sussex county

Click on a town on the map or name of town below to get a brief description of the area:

Northern Sussex County is comprised of 12 individual municipalities. Each is unique in it's own way, yet throughout all of them is reflected a similar pride of ownership, fine quality of homes, and high standard of living. Sussex County's country setting includes rolling hills, beautiful foliage and forestry, with plenty of lakes and streams. Although, there are more people than cows these days, it still maintains it's country charm.

Covering a little more than half a square mile, Branchville is the smallest municipality in the county. Its name derives from the merger of two waterways. Dry Brook and Culver Creek, both branches of the PaulinsKill. Geographically, Branchville is the "hole in the donut" to Frankford, which completely surrounds it. The borough lies next to Route 206 and Route 519 passes through the center of town.

The borough's architecture is unique, with its numerous Victorian "town houses". In keeping with this architectural trend, Branchville is the site of the Garris Center/Culver Brook Restoration Foundation on Broad Street. The center is comprised of a renovated turn-of-the-century ice cream parlor, private home and blacksmith shop. Branchville's downtown, which developed early in the century after the Sussex Railroad Co. extended tracks into the borough in anticipation of a major industrial boom, houses a collection of small shops, luncheonettes, antique stores and an auction house.

The township is home to the New Jersey Cardinals, a minor league baseball team which plays at Skylands Park, a 4,200-seat ballpark at the intersection of routes 206, 15 and 565, also known as Ross' Corner. Competitive high school and college games are also played there.

Skylands Park Management Inc., owners of the ballpark are hoping to build and ice arena near the ballpark that would be home to a minor league hockey team. The township, whose Augusta post office was one of the first in the county, broke away from Newton when it was incorporated in 1797. The Augusta area of the township was once a bustling village with a state-coach stop at the corner of nearby Plains Road. Although the township has grown through recent residential development, a number of horse and dairy farms remain.

Frankford is also the home of the headquarters of the Sussex County library system and the adjacent Homestead complex, which includes a county-run nursing home. The 35-square-mile township boasts the geographic center of Sussex County at Ross' Corner. The state Department of Transportation also is planning a major upgrade of the Ross' Corner intersection, which is the site of several proposed commercial developments. The township includes miles of rolling farmland, woodlands and lakes, including the popular lake communities of Lake Owassa and Culver Lake, home of the historic Culver Lake Inn, another former stagecoach stop. Its northern border adjoins Stokes State Forest, part of the belt of parkland that follows the path of the Kittatinny Ridge as it stretches along the northwestern side of the county. The 100-acre township park off Gunn Road and Route 519 includes recreational facilities for young and old.

First developed as a busy mining town, this 4-square-mile borough located off Route 23 in the eastern part of Sussex County is a mix of commercial, retail, office and residential development.Once the center of town, Main Street is still the home of the borough hall and various businesses, but it is no longer the hub of the community. Renovations to the borough hall are under way and a plan to reopen a once-grand theater on Main Street may help to revitalize the thorough-fare. Since the closing of the mines in 1954, most of the recent commercial development in the borough has been along the Route 23 corridor.

Major shopping centers include ShopRite Plaza, which includes the local post office, a ShopRite supermarket, a McDonald's and a number of other stores. A Wal-Mart discount store and a Weis supermarket are being planned for Route 23.

The community was founded on one of the oldest geological strata in North America. today, the world-famous Franklin Mineral Museum offers exhibits of the 1,213 different varieties of minerals found in the area.The borough is also home to the Franklin Band, continuing a musical tradition of more that 100 years. The band, which dates to 1880, performs frequently in parades and concerts. Residents can enjoy the recreational facilities at Franklin Pond, which offers a playground, tennis courts and summer arts-and-crafts programs, plus concerts in the pavilion. The borough traditionally hosts a week-long carnival in July. A separate ice-skating rink is the location of wintertime activities. There is a two-story Senior Citizen Activity Center at the Franklin Pond Recreation Park area.

