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Municipal Documents at the New Jersey State Library

Home Municipal Documents at the New Jersey State Library

Did you know that New Jersey has 564 municipalities, ranging from cities, towns, townships, boroughs and villages?  That’s a lot of locations for a small state!  Here at the library, we often get questions related to municipalities, especially their formation.  Our go to resource, “The Story of New Jersey’s Civil Boundaries 1606-1968”, available electronically at https://dspace.njstatelib.org//handle/10929/21587, is great at determining when a municipality was formed and can help us locate the legislative act that established it.  But have you ever wanted to know more about your town; its history, how it was organized, or why certain laws or ordinances were enacted?  Our Jerseyana collection can help!

Blueprint photo of development proposals on Main Street Area of Western Section (2) Town of Hackettstown. Boorman & Dorram Inc. Consultants.

Throughout the United States, the decades following World War 2 saw a great explosion in population which also coincided with the growth of suburban and rural communities.  In addition, environmental concerns and a shift in the role of government caused many communities to undertake comprehensive urbanization and community development studies.  These studies produced a plethora of documentation and provide great historical context to judge how communities have met or failed to meet their promised expectations.

Photo of Old Document Titled: Attachment 3a U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT BUDGET JUSTIFICATION (Attach This Form to Each Budget for a Capital Project, Activity, and to the Program Administration Budget)

New Jersey was no exception; towns big and small commissioned various community-wide studies, developed master plans, and published annual reports.  The Jerseyana collection at the New Jersey State Library has copies of various municipal planning documents, especially from the 1960s and 70s, for communities throughout the state.  These documents provide a unique insight into the history and development of many communities in New Jersey, including plans and policies that are still in effect today.  Click on the images for a better look!

Some interesting finds in the collection include:

  • Project Manual for Police Headquarters for City of Trenton (1969) – While this is mostly policies related to the physical building, it does have a section on the prevailing wages in Mercer County for many blue-collar jobs.
  • Study of Population, Monmouth County (1974) – This comprehensive population study provides in-depth information related to demographics in the county, from racial percentages, to population density across the county, to projected death and growth rates.
  • Development Plan, Main Street Central Business Area, Hackettstown (1980) – This development plan has a wonderful set of street maps that identify almost every building, commentary on building and land conditions, and recommendations for improvements, including costs.
  • Regional Sewerage Feasibility Study, Gloucester County (1967) – Contains a variety of information related to sewerage and land use throughout the county, including borough, town, and county maps, environmental studies, and even a ledger for county bonds to fund sewage improvements in the county.
  • Newark Model Cities Program (1968) – Many cities engaged in a Model Cities Program that aimed to improve the lives of their inhabitants through housing, education, health, and other social programs. This document includes budgets and justifications for many of the different programs that were believed to help improve the lives of the citizenry, with the caveat “The first year action program of the Newark Model Cities Program does not promise instant aid to all, but with reasonable financing, sound administration and solid community support it can produce noticeable action and improvement in both human and physical terms.”

You can find more unique and interesting works related to your town by doing a “New Jersey Subject Keyword” search of your town from our catalog search page.

A screenshot of our catalog search screen with New Jersey Subject Heading as search topic.

Please reach out to the Reference Department for any questions or assistance – refdesk@njstatelib.org or 609-278-2640 x103.

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The NJ State Library and Talking Book and Braille Center will also be closed on Monday, February 17, 2025 for Presidents Day.
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