Location of Hanover Township in Morris County highlighted in red (right). Inset map: Location of Morris County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (left).
Hanover Township is the site of the first European settlement in northwest New Jersey. New Englanders established a settlement along the Whippany River in 1685 near the current location of the old Whippany Cemetery on Route 10.[26]
Once the Province of West Jersey purchased the land from the local LenapeNative Americans, the original County of Morris was created and comprised all of what is now Morris, Sussex and Warren Counties. The counties were partitioned into townships. Morris' original township was 'Whippenny' which itself comprised all of what is now Morris County.
The name "Hanover" was taken from the House of Hanover in Germany.[27] This namesake was given to the Township of Hanover on December 7, 1720, as a sign of respect to George I of Great Britain who was of the House of Hanover and who ruled over the American colonies in the eighteenth century. Its size has been considerably decreased as the population of the area has increased since the creation of Hanover Township in 1720 and its incorporation on March 25, 1740, with the formation of Morris County.[28][29] Originally encompassing all of Morris County and parts of Sussex and Warren County, Hanover Township became too unwieldy for a single local government to maintain. The Township was subdivided into smaller municipalities that could provide more responsive local control despite placing greater demands on the local tax base to support new facilities for each.
The name Whippany is adapted from the Native American word Whippanong which means “place of the arrow wood".[32]
The old settlements of Monroe and Malapardis were consumed by development and what remains are two communities—Whippany and Cedar Knolls—which are roughly separated by Interstate 287.
The Malapardis area of Cedar Knolls is primarily located around Malapardis Road. A section of Malapardis, even though it is in Hanover Township's borders, has a Morris Plains mailing zip code. Another section of Cedar Knolls is called Trailwood which has a section of its land in a Morris Plains ZIP code, the area closest to American Way.
The Monroe area of Whippany is located around Whippany Road and Cedar Knolls Road, marked by a building in the intersection named Monroe Hall.
Until the post-World War II suburbanization of New Jersey, Hanover Township was a sparsely populated industrial town known for its iron works and paper mills. This industry was driven by the ever-present power of the Whippany River. Over the second half of the twentieth century, the Township became thoroughly suburban.
Lucent Technologies had a large facility in Whippany. The first demonstration of long distance television transmission in the United States took place in 1927, with a transmission that went via wire from Washington, D.C., to New York, and from Whippany to New York using radio.[33]
The Seeing Eye, the first guide dog school for the blind in the United States, was located in Whippany between 1931 and 1966, before moving to its current campus in nearby Morris Township.[34]
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 10.75 square miles (27.83 km2), including 10.52 square miles (27.23 km2) of land and 0.23 square miles (0.59 km2) of water (2.14%).[1][2]
Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Balls Mills, Black Meadows, Cedar Knolls, Eden Mill, Horse Hill, Jefferson, Lee Meadows, Malapardis, Monroe and Whippany.[35]
Of the 5,308 households, 30.9% had children under the age of 18; 61.1% were married couples living together; 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present and 28.6% were non-families. Of all households, 25.1% were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.12.[20]
22.2% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 30.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.9 years. For every 100 females, the population had 91.8 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 88.1 males.[20]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $100,962 (with a margin of error of +/− $6,654) and the median family income was $115,341 (+/− $10,572). Males had a median income of $76,766 (+/− $2,263) versus $61,441 (+/− $5,321) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $44,123 (+/− $2,675). About 1.5% of families and 2.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.5% of those under age 18 and 1.9% of those age 65 or over.[50]
2000 census
At the 2000 United States census[17] there were 12,898 people, 4,745 households and 3,620 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,209.6 inhabitants per square mile (467.0/km2). There were 4,818 housing units at an average density of 451.8 per square mile (174.4/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 88.79% White, 1.09% African American, 0.05% Native American, 8.71% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.59% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.50% of the population.[48][49]
There were 4,745 households, of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.8% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.7% were non-families. 19.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.13.[48][49]
Age distribution was 22.8% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.[48][49]
The median household income was $84,115, and the median family income was $93,937. Males had a median income of $59,278 versus $40,799 for females. The per capita income for the township was $37,661. About 0.7% of families and 1.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.0% of those under age 18 and 1.4% of those age 65 or over.[48][49]
Arts and culture
The township is home to the Whippany-based Hanover Wind Symphony, which was established in 1985.[51]
Sports
Home of the 2017 Junior Pee Wee Division Youth Football National Champions sponsored by the NFL Hall of Fame.[52]
The New York Red Bulls U23, a development team for the New York Red Bulls, play at the team's 15-acre (6.1 ha) development facility in the township.[53]
Parks and recreation
Municipal parks and recreational facilities include:[54]
Hanover Township Hall at Jefferson Road and Route 10 in August 2007
Hanover Township is governed under the Township form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 141 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form, the second-most commonly used form of government in the state.[62] The Township Committee is comprised of five members, who are elected directly by the voters at-large in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle.[6][63] A mayor and deputy mayor are selected at the annual reorganization meeting by the committeemen from among the members of the Township Committee.
