Amwell Valley

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Topographic map depicting the greater Amwell Valley-Sourlands region. Greater Amwell and Sourland Region.png
Topographic map depicting the greater Amwell Valley-Sourlands region.

The Amwell Valley is a small valley in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, between the Hunterdon Plateau and the Sourlands. It comprises Stockton, parts of Delaware Township, West Amwell, East Amwell, Flemington and Raritan Township. The region borders the Delaware River to the west and the South Branch Raritan River to the east. The entire area has elevations around 200 feet above sea level. US 202 (including a shared section with NJ 31) is the main route running west to east through the valley. Old York Road also passes through the valley, taking a generally more southern route (Old York crosses 202 twice in the area) through Raritan and along the Sourlands at Mount Airy. Like the Hunterdon Plateau, Amwell Valley still has a large number of farms due to its sufficient climate, relatively flat land and the presence of silt-loams soils. [1] The valley is home to Unionville Winery and Old York Cellars in Ringoes.

Villages

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Hunterdon County, New Jersey County in New Jersey, United States

Hunterdon County is a county located in the western section of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States Census, the county's population was 128,947, making it the state's 18th-most populous county, representing an increase of 598 (0.5%) from the 128,349 enumerated in the 2010 United States Census, which in turn increased by 6,360 (5.2%) from the 121,989 counted in the 2000 Census. Its county seat is Flemington.

Route 31 is a state highway in New Jersey, United States. It runs 48.93 mi (78.75 km) from U.S. Route 1 Business /US 206 in Trenton, Mercer County, north to an intersection with US 46 in Buttzville in White Township, Warren County. Along the way, Route 31 heads through the communities of Flemington, Clinton and Washington. Most of the highway is state-maintained; however, the section within the city limits of Trenton is maintained by the city. Much of Route 31 is a two-lane highway that passes through farmland, woodland, and mountainous areas. Two portions of the route—from Trenton to Pennington and from Ringoes to Clinton—consist of more development.

East Amwell Township, New Jersey Township in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States

East Amwell Township is a township in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 4,013, reflecting a decline of 442 (-9.9%) from the 4,455 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 123 (+2.8%) from the 4,332 counted in the 1990 Census.

Raritan Township, New Jersey Township in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States

Raritan Township is a township in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 22,185, reflecting an increase of 2,376 (+12.0%) from the 19,809 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 4,193 (+26.9%) from the 15,616 counted in the 1990 Census. The township is located within the heart of the Amwell Valley and Raritan Valley regions, as the South Branch of the Raritan River flows through the center of the township. The northwestern portion of the township is located on the Hunterdon Plateau.

Pennsylvania Route 179 and Route 179 is an 8.7-mile (14.00 km) state highway in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States, running along an old alignment of U.S. Route 202 from west of New Hope, Pennsylvania northeast through Lambertville, New Jersey to Ringoes, where it ends at an intersection with US 202 and Route 31. Past this intersection, the road continues east as County Route 514. It is two-lane, undivided highway for most of its length with the exception of a four-lane stretch in Lambertville. The route crosses the Delaware River on the New Hope-Lambertville Bridge, where the designation changes from PA 179 to Route 179.

Stony Brook (Millstone River tributary)

Stony Brook, also known as Stoney Brook, is a tributary of the Millstone River in Hunterdon and Mercer counties, New Jersey, in the United States.

Ringoes, New Jersey Unincorporated community in New Jersey, United States

Ringoes is an unincorporated community located within East Amwell Township in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. The community is served by the United States Postal Service as ZIP Code 08551 and as of the 2010 United States Census, the area had a population of 5,532.

Amwell Township, New Jersey Township in New Jersey, United States

Amwell Township was a Township that existed in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States, from 1708 to 1846.

County Route 579 is a county highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The highway extends 37.24 miles (59.93 km) from John Fitch Parkway in Trenton to Route 173 in Greenwich Township.

Sourland Mountain

Sourland Mountain is a 17 miles (27 km) long ridge in central New Jersey, extending from the Delaware River at Lambertville to the western end of Hillsborough Township near the community of Neshanic, through Montgomery Township and into Hopewell Township in Mercer County. It comprises the largest contiguous forest in Central Jersey, nearly 90 square miles (233 km2) in area. The highest point is only 568 feet (173 m) above sea level, but the way it rises steeply from the surrounding farmland has earned it the title of 'mountain'. The ridge itself sits within a larger area of rough terrain called The Sourlands.

