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Union County was officially formed by state legislature on
March 19th, 1857, (becoming effective on April 13, 1857). It
was the last of New Jersey's counties to be created. Union
County -- one of 17 counties in the nation to bear that name
-- is the oldest of the group. While it is the second
smallest of New Jersey's 21 counties (larger only than
Hudson County), its half-million residents also make it the
most densely populated. Again named as the County seat,
Elizabethtown regained its historic economic prominence that
was lost in the shadow of Newark.
As the seven original municipalities developed an industrial
base and transportation infrastructure, they were broken
apart and joined to create new townships, resulting in the
Union County municipalities as we know them today. Linden
was created in 1861 from parts of Elizabeth, Rahway and
Union, with Clark following in 1864, set off from Rahway.
Summit followed in 1869, Cranford in 1871, Roselle in 1894,
Mountainside and Fanwood in 1895, Berkeley Heights in 1899,
Roselle Park in 1901, Garwood in 1903, Kenilworth in 1907,
Hillside in 1913, and Scotch Plains in 1917. Winfield
Township was the last of Union County's 21 municipalities,
joining the ranks in 1941. By 1930, the county's population
was 200,000, having nearly doubled its population from the
turn of the century.
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