Parsippany, NJ

Officially known as Parsippany-Troy Hills Township, Parsippany is a township in Northern New Jersey. The township is approximately equidistant between New York City and the Pennsylvania border. Parsippany has a population of about 53,000 and covers only 25 square miles.

In 2008, Money Magazine ranked the township #13 on its list of the 100 best small cities in America, citing amenities that include an aggressive recycling program, a low crime rate and a free public transportation system. The township has qualified for the Tree City USA designation for 19 years.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISTRICTS

Many of the communities that make up the township began as summer communities for residents of New York and Newark. The first, and most famous, is the Methodist summer camp, Mount Tabor. Four communities built by the New York Daily Mirror followed Mount Tabor: Rainbow lakes, Lake Hiawatha, Lake Intervale and Lake Parsippany. Even after the area was incorporated in 1928, much of the development in the area was devoted to summer houses. Only with the housing crisis that followed World War II were summer cottages turned into year-round houses.

ECONOMY AND INDUSTRIES

The name Parsippany comes from a Lenni-Lenape word meaning "place where the rivers come together;" today a more appropriate name would be the place where the highways come together. Parsippany lies at the crossroads of three interstates, two U.S. highways, and two state highways.

Access to transportation has contributed to the strength of Parsippany's economy. Parsippany is one of the state's most vibrant commercial real estate markets. The township is also host to the headquarters and facilities of more than 400 Fortune 500 companies, including:

• Avis
• Budget Rent-A-Car
• Realogy
• The Wyndham Hotel Group
• DRS Technologies
• Mercedes-Benz
• General Motors
• Intel Corporation
• Core Technology

Roughly two-thirds of Parsippany's work force is employed in sales, management or other professional sectors. Corporate complexes in Parsippany include the Prudential Campus, Gatehall, Waterview and the Morris Corporate Center.

According to recent data, Parsippany's unemployment rate is well below state and national averages. At the same time, the cost of living in Parsippany tends to be significantly higher than in other areas. Parsippany's median household income is higher than the national median income.

COMMUNITIES

Although Parsippany is not an ethnically diverse community in general, it does have a significant population of Asian Indian residents, a fact that is reflected in the appearance of Hindu temples and Indian restaurants.

EDUCATION

Parsippany has two public high schools, Parsippany High School in the town's east, and Parsippany Hills High School in the west. In recent years, both schools have consistently ranked in the top-third of the state's 316 public high schools. The local school district also presides over two middle and ten elementary schools.

Parsippany is also home to four religious private schools, including three Catholic schools.

FOR VISITORS

• In 1869, a local Methodist congregation established Mount Tabor, a campground for parishioners, in what is now modern-day Parsippany. Eventually its tents and cabins gave way to permanent residences. Mount Tabor remained a separate municipality until 1979, when legal issues relating to the separation of church and state compelled New Jersey to revoke the municipality's status. Mount Tabor was subsequently annexed to Parsippany. Currently, roughly more than 1,000 people live in the former campground. Mount Tabor is also home to Parsippany's rail station, Mount Tabor Station.
• Craftsman Farms is home of the GustavStickley Museum. Built in 1911, this log house originally served as a farm school for boys. The township purchased the site in 1989, and it is now a designated as a National Historic Landmark. The Stickley Museum, named after founder Gustav Stickley, includes furnishings from the era, plus a small gift shop and walking trails on the surrounding grounds.
• Current historic preservation projects include the 1870 Condit House, the 1790 Littleton Schoolhouse, the 1793 Bowlsby-DeGelleke House, the 1783 Isaac Beech House and the 1752 Livingston-Benedict House.

FAMILY FUN

Parsippany has more than two dozen public parks, ranging in size from tiny neighborhood playgrounds to 352-acre Knoll Park, bringing it well above the nationally accepted standard of one acre of parkland per 100 residents.

In addition to picnic areas and children's play areas, the Parsippany parks district includes a dog park, hockey and roller rinks, the 360-acre Knoll Golf Facility, a bandstand for summer concerts and the first playground in a New Jersey public park designed for handicapped children. The district runs an extensive list of programs, including mid-grade boys and girls basketball and roller hockey leagues, bowling leagues, men's and women's softball and volleyball leagues and tot groups.

LOCAL MEDIA

Parsippany has no local media outlets. The township is primarily served by television, radio and newspapers from New York City and Newark, New Jersey.