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Free Acres, New Jersey

Berkeley Heights, New JerseyGeorgist communitiesNew Jersey geography stubsUnincorporated communities in New JerseyUnincorporated communities in Somerset County, New Jersey
Unincorporated communities in Union County, New JerseyUse American English from July 2023Use mdy dates from July 2023Watchung, New Jersey

Free Acres is an unincorporated community located along the border of Berkeley Heights in Union County and Watchung in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Free Acres was created in 1910 as a social experiment by Bolton Hall, an Irish-born New York entrepreneur, reformer and follower of Leo Tolstoy. Hall believed in economist Henry George's idea of single taxation, under which residents pay a land value tax to the community based on the value of the land alone, and in turn, the community pays a lump sum to the municipality. The 75-acre (300,000 m2) wooded community of 85 households is located about 33 mi (53 km) west of New York City. Residents own their houses, but pay a lease for the land, which is owned collectively by the community. Free Acres contains a farmhouse and a spring-fed pool. Residents of Free Acres still pay tax to the Free Acres Association, which is now a more common version of the property tax, based on the value of the land and any improvements. The association maintains the community's streets and swimming pool, approves architectural changes to homes, and pays a lump sum in taxes to the two municipalities. Among the early residents of Free Acres were author Thorne Smith and his wife Celia, and actor James Cagney and his wife Billie. It has been home to scientists who worked at the nearby Bell Labs Murray Hill.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Free Acres, New Jersey (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).

Free Acres, New Jersey
Apple Tree Row,

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N 40.660555555556 ° E -74.443888888889 °
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Apple Tree Row 23
07922
New Jersey, United States
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Berkeley Heights, New Jersey
Berkeley Heights, New Jersey

Berkeley Heights is a township in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Located on a ridge in northern-central New Jersey, Berkeley Heights is a commuter town of New York City in the New York metropolitan area, nestled within the Raritan Valley region and also bordering both Morris and Somerset counties in the Passaic Valley region. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 13,285, an increase of 102 (+0.8%) from the 2010 census count of 13,183, which in turn reflected a decline of 224 (−1.7%) from the 13,407 counted in the 2000 census.The township was originally incorporated as New Providence Township by the New Jersey Legislature on November 8, 1809, from portions of Springfield Township, while the area was still part of Essex County. New Providence Township became part of the newly formed Union County at its creation on March 19, 1857. Portions of the township were taken on March 23, 1869, to create Summit, and on March 14, 1899, to form the borough of New Providence. On November 6, 1951, the name of the township was changed to Berkeley Heights, based on the results of a referendum held that day. The township was named for John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton, one of the founders of the Province of New Jersey.The township has been ranked as one of the state's highest-income communities. Based on data from the American Community Survey for 2013–2017, township residents had a median household income of $147,614, ranked 15th in the state among municipalities with more than 10,000 residents, almost double the statewide median of $76,475.In Money magazine's 2013 Best Places to Live rankings, Berkeley Heights was ranked 6th in the nation, the highest among the three places in New Jersey included in the top 50 list. The magazine's 2007 list had the township ranked 45th out of a potential 2,800 places in the United States with populations above 7,500 and under 50,000.In its 2010 rankings of the "Best Places to Live", New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Berkeley Heights as the 19th best place to live in New Jersey. In its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Berkeley Heights as the 59th best place to live in New Jersey.The township was listed as the fifth safest place in New Jersey as well as the ninth safest municipality in the nation according to a 2022 crime statistic compilation from Safewise.com.