Sussex County, New Jersey

Demographics

According to county agricultural statistics, 17.3% of all crop sales ($1.4 million in 2002) were in hay. Nearly 80% of tilled farmland, or , on 43% of the farms in the county is dedicated to hay production. Much of hay is grown for feed on livestock farms — especially dairy farms — and never makes it to market and is therefore not included in federal agricultural census data. Note though that 102,547 acres—roughly 30% of the county's land area—are under farmland assessment for the purpose of calculating property tax levies.

This decrease is total acreage is due, in large part, to "suburban sprawl" as farmers capitalized by converting to commercial and residential development.

The average size of a farm in 2007 was acres, down from .

Industry and manufacturing

Sussex County's industrial and manufacturing base is no longer towards heavy industry and mining. Today, companies like Thorlabs, are located here.

Municipalities

thumb|right|Index map of Sussex County municipalities (click to see index key)

The 24 municipalities in Sussex County (with 2010 Census data for population, housing units and area) are:

{| class="wikitable sortable"

! Municipality

! Map key

! Municipal type

! Population

! Housing units

! Total area

! Water area

! Land area

! Pop. density

! Housing density

!School district

! Communities

|Andover Borough || 3 || borough || 595 || 263 || 1.47 || 0.02 || 1.45 || 417.3 || 181.1

|Newton (9-12) (S/R) Andover (PK-8)

|Andover Township || 21 || township || 5,996 || 2,181 || 20.69 || 0.73 || 19.96 || 316.6 || 109.3

|Newton (9-12) (S/R) Andover (PK-8)

| Brighton Pinkneyville Springdale Whitehall

|Branchville || 9 || borough || 791 || 386 || 0.60 || 0.01 || 0.59 || 1,419.2 || 651.4

|High Point (9-12) Frankford Township (PK-8) (S/R)

|Byram Township || 23 || township || 8,028 || 3,207 || 22.26 || 1.19 || 21.07 || 396.2 || 152.2

|Lenape Valley (9-12) Byram Township (PK-8)

| Byram Center CDP (2,232) Lake Mohawk CDP (part; 1,824)

|Frankford || 15 || township || 5,302 || 2,520 || 35.44 || 1.42 || 34.02 || 163.6 || 74.1

|High Point (9-12) Frankford Township (PK-8)

| Ross Corner CDP (120)

|Franklin || 6 || borough || 4,912 || 2,136 || 4.57 || 0.07 || 4.50 || 1,121.6 || 474.9

|Wallkill Valley (9-12) Franklin Borough (K-8)

|Fredon Township || 20 || township || 3,235 || 1,289 || 18.00 || 0.28 || 17.72 || 194.0 || 72.7

|Kittatinny (7-12) Fredon Township (PK-6)

|Green Township || 24 || township || 3,627 || 1,251 || 16.26 || 0.27 || 15.98 || 225.3 || 78.3

|Newton (9-12) (S/R) Green Township (K-8)

|Hamburg || 7 || borough || 3,266 || 1,476 || 1.16 || 0.02 || 1.14 || 2,870.4 || 1,292.9

|Wallkill Valley (9-12) Hamburg (K-8)

|Hampton Township || 19 || township || 4,893 || 2,200 || 25.30 || 0.92 || 24.38 || 213.2 || 90.3

|Kittatinny (7-12) Hampton Township (PK-6)

| Crandon Lakes CDP (part; 682)

|Hardyston || 13 || township || 8,125 || 3,783 || 32.64 || 0.67 || 31.97 || 256.9 || 118.3

|Wallkill Valley (9-12) Hardyston Township (PK-8)

|Hopatcong || 2 || borough || 14,362 || 6,296 || 12.25 || 1.39 || 10.85 || 1,395.5 || 580.0

|Hopatcong||

|Lafayette Township || 14 || township || 2,358 || 919 || 18.05 || 0.09 || 17.96 || 141.3 || 51.2

|High Point (9-12) Lafayette Township (PK-8)

|Montague || 10 || township || 3,792 || 1,802 || 45.38 || 1.38 || 44.00 || 87.4 || 41.0

|High Point (9-12) Montague Township (PK-8)

|Newton || 4 || town || 8,374 || 3,479 || 3.17 || 0.02 || 3.15 || 2,542.2 || 1,106.0

|Newton||

|Ogdensburg || 5 || borough || 2,258 || 905 || 2.33 || 0.05 || 2.28 || 1,055.4 || 396.3

