Chatham Borough, New Jersey

This article is about a borough. For an adjacent township, see Chatham Township, New Jersey. For more information about their shared services, including school and library systems, see Chatham, New Jersey.

Chatham Borough, New Jersey
Borough
Main Street in Downtown Chatham
Main Street in Downtown Chatham
Official seal of Chatham Borough, New Jersey
Coat of arms
Location of Chatham (borough) in Morris County highlighted in red (right). Inset map: Location of Morris County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (left).
Location of Chatham (borough) in Morris County highlighted in red (right). Inset map: Location of Morris County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (left).
Census Bureau map of Chatham (borough), New Jersey
Census Bureau map of Chatham (borough), New Jersey
Chatham is located in Morris County, New Jersey
Chatham
Chatham
Location in Morris County
Chatham is located in New Jersey
Chatham
Chatham
Location in New Jersey
Chatham is located in the United States
Chatham
Chatham
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 40°44′26″N 74°23′04″W / 40.740686°N 74.38448°W / 40.740686; -74.38448[1][2]
Country United States
State New Jersey
County Morris
European settlement1710 (as a colonial village)
IncorporatedAugust 19, 1892 (as village)
ReincorporatedMarch 1, 1897 (as borough)
Named forWilliam Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham
Government
[7]
 • TypeBorough
 • BodyBorough Council
 • MayorCarolyn Dempsey (D, term ends December 31, 2027)[3][4]
 • AdministratorSteven W. Williams[5]
 • Municipal clerkVanessa Nienhouse[6]
Area
[8]
 • Total2.38 sq mi (6.16 km2)
 • Land2.34 sq mi (6.07 km2)
 • Water0.04 sq mi (0.09 km2)  1.51%
 • Rank382nd of 565 in state
32nd of 39 in county[1]
Elevation
[9]
233 ft (71 m)
Population
 (2020)[10][11]
 • Total9,212
 • Estimate 
(2023)[10][12]
9,275
 • Rank257th of 565 in state
21st of 39 in county[13]
 • Density3,925.0/sq mi (1,515.5/km2)
  • Rank167th of 565 in state
7th of 39 in county[13]
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code
07928[14][15]
Area code(s)973[16]
FIPS code34-12100[1][17][18]
GNIS feature ID0885182[1][19]
Websitewww.chathamborough.org

Chatham Borough is a suburban borough in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 9,212,[10][11] an increase of 250 (+2.8%) from the 2010 census count of 8,962,[20][21] which in turn reflected an increase of 502 (+5.9%) from the 8,460 counted in the 2000 census.[22]

The area that is now Chatham has been inhabited by humans for thousands of years. During historic times, Europeans began trading with the Native Americans who farmed, fished, and hunted in the area when it was claimed as part of New Netherlands. The community that now is Chatham was first settled by Europeans in 1710 within Morris Township, in what was then the English Province of New Jersey. The community was settled because the site already was on the path of a well-worn Native American trail, the location of an important crossing of the Passaic River, and being close to a gap in the Watchung Mountains. The residents of the English community changed its name from John Day's Bridge to Chatham, New Jersey in 1773.[23]

Chatham's residents were active participants in the American Revolutionary War, which ended in 1783. Chatham Township was formed as a local government in the new state of New Jersey on February 12, 1806, taking its name from this pre-revolutionary village. Initial local government forms were limited while the new state government evolved. The new township governed the village of Chatham that lay within the present-day borough boundaries, along with several other pre-revolutionary, colonial villages and large areas of unsettled lands connecting or adjacent to them. On August 19, 1892, Chatham adopted a new village form of government when it became allowed within townships in the state after the revolution. Shortly thereafter, once it was allowed, the village of Chatham reincorporated for governance as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 1, 1897, returning to complete independence from the surrounding Chatham Township.[24][25]

An early railroad located along the Morris and Essex Lines that had become well established by the start of the Civil War as one of America's first commuter railroads, had a stop at Chatham, which attracted many from nearby Manhattan, 20 miles to the east.[26] It remains a commuter town for residents who work in New York City. Today, Chatham is a pedestrian-friendly community that covers less than 2.5 square miles (6.5 km2), including a central business district and railroad station within approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) from its farthest boundary. The borough is situated in southeastern Morris County bordering both Essex and Union counties along the Passaic River. Northeast of the borough is the upscale Mall at Short Hills located in the Short Hills section of Millburn.

