Hillsborough Township is a township in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Located in the Raritan Valley region, the township is a suburban and exurban bedroom community of New York City within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 43,276,
Hillsborough Township was originally created by royal charter issued May 31, 1771, which was revoked and revised on September 12, 1771. The township's name may have come from an earlier name of "Hillsbury", though it may have been named for Wills Hill, 1st Marquess of Downshire who was the Earl of Hillsborough. Based on an analysis of data from the FBI's Uniform Crime Report for 2022, Hillsborough Township was ranked as the second-safest small city in the United States.
History
On May 31, 1771, Hillsborough was officially granted a Charter incorporating it as a Township.
thumb|left|The Manor at [[Duke Farms, now the park's Orientation Center]]
Hillsborough is home to Duke Gardens and Duke Farms, a estate in the north-eastern quadrant of the town that was originally owned by tobacco and electric energy tycoon James "Buck" Duke and then passed down to daughter Doris Duke. As of March 2023, approximately one-third of Hillsborough Township is preserved as Open Space and/or Preserved Farmland.
In Money magazine's 2013 Best Places to Live rankings, Hillsborough was ranked 16th in the nation, the third-highest among the three places in New Jersey included in the top 50 list. In the magazine's 2007 rankings, the township was ranked as the 23rd best place to live in the nation.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 55.10 square miles (142.71 km<sup>2</sup>), including 54.61 square miles (141.45 km<sup>2</sup>) of land and 0.49 square miles (1.26 km<sup>2</sup>) of water (0.88%).
Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Amwell, Belle Mead, Blackwells Mills, Champlain, Cloverhill, Clover Mill, Flagtown, Frankfort, Hamilton, Higgins Mills, Hillsborough CDP, Montgomery, Neshanic, Pleasant View, Royce Field, Royce Valley, South Branch, Woods Tavern and Zion.
The township borders Branchburg Township, Bridgewater Township, Franklin Township, Manville, Millstone, Montgomery Township, Raritan and Somerville in Somerset County; and East Amwell Township, Raritan Township and Readington Township in Hunterdon County.
Ecology
According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types, Hillsborough Township would have an Appalachian Oak (104) vegetation type with an Eastern Hardwood Forest (25) vegetation form.
Climate
The township has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) if the -3 isotherm is used, consistent with most of Somerset County. The low in January, the coldest month on average, is 18 °F (−8 °C), while the high in July, the warmest month on average, is 85 °F (29 °C).
Demographics
thumb|left|Shopping plaza in Hillsborough