Montville is a township in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 22,450, an increase of 922 (+4.3%) from the 2010 census count of 21,528, which in turn reflected an increase of 689 (+3.3%) from the 20,839 counted in the 2000 census.Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023.

Montville was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 11, 1867, from portions of Pequannock Township.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968. Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 194. Accessed May 30, 2024.Historical Timeline of Morris County Boundaries , Morris County Library. Accessed December 24, 2016. "1867, April 11. Montville Township is established from Pequannock. From PL 1867, p. 936." It includes the sections of Montville, Pine Brook and Towaco. NJ Transit rail service is available at the Towaco station along the Montclair-Boonton Line.Towaco station, NJ Transit. Accessed January 21, 2018.

In Money magazine's 2013 Best Places to Live rankings, Montville was ranked 13th in the nation, the second-highest among the three places in New Jersey included in the top 50 list.Staff. "2013 Best Places to Live -13. Montville, NJ". CNN/Money. September 2013. Accessed August 12, 2013. The township was ranked 17th in the magazine's 2011 ranking of the "Best Places to Live", the highest-ranked place in New Jersey, after having been ranked 13th in 2007."Best Places to Live: Top 100 - 13. Montville, N.J." CNN/Money. July 2007. Accessed August 12, 2013. Staff. "Best Places to Live 2011: Montville, NJ". CNN/Money. Accessed August 12, 2013. In 2009, Money magazine named Montville the 21st best place to live in the United States; the 2nd highest ranked community in New Jersey.Staff. "Best Places to Live 2009", CNNMoney.com. Accessed September 19, 2011. "21. Montville, NJ"

History

Native settlement

Over 10,000 years ago, the area was part of the Lenapehoking. It was originally settled by the Lenape tribes of the Munsee dialect. The Lenape tribes maintained peace and no significant battles were recorded in the area.

On October 12, the Morris County Parks Commission holds Lenape Day at the Great Swamp to celebrate the culture and history of Ramapough Lenape people.

Dutch settlement Dutch farmers from New Amsterdam (now part of New York City) entered the area in 1710. As part of New Netherland, the town was originally called "Uyle-Kill" (the Dutch spelling of "Owl-Kill"), a name given to the creek and valley, which ran through the area.

By the 1740s, the settlement had grown in size and construction of the first road was begun. The early road, now known as U.S. Route 202, connected various farms with Montville's first gristmill, sawmill and tanneries.

In 1756, the Dutch Reformed Church was founded in Old Boonton and moved to Montville in the early 1800s after land was purchased in Montville for a parsonage.History, Montville Reformed Church. Accessed September 19, 2011.

English settlement In 1712, William Penn bought a tract of land that included parts of modern-day Pequannock and Montville that included Pine Brook.

In 1760, the first schoolhouse in the Montville township was built out of logs in Pine Brook. It was located on "the road leading to Boonton," which could refer to multiple northwest-facing roads including Changebridge Road. Additional schools were constructed in 1785, 1816, and 1852.

During the American Revolution (1775–1783), Montville was on a major military route from Morristown to the Hudson River. General George Washington's troops often took this route and Washington stayed in the Towaco section of what is now Montville Township in June 1780.Mendez, Zenaida. "Washington slept here at Doremus; Historic commission's $114,016 grant will help restore Montville home", Daily Record, August 9, 2004. Accessed August 6, 2013. "In June 1780, George Washington, then commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, his aides and his troops were encamped at Rockaway Bridge awaiting the outcome of the battle of Springfield." The French troops under the leadership of General Rochambeau spent four days passing through Montville Township on their way to the War's final victory at Yorktown, Virginia, as part of a group of 5,000 soldiers, 2,000 horses, 500 oxen, possibly 900 cattle, artillery, boats and followers.Nynka, Andrew. "Revolutionary War re-enactors retracing route to Va. through Morris", Daily Record, August 27, 2006. Accessed August 6, 2013.

The Mandeville Inn was established circa 1770 and was pronounced "Mondeveil" by the Dutch, which in turn was corrupted to Montville. The Montville Inn was, up until July 2006, located at the site of the pre-Revolutionary War Mandeville Inn, which burned down in the early 20th century.Parish, Stan. "The Montville Inn; A $3-million renovation rejuvenates an inn with Revolutionary roots. Chef John Livera's food—from serious steak to fanciful donuts—might even make Montville a dining destination.", New Jersey Monthly, August 11, 2008. Accessed September 19, 2011. "The property was once home to the colonial Mandeville Inn, established circa 1770. The inn gave the town its name—Montville was the Dutch settlers' pronunciation. The Mandeville burned down and was replaced by the Montville Inn in the early 1900s." Other sources attribute the township's name to its location in the mountains of Northern New Jersey.Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed September 8, 2015.

