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New Jersey Counties
New Jersey has twenty-one counties. New Jersey's first counties were created as administrative districts within each province, with East Jersey split in 1675 into Bergen, Essex, Middlesex and Monmouth counties, while West Jersey's initial counties of Burlington and Salem date to 1681. The most recent county created in New Jersey was Union County, created in 1857.Somerset County, New Jersey
Somerset County Education, Geography, and History
Somerset County is a county located in the state of New Jersey. Based on the 2010 census, the county's population was
323,444. Somerset County was created on May 14, 1688, from portions of Middlesex County. Its county seat is Somerville.
It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area.
Etymology - Origin of Somerset County Name
Somerset is named for the English county of Somerset.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts
Somerset County History
Somerset County is one of America's oldest counties, and is named after the English county of Somerset. The area was first settled in 1681, in the vicinity of Bound Brook, and the county was established by charter on May 22, 1688. Most of the early residents were Dutch. General George Washington and his troops marched through the county on several occasions and slept in many of the homes located throughout the area. Somerset County also played an important part during both World War I and World War II with weapons depots and the manufacturing of the army's woolen blankets.
Geography: Land and Water
According to the 2010 Census, the county had a total area of 304.86 square miles (789.6 km2), including 301.81 square miles (781.7 km2) of
land (99.0%) and 3.04 square miles (7.9 km2) of water (1.0%).
The high point is on Mine Mountain in Bernardsville, at approximately 860 feet (260 m) above sea level. The lowest point is just above sea
level on the Raritan River at the Middlesex County line.
Neighboring Counties
Bordering counties are as follows:
- Morris County, New Jersey - north
- Union County, New Jersey - east
- Middlesex County, New Jersey - southeast
- Mercer County, New Jersey - south
- Hunterdon County, New Jersey - west
Education
Somerset County is home to two colleges:
- Raritan Valley Community College, North Branch section of Branchburg Township (public) Rutgers University has a partnership with Raritan Valley Community College which allows students who have an accredited associate degree to complete a bachelor's degree by attending Rutgers classes at RVCC's North Branch campus. The degree completion program is specifically designed to cater to the transfer student looking to complete their bachelor's degree while staying close to home.
- Somerset Christian College, now known as Pillar College, is located in the Zarephath section of Franklin Township (private)
Alma White College, (1921 to 1978) was a private college located in Zarephath. Beginning in 1931 the college operated WAWZ 1380 on the AM
dial. The station continued to 1984 after the school closed. The building is now occupied by Somerset Christian College.
Somerset Hills Learning Institute is a state-of-the-art program dedicated to educating children on the autism spectrum by utilizing the
principles of ABA.
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