Vernon Township, New Jersey | |
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Township | |
Township of Vernon | |
Along Route 517
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Map of Vernon Township in Sussex County. Inset: Location of Sussex County highlighted in the State of New Jersey. |
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Census Bureau map of Vernon Township, New Jersey |
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Coordinates: 41°11′52″N 74°29′04″W / 41.197847°N 74.48458°WCoordinates: 41°11′52″N 74°29′04″W / 41.197847°N 74.48458°W | |
Country | United States |
State | New Jersey |
County | Sussex |
Established | April 8, 1793 |
Incorporated | February 21, 1798 |
Government | |
• Type | Faulkner Act (mayor–council) |
• Body | Township Council |
• Mayor | Harry Shortway (term ends December 31, 2019) |
• Administrator | Charles G. Voelker |
• Clerk | Lauren Kirkman |
Area | |
• Total | 70.587 sq mi (182.819 km2) |
• Land | 68.234 sq mi (176.725 km2) |
• Water | 2.353 sq mi (6.094 km2) 3.33% |
Area rank | 15th of 566 in state 1st of 24 in county |
Elevation | 571 ft (174 m) |
Population (2010 Census) | |
• Total | 23,943 |
• Estimate (2015) | 22,549 |
• Rank | 102nd of 566 in state 1st of 24 in county |
• Density | 350.9/sq mi (135.5/km2) |
• Density rank | 466th of 566 in state 12th of 24 in county |
Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
• Summer (DST) | Eastern (EDT) (UTC-4) |
ZIP code | 07462 |
Area code(s) | 973 |
FIPS code | 3403775740 |
GNIS feature ID | 0882258 |
Website | www |
Vernon Township is a township in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. It is located about one hour's drive from New York City and is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 23,943, reflecting a decline of 743 (-3.0%) from the 24,686 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 3,475 (+16.4%) from the 21,211 counted in the 1990 Census. It is both the most populous municipality and the largest in area in the county.
Vernon is home to Mountain Creek (formerly Great Gorge and Vernon Valley), a ski resort and water park as well as the Crystal Springs Resort's Minerals Hotel and Elements Spa. The Hidden Valley ski resort, which opened in 1976 and occupied a 140-acre (57 ha) property that included one of New Jersey's three remaining downhill skiing facilities, closed at the end of the 2013 season and could find no buyers at an auction held that year. The Great Gorge Playboy Club was located in the Vernon community of McAfee, but was sold and turned into a hotel, now called the Legends Resort & Country Club.
The independent township of Vernon was established on April 8, 1793, from portions of Hardyston Township, and the township was formally incorporated on February 21, 1798. The 68 square miles (180 km2) which marked the town's borders over 200 years ago have not changed since. However, the population of Vernon, which was 1,548 people as recently as 1950, has steadily grown since the 1960s, when the ski industry was introduced to the area. Additional growth has come as home prices have soared in the inner suburbs of New York City and property buyers seek the better values available from real estate developments in the area.