As of 2023[update], members of the Township Committee are Mayor Thomas A. "Ace" Gallagher (R, term on committee ends December 31, 2025; term as mayor ends 2023), Deputy Mayor Michael A. Mihalko (R, term on committee and as deputy mayor ends 2023), Brian J. Cahill (R, 2023), John L. Ferramosca (R, 2024) and Ronald F. Francioli (R, 2025).[3][64][65][66][67][68][69]
In July 2020, Ronald F. Francioli stepped down as mayor, while retaining his committee seat. John L. Ferramosca moved from deputy mayor and took over as mayor while Thomas A. "Ace" Gallagher was chosen as deputy mayor.[70][71]
Township Hall, which was renovated and enlarged in 2003, is located at the corner of Jefferson Road and Route 10. It contains all Township offices, the Township Municipal Court, the Police Department and the Whippanong Public Library.
The 2014 township budget was $24,927,191.79, with a combined property tax rate in Cedar Knolls of $1.705 per $100 in assessed value and $1.670 for Whippany, reflecting differences in fire district assessments.[72] The Township's NJ Treasury/Taxation code is 1412.
Township services
Malapardis Park in the Cedar Knolls section of Hanover TownshipBee Meadow Park in the Whippany section of Hanover Township during the Summer Concert SeriesCentral Park in the Whippany section of Hanover Township
The Township has its own Police Department consisting of about 30 officers in addition to a Public Works Department which handles the Township's sanitation and recycling needs. The Cedar Knolls First Aid Squad provides emergency medical coverage for the entire township.[73]Morristown Medical Center, a level-2 regional trauma center, is about three miles away.
There are two combination volunteer/career fire districts in the Township:
Whippany Fire District #2 is located on the corner of Troy Hills Road and Route 10. They maintain three pumpers, swift water rescue team vehicle and a hazardous materials response (hazmat) team truck.[74]
Cedar Knolls Fire District #3 is located at the corner of Ridgedale and Mountain Avenues. They maintain two pumpers, aerial ladder and the Township's emergency medical services (EMS) ambulance.[75]
The Hanover Sewerage Authority provides sewerage service for the Township. It has a treatment plant located on Troy Road.[76]
Federal, state and county representation
Hanover Township is located in the 11th Congressional District[77] and is part of New Jersey's 26th state legislative district.[78]
Morris County is governed by a Board of County Commissioners composed of seven members who are elected at-large in partisan elections to three-year terms on a staggered basis, with either one or three seats up for election each year as part of the November general election.[83] Actual day-to-day operation of departments is supervised by County Administrator Deena Leary.[84]: 8 As of 2025[update], Morris County's Commissioners are:
The county's constitutional officers are:
Clerk Ann F. Grossi (R, Parsippany–Troy Hills, 2028),[92][93]
Sheriff James M. Gannon (R, Boonton Township, 2025)[94][95] and
Surrogate Heather Darling (R, Roxbury, 2029).[96][97]
Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 9,317 registered voters in Hanover Township, of which 4,356 (46.8%) were registered as Republicans, 1,606 (17.2%) were registered as Democrats, and 3,350 (36.0%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 5 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.[98]
In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 61.0% of the vote (4,384 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 38.1% (2,740 votes), and other candidates with 0.9% (67 votes), among the 7,243 ballots cast by the township's 9,782 registered voters (52 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 74.0%.[99][100] In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 60.2% of the vote (4,544 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 38.3% (2,894 votes) and other candidates with 1.0% (78 votes), among the 7,553 ballots cast by the township's 9,478 registered voters, for a turnout of 79.7%.[101] In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 61.2% of the vote (4,474 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry with 37.5% (2,740 votes) and other candidates with 0.7% (69 votes), among the 7,312 ballots cast by the township's 9,226 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 79.3.[102]
