Frenchtown is a borough in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough’s population was 1,373, reflecting a decline of 115 (-7.7%) from the 1,488 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn declined by 40 (-2.6%) from the 1,528 counted in the 1990 Census.

Frenchtown is located along the banks of the Delaware River on the Hunterdon Plateau. Various names have been applied to this settlement, after the many ferry operators residing on both sides of the river. The community had variously been known as Alexandria Ville, Sunbeam and Frenchtown over the years. The Borough was formed by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 4, 1867, from portions of Alexandria Township. Additional territory was acquired from Kingwood Township in 1876.

The first bridge across the Delaware at Frenchtown was a six-span covered wooden bridge built in 1841 on the five piers that still stand today, and the community became a gateway to Pennsylvania. The Uhlerstown-Frenchtown Bridge, a free Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission bridge over the Delaware River connects Frenchtown to Uhlerstown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Around, 1725, a group of Huguenot refugees settled in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Originally from the Picardy region of France, they fled after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. One notable settler was Luther Calvin, a landowner and ferry operator who also bought a Hotel on Everittstown Road. Calvin also served as a 1st Lieutenant of the Associated Companies in 1756 during the French and Indian War. In 1757, three joint owners of a tract purchased from the West Jersey Land Society began laying out streets and building lots at what was then known as Calvin’s Ferry. The developing town was to be called “Alexandria” in honor of William Alexander, Lord Stirling, one of the three owners. In 1776, the three sold the settlement to Thomas Lowrey, a Flemington speculator.

In 1794, Lowrey sold the tract to Paul Henri Mallet-Prevost, a Swiss fugitive from the French Revolution. He and other early settlers were French speaking, leading some to begin calling the place “Frenchtown.”

The town grew substantially in the next four decades. A trade in grain and other farm products developed. Boatmen and river men helped fuel Frenchtown’s growth through their buying of cargo and food, and hiring of pilots. In the years after Henri Mallet-Prevost’s death, his sons sold off portions of their property; no longer was the town privately owned.

The arrival of the Belvidere Delaware Railroad in 1853 sparked continued growth in Frenchtown. Steam-powered industry became widely developed, and by the 1860s, mills were being converted into larger factories. Around the same time, the town had three major hotels, The Lower Hotel (Present day Frenchtown Inn), The Middle Hotel (no longer existing), and the Upper Hotel (The National Hotel). In 1889, Britton Brothers Big Brick Store, which sold a variety of goods, opened on Bridge Street.

In the early 20th century, growth was spurred by the arrival of Frenchtown Porcelain Works, the establishment of the Milford plant of the Warren Paper Company, and the rise of the poultry industry.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 1.361 square miles (3.524 km²), including 1.263 square miles (3.271 km²) of land and 0.098 square miles (0.253 km²) of water (7.17%).

Frenchtown borders Kingwood Township and Alexandria Township. Frenchtown also borders the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and is south of Milford borough.

Frenchtown Solar is a group of three photvoltaic arrays forming one of the largest solar farms in the state covering 110 acres (44.5 ha) with 68,500 solar panels and 20.1 megawatt capacity.

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 1,373 people, 596 households, and 365.9 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,087.2 per square mile (419.8/km²). There were 656 housing units at an average density of 519.4 per square mile (200.5/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 96.65% (1,327) White, 0.80% (11) Black or African American, 0.36% (5) Native American, 0.95% (13) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 0.07% (1) from other races, and 1.17% (16) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.10% (70) of the population.

Source: Wikipedia