Morristown, NJ

Morristown is a small town in north-central New Jersey, roughly 20 miles west of Newark. The population of Morristown is roughly 19,000. Today, the town is perhaps best known for being among the first communities in New Jersey to be designated a 'transit village.' In 1999, the area surrounding its historic train station was declared a 'Transit Village Core,' allowing for mixed-use development. This transformation, combined with relatively a short travel distance to New York City via rail, has resulted in a building boom that has driven up prices in a number of nearby condominium complexes.

The town was first discovered by Dutch explorers in the early-17^th century, and later became a part of the English colonies. The current town was named after a British colonial governor, Lewis Morris. During the Revolutionary War, Morristown was the site of a major encampment for George Washington's Continental Army, and played an important role in supplying the soldiers with military equipment and ' during the winter and spring of 1777. According to historians, the town proved particularly valuable for Washington because of its geographical proximity to major urban centers like New York and Philadelphia.

ECONOMY AND INDUSTRIES

The health care industry, followed by retail and professional services are the main employment sectors in Morristown. In 1999, Morristown became the home of Honeywell International's world headquarters. Other large employers in Morristown include Atlantic Health System, Schindler Elevator Corporation and AT&T.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISTRICTS

Morristown accommodates around 7,600 houses with an occupancy ratio of about 95 percent. Out of the occupied houses, owners occupy around 2,860 houses and renters occupy the remainder.

Downtown Morristown, which was neglected for much of the late-20th century, has experienced a resurgence in recent years. The central business district along Park Avenue, South Street, Speedwell Avenue and Washington Street, includes a variety of restaurants, small shops, and chain stores. About 60,000 people come into this district daily for work. Downtown radiates from a trapezoidal green that was set aside by the town's first Presbyterian settlers.

Morristown is also home to two historic districts:

• The Morristown Historic District features numerous landmarks that are reminiscent of colonial New Jersey. Acorn Hall is a mid-Victorian house that has preserved its 19th century character. The house offers seven period rooms on view and two rooms that serve as a changing exhibit gallery. The Morris County Courthouse, built in 1827, is recognized as one of the best examples of a public building in the Federal style in New Jersey. MacCulloch Hall Museum and Gardens is a Federal-style brick mansion that boasts the oldest garden in Morris County. The Schuyler-Hamilton House contains furniture and artifacts from 1720 through 1820, during the Colonial and Federal periods.
• Historic Speedwell celebrates the iron industry that has been vital to Morris County since the 18th century. A businessman named Stephen Vail purchased an iron forge in Speedwell, which supplied pig iron that was manufactured into a variety of products including machine and engine parts. Vail's business later became an integral part of the development of the Morse code after Vail's eldest son met Samuel F. B. Morse and offered him technical and financial assistance. Morse visited the estate several times. Today, the historic district allows visitors to tour the cotton factory where Morse perfected the code. The district also depicts industrial life during the nineteenth century, when the Vails produced machinery and steam-powered transportation.

EDUCATION

• The College of Saint Elizabeth was founded in 1899 in Morristown. It is the oldest women's college in New Jersey, and it was one of the first Catholic colleges in the United States to award degrees to women. Because municipal boundaries have since been redrawn, the college is now in unincorporated Covent Station, as part of the greater Morris Township area.
• The Rabbinical College of America in Morristown is one of the largest yeshivas in the world dedicated to the Chabad Lubavitch movement.
• Morristown is home to three private high schools. Morristown High School is the town's lone public high school.

GETTING AROUND

• Commuters are served primarily by NJ Transit, which connects Morristown to New York City. Rail was the lynchpin for the town's original rise to prominence. Similarly, it's also behind the recent residential and commercial development in the town's center. The station opened in 1913 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
• Major highways running near Morristown include Interstate 287 and U.S. Route 202, the latter of which comprises one of the town's main streets. State Highways 24 and 53 also run through Morristown.
• The town also has a minor airfield, the Morristown Municipal Airport. Though it is in nearby Whippany, the facility, which has two runways, is owned by Morristown.

FOR VISITORS

• During the Revolutionary War, then-General George Washington established headquarters at the Ford Mansion, a building that still stands today. His troops settled in nearby Jockey Hollow, which, along with the mansion, helps comprise Morristown National Historic Park. This park is also home of Fort Nonsense, a lookout that has largely been reforested. Morristown National Historic Park was the country's first designated National Historic Park. All three sites are open to the public.
• Morristown is home of the telegraph. Samuel F.B. Morse, creator of Morse Code, and Alfred Vail built the first telegraph at Speedwell Ironworks, a building which still stands in what is now unincorporated Speedwell, New Jersey, just north of Morristown proper. This too was converted into a museum, commemorating life in the 19th century.
• Villa Fontana, now a privately-owned home and a National Historic Landmark, was the home of Thomas Nast for two decades. Nast, one of the first political cartoonists, has been called the 'Father of the American Cartoon,' and is known for, among other things, the Republican elephant, the Democratic donkey, Uncle Sam and the modern depiction of Santa Claus. In 1872, Nast bought Villa Fontana, where he'd host many prominent figures of the time, including Ulysses S. Grant and Mark Twain.

SPORTS TEAMS

Three-time Stanley Cup champion goalie Martin Brodeur, of the New Jersey Devils, makes his home in Morristown. Morristown is also home to Indoor Cricket USA, the country's first institute dedicated to the sport.

LOCAL MEDIA

WMTR 1250 AM is an oldies station, featuring a mix of live DJs and automated programming that has been broadcasting from Morristown since 1955. WJSV radio, 90.5 FM, and television are owned by the local school district and run by students at Morristown High School.