Municipal administration, clerk, finance, tax, zoning and other local services.
Burlington County Town Guide
New Hanover
Including Cookstown: a rural Burlington County township shaped by historic village life, farmland, local parks and a large Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst presence.
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General Edward S. Godfrey House · Photo: Wikimedia Commons
New Hanover at a Glance
New Hanover Township is a rural Burlington County community centered on Cookstown and closely tied to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. The township says about ninety percent of its land is federally owned military-reservation property. Most of Cookstown lies in New Hanover, while a portion of the village extends into neighboring North Hanover Township.
Township police provide local law-enforcement services; call 911 for emergencies.
Historic village and the township's municipal center, with a compact public commercial corridor along Wrightstown-Cookstown Road.
Military reservations occupy most of the township's land area; public access to installation facilities is controlled.
History & Heritage
National Register-listed historic house associated with Brigadier General Edward Settle Godfrey. New Jersey Historic Trust grants are supporting preservation work.
Restored schoolhouse identified by the township as one of Cookstown's historic properties.
Named for William Cooke, who acquired the local grist mill in 1776; the village developed around the mill and crossroads.
Parks & Community Facilities
Township park space for active and passive recreation, including fields, courts, playground facilities, a pavilion and walking areas.
Small public green space in front of the municipal building for community use.
Community and senior-program facility available for township activities and reservations.
Schools
Public PK-8 school serving the New Hanover Township School District, which includes New Hanover and Wrightstown.
New Hanover students in grades 9-12 attend through the district's long-standing sending/receiving relationship.
County vocational and technical education option available to eligible Burlington County students.
Places of Worship
Active United Methodist congregation in Cookstown.
Military chapels: Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst has worship resources for authorized users, but installation access requirements apply.
Understanding Local Boundaries
Cookstown search results can be misleading because the village crosses the New Hanover–North Hanover boundary and nearby Wrightstown shares the same general base-area commercial market. NJTGO lists a business as New Hanover only when current location information supports an in-town physical address.