Parsippany–Troy Hills, commonly known as Parsippany ( ), is a township in Morris County, in the northern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2025 U.S Census Bureau, the township's population was 56,633. An increase of 2,924 (+5.5%) from the 2010 census count of 53,238, which in turn had reflected an increase of 2,589 (+5.1%) from the 50,649 counted at the 2000 census.Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023.

The name Parsippany comes from the Lenape Native American sub-tribe, which comes from the word parsipanong, which means "the place where the river winds through the valley."Cheslow, Jerry. "If You're Thinking of Living in: Parsippany–Troy Hills", The New York Times, February 23, 1992. Accessed August 7, 2013.Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed September 12, 2015. Parsippany–Troy Hills is the most populous municipality in Morris County.The Land Past and Present (), Morris County, New Jersey. Accessed August 19, 2007. The name Troy Hills was changed from Troy to avoid confusion of mail being sent erroneously to Troy, New York.Parsippany Historical and Preservation Society. Parsippany–Troy Hills, p. 27. Arcadia Publishing, 1997. . Accessed September 12, 2015.

Parsippany–Troy Hills was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 12, 1928, from portions of Hanover Township, based on the results of a referendum held on May 9, 1928, that split off both East Hanover Township and Parsippany–Troy Hills from Hanover Township.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 195. Accessed May 30, 2024.Staff. "New Montclair Board Organizes Next Week – C.G. Phillips Only Candidate to Get First Choice Majority – Three Re-elected at Long Branch", The New York Times, May 10, 1928. Accessed October 27, 2018. "The electorate of the present Hanover Township near here turned out in force today and by a vote of 1,938 to 987 registered its approval of the proposal to split the township into three new townships. The present township will be divided into the townships of Parsippany–Troy Hills, East Hanover and Old Township."Historical Timeline of Morris County Boundaries , Morris County Library. Accessed December 24, 2016. "1928, March 12. Parsippany–Troy Hills Township is established from Hanover Township. From PL 1928, p. 893."

Since 2006, Parsippany–Troy Hills appeared eight times on Money magazine's list of "Best Places to Live in the United States", ranking 17th-best in 2006, 13th-best in 2008, 15th-best in 2012, 17th-best in 2014, fifth-best in 2016, 33rd-best in 2017, 26th-best in 2018, and 15th-best in 2022."Best Places to Live 2006" (), Money magazine. Accessed August 7, 2006.

History After the Wisconsin Glacier melted around 13,000 BCE, half of Parsippany was filled with water, as this was Lake Passaic. Around the area, grasses grew, as the area was tundra, and then turned into a taiga/boreal forest as the area warmed.

Native Americans Paleo-Indians moved in small groups into the area around 12,500 years ago, attracted by the diversity of plant and animal life.

Native Americans relocated to the area several thousand years ago, dwelling in the highlands and along the Rockaway River and the Whippany River, where they hunted and fished for the various game that lived in the area and migrated through the area in autumn. Paintings in a rock cave were found in the late 1970s in western Parsippany in the highlands.

Dutch settlement From 1611 to 1614, the Netherlands established the colony of New Netherland, which claimed territory between the 40th and 45th parallels north, a zone that included all of North Jersey. Native Americans traded furs and food with the Dutch for various goods, including metal pots, knives, guns, axes, and blankets. Trading with the Native Americans occurred until 1643, when a series of wars broke out between them. There were hostile relations between the Dutch and Native Americans between 1643 and 1660, which prevented the colonization by the Dutch of present-day Morris County.

On August 27, 1664, three English ships approached Fort Amsterdam, and surrendered the fort to the English. The English took control of New Netherland, and Morris County was included in the colonial-era Province of New York.

Relations with the Native Americans improved briefly after New Jersey's independent establishment. In a war between the Dutch and British ten years later. However, the Dutch retook control of New Amsterdam. A year later, it returned to the British. Relations with the Native Americans and English improved for a while. Settlers from England began moving to the area around 1700. The Parsippany area had flat land and fertile soil, and a fresh water supply, which created a suitable location for successful farming.

Slavery in Parsippany

From the 1730s until the beginning of the 19th century, present-day Parsippany was known as Lake Hiawatha, and included a slave plantation. The central street of Lake Hiawatha, Beverwyck Road, references the name of a Dutch slave owner and property manager, Lucas Von Beverhoudt.

