Mendham Borough, New Jersey

Mendham Borough is a borough in southwestern Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 4,981, Located in the Raritan Valley region within the New York metropolitan area, the North Branch of the Raritan River begins in Mendham Borough and flows in a southwest direction towards neighboring Somerset County.

Located on the northern end of the Somerset Hills region, the borough is known for its country homes and historic downtown.

The Mendham Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the state register in 1985. Notable landmarks in the district include the Phoenix House, which serves as the borough's municipal building, along with the Black Horse Inn Tavern & Pub; New Jersey’s oldest continually operating restaurant, dating back to 1742.

New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Mendham Borough as the number one place to live in the state in its 2013 rankings of the "Best Places to Live" in New Jersey.

In the Forbes magazine's 2006 (209th; median sale price of $835,000) and 2012 (356th; $800,672) rankings of the Most Expensive ZIP Codes in the United States, Mendham was listed among the top 500 nationwide. In 2018, New Jersey Business Magazine listed Mendham at 41st in its listing of "The Most Expensive ZIP Codes in New Jersey", with a median sale price 2017 of $650,000.

Along with Mendham Township, the Mendhams have been described by The New York Times as "both affluent". The borough is one of the state's highest-income communities. Based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) for 2014–2018, Mendham Borough residents had a median household income of $158,542, almost double the statewide median of $79,363.

History

Mendham Borough was incorporated by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on May 15, 1906, from portions of Mendham Township, because residents of what became the borough wanted sidewalks and street lights constructed while those that lived in what remained the township (including the communities of Brookside and Ralston) felt it was cost prohibitive in their more rural areas.

The formation of Mendham Borough from Mendham Township in 1906 began a series of new municipalities that were created in the Somerset Hills region.

Located on the borough's southern slope of Bernardsville Mountain in the Somerset Hills lies Wendover, the former estate of investment banker Walter Phelps Bliss (1870-1924). One of the largest mansions in the Mendhams, Wendover is now home to the Roxiticus Golf Club.

Phoenix House was purchased by Arthur Whitney of Mendham Township in 1919 and deeded to the borough in 1938 for use as its municipal building.

Name

The Mendhams may be named for Mendham, Suffolk, England, or the name may derive from the Native American word mendom (meaning "raspberry") or for an Earl of Mendham.

Historic district

The Mendham Historic District is a historic district located along stretches of Route 24, known in Mendham as Main Street. This east-west roadway is well over 200 years old, and has been called the Washington Turnpike, the Mendham-Morristown Road, and the William Penn Highway at various times in its history. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 18, 1985, for its significance in agriculture, commerce, architecture, settlement, and religion from 1750 to 1924. The district includes 140 contributing buildings. Since 1999, Mendham Borough has had a Historic Preservation Ordinance designed and intended to enhance and preserve the district's historic character.

According to the National Park Service:

The Mendham Historic District consists of 140 properties, generally well preserved, that illustrate the history of the village from its eighteenth century founding through its 1906 incorporation as a borough, and into the first third of this century when infill building completed development within the historic bounds of the village. The District covers the central crossroads of the village, and extends as far as the area nineteenth century maps illustrate as "Mendham, P.O.", the village core containing the post office. The conjunction of religious, residential, and commercial buildings that have established Mendham's village character are well preserved today.

An unnamed pond in the borough is the source of the Passaic River. The North Branch Raritan River also originates in the borough.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 4,981 people, 1,722 households, and 1,326 families in the borough. The population density was 837.1 per square mile (323.2/km<sup>2</sup>). There were 1,798 housing units at an average density of 302.2 per square mile (116.7/km<sup>2</sup>). The racial makeup was 95.70% (4,767) White, 1.02% (51) Black or African American, 0.04% (2) Native American, 2.05% (102) Asian, 0.08% (4) Pacific Islander, 0.18% (9) from other races, and 0.92% (46) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.71% (135) of the population.

Based on data from the 2006–2010 American Community Survey, the borough had a per-capita income of $51,875, ranked 89th in the state.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census

There were 1,781 households, out of which 36.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.3% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.5% were same-sex couples. 18.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.13.

Parks and recreation

Mendham is home to the Roxiticus Golf Club, which was used for a qualifying round for the New Jersey Open Championship in 2022. Mendham is also home to Borough Park in the center of town with basketball courts, baseball fields, tennis courts, and a playground.

Government

Local government

Mendham Borough is governed under the borough form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 218 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form, the most commonly used form of government in the state. The governing body is comprised of a mayor and a borough council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. A mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The borough council is comprised of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle. The borough form of government used by Mendham Borough is a "weak mayor / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can veto ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council.

The mayor is the head of the municipal government and as chief executive is responsible to see that all state laws and borough ordinances are faithfully executed. The mayor, presides over the borough council meetings and only votes in order to break a tie. The mayor can veto ordinances and appoint subordinate officials, ad hoc committees and certain other officials to boards, committees and commissions.