|Wallkill Valley (9-12) Ogdensburg Borough (PK-8)

|Sandyston || 16 || township || 1,977 || 988 || 43.26 || 0.74 || 42.52 || 47.0 || 23.2

|Kittatiny (7-12) Sandyston-Walpack (K-6)

|Layton CDP (692)

|Sparta|| 22 || township || 19,600 || 7,423 || 38.97 || 2.02 || 36.94 || 533.9 || 200.9

|Sparta Township|| Lake Mohawk CDP (part; 8,092)

|Stanhope || 1 || borough || 3,526 || 1,472 || 2.19 || 0.35 || 1.84 || 1,966.3 || 801.8

|Lenape Valley (9-12) Stanhope (K-8)

|Stillwater Township || 18 || township || 4,004 || 1,930 || 28.38 || 1.32 || 27.06 || 151.5 || 71.3

|Kittatiny (7-12) Stillwater Township (PK-6)

| Crandon Lakes CDP (part; 496)

|Sussex || 8 || borough || 2,024 || 1,005 || 0.62 || 0.03 || 0.59 || 3,615.9 || 1,706.1

|High Point (9-12) Sussex-Wantage (K-8)

|Vernon Township || 12 || township || 22,358 || 10,958 || 70.59 || 2.35 || 68.23 || 350.9 || 160.6

|Vernon Township|| Glenwood (2,751) Highland Lakes CDP (4,816) McAfee (127) Upper Greenwood Lake CDP (part; 3,786) Vernon Center CDP (1,713) Vernon Valley CDP (1,491)

|Walpack Township || 17 || township || 7 || 15 || 24.70 || 0.65 || 24.05 || 0.7 || 0.6

|Kittatiny (7-12) Sandyston-Walpack (K-6)

|Wantage || 11 || township || 10,811 || 4,173 || 67.48 || 0.73 || 66.75 || 170.1 || 62.5

|High Point (9-12) Sussex-Wantage (K-8)

| Quarryville

|Sussex County || || county || 144,221 || 62,057 || 535.74 || 16.73 || 519.01 || 287.6 || 119.6

| ||

Government

County government

thumb|right|300px|Historic [[Sussex County Courthouse (New Jersey)|Sussex County Courthouse in Newton]]

Sussex County is governed by the Sussex County Board of County Commissioners whose five members are elected at-large in partisan elections on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year. At an annual reorganization meeting held in the beginning of January, the board selects a Commissioner Director and Deputy Director from among its members, with day-to-day supervision of the operation of the county delegated to a County Administrator. , Sussex County's Commissioners are (with terms for director and deputy director ending every December 31), Director Chris Carney (R, Frankford Township, term as commissioner ends 2027; term as director ends 2025),

Deputy Director Jill Space (R, Wantage Township, term as commissioner and as deputy director end 2025),

Jack DeGroot (R, Sussex, 2026),

William Hayden (I, Frankford Township, 2025) and

Alan Henderson (R, Lafayette Township, 2027).

The commissioners appoint a County Administrator to oversee the day-to-day management of the county. The Administrator is Ron Tappan, whose three-year appointment expires December 31, 2025. Many services overseen by the county government overlap with those provided at the municipal level. The County government oversees and administers the following areas of responsibility:

Public Safety and Emergency Management
Sussex County Community College
Sussex County Technical School
The County Library System
Social Services
Youth Services
Community Service
Public Mental Health
Division of Senior Services
Environmental and Public Health Services
Mosquito Control
The Medical Examiner's Office
The County Jail and Juvenile Detention Center
Farmland and Open Space Preservation
Economic Development
The Maintenance and repair of County Roads and Bridges
The Para Transit System and Transportation Planning
Solid Waste Planning (The county dump in Lafayette Township)
The County Master Plan (including Water Resource Planning)

Before 1911, two commissioners from each township were elected annually to serve on the board. However, as this became unwieldy in the late 19th century during the era of Boroughitis and the creation of hundreds of new municipalities, the State Legislature chose to reorganize the size of county freeholder boards to an odd number between three and nine members. The size of the board was a reflection of the county's population. As Sussex County was rural and among the least populated counties in the state, for the next 80 years, Sussex County's Board of Chosen Freeholders consisted of three elected members. The board increased from three to five members as of January 1, 1990, based on the results of a referendum. No Democrat has been elected to countywide office since 1999. In May 2022, Jill Space was appointed to fill the seat expiring in December 2022 that had been held by Sylvia Petillo until she resigned from office.

thumb|right|Sussex County's administrative offices are located in downtown Newton, New Jersey across the street from the historic county courthouse.