The borough is home to Gingergread Castle and is known as "The Children's Town." Gingerbread Castle owner Joe DiFiglia announced in January that the popular children's attraction and borough landmark for nearly 70 years is up for sale. The fairy-tale theme castle on Gingerbread Castle Road, just off Route 23, was open from 1930- 1978.Thomas Lawrence, one of the earliest settlers in the area, established a post office in what is now Hamburg in 1795. The mile-square borough was later named for the Hambury Iron Works.

The town's strategic location at the intersection of routes 94 and 23 has played a large part in its rapid growth, as has its sewerage system, completed in 1983. A shopping complex on Route 23, known as Governor Haines Square, was destroyed in a fire in 1995. Other area businesses are located along Main Street, which runs parallel to Route 23 and along Route 94. Centrally located, Hamburg is a short drive from the ski areas of Vernon, the county seat in Newton, and nearby golf resorts.

A horseshoe-shaped municipality of 32 square miles, Hardyston bills itself as the "Gateway to Sussex County." With thousands of acres of undeveloped land, the township has pursued industrial, commercial and residential development in the past few years. The county's seventh largest municipality in terms of square miles has 5,327 residents. Several private lake communities, including Lake Stockholm, Lake Gerard, Beaver Lake, Scenic Lakes and Summit Lake, are located in the township and have both year-round and summer residents.

Hardyston stretches from Jefferson to Wantage along Route 23 and from Vernon to Franklin and Sparta along Route 94. Among its undeveloped property are 4,001 acres owned by the City of Newark watershed. The Newark Watershed property takes up 19 percent of the township's 32 square miles.

Located near the center of Sussex County, historic Lafayette is celebrating the 176th year since its incorporation. Much of the commercial development in the 19-square-mile township has been along routes 15 and 94, major traffic arteries in the township.

Olde Lafayette Village, a major commercial development located near the intersection of Routes 15 and 94, offers quality manufacturers' outlet stores as well as a variety of specialty shops and restaurants. Lafayette has a Vietnam Veterans Memorial, a black granite monument in a park area adjacent to the Municipal Building on Route 15. The Lafayette Antiques Mill just off Route 15 contains numerous antique store, while other shops, architecturally-fashioned in the same colonial style, create an atmosphere of an era gone by.

One of the most open and natural areas of Sussex County, Montague is a place where it is hard to avoid getting outdoors. Located at the northern tip of the state, it is the third largest municipality in size at 45 square miles. Its population is 2,970. The township includes most of 14,190-acre High Point State Park and part of the 70,000-acre Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. High Point marks the highest elevation in New Jersey, at 1,803 feet above sea level.

The population center of Montague is Highpoint Country Club, a planned housing development consisting of hundreds of single-family and multi-family homes. A shopping district, including a supermarket, is located on Route 23.

Sandyston is a municipality of parks. About 68 percent of its land is owned by the state or federal government. Most of the state and federal land is in either the 15,182 acre Stokes State Forest or the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Stokes runs along the Kittatinny Ridge and includes part of the Appalachian Trail. There is also Sunrise Mountain, which offers a dramatic view to the east from atop a sheer cliff.

Sandyston is also home to Peters Valley, a resident craft village that holds an annual summer craft show.

With nearly 39 square miles within its boundaries, and a population of 15,354, Sparta is one of the largest townships in Sussex County. The township includes many lake communities, Lake Mohawk, a 3-mile-long, man-made lake, is the largest. The Lake Mohawk community offers a country club with boardwalk, golf course and numerous beaches and docking areas around the lake. Other smaller lake communities include Fox Hollow, Lake Saginaw, Seneca Lake, Sparta Lake and Sunset Lake, among others.

Sparta offers a mix of residential areas and service, retail and office areas scattered throughout the township. Station Park, Edison Park and Ungerman Field serve the public recreation needs of the township.

The township is bisected by Route 15, giving its commuting residents easy access to Interstate 80.. A bypass finished in 1992 gives commuters direct access to I-80 from Route 517. The Planning Board has been discussing proposals to plan for future development along Route 15. The township has its own library on Woodport Road. The business community sponsors free annual summer concerts Friday evenings in the park behind the library.

