Succasunna is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Roxbury Township, Morris County, New Jersey, United States, serving as the township's downtown and population center. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 10,338,
History
The name "Succasunna" comes from the Lenni Lenape Native American word for "land of black stones", most likely due to the rich iron ore deposits in the area. The community was established circa 1740.
The Morris Canal was an important transportation link in the iron industry around Succasunna, carrying coal to iron ore-producing areas throughout North Jersey. The canal was abandoned in 1924 and largely dismantled.
Succasunna was the site of the world's first electronic switching public telephone exchange. The Western Electric model 1ESS system was cut over for service on the New Jersey Bell 584 central office on May 30, 1965. A commemorative plaque on the wall of the central office building notes this historic event. Instead of electro-mechanical relays, the 1ESS was the first commercial computerized electronic switching system. This innovation allowed for features of modern telephone service, like call forwarding, call waiting, and three-way calling.
Geography
Succasunna is in western Morris County and occupies the southern portion of Roxbury Township. It is bordered to the northwest by Ledgewood and to the northeast by Kenvil, both in Roxbury Township. It is bordered to the southeast by Randolph Township, to the south by Chester Township, and to the southwest by Flanders in Mount Olive Township.
New Jersey Route 10 passes through the northeast part of Succasunna, leading northwest to its terminus at U.S. Route 46 in Ledgewood and east to Whippany. The Morristown and Erie Railway runs rail freight service through the area two to five times per week on its High Bridge Branch.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Succasunna CDP has a total area of , of which are land and , or 2.78%, are water.
| align = right
| align-fn = center
Succasunna was part of the Succasunna-Kenvil CDP in the 2000 United States census, which counted the combined population of Succasunna and Kenvil as 12,569. For the 2010 census, the area was split into two CDPs, Succasunna, with a population of 9,152,
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Succasunna CDP, New Jersey – Racial and ethnic composition<br><small></small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(NH = Non-Hispanic)</small>
!Pop 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |Pop 2020
!% 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020
|-
|White alone (NH)
|7,948
|style='background: #ffffe6; |8,206
|86.84%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |79.38%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|123
|style='background: #ffffe6; |157
|1.34%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.52%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|2
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5
|0.02%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.05%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|445
|style='background: #ffffe6; |530
|4.86%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5.13%
|-
|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.01%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|7
|style='background: #ffffe6; |39
|0.08%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.38%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|91
|style='background: #ffffe6; |276
|0.99%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.67%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|536
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,124
|5.86%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |10.87%
|-
|Total
|9,152
|style='background: #ffffe6; |10,338
|100.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%
|}
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Succasunna had a population of 10,338. The median age was 45.3 years. 20.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.9 males age 18 and over.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 3,657 households in Succasunna, of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 69.6% were married-couple households, 10.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 15.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 15.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Succasunna include:
- Harry "A" Chesler (born 1898), comic book entrepreneur, publisher and packager
- Philemon Dickerson (1788–1862), 12th governor of New Jersey
- Leo Warren Jenkins (1913–1989), educator who served as the sixth president and chancellor of what is now East Carolina University
- Doug Miller (born 1969), soccer player and coach
- Paige Monaghan (born 1996), professional soccer player who currently plays for Sky Blue FC of the National Women's Soccer League