Pursuant to Article VII Section II of the New Jersey State Constitution, each county in New Jersey is required to have three elected administrative officials known as "constitutional officers". These officers are the County Clerk and County Surrogate (both elected for five-year terms of office) and the County Sheriff (elected for a three-year term). Sussex County's constitutional officers are:

{| class="wikitable sortable"

! Title

! Representative

| County Clerk

| Jeffrey M. Parrott (R, Wantage Township, 2026)

| Sheriff

| Michael F. Strada (R, Hampton Township, 2025).

| Surrogate

| Gary R. Chiusano (R, Frankford Township, 2028).

The Sussex County Prosecutor is Francis A. Koch of Hardyston Township, who was nominated to the position by Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie in June 2014. Sussex County is a part of Vicinage 10 of the New Jersey Superior Court (along with Morris County), which is seated at the Morris County Courthouse in Morristown; the Assignment Judge for Vicinage 10 is Stuart A. Minkowitz. Cases venued in Sussex County are heard at the Sussex County Judicial Center in Newton.

Federal representatives

Two congressional districts cover Sussex County, with the northern part of the county in the 5th congressional district and the southern part in the 7th congressional district.

State represenatatives

All of Sussex County is located in one legislative district.

{| class="wikitable"

!District

!Senator

!Assembly

Sussex County has been a stronghold for the Republican Party, with voters in each of its municipalities consistently voting for the Republican presidential candidate since 2004. In terms of party registration, Sussex County is the second-most Republican county in New Jersey, behind only Ocean County. Among registered voters, affiliations with the Republican Party outpace those of the Democratic Party by a ratio of about five to two. All five members of the board of county commissioners, all three county-wide constitutional officers, and all three state legislators are Republicans. The Republican presidential candidate has carried the county in all but one election since 1920. The lone exception is 1964, when Lyndon B. Johnson won 44 states and carried every county in New Jersey. Republican Donald Trump carried the county in 2020, though it was the best Democratic performance since 1964.

As of October 1, 2021, there were a total of 117,681 registered voters in Sussex County, of whom 49,184 (41.8%) were registered as Republicans, 26,800 (22.8%) were registered as Democrats and 39,878 (33.9%) were registered as unaffiliated. There were 1,819 voters (1.5%) registered to other parties. Among the county's 2010 Census population, 65.8% were registered to vote, including 86.5% of those ages 18 and over.

State elections

Law enforcement

thumb|right|The current Sussex County Courthouse (left), built in the 1990s, and the Keogh-Dwyer Correctional Facility (right), the county jail.

Municipalities that do not have their own police departments have services provided by the New Jersey State Police. One of the primary responsibilities of the New Jersey State Police is to provide police services to these rural towns, for which the municipality is assessed an annual fee paid to the state government Troop B of the New Jersey State Police operates a Sussex station located on Route 206 in Augusta. Fewer than half of the county's municipalities have a local police department. Police Departments are located in the municipalities of Vernon, Hardyston, Sparta, Byram, Hopatcong, Stanhope, Andover, Newton, Ogdensburg, Franklin, and Hamburg. The other 13 municipalities are rural and rely on State Police coverage. Stillwater Township disbanded its police department in December 2009, estimating a savings of $482,000 by having State Police coverage.

The New Jersey State Park Police has jurisdiction throughout the state, but patrol primarily in Stokes State Forest and other local state parks.

The duties of the Sussex County Sheriff's Office include overseeing security at the county's courthouse facilities, operating the county jail, and civil processes. The current sheriff is Michael F. Strada, a former officer with the Mount Olive Township police department.

Crime

Crime is relatively low in Sussex County.

In the 2012 New Jersey Uniform Crime Report, Sussex County reported the following arrests:

Murder: 1
Rape: 1
Robbery: 16
Aggravated Assault: 50
Burglary: 115
Larceny – Theft: 348
Motor Vehicle Theft: 5
Total: 536

The above arrest data includes both minor and adult arrests.

