The biggest, most-packed towns of New Jersey that keep growing

🔵 These are the most populous towns in each NJ county

🔵 The areas keep growing, according to the latest Census data

🔵 Do you live in these towns?

New Jersey has 21 counties, each with its own largest and most populated municipality.

Many of these communities serve as economic, cultural, or transportation hubs.

Some of these municipalities have long been economic powerhouses, while others have seen seen significant population growth due to diverse immigrant communities and housing development.

Do you live in one of them? Find out which town takes the top spot in your county!

Egg Harbor Township

The most populous place in Atlantic County is not the county seat of Mays Landing or even the famed tourist destination of Atlantic City. It's Egg Harbor Township — so named by Dutch explorer Cornelius Jacobsen Mey, who found an abundance of bird eggs all over the meadows in 1614. The township is home to Atlantic City International Airport as well as large tracts of protected wildlife areas.

Hackensack

Hackensack is the most populous municipality in Bergen County. The area was officially named New Barbadoes Township in 1921 but has informally been known as Hackensack since the 18^th century. It is located about 12 miles northwest of Midtown Manhattan, and from several locations, including portions of Prospect Avenue, the New York City skyline is visible.

Evesham

Evesham, the most populous township in Burlington County, was originally settled by Quakers in 1672. The township’s name may have been inspired by the town of Evesham in England or perhaps Thomas Eves, a prominent English settler. On Nov. 6, 1688, Evesham Township was actually known as “Eversham” but the extra “R” was later dropped. The township is one of 56 South Jersey municipalities in the New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve, a protected natural area of unique ecology.

Lower Township

The most populous town in Cape May County is Lower Township, which was formed as a precinct on April 2, 1723. Lower Township borders the Cape May municipalities of Cape May City, Cape May Point Borough, Middle Township, West Cape May Borough, Wildwood City, Wildwood Crest Borough, Delaware Bay, and the Atlantic Ocean. Lower Township was ranked as the 34^th best place to live in New Jersey Monthly’s 2008 rankings of the “Best Places to Live” in New Jersey.

Cherry Hill

Cherry Hill was originally settled by the Lenni-Lenape before being displaced by the first settlers from England, namely Quaker followers of William Penn in the late 17^th century. The township’s population grew rapidly after World War II. New development is in pockets of custom luxury houses or through the rehabilitation of commercial and industrial areas. Cherry Hill is a corporate and employment hub, the headquarters of TD Bank, and home to a coffee roasting plant. Chick’s Deli, best known for its hoagies and cheesesteaks, is located in Cherry Hill.

Vineland

Vineland, home to the annual Dandelion Festival, is the most populous municipality in Cumberland County, mainly comprised of Italian-American and Hispanic-American populations. The name is derived from the plans of its founder to use the land to grow grapes. Vineland was a town where the sale of alcohol was prohibited. Charles K. Landis purchased the land in 1861 to create his own alcohol-free utopian society. After determining the soil in Vineland was well-suited for growing grapes, Landis started advertising to attract Italian grape growers. Thomas Bramwell Welch founded Welch’s Grape Juice and purchased the locally grown grapes to make “unfermented wine.” Vineland is also home to the Progresso soup company. The city was involved in the poultry industry through the first half of the 20^th century and became known as “The Egg Basket of America.”

Newark

Newark is the largest municipality in both Essex County and New Jersey. Settled in 1666 by Puritans from New Haven Colony, Newark is one of the oldest cities in the U.S. Located at the mouth of the Passaic River, the city’s waterfront is an integral part of the Port of New York and New Jersey. Port Newark-Elizabeth is the primary container shipping terminal on the East Coast. Newark Liberty International Airport is one of the busiest. Several companies are headquartered in Newark, like Prudential and PSEG. Cultural venues include The Prudential Center, NJPAC, and Branch Brook Park, which houses the largest collection of cherry blossom trees.

Washington Township

There are six Washington Townships in New Jersey. But the one in Gloucester County is the county’s largest municipality. The oldest community in the township, Grenloch Terrace was a thriving Lenape Native American settlement. Some of the early settlers were the Collins family of Chestnut Ridge Farm, for whom Chestnut Ridge Middle School is named. Washington Township is sometimes referred to as “South Jersey’s Premier Community,” “South Philly South,” or “Little South Philly” since the majority of citizens moved to the town from the largely Italian South Philadelphia region.

Jersey City

Jersey City is the second largest city in New Jersey, behind Newark, but the most populous in Hudson County. The area was settled by the Dutch in the 17^th century as Pavonia, and later established as Bergen. Jersey City is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world and the most ethnically diverse in the U.S. It grew into a busy port city on New York Harbor in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Jersey City is home to several universities, and its official motto is “Let Jersey Prosper.”

Raritan Township

Flemington is not the biggest municipality in Hunterdon County. It’s Raritan Township, whose name is derived from the Raritan tribe, a Native American band of Lenape people that inhabited Central Jersey. Raritan Township completely surrounds Flemington, making part one of 21 pairs of “doughnut” towns in the state, where one municipality entirely surrounds another.

