Washington
Township is located in the western most portion of Morris County.
The town occupies a beautiful portion of Morris County, and is graced
with vistas of forested rolling hills and farmland, yet residents
are within commutation distance of Manhattan, NY.
Washington Township has the distinction of occupying the largest
area of any municipality in Morris County. The township borders
Somerset, Warren, and Hunterdon Counties and is approximately fifteen
miles from the Pennsylvania and the Delaware River. State highway
Route 46, and County Roads 517 and 513 pass through town. Interstate
Route 80 is only minutes away in Mount Olive, a neighboring community.
The heart of town, the Long Valley section, was called German Valley
when it was first settled in the 1700’s by people from Saxony, a
region of Germany near the Polish border. Since then, the township
has grown to a population of almost eighteen thousand.
Single family detached houses are the primary type of residence,
with the majority of residents working outside town. Washington
Township today leads the county in the greatest acreage of preserved
farmland. The township covers forty-five square miles, and is actively
working to preserve its farming heritage, having preserved 2,800
farm acres from thirty-five farms.