Media

Newspapers

Sussex County has one daily newspaper, the New Jersey Herald, which is published six days each week (Sunday through Friday). Established in 1829 by Grant Fitch, the Herald is one of the oldest continuing newspapers in the state with distribution throughout Sussex County and into neighboring Morris and Warren counties in New Jersey, Orange County, New York and Pike County, Pennsylvania. Its headquarters, and production facilities are located in Newton, New Jersey. Its printing facilities were located in Newton, as well, but in 2012 the newspaper's printing was outsourced to North Jersey Media Group, located in Rockaway, New Jersey.

It was for most of its existence published once per week. It's Sunday edition, the New Jersey Sunday Herald, was first published on June 11, 1962, and for the next few years it was published twice weekly. In 1969, after a sale to American Newspapers, Inc., a daily edition was planned which began publication on March 16, 1970. American Newspapers, Inc. sold it to Quincy Newspapers in March 1980. Quincy later sold the newspaper to GateHouse Media in May 2019, and later that year, acquired Gannett and assumed its name in a merger. Today, its content includes coverage of local news and sporting events (chiefly those in Sussex County) and printing selected articles from the Associated Press covering state, national and international events.

Television

Sussex County is served by Optimum, a division of Altice USA, in Sparta, New Jersey. Optimum has offered channels for local access programming (channel 10) and for "community bulletin boards". It offers two free Public Service Announcements or event advertisements for free to non-profit organizations in Sussex and Warren Counties.

WMBC-TV an independent television station owned by Mountain Broadcasting Corporation, is licensed to operate in Newton. It is recognized for providing Korean language programming in the New York metropolitan area but also offers English-language programs. Its studios are located in West Caldwell, New Jersey and its transmitter near Lake Hopatcong. Before 2009, it operated an analog transmission on virtual channel 63 (UHF-63) but has converted to broadcasting its signal on digital channel 18.

The New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority maintains the license to operate a low-power translator (W36AZ) in Sussex Borough to broadcast the state's public television station, NJTV. This station, which used to be the New Jersey Network (NJN), is operated by WNET.org, the parent company of New York City's flagship public television stations, WNET and WLIW, through a subsidiary nonprofit organization, Public Media NJ.

Radio

Sussex County is served largely by radio stations in the New York City metropolitan area. Stations from Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania; Hudson Valley in New York; can also be heard including CHR's Z100 100.3 FM (Eastern Sussex), B104 104.1 FM (Western Sussex), K104 104.7 FM (Northern Sussex), and 98.5 KRZ 107.9 FM (Southwestern Sussex) and iHeartMedia owns a cluster of three stations in the county, including: 102.3 FM WSUS in Franklin (Format: Adult contemporary), 103.7 FM WNNJ in Newton (Format: Classic rock), and 106.3 FM WHCY in Franklin (Format: Country). Centro Biblico of NJ also owns a Spanish language Christian station, 1360 AM WTOC in Newton.

Stations nearby include 91.9 FM WXPJ broadcast from Centenary College in Hackettstown (Warren County) with a public radio and progressive music format and 1110 AM WTBQ in Warwick, New York with a NewsTalk and Sports format.

New Jersey Public Radio (NJN), affiliated with National Public Radio and American Public Media, operates two stations in the region: 88.5 FM WNJP in Sussex, and 89.3 FM WNJY in Netcong.

Transportation

Roads and highways

thumb|right|County Route 515 connects New Jersey State Route 23 and Route 94 in Hardyston and Vernon townships.

Sussex County is served by a number of roads connecting it to the rest of the state and to both Pennsylvania and New York. According to the county government, "a vast majority of residents who use single occupant vehicles to travel outside the county for employment. Thus, the demand for public transportation in the county is minimal." Interstate 80 passes through the extreme southern tip of Sussex County solely in Byram. Interstate 84 passes just yards north of Sussex County, but never enters New Jersey. New Jersey's Route 15, Route 23, Route 94, Route 181, Route 183, and Route 284 pass through the county, as does U.S. Route 206.

, the county had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the local municipality, by Sussex County and by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission.

Bridges

Sussex County has two toll-bridge crossings over the Delaware River.

Operated by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission, the Milford-Montague Toll Bridge (also known as the US 206 Toll Bridge) carries U.S. Route 206 over the Delaware connecting Montague Township and Milford, Pennsylvania. The current bridge was opened in 1954, replacing a series of bridges located here beginning in 1826. Route 206 merges with U.S. Route 209 a mile south of the village center. Tolls are collected only from motorists traveling westbound, into Pennsylvania, with cars paying a $1 toll; a total of $1.7 million was generated from 1.3 million vehicles in 2016.

