Large private lake community in the northern Highlands section of the Township, surrounded by forest and close to state recreation lands.
Morris County · Highlands, Lakes, Commerce & Community
Rockaway Township, New Jersey
Rockaway Township is one of Morris County's most geographically varied communities. At nearly 46 square miles, it stretches from the major retail and employment district around Mount Hope Road and Interstate 80 to historic mining communities, lake neighborhoods and thousands of acres of Highlands forest, reservoirs and public open space.
The Township includes Green Pond, Hibernia, Lake Telemark and White Meadow Lake, along with other residential sections and rural areas. Its identity is shaped by iron-mining history, Picatinny Arsenal, Rockaway Townsquare, Morris Knolls High School, Ford-Faesch House, Splitrock Reservoir, Farny State Park and Wildcat Ridge.
CountyMorris County
GovernmentStrong Mayor / Township Council
MayorJoseph Jackson
Municipal Building65 Mount Hope Road
CommunitiesGreen Pond · Hibernia · Lake Telemark · White Meadow Lake
K–8 Schools5 elementary + Copeland Middle
High SchoolsMorris Knolls / Morris Hills by residence
Outdoor IdentitySplitrock · Farny · Wildcat Ridge
Rockaway Township is not Rockaway Borough. The Township surrounds and adjoins the much smaller Borough, but the two have separate governments, schools, real-estate markets and business districts. Looking for Main Street, Park Lake or the Rockaway Borough municipal guide? Visit the Rockaway Borough guide.
Explore Rockaway Township
Rockaway Township's size, population, commercial base and extensive recreation make it a clear full-set NJTGO municipality.
Business & ShoppingRockaway Townsquare, Rockaway Town Plaza, Market Place at Rockaway, Route 46, Mount Hope Road and Green Pond Road businesses.
Food & DrinkMall-area dining, Mount Hope restaurants, Route 46 food, neighborhood eateries and local favorites across the Township.
Real EstateLake communities, suburban neighborhoods, condos, townhomes, rural properties, taxes, utilities, flood issues and redevelopment.
Visiting & LodgingSplitrock, Wildcat Ridge, Farny, Ford-Faesch, shopping, trails, reservoirs, recreation and local hotels.
ClassifiedsCommunity marketplace, townwide yard sale, local notices, lost and found, lessons and Township submissions.
JobsRetail, Picatinny, education, hospitality, healthcare, municipal hiring, services and regional employment.
Communities within Rockaway Township
Rockaway Township does not revolve around one downtown. Its identity is distributed among lake communities, historic mining areas, suburban neighborhoods and commercial corridors.
Historic iron-mining community in the southern Township, home to the school district offices and closely connected to the Hibernia mine heritage.
Established lake community that evolved from a seasonal recreation area into a year-round residential neighborhood.
Large private lake and residential community in the southern Township with beaches, community facilities and a distinctive neighborhood identity.
Historic iron-mining area now anchored by the Mount Hope Road commercial corridor, Ford-Faesch House and major access to I-80.
Suburban residential sections south and east of the Highlands areas connect the Township to Denville, Dover and Rockaway Borough.
Regional shopping & business center
Rockaway Township contains one of Morris County's largest retail concentrations. The principal commercial district surrounds Interstate 80 and Mount Hope Road, where Rockaway Townsquare, Rockaway Town Plaza, the Market Place at Rockaway and additional retail, restaurants, offices and hotels create a major regional destination.
Large regional enclosed mall at the center of the Mount Hope commercial district, with department stores, specialty retail, entertainment and dining.
Major open-air shopping center adding large-format retail and everyday services near I-80.
Another important retail center contributing to the Township's concentrated regional shopping district.
Additional commercial development, including grocery and neighborhood-oriented retail, serves the southern Township.
Light-industrial, service and employment uses extend northward toward Picatinny and the Highlands communities.
The Mount Hope/I-80 district also supports lodging and a large concentration of full-service and quick-service dining.
Borough boundary reminder: Main Street and most of the traditional U.S. 46 Borough businesses belong to Rockaway Borough. The mall, Mount Hope Avenue and surrounding I-80 retail concentration belong to Rockaway Township.
Mining, iron & Ford-Faesch history
Rockaway Township was incorporated in 1844 from parts of Hanover and Pequannock townships. Its story is inseparable from the iron industry: Mount Hope and Hibernia were major mining areas whose ore and iron production helped shape the regional economy and supported the Continental Army during the American Revolution.
Iron mines, furnaces and forges became central to the Rockaway area's economy and strategic importance.
The Georgian stone manor in Mount Hope was associated with ironmasters Jacob Ford Jr. and John Jacob Faesch.
Rockaway Township was formally created from parts of Hanover and Pequannock.
Picatinny Arsenal, lake communities, highways and postwar development reshaped the Township beyond its mining roots.
Ford-Faesch Ironmaster's Manor House The Township-owned house at 629 Mount Hope Road is listed on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places and remains the centerpiece of an ongoing restoration program. Historical Society events and arranged tours provide public access at selected times.
Thousands of acres of outdoor recreation
Rockaway Township's Highlands landscape is one of its defining features. State parkland, wildlife-management areas, reservoirs, municipal parks and lake recreation give residents and visitors access to hiking, fishing, paddling, swimming and wildlife viewing.