The township planning board is currently designating Sparta's town center, which will include retail development such as supermarkets, restaurants and fast-food restaurants in areas once zoned for limited commercial use. A new middle school was constructed within the boundaries of the town center on 97 acres of property off of Route 517. The middle school was completed in 1999.

The octagonal-shaped borough, founded in 1891, is rich in history and is more that 100 years old. Consisting of .75 square miles, but with a population of 2,201, it is one of the most densely populated municipalities in the county. Surrounded by Wantage, the borough sits at the junction of Routes 23, 565, 285 and 643.

The borough was once known as Deckertown, after its founder, Peter Decker, a Hollander born in Ulster County, N.Y. It was first settled in the mid-1700's, but remained part of Wantage until 1891. It was renamed Sussex in 1902. Deckertown and the Sussex of the early to mid-1900's was a bustling village, which today's borough council is hoping to recreate through state grants for the upgrading of the borough business district.

The heart of the business district features two Victorian-style hotels, shops, a bank, and professional offices. There is also a community center, which services senior citizens in both Sussex and Wantage. Northwest Covenant Medical Center, Sussex Campus, formerly Wallkill Valley General Hospital, is located on Walnut Street. The borough park, Brookside Park, is on Brookside Avenue. A small park on Main Street, dubbed Deckertown Commons, was completed in 1991 as part of the revitalization program. After more than a decade since it was broken, the dam at Clove Lake is being rebuilt, and borough officials hope to fill the dry lake bed again with water.

Billing itself as a "four-season recreational community," Vernon is a township where there always seems to be something to do. Most township recreational facilities are found off Route 94 at the Great Gorge Resort - home of Action Park, an amusement park with more than 50 rides and attractions, and the Vernon Valley Ski Area. It also has a golf course, shopping village, picnic areas, and a health spa.

Also in Vernon is the Seasons at Great Gorge Resort and Conference Center on Route 517, a resort hotel with about 500 guest rooms. Business conferences are welcome at the hotel and there are several conference rooms and other business-oriented amenities located there. The 27-hole Great Gorge Golf Course is behind the hotel.

Up on Breakneck Road is the Hidden Valley Ski and Tennis Club, whose formerly private ski area is open to the public. Hidden Valley offers banquet facilities year-round along with tennis.

Besides commercial recreation, Vernon also features portions of Waywayanda State Park and the City of Newark watershed. The 64-square-mile township is one of the largest in Sussex County. During the summer, the population increases because of the many vacation homes in the township's lake communities, of which there are at least seven. The township also has its own park on Vernon Crossing Road. A non-profit group, Hand in Hand Playground Inc., is expected to start construction soon on a new playground at the park. Municipal officials are considering the creation of a performing arts center. A Burger King was recently built at the intersection of Route 94 and Route 515.

Walpack is the least populated municipality in Sussex County and will most certainly remain that way. At just over 24 square miles, the township covers some of the most rugged land in the county as it stretches through steeply sloped valleys along the Delaware River. Walpack was absorbed into the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, a 70,000-acre federal park. The area was formed as the result of a government buyout of property in the area in anticipation of the Tocks Island Dam. The dam, which was part of a proposal to establish a reservoir in the Delaware River Valley, was never built and the property became part of the national park system. Because of its federal ownership, the township's population has been declining and now numbers about 60. Most of the homes in the township are owned by the federal government and are leased back to the families who live there. Many of Walpack's links with the past can be seen along Old Mine road, believed to be one of the oldest highways in the United States.

Wantage offers a wide variety of opportunities for residents and visitors. Located within the township is part of the 14,190 acre High Point State Park. Other attractions include the Elias Van Bunschooten museum and the old Clove Church, both of which are on Route 23.

The Sussex Airport is located in Wantage and is the site of the annual Sussex Air Show. Routes 23 and 284 provide easy access to Orange County, N.Y. from the township. Plans to create a municipal park with Green Acres funds is set to begin this year after the Township Committee agreed in December to use a $400,000 Green acres loan to purchase 135 acres from Sytsema farm. The first phase of construction will include building soccer and Little League fields, a parking lot, an inline skating area and outdoor skating rink in a 5-acre parcel of the land.