Morris County vs. Somerset County
Two neighboring New Jersey counties, side by side, from county seats and rail lines to parks and trails.
Side by side
Facts from official county, state and federal sources and other published sources. Each county’s guide has more.
| Fact | Morris County | Somerset County |
|---|---|---|
| County seat | Morristown | Somerville |
| Municipalities | 39 municipalities Three towns, 20 townships and 16 boroughs make up Morris County. | 21 municipalities Twelve boroughs and nine townships make up Somerset County. |
| Land area | 461.0 square miles | 301.9 square miles |
| Landscape | Rolling hills, broad valleys and lakes. The Passaic and the North Branch of the Raritan rise near Mendham, and the Whippany and Black rivers cross the county. | The North and South Branches of the Raritan meet here. The Watchung Mountains, the Somerset Hills and the Sourland Mountain frame river valleys and farmland. |
| Downtowns | Morristown around its historic Green, Chester Borough’s Main Street at Route 24 and US 206, and Mendham’s National Register historic district. | Somerville’s Main Street and pedestrian Division Street at the county seat, Bound Brook’s Main Street by its station, and Millstone, once the county seat. |
| Rail | Morris & Essex Lines (Morristown Line and Gladstone Branch), with Midtown Direct service to New York Penn Station, and the Montclair-Boonton Line. | Raritan Valley Line: Bound Brook, Bridgewater, Somerville, Raritan, North Branch. Gladstone Branch: Basking Ridge, Lyons, Bernardsville, Far Hills, Peapack, Gladstone. |
| Highways | I-80, I-280, I-287, US 46, US 202 and US 206, and NJ Routes 10, 15, 23, 24 and 124. | I-78 and I-287, which meet in Bridgewater and Bedminster, plus US 22, US 202, US 206 and Route 28. |
| Outdoors | Patriots’ Path, with more than 70 miles of trails; Lewis Morris County Park, with Sunrise Lake; and Morristown National Historical Park, including Jockey Hollow. | Duke Island Park on the Raritan in Bridgewater, the Sourland Mountain Preserve in Hillsborough, and Duke Farms, with more than 18 miles of trails. |
| Featured towns | Morristown, Chester, and MendhamTown guides coming soon | Somerville, Hillsborough, and BridgewaterTown guides coming soon |
| Full guide | Read the Morris County guide | Read the Somerset County guide |
Land area and municipalities: U.S. Census Bureau. The other rows: county, municipal, NJ Transit, NJDOT, other state and federal sources, and local organizations, checked in October 2026.
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Read the full guides
Each guide maps every municipality in the county, with its featured towns and facts at a glance.
More comparisons: Hunterdon vs. Morris, Hunterdon vs. Somerset, Morris vs. Warren, and Somerset vs. Warren
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