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 73.3% of the vote (3,337 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 25.4% (1,156 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (60 votes), among the 4,635 ballots cast by the township's 9,849 registered voters (82 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 47.1%.[103][104] In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 64.5% of the vote (3,314 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 27.0% (1,388 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 7.2% (368 votes) and other candidates with 0.3% (16 votes), among the 5,138 ballots cast by the township's 9,358 registered voters, yielding a 54.9% turnout.[105]
As of May 2010[update], the township had a total of 77.54 miles (124.79 km) of roadways, of which 62.47 miles (100.54 km) were maintained by the municipality, 7.46 miles (12.01 km) by Morris County and 7.61 miles (12.25 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.[123]
NJ Transit offers local bus service on the 871, 872 and 874 routes, with service between the township and Newark on the 73 route.[124][125][126] Until 2010, service in the borough was offered on the MCM8 route, until subsidies offered to the local provider were eliminated by NJ Transit as part of budget cuts.[127]
There is some confusion over the place names in Hanover Township which results from the sometimes arcane usage of place names in New Jersey.
Whippany and Cedar Knolls are place names for unincorporated communities. They each have their own ZIP Code and fire department but are otherwise simply neighborhood names. The two each had their own post office until 2011, when flooding from Hurricane Irene destroyed the Whippany post office.
Residents of Whippany and Cedar Knolls have become accustomed to indicating that they live in either Whippany or Cedar Knolls and not in Hanover Township. Some confusion comes from the difference between neighborhood boundaries, and the arbitrary ZIP Code boundaries that do not necessarily coincide with municipal boundaries resulting in township mailing addresses which use place names outside of the township. Whippany's ZIP code is 07981 and Cedar Knolls' is 07927.
Notable events
On January 5, 2009, five unidentified red lights were spotted in the night sky over Hanover Township and Morris County. The event became nationally known as the Morristown UFO hoax after two residents disclosed how they had used road flares attached to balloons to create the objects seen across the area.[133]
^Historical Timeline of Morris County BoundariesArchived December 25, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, Morris County Library. Accessed December 24, 2016. "1740, March 25. Morris County is established. Morris County includes Morris Township, Pequannock (also referred to as Poquanick or Peqannoc), Hanover Township, and 'Morris Town.'"
^Profile, Township of Hanover. Accessed December 24, 2016. "Settled in 1676 and incorporated on March 25, 1740, Hanover's historic charm, showcased in the book, Along The Whippanong, is rich and colorful. "
^History, The Seeing Eye. Accessed November 16, 2021. "The Seeing Eye was incorporated in Nashville, Tenn., on Jan. 29, 1929. In 1931, the organization relocated to Whippany, N.J., because the climate in the northeast was more suitable for training dogs."
^About, Hanover Wind Symphony. Accessed September 10, 2013.
^"Hanover Tigers earn national title", New Jersey Hills, December 19, 2017. Accessed October 8, 2019. "The Hanover Tigers football team won the National Youth Football Junior Pee Wee Championship in Canton, Ohio on Saturday, Dec. 16."
