CDG Field Study · Morris County, New Jersey
TheMorrisLine
Seven stations on NJ TRANSIT’s Morris & Essex Line, from Chatham to Mount Olive: the people, the schools, the history and what is being built along Routes 46, 80 and 10.
CDG Digital Media · November 2026 · Data: U.S. Census Bureau · NJ DOE · NJ TRANSIT · municipal and press records
Westbound · Morris & Essex Line · miles from New York Penn · year current station opened
Seven stops, west into the hills
Scroll to ride west from Chatham, 26 miles from New York Penn Station, to Mount Olive, nearly 53. Beneath each stop: how many people board there on an average weekday. Watch what happens after Dover, where the overhead wires end.
East ← → West · spacing by miles from New York Penn · columns: average weekday boardings, 2024 · schematic.
5 in. Height Chatham planned to raise its crosswalks in 1906 to stop speeding
1,000,000 Rose plants growing in and around Madison in the peak year of 1950
1,711 acres Morristown National Historical Park, the first national historical park in the U.S.
77.0% Share of residents who are Hispanic or Latino in the 2020 Census, up from 25% in 1980
23.3% Share of the borough's area that is water
754 Rushing yards in one game by Netcong's John Giannantonio in 1950, a national high school record
31.24 sq mi Total area, larger than the other six towns combined
Same train, very different towns
The same seven stations, measured 5 ways. Scroll, and each bar changes to the next measure. Stations run east to west, left to right.
Median household income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates. Small towns carry wide margins of error. "n/a" means the figure was not available from the sources used.
Seven stations, from east to west
Each stop gets its numbers, its neighbors, its schools and what is being built nearby. Every fact links to its source.
A Passaic River crossing that renamed itself in 1773 for a British champion of colonial rights.
Wait, really?
01In 1906 The New York Times reported that Chatham planned to raise its crosswalks five inches above the road to slow automobiles, saying "Chatham is the first place to put it in practice." It is cited as one of the earliest recorded uses of a speed bump.02The settlement was called John Day's Bridge until 1773, when it was renamed for William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, a British advocate for the colonists' rights.03In 1779 Shepard Kollock set up a printing press in Chatham; his New Jersey Journal was the third newspaper published in New Jersey. 4 more in the full station file →100 neighbors
If Chatham Borough were 100 people, by race and ethnicity.
- White, not Hispanic 78.4%
- Hispanic or Latino (any race) 5.4%
- All other groups (Asian, Black, multiracial, other) 16.2%
Within the total population: Asian alone 11.6%, Black alone 0.7%, two or more races 5.8% (these categories can include Hispanic residents).
Schools in town
School District of the Chathams · high school: Chatham High School (grades 9-12)
2.0 miles west of Chatham
The Rose City: a former rose-growing center that once sent tens of thousands of blooms to New York by early-morning train.
Wait, really?
01Madison was originally called Bottle Hill. In 1832, 420 of the village's 500 residents belonged to the Madison Total Abstinence Society, and many found the old name offensive, so it was changed in 1834.02The first name proposed to replace Bottle Hill, at an April 2, 1834 meeting, was "Jefferson"; it was dropped because another New Jersey post office already had it, and "Madison" passed narrowly on August 30, 1834.03On March 1, 1889, the Madison Eagle reported that 40,000 to 50,000 roses a day were going into New York City on the early-morning train. 5 more in the full station file →100 neighbors
If Madison Borough were 100 people, by race and ethnicity.
- White, not Hispanic 73.4%
- Hispanic or Latino (any race) 13.3%
- All other groups (Asian, Black, multiracial, other) 13.3%
Within the total population: Asian alone 6.3%, Black alone 1.5%, two or more races 14.1% (these categories can include Hispanic residents).
Schools in town
Madison Public Schools (Madison Borough School District) · high school: Madison High School (grades 9-12)
4.4 miles west of Madison · Convent Station passes by between these two
The place where the electromagnetic telegraph was first shown to the public, and home of the nation's first national historical park.
Wait, really?
01Morristown National Historical Park was created by legislation President Herbert Hoover signed on March 2, 1933. It was the nation's first national historical park.02Washington's army spent the "hard winter" of 1779–80 encamped at Jockey Hollow, and that winter remains the coldest on record for New Jersey.03The first public demonstration of the Morse electromagnetic telegraph took place at Speedwell Ironworks on January 11, 1838; the site became a National Historic Landmark in 1974. 4 more in the full station file →100 neighbors
If Morristown were 100 people, by race and ethnicity.
