municipality, 6.56 miles (10.56 km) by Warren County and 3.84 miles (6.18 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.[97]
The most prominent highway in Lopatcong Township is US 22, which traverses the southern section of the township. Route 57 traverses towards the center from its western end at US 22. The main county road that passes through is County Route 519 which passes through in the eastern part of the township.
Lopatcong Township was the primary location for the independent filmSeveral Ways to Die Trying. The film's writer and director, Glen Tickle, along with members of the cast and crew, are residents of the township.[104]
^Raum, John O. The History of New Jersey: From Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time, Volume 1, p. 272, J. E. Potter and company, 1877. Accessed June 6, 2013. "Lopatcong contains 1,150 inhabitants [in 1870].... Phillipsburg is on the Delaware directly opposite in Pennsylvania The city of the same name is divided into three wards The population in 1860 was 3,741; and in 1870, 5,932." Note that the 1860 population listed for Phillipsburg city is actually the data for Phillipsburg township, before it was renamed as Lopatcong.
^Novak, Steve. "Meet Lopatcong Township's newest councilwoman", The Express-Times, June 28, 2016. Accessed August 8, 2016. "Lopatcong Township has a new councilwoman, though only for the next six months. Yvonne Reitemeyer, 46, was unanimously selected by the council Monday night to fill the rest of the term left by Councilwoman Donna Schneider's resignation this month."
^Special Meeting Minutes June 27, 2016, Township of Lopatcong. Accessed August 8, 2016. "Council Vacancy: - Council President Pryor made a motion to appoint Yvonne Reitemeyer to fill the Council vacancy, seconded by Councilman Belcaro. Roll call vote: AYES: Councilman Belcaro, Councilwoman McCabe, Council President Pryor, Mayor McKay; NAYS: None. Yvonne Reitemeyer was sworn in as Councilwoman."
^Governmental Structure, Warren County, New Jersey. Accessed February 22, 2022. "Warren County operates under the County Commissioner form of county government. The Board of County Commissioners consists of three Commissioners each elected at large for staggered terms of three years. The Commissioner Director is chosen by the full board at the board's annual reorganization meeting in January. The Commissioners supervise, direct and administer all county services and functions through the various departments, autonomous boards, agencies, and commissions. Reporting to the Board of County Commissioners is an appointed County Administrator."
^Jason J. Sarnoski, Warren County, New Jersey. Accessed February 22, 2022.
^Lori Ciesla, Warren County, New Jersey. Accessed February 22, 2022.
^James R. Kern III, Warren County, New Jersey. Accessed February 22, 2022.
^Loptacong Township Board of Education Bylaw 0110 - Identification, Lopatcong Township School District. Accessed June 1, 2023. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Pre-Kindergarten through eight in the Lopatcong Township School District. Composition: The Lopatcong Township School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Lopatcong Township."
^ abMansnerus, Laura. "Great Haven for Families, but Don't Bring Children", The New York Times August 13, 2003. Accessed June 10, 2013. "That describes Lopatcong, near Interstate 78 at the state's western edge. As farms gave way to subdivisions of single-family houses, the population rose to 6,991 in 2002 from 5,765 in 2000. Enrollment at the town's elementary school was 503 in 1995 and 755 in 2001, and it is expected to reach 900 this fall, when a new middle school will open."
^Phillipsburg High School 2015 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 5, 2020. "At the secondary level, the district serves not only students from the town of Phillipsburg which makes up 37.6% of the high school population, but also students from the surrounding boroughs of Alpha and Bloomsbury, as well as the townships of Greenwich, Lopatcong, and Pohatcong."
^About PSD, Phillipsburg School District. Accessed June 5, 2020. "The district serves students from the Town of Phillipsburg and five sending communities at the secondary level: Alpha, Bloomsbury, Greenwich, Lopatcong and Pohatcong Townships. Phillipsburg is the largest community in Warren County."
^Peters, Sarah. "New Phillipsburg High School beginning to take shape in Lopatcong Township", The Express-Times, July 7, 2014. Accessed March 29, 2015. "The new Phillipsburg High School is starting to take shape atop a steep hillside off Belvidere Road in Lopatcong Township.... Five school board members and at least four administrators embarked on the tour of the property scheduled to open during the 2016-2017 academic year."
^Novak, Steve. "Christie: New Phillipsburg High School most modern in N.J.", The Express-Times, September 21, 2016. Accessed January 17, 2017. "The 330,000-square-foot high school finally opened for classes this month, and Gov. Chris Christie -- who on Wednesday was the guest of honor at a ceremony marking the $127.5 million project's completion -- thanked the assembled staff, students and other dignitaries for their patience.... The building on a hilltop in Lopatcong Township is designed for 2,172 students in grades 9 to 12, with 50 general classrooms, 12 science labs, 4 computer labs, media center and arts and vocational facilities."
^F.A.Q., Ridge and Valley Charter School. Accessed January 17, 2017. "Enrollment is open, on a space available basis, to all K-8 students residing in N.J. with priority given to students residing in the districts of Blairstown, Hardwick, Knowlton, Frelinghuysen, and North Warren Regional School."
^via Associated Press. "Albanese a candidate", Red Bank Register, October 8, 1980. Accessed June 5, 2020. "State Assemblyman Donald J. Albanese said yesterday that he is best suited to succeed Gov. Brendan T. Byrne next year. Albanese, 43, of Lopatcong Township in Warren County, said he is an Italian-American with a perfect rating from conservatives."
^Novak, Steve. "Lou Reda, renowned local producer of 100s of documentaries, dies at 92", The Express-Times, September 30, 2017. Accessed September 30, 2017. "The production company said goodbye to the boss Saturday morning, when Lou Reda died from a sudden illness. He was 92.... Reda, a World War II Navy veteran who lived in Lopatcong Township for decades, produced hundreds of documentaries for A&E and the History Channel in the '80s and '90s, his son said."
^Staff. "Harold S. Sloan, 100, Former Manufacturer", The New York Times, November 9, 1988. Accessed October 1, 2017. "Harold Stephenson Sloan, a retired manufacturer, economist, teacher and author who was a brother of the industrialist Alfred P. Sloan, died in his sleep Saturday at his home in Lopatcong Township, N.J. He was 100 years old."