The Dingman's Ferry Bridge is the last privately owned toll bridge on the Delaware River and one of the last few in the United States. It is owned and operated by the Dingmans Choice and Delaware Bridge Company which has operated bridges at the site since 1836. Commuter rail service has not been offered in the county since the 1960s. However, commuter rail service is available from nearby stations along NJ Transit's Morris and Essex Lines in Hackettstown, Mount Olive, Netcong, Lake Hopatcong, Mount Arlington and Dover, which are accessible to Sussex County residents by car or through bus services contracted by NJ Transit. This line was part of the former Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad system. Service is available directly to Hoboken Terminal or via the Kearny Connection (opened in 1996) to Secaucus Junction and New York Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan. marking the first time Sussex County has seen passenger trains since 1970. The portion of the Cut-Off route west of Andover heading toward Scranton, Pennsylvania has not been funded or scheduled, however Amtrak has announced plans for its restoration.

Bus service

NJ Transit in partnership with the county government offers bus service in Sussex County, limited to Monday-Saturday service on the "Skylands Connect" route between the Sussex-Wantage Library and Hampton Plaza in Newton, NJ. The county government's Office of Transit also operates a ParaTransit bus service on weekdays to local senior citizens, veterans, people with disabilities, and the general public. It offers service within the county for local errands (nutrition, medical appointments, shopping, hairdresser appointments, banking, community services, education/training, and employment) and outside the county for non-emergency medical appointments (dialysis, therapy, radiation treatment, mental health, specialized hospitals, and Veterans facilities). NJ Transit also offers weekday service between New York City's Midtown Port Authority Bus Terminal and Stockholm, and seasonal service to Vernon.

Lakeland Bus Lines, a privately operated commuter bus company based in Dover, in Morris County offers service under contract with NJ Transit between Newton and Sparta to New York City's Midtown Port Authority Bus Terminal.

Airports

There are four general aviation public-use airports in Sussex County that cater to recreational pilots. They include:

Aeroflex-Andover Airport (FAA LID 12N) also in Andover Township. This airport is located in Kittatinny Valley State Park and is owned and operated by the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. It has one runway designated 3/21 and is located at and elevation of above mean sea level.
Newton Airport (FAA LID 3N5) located in Andover Township and is privately owned. It has one runway with a 6/24 designation and is located at an elevation of above mean sea level. The Airport closed in 2013.
Sussex Airport (FAA LID FWN) located in Wantage Township and is privately owned. It has a runway with a 3/21 designation and is located at an elevation of above mean sea level.
Trinca Airport (FAA LID 13N) located in and owned by Green Township, which has a grass runway with a 6/24 designation and located at an elevation of above mean sea level.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

thumb|right|Fredon Elementary School in Fredon Township offers a comprehensive K-6 education. The school was awarded the National Blue Ribbon Award for Academic Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education in 2001.

Before 1942, Sussex County had over 100 school districts. Most of these districts were in rural townships that each had several districts—each district operating a one-room schoolhouse that served their small neighborhoods. During the forty-year tenure (1903–1942) of County School Superintendent Ralph Decker, the local government began to consolidate these small districts into larger municipality-wide or regional school districts.

The public school system in Sussex County offers a "thorough and efficient" education for children between the ages of five and eighteen years (grades K–12), as required by state constitution, through nine local and regional public high school districts, and twenty public primary or elementary school districts. Because of its distance from other county high schools and the higher costs of busing students one of those locations, Montague Township (the northernmost municipality in the state) sends most of its middle school (grades 7–8) and high school students (grades 9–12) to Port Jervis, New York for schooling. However, in 2013, Montague began exploring alternatives that would involve keeping their students in-state by sending them to High Point Regional High School in neighboring Wantage Township. Several of the county's schools are highly ranked by both state and federal education departments; some of which have achieved the U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon School Award. The county's Board of County Commissioners oversees the Sussex County Technical School (formerly the Sussex County Vocational-Technical School), a county-wide technical high school in Sparta Township.

Pope John XXIII Regional High School in Sparta operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson, which also operates Reverend George A. Brown Memorial School (PreK-4) and Pope John XXIII Middle School in Sparta. There are several other private schools in the county.