- White, not Hispanic 51.1%
- Hispanic or Latino (any race) 32.9%
- All other groups (Asian, Black, multiracial, other) 16.0%
Within the total population: Asian alone 4.2%, Black alone 7.5%, two or more races 24.2% (these categories can include Hispanic residents).
Schools in town
Morris School District · high school: Morristown High School (grades 9-12)
10.6 miles west of Morristown · Morris Plains, Mount Tabor and Denville pass by between these two
An iron and canal town where the Army's Picatinny Arsenal began as the 'Dover Powder Depot,' and where the overhead wires end; trains west of Dover run on diesel.
Wait, really?
01On September 6, 1880, the War Department established the Dover Powder Depot; four days later it was renamed Picatinny Powder Depot, today's Picatinny Arsenal.02Iron ore at the nearby Dickerson Mine was so plentiful it could be collected off the ground. John Jackson's Dover forge made it into bars for Paterson, until the British Iron Act bankrupted him in 1753.03Dover was a port on the Morris Canal. The canal's boat basin was filled in and is now JFK Memorial Commons Park. 5 more in the full station file →100 neighbors
If Dover were 100 people, by race and ethnicity.
- White, not Hispanic 12.8%
- Hispanic or Latino (any race) 76.4%
- All other groups (Asian, Black, multiracial, other) 10.8%
Within the total population: Asian alone 2.1%, Black alone 5.8%, two or more races 23.2% (these categories can include Hispanic residents).
Schools in town
Dover Public School District · high school: Dover High School
A Lake Hopatcong resort borough, incorporated in 1890 after a grand hotel drew summer residents.
Wait, really?
01Work on the Hotel Breslin began in 1886, designed by architect Frank Furness. It grew to 300 rooms with running water in every room, elevators, steam heat and electricity, which was a first for the lake.02Summer homes built around the Breslin, including one for stage star Lotta Crabtree, led to calls for Mount Arlington to incorporate as its own borough in 1890. The hotel was renamed the Alamac in 1918 and destroyed by fire in 1948.03Lake Hopatcong is the largest freshwater body in New Jersey, with more than 50 miles of shoreline, and is shared by four municipalities including Mount Arlington. 6 more in the full station file →Neighbors
14.4% of residents are Hispanic or Latino. A full race breakdown for Mount Arlington Borough was not available from the sources used.
Schools in town
Mount Arlington Public School District · high school: Roxbury High School (Roxbury School District, Succasunna)
A one-square-mile railroad borough named for the Musconetcong River, and for years the end of the line.
Wait, really?
01Netcong takes its name from the Musconetcong River, a Lenape name; one meaning given is "clear stream place." The village was first called South Stanhope, and the post office adopted "Netcong" in 1889.02Netcong was the end of the line until late 1994.03The current Netcong station was rebuilt between 1901 and 1903 using bricks from nearby Port Murray. The first station there opened on January 16, 1854. 4 more in the full station file →Neighbors
27.7% of residents are Hispanic or Latino. A full race breakdown for Netcong Borough was not available from the sources used.
Schools in town
Netcong School District · high school: Lenape Valley Regional High School, 28 Sparta Road, Stanhope (Sussex County)
1.7 miles west of Netcong
The largest of the seven towns by area, home to New Jersey's largest naturally formed lake and the source of the Raritan's South Branch.
Wait, really?
01Budd Lake, at 374 acres, is described by the New Jersey Natural Lands Trust as New Jersey's largest naturally formed lake.02Budd Lake was once called Hattacawanna Lake. It takes its current name from John Budd, who acquired 1,300 acres in the area in 1714.03Budd Lake is a glacial lake at 933 feet elevation and is the headwaters of the South Branch of the Raritan River. 5 more in the full station file →100 neighbors
If Mount Olive Township were 100 people, by race and ethnicity.
- White, not Hispanic 60.1%
- Hispanic or Latino (any race) 18.2%
- All other groups (Asian, Black, multiracial, other) 21.7%
Within the total population: Asian alone 9.1%, Black alone 9%, two or more races 11.9% (these categories can include Hispanic residents).
Schools in town
Mount Olive Township School District · high school: Mount Olive High School
What's changing along 46, 80 and 10
Dated projects found on or near Route 46, Interstate 80 and Route 10, plus station-area and downtown projects in each town. Green: built or opened since late 2024. Orange: approved or under construction. Purple rings: proposed — plans, rezonings and funded road work not yet started.