In July 2005, CNN/Money and Money magazine ranked Chatham ninth on its annual list of the 100 Best Places to Live in the United States.[27] New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Chatham as its 25th best place to live in its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey.[28] In 2012, Forbes.com listed Chatham as 375th in its listing of "America's Most Expensive ZIP Codes", with a median home price of $776,703.[29]

The borough has been ranked as one of the state's highest-income communities. In March 2018, Bloomberg ranked Chatham as the 64th highest-income place in the United States and as having the 8th-highest income in New Jersey.[30] In the 2013–2017 American Community Survey (ACS) the borough had a median household income of $163,026, ranking 16th in the state.[31][32] The 2014–2018 ACS showed a median household income of $169,524 in the borough versus $111,316 in the county and $79,363 statewide.[33][34][35] The most-recent (2021) ACS places the median household income of Chatham Borough at $209,283.[36]

  1. ^ a b c d 2019 Census Gazetteer Files: New Jersey Places, United States Census Bureau. Accessed July 1, 2020.
  2. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 4, 2014.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference MayorCouncil was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ 2023 New Jersey Mayors Directory, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, updated February 8, 2023. Accessed February 10, 2023.
  5. ^ Administrator, Borough of Chatham. Accessed May 5, 2024.
  6. ^ Borough Clerk, Borough of Chatham. Accessed May 5, 2024.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference DataBook was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  9. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Borough of Chatham, Geographic Names Information System. Accessed March 5, 2013.
  10. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Census2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference LWD2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference PopEst was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ a b Population Density by County and Municipality: New Jersey, 2020 and 2021, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Accessed March 1, 2023.
  14. ^ Look Up a ZIP Code for Chatham, NJ, United States Postal Service. Accessed March 20, 2012.
  15. ^ ZIP Codes, State of New Jersey. Accessed October 8, 2013.
  16. ^ Area Code Lookup - NPA NXX for Chatham, NJ, Area-Codes.com. Accessed October 8, 2013.
  17. ^ U.S. Census website, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 4, 2014.
  18. ^ Geographic Codes Lookup for New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed April 1, 2022.
  19. ^ US Board on Geographic Names, United States Geological Survey. Accessed September 4, 2014.
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference Census2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference LWD2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000, and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023.
  23. ^ Cite error: The named reference Thinking was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  24. ^ Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 191. Accessed April 25, 2012.
  25. ^ Historical Timeline of Morris County Boundaries Archived December 25, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, Morris County Library. Accessed December 24, 2016. "1897, March 1. Chatham Borough is established from Chatham Township."
  26. ^ "About Chatham".
  27. ^ MONEY Magazine – Best places to live 2005 – Chatham, NJ snapshot Archived May 2, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  28. ^ "Best Places To Live - The Complete Top Towns List 1-100" Archived February 28, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Monthly, February 21, 2008. Accessed February 24, 2008.
  29. ^ Brennan, Morgan. "America's Most Expensive ZIP Codes 2012", Forbes, October 16, 2012. Accessed February 18, 2020.
  30. ^ Hagan, Shelly; and Lu, Wei. "America’s 100 Richest Places", Bloomberg News, March 5, 2018. Accessed February 19, 2020. "64 Chatham, N.J. Morris $223,219 (2016) $213,408 (2015)"
  31. ^ Cervenka, Susanne. "Rich in New Jersey: Here are the 50 wealthiest towns in the state. Is yours one of them?", Asbury Park Press, July 1, 2019. Accessed February 19, 2020. "16. Chatham Borough - County: Morris County; Median household income: $163,026
  32. ^ Chester Borough 2017 Census Data Summary, Morris County, New Jersey Office of Planning and Preservation. Accessed February 21, 2020.
  33. ^ QuickFacts for Chatham borough, New Jersey; Morris County, New Jersey; New Jersey from Population estimates, July 1, 2019, (V2019), United States Census Bureau. Accessed May 21, 2020.
  34. ^ Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Minor Civil Divisions in New Jersey: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2019, United States Census Bureau. Accessed May 21, 2020.
  35. ^ Census Estimates for New Jersey April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2019, United States Census Bureau. Accessed May 21, 2020.
  36. ^ Census Reporter: Chatham borough, New Jersey