The Hope Township post office opened in 1802, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1839. Another post office, Mount Hermon (1875), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 1,903 in 18402020 census: 1,835224 years
How historic is Hope Township?
A
More historic than 88% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Hope Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1839.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Hope Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hope Township is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hope Township’s overall grade.
New Jersey towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical New Jersey town has 3.7 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Hope Township’s 93.5 sits above most of its state (86% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 17 historic buildings outnumber those of 79% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±9.0 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1839 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Hope Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost two-thirds of its people between 1840 and 1930, then grew 3-fold.
19 censuses, 1840–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Hope Township’s Wikipedia page.
On the map
Hope Township on the map, 1888 to 1971
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hope Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1888Hackettstown sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Hope Township.
Hope Township is one of the earliest planned communities in the United States, having been established by German Moravians in 1769. Early planning maps detail planned locations of streets, homes, wells, businesses, farms, a school, tavern, and church.
Prior to the arrival of the Moravians, there was no distinct town, but several families farmed on Jenny Jump Mountain, to the south of Hope, in surrounding area and on John Samuel Green Jr.'s farm in the center of what is now the Village. Throughout the 1760s, Moravians from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania traveled through this area on their way to New England to establish new communities. They lodged overnight with the Green Family who were impressed with their religion and way of life.
The Hope Township post office opened in 1802, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1839.
How does Hope Township rank for history?
Hope Township is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Hope Township?
Two places: the Hope District (listed 1973) and the St. Luke's Episcopal Church (2007).
How old are the homes in Hope Township?
20% of Hope Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.0 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1972.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (17), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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