Warren County, New Jersey is just across the Delaware River from Pennsylvania in the northwestern part of the state. The county contains 22 municipalities that encompass 363-square miles. Largely rural in nature, Warren County is dotted by small towns and rolling farmland and wooded hills. A haven for outdoor enthusiasts, the county boasts abundant wildlife, more than 61,000 acres of designated forestland, and more than 38,000 acres of parks, forests and conservation land.
The Town of Belvidere is the county seat for Warren County. As the county seat, Belvidere hosts a stately courthouse, which anchors a certified historic district of stately Victorian style homes. Warren County is also known as the home of M&M chocolate candies (manufactured in Hackettstown).
The county was isolated and sparsely populated in the early 19th century; the Morris Canal, railroads and eventually the automobile ended Warren County’s isolation. Warren County (population 109,638, according to 2009 U.S. Census Bureau statistics) is crossed by Interstate 78 and Interstate 80. Route 78 in the south, Route 80 in the north and Route 46 in the center connect Warren County to both northeast New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. Route 31, the area’s only major north-south highway, provides accessibility from Hunterdon County and Mercer County as well.
According to the National Highway Safety Administration, nine people were fatally injured in vehicle crashes in Warren County during 2009. Five of these fatalities occurred as the result of vehicle accidents involving alcohol-impaired drivers, and two pedestrians were killed as a result of vehicle accidents. When a severe personal injury or death occurs as a result of a Warren County vehicle accident, the victim’s family also suffers, with emotional and economic burdens that may last for years afterward.
Warren County is served by two hospitals: Hackettstown Regional Medical Center and Warren Hospital in Phillipsburg. The Hackettstown Regional Medical Center is a full-service acute care hospital, which serves the healthcare needs of the residents of Warren County, western Morris County, southern Sussex County and northern Hunterdon County. There can be enormous quality differences between one hospital and another as well as between one doctor and another. Patient safety ratings reflect the quality of care at a hospital by measuring how well the hospital prevents potentially avoidable complications. Healthgrades gives the Hackettstown Regional Medical Center their average or better rating in all of the important patient safety categories except one: lack of deep blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery, in which the hospital did poorly.
The structure of New Jersey’s court system is among the most simple in the nation. The state has only the following types of courts: Municipal courts, Tax Court, state Superior Court, which includes the trial courts, an Appellate Division and the New Jersey Supreme Court. The trial court in Warren County is located at the Warren County Courthouse, 413 Second Street, Belvidere, NJ 07823. Both criminal and civil cases are heard at the trial court level. Typical civil cases involve contracts, personal injury, automobile accidents, employment and discrimination cases.