Sussex County's 10 high schools compete in interscholastic sports and other athletic activities sanctioned by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). In 2009, the NJSIAA reorganized statewide athletic leagues into regional conferences. Prior to this reorganization, these schools competed under the auspices of the Sussex County Interscholastic League (SCIL), a now-defunct county-wide conference affiliated with NJSIAA. SCIL and other Morris and Warren County high schools compete under the NJSIAA's Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference.

School districts, all classified as K-12 (except as indicated), include:

;K-12

Hopatcong Public Schools (K-12)
Newton Public School District (K-12)
Sparta Township Public School District (K-12)
Vernon Township School District (K-12)

;Elementary (K-8, except as listed)

Andover Regional School District
Byram Township School District
Frankford Township School District
Franklin Borough School District
Fredon Township School (K-6)
Green Township School District
Hamburg School District
Hampton Township School District (K-6)
Hardyston Township School District
Lafayette Township School District
Montague Township School District
Ogdensburg Borough School District
Sandyston-Walpack Consolidated School District (K-6)
Stanhope Public Schools
Stillwater Township School District (K-6)
Sussex-Wantage Regional School District

;Secondary (9-12, except as indicated)

High Point Regional High School
Kittatinny Regional High School (7-12)
Lenape Valley Regional High School
Sussex County Vocational School District
Wallkill Valley Regional High School

Higher education

thumb|right|Formerly a Roman Catholic seminary, the county purchased the school facilities on the outskirts of Newton from the diocese in 1989 for the use of Sussex County Community College, founded in 1981.

Sussex County Community College (commonly referred to as SCCC), which opened in 1982, is an accredited, co-educational, two-year, public, community college located on a campus in Newton. The SCCC campus was the site of Don Bosco College, a Roman Catholic seminary operated by the Salesian Order from 1928 until it was closed in the early 1980s and its campus sold to the Sussex County government on June 22, 1989, for US$4,209,800.

SCCC was authorized as a "college commission" in 1981 and began operations the following year. It became fully accredited in 1993 by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. SCCC offers 40 associate degree and 16 post-secondary professional and health science certificate programs available both at traditional classes at its campus, through hybrid and online classes, and through distance learning. Many students who attend SCCC transfer to pursue the completion of their undergraduate college education at a four-year college or university. The college also offers programs for advanced high school students, community education courses, and programs in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. , SCCC reported an enrollment of 2,738 students of which 55% attend full-time and 45% attended part-time. The school had considered moving to Sussex County as East Orange's crime problem and social conditions deteriorated in the 1970s. However, declining enrollment and financial difficulties forced the school to close. The Wirths family bought back the farm for $75,000.

Recreation

thumb|right|The [[Mountain Creek resort in Vernon Township offers skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports activities in the Vernon Valley.]]

Sussex County is part of the Skylands Region, a term promoted by the New Jersey Commerce, Economic Growth, & Tourism Commission to encourage regional tourism. New Jersey ranks fifth in the nation in revenues generated from tourism.

Agritourism

Local dairy farmers have had to adapt to a declining milk and dairy industry and reacclimate to changing economic conditions by seeking new sources of revenue.

New Jersey's wine industry has benefited from the recent easing of state alcohol licensing laws and from new promotional and marketing programs offered by the state's Department of Agriculture. Of the state's 46 licensed wineries, Sussex County is home to three: Cava Winery & Vineyard in Hamburg, Ventimiglia Vineyard in Wantage Township, and Westfall Winery in Montague Township.

Bear Swamp Wildlife Management Area
Culvers Brook Access Wildlife Management Area
Flatbrook-Roy Wildlife Management Area
Hainesville Wildlife Management Area
Hamburg Mountain (North) Wildlife Management Area
Hamburg Mountain (South) Wildlife Management Area
Little Flatbrook Access Wildlife Management Area

Paulinskill River Wildlife Management Area
Sparta Mountain (North) Wildlife Management Area
Sparta Mountain (South) Wildlife Management Area
Trout Brook Wildlife Management Area
Walpack Wildlife Management Area
Weldon Brook Wildlife Management Area
Whittingham Wildlife Management Area

Libraries

The basement of the Sussex County Hall of Records was the home to the first official Sussex County Library when it opened its doors on May 15, 1942. A 1936 International book truck was used to mobilize the more than 8,000 books the library had amassed by the end of their first year. Today, the Sussex Library County System (SLCS) circulates over 600,000 items through its six branches.