Each dot is one project, placed by road and by the station it is nearest. As of November 2026.
Every school, every stop
Each square is one school or program: the public schools serving the town's residents, plus private schools, nursery and licensed child-care programs, and colleges in town. Counts are what could be verified; the Schools page lists every name, source and location note.
The districts, side by side
NJ School Performance Reports, 2023–24. Districts differ in grade span (several are K–8 and send high schoolers elsewhere), so compare with care. Proficiency is the share of tested students meeting or exceeding state standards. Blank = not reported or not found; graduation rates apply only to districts that run a high school.
| Measure | Chatham | Madison | Morristown | Dover | Mount Arlington | Netcong | Mount Olive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELA proficiency | 75.3% | 58.5% | 37.5% | 65.9% | 49.1% | 61.6% | |
| Math proficiency | 70% | 38.8% | 23.2% | 43.1% | 37.2% | 48.3% | |
| 4-year graduation rate | 96.3% | 87.7% | 86.6% | 94.9% | |||
| District | School District of the Chathams | Madison Public Schools (Madison Borough School District) | Morris School District | Dover Public School District | Mount Arlington Public School District | Netcong School District | Mount Olive Township School District |
| High school | Chatham High School (grades 9-12) | Madison High School (grades 9-12) | Morristown High School (grades 9-12) | Dover High School | Roxbury High School (Roxbury School District, Succasunna) | Lenape Valley Regional High School, 28 Sparta Road, Stanhope (Sussex County) | Mount Olive High School |
Since 1835: the line, year by year
- 1835
The Morris and Essex Railroad is chartered on January 29, 1835. source
- 1836
The first section, Newark to Orange, opens on November 19, 1836. Horses pull the cars until 1837. source
- 1837
The first passenger train reaches Chatham and Madison on September 17, 1837. Regular service starts September 28. source
- 1838
The line reaches Morristown on January 1, 1838. source
- 1848
The first train reaches Dover on July 31, 1848. source
- 1854
The extension to Hackettstown opens on January 16, 1854, with stations at Drakesville, South Stanhope (now Netcong) and Waterloo. source
- 1863
Trains reach Jersey City through the Erie’s Long Dock Tunnel; regular service begins October 14, 1863. source
- 1868
The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western leases the Morris and Essex in 1868 and buys it outright in 1945. source
- 1876
The Morris and Essex opens its own tunnel to a new Hoboken waterfront terminal. source
- 1901
Dover’s new station opens on November 1, 1901. source
- 1903
Netcong’s brick station is completed on June 14, 1903, during the Stanhope Cut-Off project. source
- 1907
The current Hoboken Terminal is completed, replacing a terminal that burned on August 7, 1905. source
- 1911
The Lackawanna Cut-Off is built from 1908 to 1911: 28.5 miles from Port Morris to the Delaware Water Gap line. source
- 1913
Morristown’s station, designed by Frank J. Nies, opens on November 3, 1913. source
- 1914
Chatham’s rebuilt, elevated station is completed on June 19, 1914. source
- 1916
Madison’s station, also by Frank J. Nies, is completed in April 1916. source
- 1930
Thomas Edison is at the controls of the first electric train on September 3, 1930. Regular electric service to Morristown starts December 18. source
- 1931
Electric service reaches Dover on January 22, 1931. source
- 1942
Mount Arlington’s passenger station closes on November 8, 1942, merged with Lake Hopatcong. source
- 1960
Waterloo station, in today’s Mount Olive, closes on April 24, 1960. source
- 1970
Passenger trains on the Lackawanna Cut-Off beyond Lake Hopatcong end. source
- 1979
The Lackawanna Cut-Off goes out of service in April 1979. Its rails are removed in 1984. source
- 1980
Morristown’s and Dover’s stations are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. source
- 1984
The line is re-electrified at 25 kV AC. Madison’s station joins the National Register on June 22. source
- 1994
Service is extended west from Netcong to Mount Olive and Hackettstown on November 5, 1994. source
- 1996
The Kearny Connection opens on June 10, 1996, creating Midtown Direct service to New York Penn Station. source
- 2003
Secaucus Junction opens as a transfer station. source
- 2008
Mount Arlington gets a new station on January 21, 2008. source
- 2026
The Portal North Bridge cutover sends weekday Midtown Direct trains to Hoboken from October 11 to November 14. The regular schedule is scheduled to resume November 15, subject to safety testing. source