, Republican James R. Kelly is serving as Mayor. Members of the Borough Council are Council President Neil Sullivan (R, 2028), Dr. Marilyn Althoff (R, 2026), Matthew Bruin (R, 2027), Chris Neff (D, 2028), Will Russo (R, 2026), and Alexandra Henry Traut (R, 2027).

Federal, state, and county representation

Mendham Borough is located in the 7th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 25th State Legislative District.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 3,701 registered voters in Mendham, of which 739 (20.0%) were registered as Democrats, 1,615 (43.6%) were registered as Republicans and 1,346 (36.4%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There was one voter registered to another party.

In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 64.4% of the vote (1,666 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 35.0% (906 votes), and other candidates with 0.6% (15 votes), among the 2,598 ballots cast by the borough's 3,889 registered voters (11 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 66.8%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 57.4% of the vote (1,726 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 41.3% (1,243 votes) and other candidates with 0.6% (18 votes), among the 3,009 ballots cast by the borough's 3,854 registered voters, for a turnout of 78.1%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 61.1% of the vote (1,810 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry with 37.6% (1,113 votes) and other candidates with 0.8% (30 votes), among the 2,964 ballots cast by the borough's 3,885 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 76.3.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 80.0% of the vote (1,695 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 18.8% (399 votes), and other candidates with 1.2% (25 votes), among the 2,143 ballots cast by the borough's 3,851 registered voters (24 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 55.6%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 66.2% of the vote (1,541 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 24.1% (562 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 9.1% (213 votes) and other candidates with 0.2% (5 votes), among the 2,328 ballots cast by the borough's 3,735 registered voters, yielding a 62.3% turnout.

Education

Public school students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade attend the Mendham Borough Schools. As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 485 students and 53.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.1:1. Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are

Hilltop Elementary School with 241 students in grades PreK-4 and

Mountain View Middle School with 241 students in grades 5–8.

Students in public school for ninth through twelfth grades attend West Morris Mendham High School, which is located in Mendham Borough and serves students from Chester Borough, Chester Township, Mendham Borough and Mendham Township. The school is part of the West Morris Regional High School District, which also serves students from Washington Township at West Morris Central High School. As of the 2020–21 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 1,142 students and 91.9 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.4:1. The high school district's board of education is comprised of nine members who are elected directly by voters to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis. The nine seats on the board of education are allocated based on the populations of the constituent municipalities, with one seat assigned to Mendham Borough.

Saint Joseph School was a Catholic school established in 1963 and operated under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson that serves students in preschool through eighth grade. Founded in 1963, the school was recognized in 2012 by the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program.

The Westmont Montessori School, established in 1964, is the second-oldest Montessori school in New Jersey. It has served approximately 2,500 children ages 15 months to 6 years old in its 50-year history. Westmont is dually accredited by the American Montessori Society and the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

Until 2005, Mendham was home to the Assumption College for Sisters, a two-year women's college that is open to lay students as well as those pursuing religious lives, operated by the Sisters of Christian Charity; the school has moved to the Morris Catholic High School campus in Denville Township.

Transportation

thumb|right|[[County Route 510 (New Jersey)|County Route 510 eastbound in Mendham]]

Roads and highways

, the borough had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality and by Morris County.

No Interstate, U.S. or state highways pass through Mendham. The most significant roadways directly serving the borough are County Route 510 and County Route 525.

Public transportation

NJ Transit offered service on the MCM4 and MCM5 routes until 2010, when subsidies to the local provider were eliminated as part of budget cuts.

Midtown Direct express train line service into New York Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan and to Hoboken Terminal is available at the Morristown station.

George Dod Armstrong (1813–1899), Presbyterian minister and author
Adam Boyd (1746–1835), politician who represented New Jersey in Congress from 1803 to 1805, and again from 1808 to 1813
Neil Cavuto (born 1958), Fox News network host
Abner Doubleday (1819–1893), Union Army General during the American Civil War and the subject of a myth regarding his supposed founding of baseball
Maggie Doyne (born ), philanthropist recognized for her work developing an orphanage and school in the Kopila Valley of Nepal after spending time in that country during a gap year after completing high school
Aura K. Dunn (born 1971), politician who has represented the 25th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly
William Hillcourt (1900–1992), Dane who founded Boy Scouts of America Troop 1 of Mendham in 1935 to test his theories of Scouting
Robert Mulcahy (1932–2022), former athletic director at Rutgers University and former mayor
Rosie Napravnik (born 1988), thoroughbred racehorse jockey

Notable businesses

Van Dessel Sports, bicycle brand.

References

External links

Mendham Borough website
Mendham Borough Schools
School Data for the Mendham Borough Schools, National Center for Education Statistics
West Morris Mendham High School
West Morris Regional High School District
Daily Record regional area newspaper