Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey
| Franklin Township, New Jersey | |
|---|---|
| Township | |
| Township of Franklin | |
House in King's Highway Historic District
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 Map of Franklin Township in Somerset County. Inset: Location of Somerset County highlighted in the State of New Jersey. |
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 Census Bureau map of Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey |
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| Coordinates: 40°28′37″N 74°33′02″W / 40.476872°N 74.550447°WCoordinates: 40°28′37″N 74°33′02″W / 40.476872°N 74.550447°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |
 New Jersey
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| County | Somerset |
| Formed as Eastern precinct | c. 1745 |
| Incorporated | February 21, 1798 |
| Named for | Benjamin Franklin |
| Government | |
| • Type | Faulkner Act (Council-Manager) |
| • Body | Township Council |
| • Mayor | Phillip Kramer (D, term ends December 31, 2019) |
| • Manager | Robert G. Vornlocker Jr. |
| • Clerk | Ann McCarthy |
| Area | |
| • Total | 46.846 sq mi (121.330 km2) |
| • Land | 46.147 sq mi (119.520 km2) |
| • Water | 0.699 sq mi (1.810 km2) 1.49% |
| Area rank | 37th of 565 in state 2nd of 21 in county |
| Elevation | 62 ft (19 m) |
| Population (2010 Census) | |
| • Total | 62,300 |
| • Estimate (2015) | 66,158 |
| • Rank | 22nd of 565 in state 1st of 21 in county |
| • Density | 1,350.0/sq mi (521.2/km2) |
| • Density rank | 350th of 565 in state 9th of 21 in county |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | Eastern (EDT) (UTC-4) |
| ZIP codes | 08873, 08875 - Somerset (also used as East Millstone) 08528 - Kingston 08823 - Franklin Park 08540 - Princeton 08890 - Zarephath |
| Area code(s) | 732, 908 and 609 |
| FIPS code | 3403524900 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0882170 |
| Website | www |
Franklin Township is a township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 62,300, reflecting an increase of 11,397 (+22.4%) from the 50,903 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 8,123 (+19.0%) from the 42,780 counted in the 1990 Census.
Traditionally a farming community, it has become a fast-growing suburb with massive development in the later 20th and 21st centuries as a diverse blend of races, religions and cultures. In 2008, Franklin Township ranked #5 on Money magazine's list of America's Top 100 Best Places to Live.
What is now Franklin Township was originally formed circa 1745 as Eastern precinct. Franklin Township was incorporated on February 21, 1798, as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships by an act of the New Jersey Legislature. Portions of the township were taken to form South Bound Brook (formed within Township, became independent municipality as of April 11, 1907) and East Millstone (February 18, 1873, returned to Franklin Township on December 31, 1949).
It has been unclear if the township was named for founding father Benjamin Franklin or for his illegitimate son William Franklin, a Loyalist and the last Royal Governor of New Jersey (from 1763 to 1776). In 2000, after considering the evidence set forth by William B. Brahms in his books Images of America: Franklin Township (1997) and Franklin Township, Somerset County, NJ: A History, and The Case for William Franklin and The Case for Benjamin Franklin, the Township Council chose the theory that the township was indeed named for Benjamin Franklin.
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