Bernardsville is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. In 2000, Bernardsville had the 10th-highest per capita income in the state. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough’s population was 7,707, reflecting an increase of 362 (+4.9%) from the 7,345 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 748 (+11.3%) from the 6,597 counted in the 1990 Census.
Bernardsville was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 6, 1924, from portions of Bernards Township, based on the results of a referendum held on April 29, 1924. The borough was named for Sir Francis Bernard, 1st Baronet, who served as governor of the Province of New Jersey.
Bernardsville is often mispronounced as “Bern-ARDS-ville” as opposed to the correct parochial pronunciation “BERN-ards-ville”.
In 2009, part of the borough was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Olcott Avenue Historic District.
Bernardsville was originally a section of Bernards Township known as Vealtown. In 1840, Vealtown became Bernardsville, named after Sir Francis Bernard, Colonial governor of New Jersey from 1758 to 1760. Located in the northernmost part of Somerset County, just 12 miles (19 km) south of Morristown, the borough includes some of the last vestiges of the Great Eastern Forest.
During the Revolutionary War, General Charles Lee rested his troops in Vealtown around the night of December 12 to 13, 1776. General Lee and some of his guard spent the night about 3 miles (5 km) southeast at White’s Inn on the southeast side of Basking Ridge, near the manor house of Continental Army general William Alexander, Lord Stirling. On the morning of December 13, General Lee was captured by the British and removed to New York.
The borough borders Bernards Township to the east, Far Hills to the southwest, and Peapack-Gladstone to the west in Somerset County, Harding Township to the northeast and both Mendham Borough and Mendham Township to the northwest in Morris County.
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 7,707 people, 2,685 households, and 2,086.245 families residing in the borough. The population density was 597.2 per square mile (230.6/km2). There were 2,871 housing units at an average density of 222.5 per square mile (85.9/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 91.38% (7,043) White, 0.88% (68) Black or African American, 0.14% (11) Native American, 3.27% (252) Asian, 0.06% (5) Pacific Islander, 2.18% (168) from other races, and 2.08% (160) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.72% (903) of the population.
Source: Wikipedia
