Mountain Lakes

History

Mountain Lakes was originally a planned community, founded in 1910 by Herbert Hapgood. The entire face of the community changed from a wilderness of Dutch and English properties to a planned suburban community of large stucco houses now affectionately known as "Hapgoods." During this single decade, the natural and architectural character of Mountain Lakes was developed. Hapgood was particularly influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, at the height of its popularity in 1910 when he started building. Lawrence W. Luellen, inventor of the Dixie Cup, became the community's first resident when he moved to his new home in March 1911. The Hapgood model homes were early forerunners of the modern development, but each house was modified to suit individual tastes. To the basic styles of these houses, Hapgood added colonial and craftsman features. He reversed floor plans, and interchanged architectural details. By the end of 1912, two hundred Hapgood homes were sold and occupied and in 1914 saw the formation of the Mountain Lakes Club. By 1923, approximately six hundred stucco houses were built to meet the overwhelming demand. Mountain Lakes became an independent municipality in 1924. The United States Navy's Underwater Sound Reference Laboratories was located in Mountain Lakes during World War II. Mountain Lakes had a discriminatory "gentleman's agreement" from its inception up through the 1960s, preventing African-Americans, Jews, Latinos, Catholics, and other "undesirable groupings" from living there. While this was abandoned in recent years, the town still has a less diverse population than the rest of New Jersey, or Morris County.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 2.91 square miles (7.53 km2), including 2.64 square miles (6.84 km2) of land and 0.27 square miles (0.69 km2) of water (9.11%). The borough borders Parsippany-Troy Hills, to the east and south, the town of Boonton to the northeast, Boonton Township to the northwest and Denville to the west all of which are located in Morris County. Man-made lakes in Mountain Lakes include Birchwood Lake, Crystal Lake, Mountain Lake, Shadow Lake, Sunset Lake, Wildwood Lake, and Cove Lake. There are town private swimming beaches in Birchwood Lake, and Mountain Lake. The Mountain Lakes Club is located on the northern end of Mountain Lake. Beaches are open from sunrise to sunset and facilities are available between the hours of 10 am and 6 pm every day between the months of June and August with a beach badge purchased at the borough hall. Beach badges are available to Mountain Lakes residents only.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  26,430
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  23,055
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  22,439
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  20,359
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  19,142
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  18,101
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  17,109
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  17,024

Largest nearby schools

• Morristown High School
  High · MORRISTOWN · 1,868 students · 13.4:1 ratio
• Morris Knolls High School
  High · DENVILLE · 1,447 students · 11.1:1 ratio
• Randolph High School
  High · RANDOLPH · 1,349 students · 11.1:1 ratio
• Morris Hills High School
  High · ROCKAWAY · 1,187 students · 10.1:1 ratio
• Dover High School
  High · DOVER · 1,159 students · 13.3:1 ratio
• Montville Township High School
  High · MONTVILLE · 1,112 students · 10.4:1 ratio
• Frelinghuysen Middle School
  Middle · MORRISTOWN · 1,069 students · 10.7:1 ratio
• Parsippany Hills High School
  High · Morris Plains · 998 students · 9.9:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.8 — 2025-08-05
  1 km N of Hillsdale, New Jersey
• M 3 — 2025-08-03
  0 km W of Little Ferry, New Jersey
• M 2.9 — 2024-05-24
  6 km E of Califon, New Jersey
• M 2.6 — 2024-05-01
  1 km NW of Gladstone, New Jersey
• M 2.9 — 2024-04-27
  7 km WSW of Gladstone, New Jersey
• M 2.6 — 2024-04-10
  5 km WSW of Gladstone, New Jersey