Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown, New Jersey | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s): "Military Capital of the American Revolution", "Mo Town", "The Mo", "Mo City" | |
Location of Morristown in Morris County highlighted in red (right). Inset map: Location of Morris County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (left). | |
Census Bureau map of Morristown, New Jersey
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Location in Morris County Location in New Jersey | |
| Coordinates: 40°47′48″N 74°28′38″W / 40.796562°N 74.477318°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Morris |
| Founded | 1715 |
| Incorporated | April 6, 1865 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Faulkner Act (mayor–council) |
| • Body | Town Council |
| • Mayor | Timothy P. Dougherty (D, December 31, 2025) |
| • Administrator | Jillian Barrick |
| • Municipal clerk | Margot Kaye |
| Area | |
• Total | 3.01 sq mi (7.79 km2) |
| • Land | 2.91 sq mi (7.53 km2) |
| • Water | 0.10 sq mi (0.25 km2) 3.26% |
| • Rank | 333rd of 565 in state 25th of 39 in county |
| Elevation | 315 ft (96 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 20,180 |
• Estimate (2024) | 20,723 |
| • Rank | 137th of 565 in state 9th of 39 in county |
| • Density | 6,937.1/sq mi (2,678.4/km2) |
| • Rank | 67th of 565 in state 2nd of 39 in county |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT)) |
| ZIP Codes | 07960–07963 |
| Area code(s) | 862/973 and 201 |
| FIPS code | 3402748300 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0885309 |
| Website | www |
Morristown (/ˈmɒrɪstaʊn/) is a town in and the county seat of Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Morristown has been called "the military capital of the American Revolution" because of its strategic role in the war for independence from Great Britain. Morristown's history is visible in a variety of locations that collectively make up Morristown National Historical Park, the country's first National Historical Park.
Morristown was incorporated as a town by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 6, 1865, within Morris Township, and it was formally set off from the township in 1895. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 20,180, its highest decennial census count ever and an increase of 1,769 (+9.6%) from the 2010 census count of 18,411, which in turn had reflected a decline of 133 (−0.7%) from the 18,544 counted at the 2000 census.
According to British colonial records, the first permanent settlement in Morristown was New Hanover, founded in 1715 by colonists from New York and Connecticut. Morris County was created on March 15, 1739, from portions of Hunterdon County. The county, and ultimately Morristown itself, was named for the popular Governor of the Province, Lewis Morris, who championed land ownership rights for colonists.