Raritan Township is a municipality in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, and the largest and most populous township in the county, home to roughly 24,000 residents. It occupies a central position in Hunterdon's rolling countryside, nearly halfway between New York City and Philadelphia, and it completely surrounds the smaller borough of Flemington. Routes 202, 31, and 12 pass through the township, making it a crossroads for travel across central New Jersey and giving it the local nickname "the Heart of Hunterdon County." The township's history reaches back to the colonial era: the land was purchased from Native Americans in 1703, and Raritan was formally incorporated as a township in 1838, formed from portions of the older Amwell Township. Flemington, which had grown within Raritan, was formed as a separate entity in 1870 and became an independent borough in 1910, creating the classic New Jersey "doughnut" arrangement in which one municipality surrounds another. Through the twentieth century, Raritan Township evolved from a largely agricultural community into a sought-after suburban and semi-rural residential area. Today the township is defined by single-family neighborhoods, farmland, and preserved open space, with Flemington serving as its commercial and cultural center. The housing stock spans Colonial Revival and New Traditional homes on spacious lawns as well as mid-century brick townhouses in established neighborhoods. Education is a strong draw: students attend the Flemington-Raritan Regional School District through eighth grade and the large Hunterdon Central Regional High School for grades nine through twelve. Nearby Round Valley Recreation Area provides a major reservoir for fishing, boating, and hiking. The combination of space, strong schools, and a strategic location between two metropolitan regions is central to the township's appeal.