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;[20] it has since reopened as the National Winter Activity Center.

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. Opened in 1972 at a cost of $20 million, featuring 700 rooms and 27 holes of golf, the hotel was sold to Americana in 1982 and later was resold to Metairie Corp. which branded the property as the Legends Resort and Country Club. In 2017, the township started eviction proceedings against low-income residents who had been living in the defunct resort on a permanent basis.

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.

Iron mining in the town of Vernon was prevalent during the mid-to-late 19th century. Mines such as the Canistear Mine, Williams Mine, and the Pochuk Mine created industry which spawned local businesses, and brought rail travel to the town.

It is not known how Vernon Township got its name, but a number of theories have been offered by author Ronald J. Dupont Jr.:

  • Admiral Edward Vernon. Dupont writes that this is very possible because of two things: 1. the township was created in 1792, the year that George Washington was reelected as President, and 2. because Vernon Township’s first Masonic Lodge in 1820 was named Mount Vernon (Washington was also a Freemason during his life), likely after Washington’s Virginia residence. The residence, in turn, got its name because Washington’s brother Lawrence Washington served with Admiral Vernon.
  • A family named Vernon. Not likely, Dupont says, although he notes that a Nathaniel Vernon was a licensed tavernkeeper in Sussex County in 1756. However, the tavern was likely elsewhere, and not in what is now Vernon.
  • The Latin root “Vernus.” One form of “vernus” is “vernal,” as in vernal equinox (“spring”), and so Vernon “had connotations of spring: green, lush, fresh, fertile, etc., and hence was an attractive name for a place.”

Dupont Jr. also writes that in the late 19th century two places named Vernon existed, one in Sussex County and another in Essex County. When the Essex County community was granted a post office, they found out that another Vernon existed, and so they eventually named the community Verona.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 70.587 square miles (182.819 km2), including 68.234 square miles (176.725 km2) of land and 2.353 square miles (6.094 km2) of water (3.33%).

Highland Lakes (2010 Census population of 4,933), Vernon Center (2010 Census population of 1,713) and Vernon Valley (1,626 as of 2010) are unincorporated communities and census-designated places (CDPs) located within Vernon Township.

The township is bordered by Hardyston Township and Wantage Township, all of which are within Sussex County. Vernon borders Orange County, New York with the Town of Warwick. Vernon also shares a border with West Milford Township in Passaic County.

Elevation varies greatly due to the valleys, rolling hills, and mountains. The United States Geological Survey places Glenwood at 580 feet (180 m), McAfee at 435 feet (133 m), and Highland Lakes at 1,260 feet (380 m).

The township is located in the Kittatinny Valley which is a section of the Great Appalachian Valley that stretches 700 miles (1,100 km) from Canada to Alabama.

Portions of the township covering 5,400 acres (2,200 ha) of land are owned by the City of Newark, Essex County, for their Pequannock River Watershed, which provides water to the city from an area of 35,000 acres (14,000 ha) that also includes portions of Hardyston Township, Jefferson Township, Kinnelon, Rockaway Township and West Milford.

Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include:

  • Barry Lakes
  • Canistear Reservoir
  • Cedar Ridge
  • DeKays
  • Glenwood
  • Great Gorge
  • Highland Lakes
  • Independence Corners
  • Kampe P.O.
  • Lake Conway
  • Lake Glenwood
  • Village of Lake Glenwood (VOLG)
  • Lake Panorama
  • Lake Pochung
  • Lake Wanda
  • Lake Wallkill
  • Lake Wilderwood
  • Maple Grange
  • McAfee
  • Mud Pond
  • Owens
  • Pleasant Valley Lake
  • Prices Switch
  • Vernon Village “Town Center”
  • Vernon Valley a.k.a. “The Valley”
  • Vernon Valley Lake
  • Wawayanda
  • Wawayanda Lake

Glenwood and McAfee are located in the western portion of the township, McAfee to the South and Glenwood to the North. Highland Lakes is in the Eastern portion of the township. Pleasant Valley Lake is in the southwest portion of the township. Four of these sections have a post office. Vernon also has many developments.

Vernon is home to many lake communities, including Highland Lakes, Barry Lakes, Cliffwood Lake, High Breeze, Lake Conway, Lake Wanda, Laurel Lake, Lake Wildwood, Lake Glenwood, Lake Panorama, Lake Pochung, Lake Wallkill, Pleasant Valley Lake, Scenic Lakes, and Vernon Valley Lake.

The township’s largest housing complex is Great Gorge Village. Originally built as a slope-side vacation housing development with 1,356 units, the village is no longer affiliated with the ski resort and is operated by real estate investor Andrew Mulvihill. Village residents, who pay $5.5 million in condominium fees to cover services, have argued that Mulvihill and affiliated businesses have used their control of the community’s board of directors to direct contracts to affiliated vendors.

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 23,943 people, 8,622 households, and 6,595.830 families residing in the township. The population density was 350.9 per square mile (135.5/km2). There were 10,958 housing units at an average density of 160.6 per square mile (62.0/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 95.18% (22,790) White, 1.39% (332) Black or African American, 0.17% (40) Native American, 0.78% (186) Asian, 0.03% (8) Pacific Islander, 1.10% (263) from other races, and 1.35% (324) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.41% (1,534) of the population.

Source: Wikipedia

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