Somerset Hills


The Somerset Hills is known as the northern region of Somerset County located in the U.S. state of New Jersey and includes the townships of Bedminster, Bernardsville, Bernards Township, Far Hills, Peapack & Gladstone. The term was coined in the early 1800s and references the 2nd Watchung Mountain which crosses Bedminster as well as the Bernardsville Mountain that is the highest mountain in the region. The Somerset Hills is in the northern section of Somerset County that was created on May 14, 1688, from portions of Middlesex County. There are also hills in Somerset in England. Many of these hills are important historical, archaeological and nature conservation sites, as well as popular hiking and tourist destinations in the county of Somerset in southern England.

Geography

The high point in the Somerset Hills is on Mine Mountain in Bernardsville, at approximately above sea level.

Adjacent municipalities

Somerset Hills contains the following townships/boroughs:
Somerset County borders the following counties:
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Somerville have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1984 and a record high of was recorded in August 1955. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in July. The county has a humid continental climate which is hot-summer except on Mine Mountain west of Bernardsville where it is warm-summer.

History

The Somerset Hills is the northern section of Somerset County, New Jersey and is part of one of America's oldest counties and is named after the English county of Somerset. Most of the early residents were Dutch, Scottish and German. General George Washington and his troops marched through the area on several occasions and slept in many of the homes located throughout the area.
For much of its history, the Somerset Hills area was primarily an agricultural county. In the late 19th century, the Somerset Hills area became a popular country home location for wealthy industrialists. The area is still the home of wealthy pharmaceutical industrialists.
In the 1960s, townships that were once exclusively agricultural were quickly transformed into suburban communities. This growth was aided by the development of the county's very strong pharmaceutical and technology presence. More recently, there has been an influx of New York City commuters who use NJ Transit's Gladstone Branch or use Interstate 78.

Historic events

The Somerset Hills played host to a number of events that changed the course of history in the United States. The area hosted three winter encampments for the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. The first was in 1776 in nearby Bernardsville and Morristown, and the other two were winter encampments in nearby Middlebrook. During the winter of 1778-1779 General Henry Knox and over 1000 artillery troops spent the winter in Pluckemin, New Jersey at what is now known as America's First Military Academy, created 28 years before the founding of the US Military Academy at West Point. Another notable events was the capture of General Charles Lee at the tavern in Basking Ridge on December 13, 1776. If it were not for this capture, Lee might have been selected the "father of our country."
In 1779, General Washington wrote General William Alexander, the Earl of Stirling to construct a series of signal beacons to warn the continental army if there was detected movement of the British troops moving west from New York City and Staten Island. This proved effective during the battle of Springfield. These Rev War beacons were remembered during the 225th anniversary of the British Evacuation day on November 25, 2008.

Historic landmarks

The northern section of Somerset County in the Somerset Hills is rich in history dating back prior to the Revolutionary War.
Somerset County parks include Lord Stirling Park, the Environmental Education Commission and the region is one of the largest equestrian areas in the United States. Home to the United States Equestrian Team Foundation next to the , the area has one of the oldest fox hunting organizations, the Essex Hunt Club in Peapack, New Jersey.
Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster is an exclusive golf club owned by Donald Trump. The facility has also served as the . Two other golf clubs are the in Bernardsville, and Fiddlers Elbow Country Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. The United States Golfing Association and museum is also located in Bernards Township, New Jersey.
One of the largest equestrian events in the United States is the Far Hills Race Meeting held annually in Far Hills, New Jersey. Known also as "The Hunt" it is one of the most prestigious steeplechase races in the United States. It is also one of the largest events in the county as the borough grows to over 25,000 on the October Saturday. In 2020, the FHRM will celebrate its 100th running.

Government

While part of Somerset County, each of the Somerset Hills townships are governed by their own separate government bodies. However, there are a number of shared government services that are shared between townships in the Somerset Hills. Somerset County is governed by a five-member Board of Chosen Freeholders, whose members are elected at-large to three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with one or two seats coming up for election each year.

Businesses

With access to routes 287 and 78, NJT rails service via the Gladstone Line, the area has shown a viable rural employment area. Companies that call the Somerset Hills home include:
Townships within the Somerset Hills are overseen by individual public schools for elementary thru middle school. The Somerset Hills area is home to two public high schools:
Private education facilities:
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Municipalities in the Somerset Hills are listed below.
MunicipalityMun.
type		Pop.Housing
Units		Total
Area		Water
Area		Land
Area		Pop.
Density		Housing
Density		School
District		Communities
Bedminster
Township		Township8,1654,34926.300.2226.08313.1166.8Somerset Hills
Bedminster Township 		Lamington
Larger Cross
Lesser Cross
Pluckemin
Pottersville
Bernards
Township		Township26,65210,10324.060.1323.931,113.6422.1Bernards TownshipBasking Ridge
Franklin Corners
Liberty Corner
Lyons
Madisonville
W. Millington
BernardsvilleBorough7,7072,87112.980.0812.91597.2222.5Somerset Hills
Far HillsBorough9194184.880.084.80191.687.1Somerset Hills
Peapack-GladstoneBorough2,5829495.850.045.81444.5163.4Somerset HillsGladstone

Transportation

Roads and highways

The Somerset Hills area is served by a number of different routes. U.S. Routes include U.S. Route 202 and U.S. Route 206. The two Interstates that pass through are Interstate 78 and Interstate 287.

Public transportation

provides train service on the Gladstone Branch Public bus transportation is provided by several transit agencies.
NJ Transit provides bus service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, as well as service to major cities in New Jersey and within Somerset County. Ridewise provides three SCOOT shuttles as well as DASH buses and CAT buses.

Airports

There three closest airports are the Somerset Airport in Bedminster, Morristown Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey

Attractions

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