Generations of African slaves were forced to labor on the Beverwyck property, including Phebe Ann Jacobs. Born enslaved in 1785 on the Beverwyck plantation, she later achieved freedom in Maine, laundering clothes for students of Bowdoin College. Her biography, Narrative of Phebe Ann Jacobs, published posthumously in 1850, is thought to have been a source of inspiration to Harriet Beecher Stowe, who authored the anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom's Cabin.Gigantino, James J. The Ragged Road to Abolition: Slavery and Freedom in New Jersey, 1775-1865, p. 153. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2014. . Accessed September 17, 2025. "In other northern states though, Jersey slaves found that their former slave status informed their new lives, as Phebe Ann Jacobs , a Morris County slave born in 1785 , did when she traveled north to New Hampshire and then to Maine.... Her narrative, originally published as Happy Phebe in 1850.... Jacobs even influence Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, as Stowe reported that she had read 'a small religious tract' on the life of a 'coloured woman named Phebe', which literary scholar Theodore Hovet argues proves that Jacobs provided Stowe with a template for her masterpiece."

A 1768 newspaper advertisement for the property mentions a "Negro House," which was constructed to house over 20 slaves, including a blacksmith, a shoemaker, and a mason. A 1780 newspaper notice includes a description to aid in re-capturing "Jack," a slave who had escaped; this notice can be found at the Morristown National Historical Park.

Guests at the estate included George Washington, Nathaniel Greene, and Marquis de Lafayette.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 25.35 square miles (65.65 km2), including 23.63 square miles (61.20 km2) of land and 1.72 square miles (4.45 km2) of water (6.79%).

Parsippany-Troy Hills is characterized as a suburban community with numerous residential neighborhoods and areas of commercial development. Approximately one-third of the townships is categorized as open space.

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Greystone Park, Lake Hiawatha, Intervale, Lake Parsippany, Mount Tabor (also known as "Tabor"), Parsippany, Powder Mill, Rainbow Lakes, Rockaway Neck, and Troy Hills.Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed May 21, 2015.

Lake Hiawatha and Mount Tabor are neighborhoods with their own ZIP codes. In 2000, 55% of Parsippany residents had a 07054 ZIP code. In 2011, Parsippany residents could live in one of 12 ZIP codes.ZIP Codes in Parsippany Troy Hills Township NJ, Zillow. Accessed October 30, 2013. There are several stray ZIP codes listed after 07035. Until 2000, there was a 13th ZIP code within Parsippany–Troy Hills, which was eliminated with changes at the Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital.

Parsippany borders the municipalities of Boonton, Denville Township, East Hanover Township, Hanover Township, Montville, Morris Plains, Morris Township, Mountain Lakes and Randolph.Areas touching Parsippany–Troy Hills, MapIt. Accessed March 2, 2020.Morris County Municipalities Map, Morris County, New Jersey Department of Planning and Preservation. Accessed March 2, 2020.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.

Climate The township has a humid continental climate, with cold winters and very warm-to-hot summers. It is usually cooler than Manhattan at night and in the early morning. The record low temperature is , and the record high is .

Geology Parsippany–Troy Hills lies in the Newark Piedmont Basin. Around 500 million years ago, a chain of volcanic islands crashed into proto North America, riding over the North American Plate and creating the New Jersey Highlands, which start in the western portion of the township. This strike also created land formations in the rest of eastern New Jersey. Around 450 million years ago, a small continent, long and thin, collided with North America, creating folding and faulting in western New Jersey and southern Appalachia.

The swamps and meadows of Parsippany were created when the North American Plate separated from the African Plate. An aborted rift system or half-graben was created. The land area lowered between the Ramapo Fault in western Parsippany and a fault west of Paterson. The Ramapo Fault goes through the western part of the township.

The Wisconsin Glacier came into the area around 21,000 BCE and left around 13,000 BCE due to a warming climate. As the glacier slowly melted, this created rivers, streams and lakes, leaving most of the township under Lake Passaic, which was the biggest lake in New Jersey at that time, stretching from the edge of the Ramapo Fault in western Parsippany eastward to almost Paterson.

The area was first a tundra when the Wisconsin Glacier melted and then as the area warmed formed taiga/boreal forests, along with vast meadows. Slowly, Lake Passaic drained and formed swamps in the township; Troy Meadows and Lee Meadows (on the old Alderney Farm tract) are perfect examples. Swamps and meadows next to oak forests created a diverse flora and fauna spectrum.

As of 2026, the township is a member of Local Leaders for Responsible Planning in order to address the township's Mount Laurel doctrine-based housing obligations.

Demographics

Based on the most recent U.S Census Bureau data, the racial makeup of Parsippany-Troy Hills was 26,787 (47.3%) White, 1,982 (3.5%) African American, 113 (0.2%) Native American, 21,520 (38%) Asian, 0 (0%) Pacific Islander, 113 (0.2%) from other races, and 1,223 (2.2%) from two or more races.  Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5,210 persons (9.2%). Among the Asian population, largest ancestry groups were Indian, 14,373 (25.6%), followed by Chinese, 3,538 (6.3%), and Filipinos, 912 (1.6%). Among Hispanics and Latinos, the largest ancestry groups were Colombian, 900 (1.6%), followed by Puerto Rican, 586 (1%), and Mexican, 523 (0.9%).

2020 census