^Red Bulls Training Facility, New York Red Bulls. Accessed April 8, 2024. "The Red Bulls Training Facility is a state-of-the-art soccer-specific complex that is home to the New York Red Bulls First Team, NYRB II, U23 squad, Academy, and Youth Programs. Located in Whippany, NJ and spread over 15 acres, the complex features four full-sized fields, a lounge area, cafeteria, fully-loaded gym, locker rooms, and offices for members of the first team, academy, and front-office staff."
^Ceva, Claudia. "Francioli steps down as mayor in Hanover Township, Ferramosca appointed to take over", Hanover Eagle, July 11, 2020. Accessed July 13, 2020. "Ronald Francioli turned the reins of township governance over to new Mayor John Ferramosca, who was appointed to take the position via a unanimous vote of the all-Republican Township Committee at the municipal building and virtually on Thursday, July 9. Ferramosca had been the township’s deputy mayor."
^Westhoven, William. "Hanover gets new mayor, new redevelopment plan for Pine Plaza", Daily Record, July 9, 2020. Accessed July 13, 2020. "Minutes after the committee appointed Deputy Mayor John Ferramosca to replace Ron Francioli, it passed a landmark resolution adopting a long-awaited redevelopment plan for Pine Plaza shopping center on Route 10.... Gallagher was selected and sworn in as the new deputy mayor, replacing Ferramosca.... Earlier in the week, Francioli laughed at some of the speculation surrounding his leaving the mayor's seat. He still plans to serve out his committee term, which ends in 2022, and received new committee assignments from Ferramosca Thursday."
^Board of County Commissioners, Morris County, New Jersey. Accessed June 1, 2022. "Morris County is governed by a seven-member Board of County Commissioners, who serve three-year terms."
^Hanover Township Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Hanover Township Public Schools. Accessed December 7, 2023. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Pre-Kindergarten through eight in the Hanover Township School District. Composition: The Hanover Township School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Hanover Township in the County of Morris."
^Hanover Park Regional High School District 2015 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed March 31, 2015. "The Hanover Park Regional High School District is comprised of two high schools. Hanover Park High School is located in East Hanover, receives students from East Hanover and Florham Park, and has an enrollment of 855 students. Whippany High School is located in Hanover Township, receives students from Hanover Township and has an enrollment of 714 students."
^System Map, Morristown & Erie Railway. Accessed August 7, 2015. "The Whippany Line is a 9-mile rail line, owned and operated continuously by the M&E since the railroad's inception in 1895. The line runs east from Morristown through Hanover Township and East Hanover to its end in Roseland."
^About UsArchived 2013-09-11 at the Wayback Machine, WMTR. Accessed September 10, 2013. "Mailing address: WMTR Broadcast Park 55 Horsehill Rd., Cedar Knolls, NJ 07927"
^Contact Us, WDHA. Accessed September 10, 2013. "WDHA is located at: 55 Horsehill Road, Cedar Knolls, NJ 07927"
^Search Results - 07927 and 07981 - ReferenceUSA Current Businesses
^Schillaci, Sarah. "Judge hits Morris County UFO hoaxers with fines, community service"Archived June 11, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, The Star-Ledger, April 7, 2009. Accessed December 18, 2012. "Between Jan. 5 and Feb. 19, Russo and Rudy released helium balloons with traffic flares tied to them on five separate occasions in what they called a 'social experiment' to debunk the pseudoscience of UFOs. They set the balloons aloft from a field in Hanover Township, later calling a local television station to report the red lights."
^Johnson, Janis. "Playing A Nerd Is 'Too Easy'", The Miami Herald, February 16, 1987. Accessed December 11, 2007. "But is the 23-year-old Whippany, N.J., native, character actor and stand-up comedian a nerd."
^Meisel, Barry. "A Giant Gamble BC's Saxton Replaces Injured Pierce", New York Daily News, November 11, 1996. Accessed December 11, 2019. "People wanted to talk to Brian Saxton throughout the practice week, and not only because he's a Boston College football alumnus. The 24-year-old native of Whippany, N.J., who spent the entire season sitting behind Aaron Pierce on the depth chart at H-back was prepared to fill in a week earlier vs. Arizona, when Pierce suffered a sprained knee on the third play of the Giants' 16-8 win."
