landmark
Statue of Liberty
Colossal neoclassical sculpture gifted by France in 1886, standing as a universal symbol of freedom and democracy.
29 km · about 35 min drive
North AmericaUnited StatesNew Jersey
Chatham
New Jersey, United States · North America
About Chatham
Chatham is worth a stop: 5 minutes from Madison, 29km from Statue of Liberty.
Chatham is in New Jersey, United States, with about 9,000 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Madison, about 4 km away.
Chatham Borough is a suburban borough in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 9,212, an increase of 250 (+2.8%) from the 2010 census count of 8,962, which in turn reflected an increase of 502 (+5.9%) from the 8,460 counted in the 2000Read more
census.
The area that is now Chatham and surrounding Morris County has been inhabited by the Lenape people for thousands of years before Europeans first arrived. During historic times, Europeans began trading with the Native Americans who farmed, fished, and hunted in the area when it was claimed as part of New Netherlands. The community that now is Chatham was first settled by Europeans in 1710 within Morris Township, in what was then the English Province of New Jersey. The community was settled because the site already was on the path of a well-worn Native American trail, the location of an important crossing of the Passaic River, and being close to a gap in the Watchung Mountains. The residents of the English community changed its name from John Day's Bridge to Chatham, New Jersey in 1773.
Chatham's residents were active participants in the American Revolutionary War, which ended in 1783. Chatham Township was formed as a local government in the new state of New Jersey on February 12, 1806, taking its name from this pre-revolutionary village. Initial local government forms were limited while the new state government evolved. The new township governed the village of Chatham that lay within the present-day borough boundaries, along with several other pre-revolutionary, colonial villages and large areas of unsettled lands connecting or adjacent to them. On August 19, 1892, Chatham adopted a new village form of government when it became allowed within townships in the state after the revolution. Shortly thereafter, once it was allowed, the village of Chatham reincorporated for governance as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 1, 1897, returning to complete independence from the surrounding Chatham Township.
An early railroad located along the Morris and Essex Lines that had become well established by the start of the Civil War as one of America's first commuter railroads, had a stop at Chatham, which attracted many from nearby Manhattan, 20 miles to the east. It remains a commuter town for residents who work in New York City. Today, Chatham is a pedestrian-friendly community that covers less than 2.5 square miles (6.5 km2), including a central business district and railroad station within approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) from its farthest boundary. The borough is situated in southeastern Morris County bordering both Essex and Union counties along the Passaic River. Northeast of the borough is the upscale Mall at Short Hills located in the Short Hills section of Millburn.
In July 2005, CNN/Money and Money magazine ranked Chatham ninth on its annual list of the 100 Best Places to Live in the United States. New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Chatham as its 25th best place to live in its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey. In 2012, Forbes.com listed Chatham as 375th in its listing of "America's Most Expensive ZIP Codes", with a median home price of $776,703.
The borough has been ranked as one of the state's highest-income communities. In March 2018, Bloomberg ranked Chatham as the 64th highest-income place in the United States and as having the 8th-highest income in New Jersey. In the 2013–2017 American Community Survey (ACS) the borough had a median household income of $163,026, ranking 16th in the state. The 2014–2018 ACS showed a median household income of $169,524 in the borough versus $111,316 in the county and $79,363 statewide. The most-recent (2021) ACS places the median household income of Chatham Borough at $209,283.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Chatham?
Within an hour or so of Chatham: Statue of Liberty (29 km), One World Trade Center (31 km), 9/11 Memorial & Museum (31 km), Brooklyn Bridge (33 km).
Are there any good drives near Chatham?
The nearest famous roads are Hawk's Nest (Route 97).
Where is Chatham?
Chatham is in New Jersey, United States, about 4 km from Madison.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 8,993
- Continent
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Region
- New Jersey
- Timezone
- America/New_York
- Coordinates
- 40.7409, -74.3838
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in United States
AAA roadside assistance: 1-800-222-4357. Right turn on red is legal in most states unless signed otherwise.
Full driving guide for United StatesTags
Worth the detour from Chatham
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
landmark
One World Trade Center
Tallest building in the Western Hemisphere at 541 metres, rising from the site of the original World Trade Center.
31 km · about 35 min drive
landmark
9/11 Memorial & Museum
Tribute at the World Trade Center site featuring twin reflecting pools set in the footprints of the original towers.
31 km · about 35 min drive
landmark
Brooklyn Bridge
Landmark 1883 hybrid cable-stayed suspension bridge connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn over the East River.
33 km · about 40 min drive
restaurant
Katz's Delicatessen
Lower East Side deli open since 1888, hand-carving some 15,000 pounds of pastrami a week under fluorescent light and salami-strung ceilings. You take a paper ticket at the door and guard it.
33 km · about 40 min drive
landmark
Empire State Building
Legendary 102-storey Art Deco skyscraper that defined the New York City skyline when completed in 1931.
34 km · about 40 min drive
landmark
Times Square
Dazzling commercial intersection in Midtown Manhattan known for its giant digital billboards and New Year's Eve ball drop.
34 km · about 40 min drive
museum
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
The most influential modern art museum in the world, home to Starry Night, Campbell's Soup Cans, and Les Demoiselles d'Avignon.
34 km · about 40 min drive
Driving roads near Chatham
- 78 kmHawk's Nest (Route 97)A serpentine stretch of NY Route 97 clinging to cliffs above the Delaware River near Port Jervis. Its stacked stone-walled curves star in countless car commercials.
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