Hamilton

The most populous municipality in Mercer County is Hamilton. Although Hamilton is one of the largest townships in New Jersey, it does not have a true “downtown.” Hamilton hosts one of the largest recreational parks in the state. Veterans Park is housed entirely in the township. The Grounds for Sculpture is another big attraction. The park houses more than 270 sculptures, gardens, water features, and other nature scenes. In 2006, Hamilton Township was ranked by Morgan Quitno Press as the 18^th safest city in the U.S.

Edison

Edison township is the largest municipality in Middlesex County. It’s a commercial hub, home to Menlo Park Mall, and a “bedroom community” of New York City. The township got its original name from the Raritan indigenous people, but in 1954, it was officially changed to Edison in honor of Thomas Edison, who had his main laboratory in Menlo Park. In 1876, Edison set up his home and research lab. While there, he earned the nickname “The Wizard of Menlo Park.” It was in this lab that Edison came up with the phonograph and a commercially viable incandescent light bulb filament.

Middletown

In the heart of Monmouth County lies its most populous township, and that is Middletown. Small communities of the Lenape Navesink tribe were common in the area when the first known European landing in what would become Middletown Township occurred in 1609. Sea captain and explorer Henry Hudson described the area “a very good land to fall in with and a pleasant land to see.” Due to its affluence, low crime, access to cultural activities, public school system, location at the Jersey Shore, and central commuting location, Middletown was ranked in the Top 100 in CNN Money.com’s “Best Places to Live” in 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2014.

Parsippany-Troy Hills

The name Parsippany comes from the Lenape Native American sub-tribe, which comes from the word “parsipanong,” which means “the place where the river winds through the valley.” Since 2006, Parsippany-Troy Hills, often referred to as only Parsippany, appeared eight times on Money Magazine’s list “Best Places to Live in the United States.” In the November 1994 Seinfeld episode, “The Mom and Pop Store,” you may recall Jerry loses his shows and finds out they ended up at a garage sale in Parsippany.

Lakewood

Predominantly known for its Orthodox Jewish population, Lakewood is the largest municipality in Ocean County. The earliest documented European settlement of the present Lakewood area was by operators of sawmills from about 1750 forward. The sharp increase in population from 2000 to 2010 was led largely by increases in the township’s Orthodox Jewish and Latino communities. Further growth in the Orthodox community led to a sharp rise in population in the 2020 census. Lakewood is home to The Strand Theatre, and ShoreTown Ballpark, home of the Jersey Shore BlueClaws, the single A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies

Paterson

Paterson is the largest municipality in Passaic County. The area was first inhabited by the Algonquian-speaking Native American Acquackanonk tribe of the Lenape, also known as the Delaware Indians. It has since evolved into a major destination for Hispanic immigrants as well as immigrants from Turkey, the Arab World, and South Asia. Paterson was a prominent mill town. Known as “Silk City,” Paterson played a dominant role in silk production during the latter half of the 19^th century.

Pennsville Township

Salem County’s largest municipality, Pennsville Township is named after William Penn, the English Quaker who founded Pennsylvania, was a leader in the fight for religious freedom, and considered one of the “Founding Fathers of America.” The township borders the Salem County municipalities of Carney’s Point, Elsinboro, Mannington, and Salem.

Franklin

Franklin Township is the most populous municipality in Somerset County. Franklin Township played a huge role in the Revolutionary War and was the scene of many raiding parties along Route 27, then known as King’s Highway. Two British generals tried to lure General George Washinton and his Continental Army into battle on the plains of Middlebush and East Millstone. However, Washington kept his troops at Chimney Rock, north of Franklin until the British withdrew. Traditionally a farming community, Franklin Township has become a fast-growing suburb with massive development in the 20^th and 21^st centuries. It ranked #5 on Money Magazine’s list of America’s Top 100 Best Places to Live in 2008.

Vernon

A one-hour drive from New York City, Vernon is the most populous municipality in Sussex County. Vernon’s population has been soaring since the 1960s, when the ski industry was introduced to the area. Vernon is home to Mountain Creek, a ski resort and water park, as well as the Crystal Springs Resort’s Minerals Hotel and Elements Spa.

Elizabeth

It should be no surprise that Elizaeth is the biggest municipality in Union County. Originally called “Elizabethtown,” founded in 1664 by English settlers, the town was not named for Queen Elizabeth I, as many people assume. It’s named for Elizabeth, wife of Sir George Carteret, one of the two original proprietors of the colony of New Jersey. The first major industry, the Singer Sewing Machine Company, came to Elizabeth in the 1800s. Since World War II, Elizabeth has seen its transportation facilities grow with the Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal, Newark Liberty International Airport, The Mills at Jersey Gardens Mall, and Little Jimmy’s Italian Ices. The opening credits of the HBO mob drama, “The Sopranos,” is Elizabeth.

Phillipsburg

Located along the Delaware River, Phillipsburg is the most populous municipality in Warren County. The town grew from a sleepy agricultural village in 1824 and transformed into a major transportation hub and shipping center as the Delaware River terminus of the Morris Canal. The Norfolk Southern Railway’s Lehigh Line runs through Phillipsburg and across the Delaware River into Easton, Pennsylvania. Today, the Delaware River Railroad Excursions in Phillipsburg offers a winery tour train ride that includes a train ride along the river, a bus ride to a winery, a tour, and wine tastings.

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