Watchung, New Jersey

Watchung () is a borough in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located approximately west of New York City. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 6,449, It is located within the Raritan Valley region.

Watchung was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on May 23, 1926, from portions of North Plainfield Township (now Green Brook Township) based on the results of a referendum held on April 20, 1926. The name "Watchung" comes from the Lenni Lenape Native Americans, meaning "high hills" or from "watschu," meaning "hill."

In 2012, Forbes.com listed Watchung as 384th in its listing of "America's Most Expensive ZIP Codes", with a median home price of $767,507.

The borough is one of the state's highest-income communities. Based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) for 2014–2018, Watchung residents had a median household income of $153,341, almost double the statewide median of $79,363.

History

George Washington surveyed the British troops in Perth Amboy, 20 miles away, from the first ridge of the Watchung Mountains. The eastern edge of these ridges reaches to the Oranges in the direction of Newark. The name "Washingtonville" was used in early times, but was rejected as the name for the area by the United States Postal Service, which felt that the state already had too many places named Washington.

Watchung, in the 1900s was a semi-rural small community of about 3,200 people in comparison with the relatively larger and more urban communities of Plainfield and Somerville. The first mayor of the town was Henry Baldwin Macdonald, who served from 1926 to 1928. The 1967 Plainfield riots, caused an exodus of the large upper-middle class population from the nearby cities to the Watchung Hills area to communities such as Watchung, Warren Township and Bridgewater Township.

The borough is home to Watchung Valley Golf Club, which moved from its original nine-hole course in North Plainfield to its current location on Mountain Boulevard in 1927. The club was known as the Twin Brooks Country Club from 1933 to 2017, when it re-adopted its name as Watchung Valley Country Club, which was in use from 1928 to 1933.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of , including of land and of water (0.46%).

The borough borders Green Brook Township, North Plainfield and Warren Township in Somerset County; and Berkeley Heights, Plainfield, and Scotch Plains in Union County.

The Stony Brook flows through Watchung borough, making its way from Warren Township to the Watchung Lake, then through the gorge in the first Watchung mountain and over the Wetumpka Falls, on its way to the Green Brook.

The borough is roughly a 40-minute drive from New York City and a 20-minute drive from Newark.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Watchung had a population of 6,449. The median age was 47.3 years. 20.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 24.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 89.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and older there were 86.1 males age 18 and older.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 2,175 households in Watchung, of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 67.7% were married-couple households, 10.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 17.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 16.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census

There were 2,098 households, out of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.4% were married couples living together, 4.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.9% were non-families. 19.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.00. 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 includes 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 Watchung 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 of Watchung Borough is Republican Ronald Jubin, whose term of office ends December 31, 2026. Members of the Watchung Borough Council are Council President Christine B. Ead (R, 2027), Sonia Abi-Habib (R, 2026), Curt S. Dahl (R, 2027), Paul Fischer (R, 2025), Robert L. Gibbs (R, 2026) and Paolo Marano (R, 2025).

In December 2019, the borough council selected Ronald Jubin to complete the term expiring in December 2020 that had been held by Robert L. Gibbs until he resigned from office the previous month.

Federal, state and county representation

Watchung is located in the 7th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 21st state legislative district.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 4,154 registered voters in Watchung, of which 845 (20.3% vs. 26.0% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 1,483 (35.7% vs. 25.7%) were registered as Republicans and 1,823 (43.9% vs. 48.2%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 3 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens. Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 71.6% (vs. 60.4% in Somerset County) were registered to vote, including 93.3% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 80.4% countywide).

In the 2016 presidential election, Democrat Hillary Clinton received 48.6% of the vote (1,551 cast), ahead of Republican Donald Trump who received 47.7% of the vote (1,523 votes), and other candidates with 3.7% (117 votes). 3,191 votes were cast in total. In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 57.9% of the vote (1,687 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 41.1% (1,198 votes), and other candidates with 0.9% (27 votes), among the 2,931 ballots cast by the borough's 4,396 registered voters (19 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 66.7%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 1,803 votes (55.0% vs. 46.1% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 1,415 votes (43.2% vs. 52.1%) and other candidates with 29 votes (0.9% vs. 1.1%), among the 3,277 ballots cast by the borough's 4,070 registered voters, for a turnout of 80.5% (vs. 78.7% in Somerset County). In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 1,865 votes (54.5% vs. 51.5% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 1,516 votes (44.3% vs. 47.2%) and other candidates with 30 votes (0.9% vs. 0.9%), among the 3,424 ballots cast by the borough's 3,795 registered voters, for a turnout of 90.2% (vs. 81.7% in the whole county).