Port Morris

History

In the 1820s, George P. Macculloch envisioned a canal that would transport Pennsylvania coal to New York City. The plan was to construct a canal from Phillipsburg, New Jersey, at the confluence of the Delaware and Lehigh rivers, near the coal fields, to Newark, Jersey City, or New York City. The Morris Canal was completed to Newark in 1831, and Port Morris become one of the major stops established along the route of the canal. With the rise of the railroad came the demise of canals. Despite the changeover in transportation methods, Port Morris found a new role. With the construction of the Lackawanna Cut-Off by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad between 1908 and 1911, Port Morris became a major railroad junction and the starting point of the cutoff.

Geography

Port Morris is in western Morris County, along the northwestern edge of Roxbury Township. It is bordered to the east by the unincorporated community of Landing and to the west by the borough of Netcong. Lake Musconetcong and its inflow, the Musconetcong River, form the northern edge of the community. The Sussex County line follows the thread of the river and the passes through the center of the lake, with the borough of Stanhope to the north. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Port Morris CDP has a total area of , of which are land and , or 31.1%, are water, comprising the southern part of Lake Musconetcong.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  14,580
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  13,450
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  13,135
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  12,571
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  12,277
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  11,840
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  11,193
• White-breasted Nuthatch

  Sitta carolinensis Latham, 1790 · Aves
  10,849

Largest nearby schools

• Mount Olive High School
  High · FLANDERS · 1,493 students · 12.7:1 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
• Roxbury High School
  High · SUCCASUNNA · 1,192 students · 9.8:1 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
• Mount Olive Middle School
  Middle · BUDD LAKE · 1,109 students · 10.8:1 ratio
• West Morris Central High School
  High · CHESTER · 994 students · 11.8:1 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