U.S. Route 202 (US 202) is a U.S. Highway running from New Castle, Delaware northeast to Bangor, Maine. In the U.S. state of New Jersey, the route runs 80.31 mi (129.25 km) from the New Hope–Lambertville Toll Bridge over the Delaware River at the Pennsylvania border in Delaware Township, Hunterdon County near Lambertville northeast to the New York border in Mahwah, Bergen County. Along the route's journey, it passes through a variety of suburban and rural environments, including the communities of Flemington, Somerville, Morristown, Parsippany-Troy Hills, Wayne, and Oakland as well as five counties: Hunterdon, Somerset, Morris, Passaic, and Bergen. US 202 encounters many major roads in New Jersey, including Route 31, US 206, US 22, Interstate 80 (I-80), US 46, Route 23, and Route 17. From Somerville to the New York border, US 202 generally runs within a close distance of I-287 and interchanges with that route several times. The road ranges from a four-lane freeway between Lambertville and Ringoes in Hunterdon County to a two-lane undivided road through much of the northern portion of the route. North of the Route 53 intersection in Morris Plains, US 202 is maintained by individual counties rather than the New Jersey Department of Transportation with a few exceptions.

Old York Road is a roadway that was built in the 18th century to connect Philadelphia with New York City. Through New Jersey it was built along the Raritan "Naraticong Trail", also known as the Tuckaraming Trail. A memorial plaque to the friendship of the Naraticong Indians, who permitted the road to be built over their trail, sits at the intersection of Old York Road and Canal in Raritan, NJ. The Swift Sure Stage Coach Line completed the journey between the two cities in two days and cost only a few dollars.

The Sourlands

The Sourlands is a region in the US state of New Jersey that includes portions of Hunterdon County, Mercer County and Somerset County. It is centered on Sourland Mountain and comprises parts of Lambertville, East Amwell, West Amwell, Hillsborough, Hopewell Boro, Hopewell Township, and Montgomery Township. The region is flanked by the Hopewell Fault to the south and Amwell Valley to the north that runs from Mount Airy to an area just west of Flagtown and a diabase formation running from Lambertville to Mount Airy. The Sourland also include a hilly area towards the southwest called Pleasant Valley, with a number of farms. Although much of the Sourlands is not conducive to farming, Pleasant Valley and the slopes on the surrounding ridges have a number of farms. The slopes of the ridge to the north are also home to Unionville Vineyard.

East Jersey Olde Towne Village

East Jersey Old Town Village is an open-air museum located in Johnson Park in Piscataway, New Jersey. The Village is a collection of Raritan Valley area historic buildings and includes original, reconstructed, and replicated 18th and 19th century vernacular architecture typical of farm and merchant communities of Central Jersey. It is home to a permanent exhibition about Raritan Landing, an 18th-century inland port once located just downstream on the river. Since 1989, the Middlesex County Office of Arts and History has had responsibility for the village.

Cloverhill, New Jersey Unincorporated community in New Jersey, United States

Cloverhill is an unincorporated community located at the intersection of the boundaries of East Amwell and Raritan townships in Hunterdon County and Hillsborough Township in Somerset County, in New Jersey, United States. The Clover Hill Historic District was listed on the state and national registers of historic places in 1980.

Copper Hill, New Jersey Unincorporated community in New Jersey, United States

Copper Hill is an unincorporated community located within the Amwell Valley of Raritan Township in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. It is located between Flemington and Ringoes along U.S. Route 202, New Jersey Route 31 and Copper Hill Road. It was named for the old copper mines in the area.

Larisons Corners, New Jersey Unincorporated community in New Jersey, United States

Larisons Corners, also spelled Larison's Corners, is an unincorporated community located along the border of East Amwell and Raritan townships in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Its location is at the corner of Old York Road and where New Jersey Route 30 split from Old York Road and headed north towards Flemington. Today, Old York Road is a part of Route 179 to the southwest and County Route 514/Amwell Road northeast of the point. U.S. Route 202 and Route 31 comprise the main road to Flemington though the highway was built on a new alignment to the south of this point after US 202 bypassed Ringoes in the 1960s. A gas station and some small businesses line US 202 in the area and some churches, Larison's Corner Cemetery, and houses make up the remainder of the area.

Reaville, New Jersey Unincorporated community in New Jersey, United States

Reaville is an unincorporated community located along the border of East Amwell and Raritan townships in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. By the 1830s, it was known as Greenville. It was later renamed after Runkle Rea, the first postmaster in 1850.

Buttonwood Corners, New Jersey Unincorporated community in New Jersey, United States

Buttonwood Corners is an unincorporated community located within East Amwell Township in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. Located along the ridge line of the Sourland Mountains, it consists of forested lands with homes dotted along the narrow roads that pass through the area.

References

  1. Hunterdon County GIS mapping Archived April 24, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  2. Beck, Henry Charlton. "The Roads of Home: Lanes and Legends of New Jersey". New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1984
  3. "A Collection of Papers Read Before the Bucks County Historical Society, Volumes 1-8". Society by B.F. Fackenthal, Jr., 1926. Bucks County Historical Society
  4. Luce, TJ. "New Jersey's Sourland Mountain" Hopewell: Sourland Planning Council, 2001. pg. 41
  5. Historic Sites and Districts of Hunterdon County Archived June 10, 2014, at the Wayback Machine

Coordinates: 40°26′10″N74°49′48″W / 40.436°N 74.830°W / 40.436; -74.830