The Main Library is located in Newton and is where all new materials are procured and then distributed to the five branch libraries. The five branch libraries are the Dennis Memorial Branch, named for Mr. Alfred L. Dennis who gifted a sum of $25,000 to build the first library (the Dennis Library) in the county in 1872. The Dorothy Henry Branch, located in Vernon, was renamed in 1981 after the passing of the county's first librarian. The Franklin Branch, which opened in 1964, was the first official branch of the Sussex County Library System. The Louise Childs branch, located in Stanhope, opened in 1981 and was named in memory of Edith Louise Childs, who served for twenty-one years as Sussex County Clerk of the Board. Finally, the Sussex-Wantage branch which was formerly known as the Sussex Public Library, is located in Wantage.

The county's six libraries supply residents with e-books, audiobooks, downloadable audio books, magazines and newspapers, DVDs, videogames, CDs and databases that cover subjects from alchemy to zoology. All six locations have computers with high-speed internet access, Wi-Fi, and meeting rooms available for use by the public.

To check out the SCLS website, go to http://www.sussexcountylibrary.org

Skiing and winter sports

In the 1960s, Vernon Township became a location for skiing and winter sports.

Mountain Creek
Hidden Valley - Since January 2016, the area has been repurposed as the National Winter Activity Center, which provides education and ski / snowboard instruction to groups that might not have access to winter sports.

Sports franchises

Sussex County has one large venue for professional sports, Skylands Stadium, a 4,200-seat baseball stadium located in the Augusta section of Frankford Township near the intersection of U.S. Route 206, New Jersey Route 15, and County Route 565. In 2013, Skylands Park was acquired by investor Mark Roscioli Jr., of 17 Mile, LLC for $950,000. Roscioli, who admitted a lack of experience in sports management, then sold the facility to Al Dorso, who operates the annual State Fair Meadowlands., Dorso bought the facility with the intention of bringing baseball and other activities back to the stadium, which he achieved in late 2014 with the announcement of the Sussex County Miners, who began playing the following year.

With the rise of professional Minor League Baseball in the 1990s, Sussex County became the home to the New Jersey Cardinals, a Class A-Short Season affiliate of Major League Baseball's St. Louis Cardinals franchise in 1994. The Cardinals, previously the Glens Falls Redbirds (1981–93) from upstate New York, won the New York–Penn League's championship in their 1994 inaugural season. They had one other winning season (in 2002) and in 2005 the owners sold the team—which was then moved to University Park, Pennsylvania and renamed the State College Spikes. They are now affiliated with MLB's Pittsburgh Pirates franchise. In 2006, Skylands Park became the home of the Sussex Skyhawks an affiliate of the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball (or Can-Am League). The team were League Champions during the 2008 season. The team ceased operations after the 2010 season.

Sussex was re-introduced to the Can-Am League in 2015, when the Miners began play that season. After experiencing growing pains their first three seasons, the Miners broke through in 2018 when they posted a 63–38 record and won the league championship in 2018. They appeared in the following championship the following season, but fell to the New Jersey Jackals, also owned by Dorso. After the 2019 season, the Miners, along with four other Can-Am teams, joined the Frontier League after the two independent leagues merged. The Miners began Frontier League play in 2021 after the league canceled its 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sussex County Fairgrounds

The Sussex County Farm and Horse Show in the Augusta of Frankford Township, which has operated since 1940, has been known as the New Jersey State Fair since 1999.

The fair grounds is also host to the Sussex County Poultry Fanciers Spring and Fall shows. In 2019 the Serama Council of North America (SCNA) will hold Jersey's first ever SCNA Serama Table Top show

Outdoor recreation

thumb|right|The Paulins Kill (shown here, near Stillwater), is a popular destination for fly-fishermen in pursuit of trout.

There are 12 wildlife management areas located in Sussex County for hunting, fishing, trapping, hiking, snowshoeing and cross country skiing, covering more than . There are also several state forests and state parks.

References

Endnotes

External links

Sussex County (official webpage)
Sussex County Community College
Sussex County Technical School
Sussex County Historical Society
Detailed 1860 map of Sussex County, showing resident's names, churches, schoolhouses and businesses such as mines, grist mills, saw mills, wheel wright shops, blacksmith shops, paint shops, and lime kilns. From the collections of the Morristown & Morris Township Library, North Jersey History & Genealogy Center.