Rockaway Township, New Jersey

See also: Rockaway, New Jersey

Rockaway Township, New Jersey
Township
Ford-Faesch House
Ford-Faesch House
Official seal of Rockaway Township, New Jersey
Seal
Map
Interactive map of Rockaway Township
Rockaway Township is located in Morris County, New Jersey
Rockaway Township
Rockaway Township
Location in Morris County
Rockaway Township is located in New Jersey
Rockaway Township
Rockaway Township
Location in New Jersey
Rockaway Township is located in the United States
Rockaway Township
Rockaway Township
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 40°57′33″N 74°29′56″W / 40.959048°N 74.49889°W / 40.959048; -74.49889[1][2]
Country United States
State New Jersey
County Morris
IncorporatedApril 8, 1844
Government
[7]
 • TypeFaulkner Act (mayor–council)
 • BodyTownship Council
 • MayorJoseph Jackson (R, unexpired term ends December 31, 2027)[3][4]
 • AdministratorPaula Cozzarelli[5]
 • Municipal clerkVacant[6]
Area
[1]
 • Total45.89 sq mi (118.85 km2)
 • Land41.73 sq mi (108.09 km2)
 • Water4.16 sq mi (10.77 km2)  9.06%
 • Rank39th of 565 in state
1st of 39 in county[1]
Elevation
[8]
673 ft (205 m)
Population
 (2020)[9][10]
 • Total25,341
 • Estimate 
(2023)[9][11]
26,368
 • Rank103rd of 565 in state
4th of 39 in county[12]
 • Density607.2/sq mi (234.4/km2)
  • Rank429th of 565 in state
32nd of 39 in county[12]
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code
07866[13][14](Rockaway)
07435 (Newfoundland)
07842 (Hibernia)
Area code(s)973[15]
FIPS code3402764080[1][16][17]
GNIS feature ID0882209[1][18]
Websitewww.rockawaytownship.org

Rockaway Township is a township in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 25,341,[9][10] an increase of 1,185 (+4.9%) from the 2010 census count of 24,156,[19][20] which in turn reflected an increase of 1,226 (+5.3%) from the 22,930 counted in the 2000 census.[21]

Rockaway Township was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 8, 1844, from portions of Hanover Township and Pequannock Township.[22] Portions of the township were taken to form Rockaway Borough (June 19, 1894), Port Oram (June 26, 1895, now Wharton) and Denville Township (April 14, 1913).[23] Portions of the township were annexed to Boonton Township in 1906 and to Rockaway Borough in 1908.[24]

The township shares its name with the Rockaway River and the neighboring borough. The name is derived from a Native American term, variously said to mean "place of sands",[25][26] "creek between two hills"[27] or "bushy" / "difficult to cross".[28]

A large part of the township consists of Picatinny Arsenal, a United States Army base that covers nearly 6,500 acres (2,600 ha) of the township (a portion of the facility is located in Jefferson Township), used mainly for the development of new weapons technologies, especially concerning anti-terrorism.[29]

  1. ^ a b c d e 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 Mayor 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. ^ Administration, Rockaway Township. Accessed May 3, 2024.
  6. ^ Municipal Clerk, Rockaway Township. Accessed May 3, 2024.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference DataBook was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Township of Rockaway, Geographic Names Information System. Accessed March 11, 2013.
  9. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Census2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference LWD2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference PopEst was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ Look Up a ZIP Code for Rockaway, NJ, United States Postal Service. Accessed July 13, 2012.
  14. ^ Zip Codes, State of New Jersey. Accessed November 4, 2013.
  15. ^ Area Code Lookup - NPA NXX for Rockaway, NJ, Area-Codes.com. Accessed November 4, 2013.
  16. ^ U.S. Census website, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 4, 2014.
  17. ^ Geographic Codes Lookup for New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed April 1, 2022.
  18. ^ US Board on Geographic Names, United States Geological Survey. Accessed September 4, 2014.
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference Census2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference LWD2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ 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.
  22. ^ Historical Timeline of Morris County Boundaries, Morris County Library. Accessed December 24, 2016. "1844, April 8. Rockaway Township is established from Pequannock."
  23. ^ Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 197. Accessed May 30, 2024.
  24. ^ Honeyman, Abraham Van Doren. Index-analysis of the Statutes of New Jersey, 1896-1909: Together with References to All Acts, and Parts of Acts, in the 'General Statutes' and Pamphlet Laws Expressly Repealed: and the Statutory Crimes of New Jersey During the Same Period, p. 244. New Jersey Law Journal Publishing Company, 1910. Accessed September 23, 2015.
  25. ^ Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed September 24, 2015.
  26. ^ Nestor, Sandy. Indian Place Names in America, Volume 1, p. 113. McFarland, 2004. ISBN 9780786493395. Accessed September 24, 2015.
  27. ^ "Indian Place Names in New Jersey" from the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration 1938-1939 Series, Bulletin 12. Accessed September 24, 2015. "Rockaway - Possibly from Powawachne, creek between two hills"
  28. ^ Gannett, Henry. The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States, p. 265. United States Government Printing Office, 1905. Accessed September 24, 2015.
  29. ^ NPL Site Narrative for Picatinny Arsenal (USARMY), United States Environmental Protection Agency. Accessed July 13, 2012. "Picatinny Arsenal covers 6,491 acres in Morris County, New Jersey. Most of the land is in Rockaway Township; small portions of the western side are in Jefferson Township."