State-owned reservoir reached from Splitrock Road. Public access near the dam supports hiking, fishing and car-top kayaking; gas motors and shoreline fishing are prohibited.
Highlands forest with numerous trails, mature oak woods, bird habitat, fishing, hunting and access near Splitrock Reservoir.
Large state wildlife-management area with rugged hiking, forest, cliffs, wildlife habitat and trail connections around Splitrock.
Township recreation area with swimming, boating, shoreline fishing and picnic facilities; the beach is seasonal and resident-oriented.
Joint Township/Borough site at 8 Mount Hope Road with a 0.7-mile paved walking path, gazebo, shoreline fishing and seasonal recreation.
Egberts Lake Park, Peterson Field, Lake Ames, Telemark Park and other municipal facilities serve neighborhoods across the Township.
Splitrock access rules matter. The Township states that public fishing and kayaking access is from the designated parking area near the dam, only car-top watercraft may launch there, gas motors are prohibited and hiking should remain on marked trails.
Picatinny Arsenal
Picatinny Arsenal occupies more than 5,000 acres in the northwestern Township and is one of the community's largest land uses and employment anchors. The installation is headquarters to major U.S. Army armaments research and development operations and has shaped Rockaway Township for generations.
The Arsenal supports military, civilian, engineering, technical, contracting and support employment and influences the Green Pond Road corridor.
Membership-based water park on the Arsenal with pools, slides, lap lanes and a lazy river. Rockaway Township residents are eligible to purchase memberships.
The Township and Arsenal have long cooperated on recreation access and community programs while installation security rules remain in effect.
Do not treat Picatinny as an ordinary public attraction. Base access is controlled. Frog Falls and other recreational opportunities use their own membership, registration and security procedures.
Education in Rockaway Township
The Rockaway Township School District serves elementary and middle-school students through five elementary schools and Copeland Middle School. High-school students attend the Morris Hills Regional School District, with assignment depending on residence.
Art Street
Dover mailing address
665 Mount Hope Avenue
Wharton mailing address
524 Green Pond Road
Rockaway, NJ 07866
Mineral Springs Drive
Dover mailing address
Stony Brook Road
Rockaway, NJ 07866
Lake Shore Drive
Rockaway, NJ 07866
50 Knoll Drive
Rockaway, NJ 07866
520 West Main Street
Rockaway Borough, NJ 07866
High-school assignment is address-specific. Morris Hills Regional states that Morris Knolls receives most Rockaway Township students, while White Meadow Lake and certain southern Township areas are assigned differently. Families should use the district's official address-based registration guidance rather than assuming school assignment from the ZIP code.
Rockaway Township Free Public Library
The Township library system has a main location on Mount Hope Road and a branch serving the Hibernia/Green Pond area, giving a municipality of this size two convenient library access points.
61 Mount Hope Road
Rockaway, NJ 07866
419 Green Pond Road
Rockaway, NJ 07866
Programs, technology help, digital materials, children's services and access to the Morris Automated Information Network support residents across the Township.
Rockaway Township · September 2026
The Township calendar remains active as fall begins, with community, remembrance, recreation and resident-service events.
Annual senior picnic scheduled from 11:00 AM–2:00 PM at Craigmeur.
Township remembrance ceremony scheduled for 5:00 PM at the Parks Lake Gazebo.
In-person filing-assistance event scheduled from 9:00 AM–12:30 PM with Spanish translation available.
Township-wide sale scheduled from 8:00 AM–3:00 PM.
Community blood drive scheduled from 9:00 AM–1:00 PM.
Registration remains open through September 16 for the Township's 2026 walking challenge.
2026 planning & future development
Rockaway Township is balancing Highlands/open-space protection with housing obligations and reinvestment in existing commercial areas. The Township adopted an amended Housing Element and Fair Share Plan in February 2026.
The Township's housing plan maintains a mixed-use overlay covering roughly 222 acres around the Rockaway Townsquare area.
The overlay framework permits up to 500 multifamily units across the district under specified conditions.
The current overlay establishes a 20% affordable-housing set-aside, potentially producing up to 100 affordable units.
The Township's updated Open Space and Recreation Plan emphasizes protection and management of its extensive Highlands and recreation lands.
Planning does not equal completed construction. The mall overlay creates a framework for future mixed-use development; individual projects still require applicable approvals and may change over time.
Township government
Rockaway Township operates under New Jersey's Mayor-Council Plan, commonly described as the strong-mayor form. The directly elected mayor serves as chief executive, while the Township Council exercises legislative authority.
Joseph Jackson
Nine members: three at-large representatives and six ward representatives.
65 Mount Hope Road
Rockaway, NJ 07866
Nearby communities & regional connections
Separate municipality with Main Street, Park Lake, Borough schools and a smaller traditional downtown-oriented identity.
Nearby downtown, hospital, NJ TRANSIT rail service and Route 46/I-80 access.
Regional downtown and transit center with rail, shopping, restaurants and employment.
Neighboring borough with Route 15/46 access, local businesses and recreation.
Highlands communities bordering the Township's larger forest and lake areas to the north and west.
Major Morris County employment and corporate center easily reached via Interstate 80.
Discover Rockaway Township with NJTGO
Explore the Township's lake communities, regional shopping, restaurants, homes, trails, history, community events and employment opportunities through the complete NJTGO guide.
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