These New Jersey towns have some of the most confusing names in the state

Emma Ferschweiler, NorthJersey.com
·2 min read

Living in New Jersey can be challenging enough. We argue over breakfast sandwiches, don't pump our own gas and play keep-away from potholes on the Garden State Parkway. Now add puzzling and, at times, bizarre town names to the mix.

There are 564 municipalities in the state. These are some of the town names that can cause the most confusion, for a variety of reasons:

Washington

If you're a fan of the Washington name, then take your pick of five townships and one borough that recall the Founding Father. Be careful when deciding which Washington Township to go to, as five counties have their own versions.

Franklin

There is likely a Franklin municipality in a county near you. Besides the four Franklin Townships, there's Franklin Borough and Franklin Lakes, all across six counties.

Woodbridge, Wood-Ridge, Ridgewood

Rearrange the letters slightly and you get a township, a borough and a village from New Jersey. It makes you wonder how original the name selection was back then.

North Bergen

Don't let the name fool you. North Bergen is a Hudson County municipality, not in Bergen County. To make matters worse, the township is south of Bergen.

Frelinghuysen

Try to say that five times fast. While it may look like a computer typo, this township is a real place in the northern part of Warren County.

National Park

The Garden State boasts 12 national park sites, though none is in National Park, New Jersey. The borough with this name is in Gloucester County.

Gloucester City and Township

Not only do Gloucester City and Gloucester Township share a name, but neither is in Gloucester County. They are Camden County municipalities.

Union

Saying you are from Union is not specific enough. There's Union City and two Union Townships, only one of which is in Union County.

Ho-Ho-Kus

To hyphenate or not to hyphenate is the perennial spelling question about this uniquely named Bergen County borough.

West New York

True to its name, West New York borders the Hudson River and, by extension, the city. However, while some may be led to think they are in the nation's Big Apple, the Hudson County township remains a New Jersey native.

Greenwich Township

The one in Warren, Gloucester or Cumberland County?

There are more than 50 New Jersey municipalities with duplicated names, in addition to confusingly similar names like Montville and Montvale. Best of luck to visitors!

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ town names that cause the most confusion and why