Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Livingston Township

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
BHistory
History · Livingston Township

Livingston Township dates to 1813, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

More historic than 58% of U.S. towns · #261 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it

Most of Livingston Township was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1962. Its Register listing is the Ward-Force House and Condit Family Cook House. Below: maps from 1888 on and the census since 1820.

1813founded
1on the National Register
9%homes built before 1940
38famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Livingston Township began

When was Livingston Township founded?

1813

Livingston Township dates its founding to 1813 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1820.

First census: 1,056 in 18202020 census: 31,330213 years

How historic is Livingston Township?

B

More historic than 58% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1819.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Livingston Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Livingston Township is more historic than 58% of U.S. towns, #261 of 468 in New Jersey. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Livingston Township’s overall grade.
Founding era1813, from Wikipedia: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19409.2% of homes (±1.9) · typical NJ town 14.7% · U.S. 8.4%C+National Register1 listing, 2 historic buildings, 0.6 per 10,000 residents · typical NJ town 3.7 · U.S. 2.4C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 58%
NewerOlder
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 44%

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 Livingston Township’s 0.6 sits below most of its state (28% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 2 historic buildings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B. The pre-1940 share (±1.9 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1813.

Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Livingston Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Livingston Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18888 editions of the USGS map, 1888 to 1995. Watch Livingston Township change.Famous sons and daughtersJared Kushner, Artie Lange and 36 more were born here.Deep rootsEstablished in 1813: 213 years of Livingston Township.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Livingston Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Livingston Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Livingston Township on the map, 1888 to 1995

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Livingston Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Livingston Township on the 1888 USGS mapLivingston Township on the 1894 USGS mapLivingston Township on the 1906 USGS mapLivingston Township on the 1947 USGS mapLivingston Township on the 1954 USGS mapLivingston Township on the 1970 USGS mapLivingston Township on the 1981 USGS mapLivingston Township on the 1995 USGS map1888Morristown 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 Livingston Township.

Famous people

38 famous people were born in Livingston Township

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Jared KushnerAmerican businessman and real estate investor · b. 1981
Artie LangeAmerican comedian · b. 1967
Jozy AltidoreAmerican soccer player · b. 1989
Bobbi Kristina BrownAmerican television personality (1993–2015), da… · b. 1993
C
Chelsea HandlerAmerican comedian, actress, author and talk sho… · b. 1975
Claudio ReynaAmerican soccer player · b. 1973
The story

How Livingston Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Livingston Township.

Read it all →

Livingston's history dates back to 1699 when 101 settlers from Newark wanted to move westward. They set up a committee to negotiate with Lenni Lenape Native Americans for the purchase of the Horseneck Tract which today includes Livingston and eight other municipalities in northern Essex County. Between 1698 and 1702, the rules for property ownership were unclear. There were many disputes between settlers and the English proprietors. For some unknown reasons, the Newark settlers did not obtain a grant from the proprietors before negotiating with the native tribes. They finally obtained the deed directly from Lenni Lenape in 1702 for £130. The settlements began until around the 1740s as the dispute between the proprietors and the settlers continued.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Livingston Township, 1813 to 1993

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1813
    FoundingLivingston Township is established
  3. 1819Post officeThe Livingston post office opens
  4. 1888On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 20th century
  6. 1967Born hereArtie Lange is born here
  7. 1981Born hereJared Kushner is born here
  8. 1989Born hereJozy Altidore is born here
  9. 1993Born hereBobbi Kristina Brown is born here
By decade

Livingston Township, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Livingston NJ Montage2018Livingston NJ MontageRoad surface deterioration by pavement markings2014Road surface deterioration by pavement markingsNew Jersey2010New JerseyRiker-hill-complex-radar-tower2009Riker-hill-complex-radar-towerCast of Eubrontes Gigantis track by Paul Olsen2009Cast of Eubrontes Gigantis track by Paul OlsenLivingston twp nj 0132005Livingston twp nj 013
On the National Register

1 historic place in Livingston Township

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1981
Ward-Force House and Condit Family Cook House
Ward-Force House and Condit Family Cook House
Buildings
Ward-Force House and Condit Family Cook HouseBuilding

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Livingston Township, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,000185019001950200031,330

Grew from 1,056 people in 1820 to 31,330 in 2020, more than tenfold.

21 censuses, 1820–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Livingston Township’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Old corners and burying grounds

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
LivingstonMorehousetownNorthfield
1cemetery inside Livingston Township
Ely

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Florham Park3 historic placesCEast Hanover Township3 historic placesC+Roseland1 historic placeB−Millburn Township1 historic placeA−Short Hills1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWest Orange Township5 historic placesA−

Questions about Livingston Township’s history

What year was Livingston Township founded?

In 1813, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Livingston Township’s post office opened in 1819, and the census of 1820 counted 1,056 people here.

How does Livingston Township rank for history?

Livingston Township is more historic than 58% of U.S. towns, #261 of 468 in New Jersey. 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 Livingston Township?

One place: the Ward-Force House and Condit Family Cook House (listed 1981).

How old are the homes in Livingston Township?

9% of Livingston Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.9 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1962.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.