Raritan Township, New Jersey
Raritan Township, New Jersey | |
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Raritan Township Municipal Complex | |
Location of Raritan Township in Hunterdon County highlighted in yellow (right). Inset map: Location of Hunterdon County in New Jersey highlighted in black (left). | |
Census Bureau map of Raritan Township, New Jersey | |
Location in Hunterdon County Location in New Jersey | |
| Coordinates: 40°31′08″N 74°56′12″W / 40.518846°N 74.936686°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Hunterdon |
| Incorporated | April 2, 1838 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Township |
| • Body | Township Committee |
| • Mayor | Bob King (R, term ends December 31, 2025) |
| • Administrator | Karen Gilbert |
| • Municipal clerk | Donna Kukla |
| Area | |
• Total | 37.65 sq mi (97.52 km2) |
| • Land | 37.48 sq mi (97.08 km2) |
| • Water | 0.17 sq mi (0.44 km2) 0.46% |
| • Rank | 63rd of 565 in state 2nd of 26 in county |
| Elevation | 564 ft (172 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 23,447 |
• Estimate (2023) | 24,637 |
| • Rank | 114th of 565 in state 1st of 26 in county |
| • Density | 625.6/sq mi (241.5/km2) |
| • Rank | 426th of 565 in state 13th of 26 in county |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT)) |
| ZIP Code | 08822 – Flemington |
| Area code | 908 |
| FIPS code | 3401961920 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0882179 |
| Website | www |
Raritan Township is a township in Hunterdon County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 23,447, an increase of 1,262 (+5.7%) from the 2010 census count of 22,185, which in turn reflected an increase of 2,376 (+12.0%) from the 19,809 counted in the 2000 census. The township is located within the heart of the Amwell Valley and Raritan Valley regions, as the South Branch of the Raritan River (along with the Neshanic River) flows through the center of the township. The northwestern portion of the township is located on the Hunterdon Plateau.
Raritan was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 2, 1838, from portions of the now-defunct Amwell Township. Flemington was formed within the township on March 14, 1870, and became an independent borough on April 7, 1910. Portions of the township were ceded to East Amwell Township in 1854 and 1897.
The township's name is derived from the Raritan tribe, a Native American band of Lenape people that inhabited Central New Jersey. The name of the tribe is said to mean "forked river", "stream overflows" or "point on a tidal river".