In 1809, the first store in Montville was opened by Conrad Esler. In 1820, Montville contained 16 houses, two bark mills, a grist mill, a cider mill and distillery, a blacksmith shop, a carpenter shop, a wheelwright shop, and a small store; at the time, Montville was considered a business center compared to nearby towns. By 1880, it contained 40 houses, a bark mill, two grist mills, a tannery, a saw mill, a rubber factory, two blacksmith shops, two taverns and two stores.

The construction of the Morris Canal in this area was completed in 1828, bringing commercial navigation to the Montville/Towaco area. The mid-19th century saw the development of two smaller village centers set apart from Montville: Pine Brook, a fertile agricultural area in the Township's southern end, and Towaco, situated on the Morris Canal.

In 1867, Montville and Boonton split off from Pequannock township.

20th century By 1910, the population of Montville was 690.

The Pine Brook Speedway, which operated from July 1962 until October 1989, was designed for midget car racing and became one of the earliest sites for microstock racing. Mario Andretti raced at the track and had some of his earliest success as a race car driver at the Speedway.Oberto, Dino. "Vintage racing at its best", Standard-Speaker, July 5, 2012. Accessed May 1, 2017. "Saturday's race is also taking place one day after the 50th anniversary of the opening of Pine Brook Speedway in Pine Brook, N.J., so that milestone will be noted as well. The Pine Brook track, the first purpose-built track for TQ Midgets, debuted on Friday evening, July 6, 1962, with Bob Dini claiming the historic first victory. Pine Brook is also the track in which Mario Andretti recorded his early career success and was also the birthplace of Micro Stock racing."

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 19.12 square miles (49.51 km2), including 18.63 square miles (48.24 km2) of land and 0.49 square mile (1.27 km2) of water (2.57%).

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Horse Neck Bridge, Lake Valhalla, Lower Montville, Pine Brook, Taylortown, Towaco and White Hall.Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed May 21, 2015.

The township borders the municipalities of Boonton, Boonton Township, East Hanover Township, Kinnelon, Lincoln Park and Parsippany–Troy Hills in Morris County; and Fairfield Township in Essex County.Areas touching Montville, MapIt. Accessed February 28, 2020.Morris County Municipalities Map, Morris County, New Jersey Department of Planning and Preservation. Accessed February 28, 2020.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.

Camp Dawson is a small camp area in Towaco that is home to a variety of recreational events such as hiking, sledding, soccer, lacrosse, rugby and football. In 2007, Camp Dawson was described by Money magazine as one of reasons for ranking Montville as the 13th best smaller population place to live in the United States. Many Montville sports teams use the fields at Camp Dawson, which include two turf fields mainly used for football, soccer and lacrosse. These fields have lighting available for these teams to play at night.Capuzzo, Jill P. "Montville Township, N.J.", The New York Times, July 2, 2010. Accessed August 12, 2018. "Children have a range of sports and recreation programs to choose from in the township's numerous parks, among them the sprawling Montville Community Park, which has picnic grounds, bocce courts, an amphitheater and six playing fields. Camp Dawson has lighted fields for soccer, football and lacrosse." There was a flurry of concern in 2008, when testing of Dawson's new artificial turf playing fields showed what turned out to be a false positive finding of dangerously high levels of toxic lead.

Climate Montville has a humid continental climate. The lowest recorded temperature in Montville is −25 °F (−32 °C), set in February 1943, and the highest recorded temperature is 105 °F (41 °C), set in July 1936 and 2011.

As of 2026, the township is a member of Local Leaders for Responsible Planning in order to address the township's Mount Laurel doctrine-based housing obligations.

Demographics

2020 census +Montville township, Morris County, New Jersey – Racial and Ethnic Composition (NH = Non-Hispanic)Race / EthnicityPop 2010Pop 2020% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)16,134 15,00974.94%66.86%Black or African American alone (NH)2523191.17%1.42%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)6180.03%0.08%Asian alone (NH)3,8854,81118.05%21.43%Pacific Islander alone (NH)260.01%0.03%Some Other Race alone (NH)371010.17%0.45%Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)3126081.45%2.71%Hispanic or Latino (any race)9001,5784.18%7.03%Total21,52822,450100.00%100.00%

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 21,528 people, 7,485 households, and 5,988 families in the township. The population density was . There were 7,823 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 78.04% (16,800) White, 1.28% (275) Black or African American, 0.10% (22) Native American, 18.07% (3,890) Asian, 0.01% (2) Pacific Islander, 0.86% (186) from other races, and 1.64% (353) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.18% (900) of the population.

Of the 7,485 households, 39.2% had children under the age of 18; 69.9% were married couples living together; 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present and 20.0% were non-families. Of all households, 17.4% were made up of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.23.

25.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 22.0% from 25 to 44, 31.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.0 years. For every 100 females, the population had 95.7 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 90.9 males.